Chapter One: Mate

Third-person POV

Ava stood on her tiptoes, her arms wrapped around Lucas's neck, as she gave him a lingering kiss. Lucas's hands were on her waist, holding her close to him as he returned the kiss with equal passion.

“I'm going to miss you,” Ava whispered as they pulled away from each other, her eyes fixed on his.

Lucas smiled down at her, his own eyes filled with affection. “I'll miss you too, babe,” he replied, leaning in for one more quick kiss. “But I'll be back soon, and we'll have all the time in the world to spend together,” he assured her, knowing very well that he had not been giving her enough attention lately and that he needed to make up for it.

Ava sighed, her hands still resting on Lucas's shoulders. “I can't wait,” she said, a small smile playing on her lips.

“I'll have to go back home soon because my parents don't like the fact that I spend too much time here, so I want to make the most of the time we have left together,” she added.

Lucas nodded in understanding, his gaze locked on Ava's face. He felt a surge of warmth in his chest, realizing just how much he loved her. She was his perfect match—kind, compassionate, and always there for him when he needed her.

She was one of the very few people who managed to get him to open up, and ever since he met her, he has been nothing but happy and satisfied with how their relationship is going.

“Don't worry, babe, I'll be back before you know it,” Lucas said, giving Ava one last hug before turning to leave.

“Take care of yourself while I'm gone, and if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask any of the servants. They're all at your beck and call, my love,” he said, and Ava nodded in understanding, giving him one last kiss on the lips.

As he walked towards the door, Lucas couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement. It had been a while since he attended the general pack meetings, and he was eagerly awaiting to catch up with the other Alphas so they would all stop thinking he was a snob.

Most of his Alpha friends, mostly those in his age group, had cut off contact with him completely because they all thought that he had become prideful after taking over as Alpha.

Of course, Lucas knew that wasn't the case, but because he couldn't afford to explain the real reasons why he had chosen to stay low-key, he decided against explaining himself to anyone and just made up his mind that he was willing to remain friends with whoever was willing to just accept him back without questions.

He was feeling excited, but as soon as he stepped outside, ready to get in the car, a strange feeling washed over him—a feeling he couldn't quite place.

He shook it off and made his way to the meeting, his mind filled with thoughts of Ava and the time they would spend together when he returned.

******* 

  Lucas walked into the pack meeting feeling confident and powerful. He was the Alpha of the legendary Crescent Pack, and he was respected, admired, feared, and also quite hated by all those around him.

He greeted the other Alphas with a firm handshake and introduced himself to the members of the smaller packs, trying not to intimidate them but to help them see that he wasn't as scary and as obnoxious as the majority thought he was.

As he approached the meeting room, he noticed that the Dawn Pack Alpha, Alpha Robles, was already there. He had heard rumors that the Dawn Pack was expanding their territory, and Lucas wondered if they were here to discuss a potential alliance.

As Lucas made his way through the crowd of Alphas, he noticed a young woman standing with the Dawn Pack Alpha. Her hair was the color of the moon, cascading down her back in loose waves, and her eyes were a piercing shade of blue.

It was Luna. The one and only Luna Dawn. 

Lucas felt a twinge of annoyance as soon as he saw her and he couldn't help but be annoyed by the fact that she was here, of all places, just when he finally had the chance to show himself again.

He and Luna had been arch-nemeses since they were children, constantly bickering and competing against each other in everything despite being from two different packs. He had always found her insufferable, and he couldn't stand the thought of having to deal with her during the meeting.

He wondered what Luna could be doing here because, to his understanding, this meeting was solely for Alphas and Luna wasn't one.  

As he took his seat, he noticed Luna glaring at him from across the room. She must have also spotted him, and knowing that their dislike for each other was mutual, he wasn't surprised that she was glaring at him. He returned her look with equal ferocity, silently daring her to try to beat him in any way.

The meeting began, with each Alpha taking turns discussing the current state of their pack and any issues they were facing. Lucas listened intently, taking mental notes of anything that could be useful for his own pack.

But as he glanced over at Luna, he felt a strange sensation wash over him, and he didn't like it one bit. It was a feeling he couldn't quite place – a sense of familiarity mixed with something else that confused him a lot. 

He shook it off, deciding that he couldn't be feeling this way for any other reason besides his dislike for Luna. But as the meeting drew to a close and the Alphas began to mingle, Lucas found himself inexplicably drawn towards her. 

He hated the fact that he kept paying attention to her unconsciously and when it got to a point where he could no longer concentrate on mingling with the other Alphas, he decided to let go of his pride and figure out, once and for all, why he was getting so drawn to her. 

He approached her, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. “And what exactly are you doing here, Luna?” he asked, his voice laced with hostility.

Luna raised an eyebrow, her eyes glittering with amusement. “I could ask you the same thing,” she replied, crossing her arms over her chest and staring back at him like he had lost his mind for daring to approach. 

 “This meeting is for Alphas, and I'm one, but you're not. So, why are you here?” he retorted, trying to focus on his train of thought even though his mind was all over the place. 

He felt a jolt of surprise as he kept looking at her, unable to take his eyes off her. Something about her had changed – there was a newfound confidence in her stance, and he couldn't help but feel a strange attraction towards her, which was very unlike him, since he had always disliked her very much. 

 “It seems you're forgetting that I'm an Alpha's daughter, Alpha Lucas, and I'm also going to be the next Alpha after him. I have every right to be here,” Luna responded, maintaining a fierce eye contact that pierced through Lucas in a way that it never had. 

As they stood there, staring at each other, a strange sensation began to fill Lucas's body. It was a feeling he couldn't quite place – a sense of longing mixed with confusion.

His wolf kept calling out to her and in a moment of clarity, the truth hit him.

Luna was his mate.

The revelation rocked him to his core, and he stumbled back a step, his eyes widening in shock. Luna looked equally stunned, her mouth falling open in surprise as if the realization had also dawned on her at that moment. 

“What in the world is going on right now, Lucas?” she asked, appearing a lot calmer than Lucas was. 

Lucas shook his head, unable to find the words to explain what he was feeling. All he knew was that everything had changed instantly, and he had no idea how to deal with it. 

He was shocked, confused, and also slightly annoyed, but regardless, he knew that the best thing he could do was say nothing and just stay calm. 

As the other Alphas began to take notice of their exchange, Lucas knew he had to get out of there. He excused himself with a curt bow and left the meeting, his mind whirling with confusion and also a strong sense of desire.

He had always thought Ava was his destined mate because of how strongly he felt for her, but now he was faced with the possibility that he had been mistaken all along, and he was finding it very difficult to believe. 

To make matters worse for him, his true mate turned out to be someone he had always despised, and that made him all the more upset.

 As soon as he was out and far away enough from the meeting hall, Lucas stood outside, trying to clear his head. His mind was filled with a thousand questions and doubts, and he had no idea how he was going to fix this. The only thing he knew for certain was that his life was never going to be the same again.