Chapter 1

Prologue

Three Centuries Ago

“Your highness, what have you done?!” 

“Oh Goddess, please have mercy!” The exclamations forced me to open my sleepy eyes and the panicked faces confused me. 

My mother stood there with my father and brother, Acquilleus. Her body was wrapped in mine and she stirred.

“You are going to wake her, mother. We had a long night,” I told them with a proud smile on my face. “I know you are wondering who she is and I was going to introduce her later but this is Gyai…”

“Bearer of the staff and the next in line as royal priestess. Not to be defiled by any mortal as she is a sacred tool of the gods!” My father quoted. 

I was fully awake now, my arms tightening protectively around Gyai. 

“What are you talking about…?” Mg voice trembled as I asked.

“Get the Elders!” My father instructed Acquilleus. “Tell them it is urgent. A sacrilege has been committed.”

My heart skipped a beat. I was even more frightened now.

“Ezra, you need to get away from her, right now!” My mother instructed but my entire body was frozen. 

“I can't, mom. She is my mate…”

“She can not be mated to anyone, Ezra! She belongs to the goddess! She is a forbidden fruit and you have just put our entire lives at jeopardy!” My father snapped and a strong feeling of dread gnawed at me. 

My heart was pounding at a rapid rate now. I just discovered she was my mate last night and we made passionate love and promises to each other. Dammit we had our whole future planned out so what were they saying!

“No, no, this has to be a mistake! We felt the mate bond. I smelled her! She called to me! She is mine!” I shook my head stubbornly. 

“She calls to everyone, son. She is no ordinary wolf, Ezra. She is the chosen so definitely her glorious scent will appeal to all creatures, male or female. Wolf or man…”

“Don't give me that! I know what I felt!” I fired. Before they could say anything else, my older brother returned with the Elders and they looked at me just the same way my parents did.

Shock. Horror. Disgust. Dread.

They were all dressed in white and looked every inch as scary as they did during the park rituals. These men were known to be cruel, ruthless and emotionless. They were feared even more than my father and they were never seen on an ordinary day or at blissful occasions. Only when blood and sacrifice was involved and that was what frightened me the most. 

“Take her,” came an instruction and the guards matched towards me. “Sue has been desecrated and heavy considered filthy!” 

“No! No! You can't take her… you can't…” I tried to figbt them but I was just eighteen and against these men, I was an ant. 

Gyai was snatched from my hands but not once did she wake and it was terrifying. 

“He has done the unthinkable,” One of them said and all their scary golden eyes snapped to me. 

“Please spare him, he is only but a child. He does not know anything about the pack rules and traditions…” my mother immediately started begging. 

“Where are you taking her?” I asked. “You have to bring her back, she is my mate!” I yelled and tried to run after them but I was held down my guards.”You don't understand, I marked her. You have to let me go…”

My cries fell on deaf ears of course. 

“Please spare him,” my mother went on begging. 

“You should have taught him better. Strip him!” He instructed and before another could say a word, my pants were ripped off me,. leaving me completely naked before them. 

My mother nudged my father desperately but he didn't say a word. He just stared. I was too frightened to react, I was more worried about Gyai. What they would do to her. 

“Please let me go to her. She did nothing…” I pleaded. “We love each other…”

“Shut up!” My father snapped. “How many times do we have to tell you that she is a priestess. No love can exist between you two!” 

I flinched hard as tears rolled down my cheeks. Why was no one saying where they took her? Would they kill her? Punish her? I wanted to know. I needed to know if she was finally awake. 

“He must be bound to the blood altar for seven days and seven nights without food or water for his soul to face judgement. After the gods unleash their wrath upon him, he shall be sent out of the pack to live out his curse!” Another Elder said and my heart stopped. 

CHAPTER 1 

/-JACQUELINE-/

"When is your boyfriend proposing to you?" Nina asked, as we made our way into the party hallway. 

We could hear the loud bass from the music just a few walks away. It was my boyfriend’s birthday party. 

I had found out that he bought a diamond ring a few days ago, and ever since then, I was over the moon.

 I couldn't wait to spend the rest of my life with him.

"I'm sure as hell he will be proposing to me tonight!" I squealed happily, throwing my hands in the air. 

Only heaven knew how excited I was about tonight.

 I stretched my left hand in front of me, imagining how the engagement ring would look sitting on my fourth finger, glowing brightly like it should.

"How sure are you?" Nina nudged me with a big smile on her face.

"Sammy bought an engagement ring a few days ago. He hid it very well, but I found out about it!" I almost jumped in the air. 

I was the happiest person alive tonight.

"I'm so happy for you, bestie!" Nina placed her hands on mine as we finally got to the entrance of the party hall. 

Everyone was vibing to the music, while most were drunk and others were making out hotly. 

'This isn't a club! Get a room!' I wanted to scream at them, but the excitement I was feeling didn't let me.

We walked past them as I maneuvered my way around, searching for Sammy. 

The earlier he proposed, the better for me. 

