Chapter 2

Olivia Anderson's POV

The banquet hall of the Red Mist Pack shimmered like a dream I never wanted to wake from.

Crystal chandeliers dripped light across long tables groaning under silver platters. I made sure everything was perfect for tonight.

Garlands of moonflowers…white petals that only bloomed under the full moon which were twisted around every pillar, filling the air with their sweet, dizzying scent. My scent. The scent of a princess who had finally won everything. Alpha Smith Thorne.

I stood at the head table in the crimson silk gown my mother had sewn before she passed, the fabric clinging to every curve.

I was sure my alpha would be pleased the second he would lay his eyes on me.

My hand rested lightly on the gentle swell of my belly. It was barely noticeable yet, but I felt her there. Our little secret. His heir. My future.

Alpha Smith would announce it tonight. He promised me that he would take this step for us.

I’d waited three years for this moment….three years of stolen kisses in the pine groves, whispered promises under starlight, nights when his teeth grazed my neck and he growled that I was his. I let him deflower me, fuck me with every chance we got.

Oh goddess…We were fated. The moon goddess herself had knotted our souls together the day we turned sixteen. Everyone said so. My father said so. The elders said so. Even the stars seemed to wink in agreement.

Tonight he would choose me. Publicly and he would take over as supreme alpha and then we would rule.

I caught my reflection in one of the tall mirrors lining the hall, my long dark hair cascading in waves, my green eyes bright with anticipation, lips painted the color of fresh kill. I looked like a queen already.

My father, Alpha Harlan Anderson, rose from his throne-like chair at the center of the dais. The room hushed instantly. He was still a powerful man, broad-shouldered and silver-haired, but the last few months had carved deeper lines around his eyes. The pack wars had taken their toll. Still, when he looked at me, pride blazed so fiercely I felt it warm my skin.

“Tonight,” he boomed, voice carrying to every corner, “we celebrate not only the strength of Red Mist, but the future of our bloodline. My daughter, Olivia, has carried the light of our pack since the day she was born. And soon she will stand as Luna beside the alpha who was born to lead beside her.”

A cheer erupted, while glasses clinked. I could help but smile like a kid on Christmas day. My dreams were finally coming true.

My cousin Lila…beautiful, sharp-eyed Lila with her honey-blonde hair and her half-smile…raised her goblet from across the table and winked at me. She’d always been my shadow, my confidante. My family. She was someone I always opened up to. She made me feel better each time.

I smiled back, heart racing, while holding the hem of my dress nervously.

Then the double doors at the far end of the hall swung open. My heart pounded against my chest.

“He's here…oh goddess..my alpha is here…” I whispered to myself in excitement.

Smith strode in like he owned the moon itself.

Tall, dark brown silky hair. His shoulders carved from granite, eyes the color of storm clouds just before lightning.

My mate. My everything. He wore the black leather armor of the alpha line, the Red Mist crest…a snarling wolf wreathed in crimson fog…emblazoned across his chest. Power rolled off him in waves, making lesser wolves drop their gazes instinctively. He always made my wolf….Chloe…purr in heat.

He didn’t look at me at first.

He walked straight to the dais with his boots echoing on the polished marble stone, and stopped beside my father. The two alphas clasped forearms in the old way….strength to strength. The sight was so beautiful, it made my pup stir in my tummy.

Then Smith turned to face the hall. The silence was absolute. I hoped he'd look at me, a wink or anything. I guessed he was saving the best for last.

“I have made my choice,” he said, voice low and deliberate, each word landing like a hammer. “The moon goddess has spoken. My fated mate is not the one many expected.”

A ripple of confusion moved through the crowd.

My smile faltered, my insides clenched. “What's going on?” I half whispered.

He lifted his hand and extended it toward Lila.

My cousin. The person I'd always thought I'd even die for.

Lila rose slowly with her cheeks flushing. Her blue eyes shining with something that looked suspiciously like triumph. She placed her hand in his without hesitation and the hall exploded.

I could hear the gasps, shouts and a few howls of shock.

I couldn’t breathe. I fanned myself, trying to steady my body as I rose from the seat.

My father’s face was drained of color. He gripped the arm of his chair so hard the wood groaned.

“Smith,” I whispered. The word barely made it past my lips.

He finally looked at me with a look of disgust. He crunched his nose like I smelt like a rotting corpse.

There was no regret in those storm-cloud eyes. Only cold certainty.

“The bond with Olivia was… a pure mistake,” he said, loud enough for every wolf in the room to hear. “A youthful illusion the goddess has corrected. Lila is my true mate. She carries the strength Red Mist needs. She will be my Luna.”

The world tilted.

“I Alpha Smith Thorne, hereby reject Olivia Anderson as my mate.” He said it so loud that it echoed through the walls. “And I accept Lila Anderson, as my beloved and fated Luna.”

I felt the sharp pain of the mate bond breaking. The pain struck so painfully that I thought I'd die instantly. My hand flew to my belly instinctively, as if I could shield the tiny life inside from the words.

“No!!!” my father rasped. He stood barely keeping his balance… swaying from his chair. “You swore! You promised to my daughter Olivia…I gave you power over the pack! You can't do this!”

Smith’s gaze flicked to him, almost pitying. “The moon goddess chooses, Harlan. Not promises. Lila and I already shared a bond..”

My father clutched his chest. His breath came in harsh, ragged bursts. “Olivia… is carrying your baby—”

The words died as his knees buckled.

“Father!” I lunged forward, catching him before he hit the floor. His weight dragged me down with him. His face was gray, lips tinged blue.

“Heart,” he gasped. “It’s… my heart…”

I called out for the pack healers to rush forward. Someone shouted for the physician. But I already knew what's coming next. My worst nightmare. I felt it the moment his heart stuttered and stopped.

The bond between alpha and daughter snapped like brittle ice.

He was gone.

Because of him…

Smith watched it all, clearly unmoved. Lila stood beside him now, hand still in his head high like she belonged there.

The hall was chaos with wolves snarling, some shifting, others frozen in horror.

I cradled my father’s body, tears burning tracks down my cheeks, and looked up at the man who had once promised me forever.

“You killed him!” I said, voice cracking but steady. “You killed my father! And you—”

My other hand pressed harder against my belly.

Our child. His heir.

He met my gaze without flinching.

“You’ll be taken care of,” he said, as if I were a stray he was tossing a bone. “The pack is mine now. But the future belongs to Lila and i.”

Then he turned away. Lila followed, casting one last glance over her shoulder…pity mixed with victory.

I stayed on the floor, holding my dead father, feeling the life inside me flutter like a trapped bird.

“You will not get away with this ….You bastards!!!” I cried out frantically.

Smith stood in his tracks and turned to face me. His eyes looked so greedy with power.

“Then I'll make sure to end you myself.”