Chapter 1

Bella’s Pov

"I, Bella Brown, reject you, Barnett Morris, as my mate." That was the moment when I rejected my unattainable second chance mate. Even though I was condemning myself to forever abandon my only chance to happiness.

My name is Bella Brown; I am the daughter of the Alpha of the Red Moon pack. I have two older brothers, whom along with my parents dote on me. But their affection was non-indulgent; I was raised with good values and taught to treat every member of the pack equally. For years, I have attended the morning trainings punctually with the rest of the pack warriors, and years of hard training have molded me into an exceptional female warrior.

But just now, forcing back my deep sorrow, I turned down my second chance mate. This is a truly laughable and tragic story. My first mate was a playboy named Gray Norman. Gray was the Beta of the Maple pack, renowned as a virgin hunter. He rejected me, citing that he hadn't had enough fun yet.

After losing my mate I told myself to be strong. He was merely a Beta playboy, someone who had been with multiple she-wolves. Being rejected by such a person was not worth my sadness. With the support of my family and friends, I quickly pulled back together.

It had been a year of that, when my older brother's friend, Barnett, was invited to our pack. The moment he appeared, my wolf went wild, crying out "mate, mate, mate." Barnett was the heir of the Silver Wind pack, with shimmering golden hair and warm blue eyes. He was strong and an excellent warrior. He was on par with my big brother on the training grounds, and I was completely captivated by him.

Everyone was happy for me; I sighed in relief because second chances like these were incredibly rare. In our pack, there were she-wolves who never found their second mates after rejection and spent their lives lonely. I had secretly thought that that was going to be my much-dreaded destiny. Over the past year, daily nightmares invaded my dreams, nightmares of being alone at family gatherings while my Brothers’s fated mates and their little pups laughed happily, leaving me with a terrible sense of loneliness.

Barnett and I fell deeply in love rapidly, like all fated mates. Tall, handsome Barnett treated me well; he was my prince charming in all senses, and he was the heir of the Silver Wind pack. His pack had been allies with our Red Moon pack for generations. We were like a dream couple; a match made in heaven.

After a month of being mates, Barnett proposed to me. I was over the moon and I accepted. In this short time, I was head over heels for him. There was nothing I wanted more than becoming his Luna and giving birth to three little wolf pups for him. Tomorrow, the wedding is going to take place, and I'm feeling a mixture of anticipation and nervousness.

I gaze at the shining Luna dress in my closet. I sighed, daydreaming about the wedding tomorrow. My dress was so beautiful, and I was going to be the happiest bride in the world.

Suddenly a ding from my phone alerted me.

It was a message from Barnett, asking me to meet him at our little spot in the forest. I look at the screen with a silly smile – he must be missing me. I swooned.  With all the wedding preparations, we hadn't seen each other for several days.

I quickly get myself ready, passing through the pack and walking down the path that will lead me to our agreed-upon spot.

Walking along the lush, verdant path, I softly hum the song that will be played at the wedding tomorrow. I couldn’t feel any happier.

As I catch sight of the tall figure ahead, I immediately quicken my pace and run over, "Barnett!" I called him with a breathless smile.

"Bella." He said drily.

"Hi, Bella," a woman's chirpy voice made me jolt.

I didn't expect Theresa to be standing next to him. I furrowed my brows.

"Why are you here?" I asked, confused. She shouldn't be here with Barnett. Theresa was Barnett's childhood friend, and they were very close. I used to feel jealous of their relationship, but Barnett assured me they were just friends.

"Don't be upset with her," Barnett scolded me. "I invited her." I couldn’t help but feel hurt at the way he defended her.

"What?" I thought he invited me out on a date the day before the wedding because he missed me. What is happening?

"Don't fight because of me; I asked Barnett to bring me here," Theresa said softly. "It's all my fault." Her eyes immediately reddened.

Theresa's words might have sound friendly, but Her innocent act only worked with Barnett.

I always felt extremely uncomfortable around her.

Barnett tenderly rubbed Theresa's head to console her. I saw his hand even wrap around her shoulder, and Theresa nestled herself in Barnett's embrace. I looked at the uncomfortable scene with wide eyes in disbelief. My fiancé was being so intimate with someone else right in front of me. My wolf stirred a surge of anger welled up within me.

"What the hell is going on with you two?" I snapped.

"Bella, watch your words," Barnett glared at me angrily. "I am the Alpha."

"You are not yet my Alpha," I replied. Barnett was about to inherit the position of Alpha of the Silver Wind Pack from his father, but I wasn't afraid of him. My father was an Alpha, my brother was the next Alpha in line, and I too carried the blood of an Alpha in my veins.

"Why are you here?" Barnett's strange behavior had already given me an ominous feeling.

"To talk about something." He tried to avert his eyes, but I did not let him.

"Say it," I stared directly into Barnett's eyes.

Barnett fell silent for a moment, then spoke, "Theresa is pregnant with my child."

"What?" I could hardly believe it. The day before my wedding, my fiancé was telling me that another woman was carrying his child.

"YOU… BETRAYED ME?!" I shouted in anger.

"Please forgive him, he was drunk and mistook me for you," Theresa feigned concern. My eyes snapped at her in anger.

"Shut up!" I coldly glared at Theresa.

"This isn't Theresa's fault, blame me," Barnett said while shielding Theresa behind him. His unwavering defense of her was a merciless stab at my heart. Unexpectedly, Theresa stepped forward, grabbing my hand.

 "Bella, please forgive Barnett. I will leave and never come back." She sobbed.

"Stay away from me!" I pulled my hand away from Theresa's grip.

"Ahhhhh, my baby!" Theresa fell to the ground unceremoniously.

I hadn't even used that much force, how could she have fallen like that? I instinctively looked at Barnett, and my eyes met with his cold, icy gaze fixed on me.

"B-e-l-l-a," Barnett gritted his teeth at me, his eyes had turned golden-yellow flashing with anger, his wolf was emerging. Did he want to kill me for Theresa?

"She fell on her own, I didn't use much force." I retorted.

"It's all my fault. I got pregnant with your child without meaning to. Bella has every right to be angry. Don't blame her," Theresa stood up with Barnett's support, sobbing as she apologized clutching her still flat belly protectively.

"How could you be so malicious?" Barnett accused me without hesitation, "I was even planning to let you raise Theresa's child, so you could still be my Luna."

Let me raise his illegitimate child? Has Barnett lost his mind? I had thought that the second chance mate was a blessing from the Moon Goddess. It's clear now that Barnett is just a scumbag. Did he really think I would accept his ridiculous proposal for the so-called Luna position?

"I will never accept an illegitimate child." I said icily.

"You better think carefully. If I reject you, you will never have another mate for the rest of your life. You'll live in eternal solitude." Barnett said so sure of himself.

His words weighed heavily on my heart. Indeed, finding a second mate among werewolves was already a stroke of luck. A third mate didn't even exist in the equation. If he rejected me today, it meant that I would forever lose my mate, reliving the nightmare of being rejected by my first mate over a year ago.

But do I really want to let Barnett and Theresa trample upon my dignity as an Alpha's daughter?

Absolutely not!