Chapter 4: Unwanted Heart

I sighed softly as I listened to my classmates chatter while we sat together on the school’s cafeteria terrace.

“Mommy commissioned a gown for me from a famous designer just for this party! I am so eager to wear it!” Leila bragged, drawing admiring gasps from the girls around her.

“Wow! You will surely be one of the most beautiful she‑wolves there that night,” Ryza remarked with genuine awe.

They spoke endlessly about the upcoming annual mating ball to be held this year at the grand Hawthorne family mansion. Everyone said it would be truly magnificent because Alpha Edward intended to impress all the neighboring packs with its beauty.

The ball was held each year not only to help wolves find their fated mates but also to celebrate peace and unity across all packs. Alphas from four nearby territories and every unmated wolf over eighteen were invited which was why nearly everyone my age still searching for their destined one was alive with excitement. My friends had talked of nothing else all morning, especially Georgia who had yet to find her own mate.

They giggled and boasted to one another about their gowns and how they would style themselves for the evening. Every heart seemed full of eager anticipation except mine.

“And have you heard?” Cleo chimed in. “The new Alpha of the Northern Reign Pack will be attending too. Those who have seen him say he is impossibly striking and radiates immense power.”

A collective breath of wonder swept through the listening girls.

The Northern Reign Pack stood as one of the strongest and most feared packs in existence. Their warriors were renowned across the entire werewolf world for their unmatched strength, unyielding discipline, and terrifying brutality in battle. Their former Alpha had only recently passed away, leaving the full weight of leadership to his son, Alpha Noah.

Rumors claimed the new Alpha possessed an even colder heart than his father. He was said to be merciless and dangerous. A man who inspired fear wherever he went.

“Oh goodness! Perhaps he is my fated mate! That must be why I have not found him within our pack because he was meant to be him all along!” Leila gushed her voice bright with delight.

I rolled my eyes at her words. The Northern Reign wolves were known for being cruel and violent and they would crush their enemies without mercy. It felt so strange to me that instead of being afraid, these girls seemed completely charmed by the idea of their Alpha’s arrival.

“Hey what troubles you?” Georgia asked noticing my silence. "What's wrong? Aren't you excited about tonight’s ball?”

“I do not know,” I answered, my tone hollow and weary. “I just don't really feel like going.”

“What? Nonsense! You must come with me!” Georgia insisted tugging gently at my arm. “I will not take no for an answer, we shall go together!”

“I truly do not wish to. I simply cannot bring myself to attend.”

“What do you mean?” she coaxed her voice soft and persuasive. “I heard Sebastian has just returned and he will surely be there for the ball is held at his family’s estate.”

Only Georgia knew the secret longing I harbored for Sebastian. I had never confessed it, yet as my dearest friend she knew me too well and she had seen the way my eyes sought him out. She alone had discerned that my heart belonged to Sebastian, our Alpha’s son and sole heir.

Even so, I never told her or anyone else that I had already found my mate and that it was none other than Sebastian. I kept that truth hidden deep inside, so Georgia believed I had not yet met the one the Moon Goddess had chosen for me.

"I don't care if he's there. He doesn't mean anything to me anymore.” I said, my voice sharp with suppressed pain.

“Is that truly so?” she pressed gently. “But what if your mate is there tonight? Would you regret missing the chance to finally meet him?”

Her words turned my heart to bitter ash. If only she knew. Sebastian’s rejection had cut me deeply. I could hardly bear how he had thrown me away after that night we spent together, after I had given him my virginity. Though he never formally rejected me, I was slowly learning to accept that his silence was answer enough.

In our world even when the Moon Goddess herself bound two souls as mates there was no power to force love if one did not want it. I once dared to hope his coldness would pass and that he might change his mind, but weeks and months went by and nothing changed. We ran in the same circles. He even visited our home discussing pack matters with my brother from time to time yet he would ignore me completely, avoiding me as if my very presence were a disease.

The pain was unbearable. I spent so many days and nights crying while carrying this heavy secret all alone. But I could not stay broken forever. If he did not want me I had to accept it because love can never be forced. Besides, many wolves among us never find their destined mates at all. Some eventually choose partners through love rather than fate and still live long, happy lives. Perhaps I simply belong among the unlucky ones, the kind whose mate exists but never wants them.

“Please say yes,” Georgia pleaded. “Come with me. Do not be such a spoilsport.”

“Alright, alright. I'll go,” I yielded at last.

In the end I could not refuse my friend’s earnest pleas. I gave in and agreed to attend the ball.

We spent the afternoon shopping for gowns and having our hair and makeup done and I truly enjoyed the time spent with my friend. Yet beneath it all lay a quiet steel‑hard resolve. Once I saw Sebastian tonight I would finally accept his rejection completely. I would sever every tie between us just as he clearly wished. I knew it would tear at my heart but I had to face the truth that you cannot force someone to love you not even if they are your fated mate.

And so on the night of the ball I arrived at the mansion with my dearest friend Georgia at my side.