I was literally dying in suspense!

"Hey baby!" I sprinted towards him and kissed him deeply. "Happy birthday."

He didn't kiss me back like he always did, not in front of Nina.

 I had no idea what was going on. 

Maybe, due to how excited I was, I had no idea that Sammy was different tonight. 

He was distant and cold.

"Are you okay?" I asked, breaking the kiss though he never reciprocated it.

"I'm fine. Just stressed." he stylishly moved away from my hold.

"Is there any activity you will be doing other than your birthday party?" I asked, my doe eyes shining and glittering under the neon lights in the party hall.

"Yes, why did you ask?"

"Why not get it done already!" I bit my lips, tugging my curly hair behind my ears stylishly.

"You don't have to tell me what to do. I will do it at the right time." he said.

A smile crawled its way onto my lips. 

Sammy was indeed a walking green flag – an intentional man who I would love to spend the rest of my life with.

Nina stood beside me, watching and observing everything that was happening.

 She wasn't drinking or flirting with guys like she usually did at parties. She was way too calm, but I turned a blind eye to that.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Sammy cleared his throat, and my heart hammered in my chest.

 Thousands of butterflies were jubilating inside my stomach, and I was grinning widely until my cheeks hurt.

"As much as this is my birthday, I want to propose to the love of my life. The woman who made me feel whole and alive." he continued, his eyes on me. "Without her, my life would be incomplete."

His eyes, which were on me, suddenly dragged towards Nina, and my brows furrowed in confusion. 

Sammy took slow steps towards Nina and knelt in front of her. 

Funny enough, my hand was already stretched forward, ready to receive the ring, but I was met with air when he walked past me towards my best friend.

"Nina, will you marry me?" he asked, his eyes glowing with all the love and care.

I was speechless as my heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. 

My mouth opened widely, but no words seemed to form.

"Yes! Yes! I will marry you, Sammy!" Nina gushed as her right hand flew to her mouth to muffle her scream.

I stood like a fool, watching as my boyfriend, whom I had loved since my first year in college, engaged my best friend right in front of me. 

Sammy gently placed the ring on her finger, and they both engaged in a long kiss while the crowd cheered for them.

"What...what is going on here?" I finally found my voice after what seemed like forever.

"What does it look like?" Sammy said coldly.

"It seems you're forgetting something, Sammy. I'm your girlfriend, not Nina. Fuck!" My fingers found their way into my hair, deep into my scalp. "I'm the one who was supposed to get the ring."

I was trying to remind him of who I was to him.

"And?" He cocked an eyebrow, rendering me utterly speechless.

"Did you have an affair with my best friend behind my back?" I asked, trying to snap out of whatever nightmare this was.

 But it was the damn reality, not a freaking dream!

"It's Nina I love, not you." Sammy said, and I let out a bitter chuckle.

"So, all this while, you were also pretending, Nina. You both played a fool out of me." Tears stung my vision, but I was trying my best to hold them back.

 I didn't want to break down in front of these betrayals and everyone else.

"I didn't betray you, Jack. You were the one who was blindly in love with Sammy, who barely even loved you." Nina pointed out, her eyes fixed on the engagement ring that was meant to be mine. 

“You think you fooled me? Well guess what…” My eyes burned and in a fit of rage, I grabbed the young man next to me and crashed my lips against his.

Gasps immediately followed and murmurs filled the room. 

 He stood still, his lips unmoving, mine hovering above his, hungrily nibbling like my life depended on it. 

I blinked back my tears, about to pull away from the stranger, but he suddenly snaked his cold arms around my waist and deepened the kiss. It was like a spark in him had been ignited, like we were completely in a whole new world. Our world. 

We stood there, sucking each other out in public, and hell, it felt so good. His fingers around me made my heart melt, and even as much as Sammy's betrayal hurt, I didn't want this moment to end. 

I pulled away, staring at those thin cherry lips that just gave me my best kiss. And when I gazed into those mesmerizing golden eyes, my breath hitched. He was so beautiful…

I'd expected the stranger to push me away, slap me across the face for assaulting him in public and forever stamp this embarrassing night in my head but instead, he played along. 

With my arms still around the stranger's neck, I turned to look at Sammy, feeling his burning gaze on me. He had a chilling glint in his eyes, his lips were parted, but he couldn't get anything out of them. 

Raking my hands through the stranger's silky hair, I flashed him a smile, “Babe, the fun is officially over, get me out of here. This party is so fucking boring.” my voice trembled, tears blurring my vision as the stranger swept me off my feets. 

“Let's get you out of here.” He responded, his deep silky baritone voice grazing my ears. Slowly, he walked right out of the party with me in his arms, leaving everyone in a bewildered state!

As we left the building, I furiously wiped the tears from my eyes. My heart was breaking and I… I couldn't stop it. 

“I hope you have a good reason for kissing me out of the blue, Stranger. Where I come from, we take intimacy very seriously,” that rich deep voice immediately snapped me out of my misery. 

“Huh?”