The return

Stacey.

Something bad was about to happen. I could feel it my bones.

The pack stood in the front yard of the pack house, dressed in their best clothes. Tonight, we were celebrating Alpha Liam’s fifth ascension anniversary. It was supposed to be a joyous occasion.

So why was my wolf on tension?

It was my eighteenth birthday and no one remembered. I was sure that wasn’t the reason because it had been like that for as long as I could remember.

Looking at the alpha with his family, I wondered what it must feel like to be truly loved. Tears welled in my eyes as the painful truth sunk in. I might never know.

“Stacey Miller, please step forward,” Elder Joshua said in a loud voice that echoed through the grounds.

I froze. My heart beat skyrocketed but I couldn’t move. I racked my brain. What did I do wrong?

A shove from behind set my feet in motion. The flower I was holding fell to the ground and I marched forward with bare hands.

“The moon chose you,” the elder said. “You’re fated to stand by our alpha’s side.”

Wait, what? Fated?

Dressed in a black suit and silver armor, Alpha Liam stepped forward and held out his hand to me. Confused, I stared into his sharp blue eyes, searching for an answer.

I felt a certain warmth towards him, nothing to write home about. Every mated person I knew said they felt a powerful attraction to their fated mate. This didn’t feel like it. Out of duty, I placed my hand on his.

Alpha Liam smiled. He was tall and lean, with deep blue eyes. “I’ve waited long enough for my mate, but the moon has finally spoken. You’re mine now, Stacey.”

I smiled. Liam was the most handsome man in Midnight Pack, and the most powerful. Every unmated girl in the pack would kill to be in my position.

As I stared into his eyes, my new reality slowly sunk in. He was going to be mine and I was about to become the most powerful woman in the pack. What the hell? No one asked if I wanted this.

“I accept,” I said, not quite grasping the situation. I could not say no to the alpha unless I wanted death.

The crowd erupted in cheers. Elder Joshua stepped forward and inserted a ring in Liam’s finger before inserting one in mine.

Immediately, everything changed. His scent became stronger, and I felt an intense connection. My body warmed up as he stepped forward and kissed me. His lips trailed downwards to my neck. I closed my eyes when his fangs dug deep into my neck.

I was his.

The crowd cheered.

A tremendous gust of wind blew into the clearing and sent everything flying. The candles went off, and the electric bulbs went on and off. Screams followed as people ran around, some almost stumbling on us.

Suddenly, a growl pierced the air, shutting everyone up. The crowd froze, and the bulbs started working again, bringing enough light into the yard.

Out of the tree line at a distance, a very tall figure appeared. My wolf went crazy the moment she caught his strong, woody scent.

As he came closer, he threw off his cloak and the red glow from his eyes reflected on the bulbs.

“Caleb!” someone shouted.

I blinked.

Everyone knew the story. Twenty-four years ago, a Luna gave birth to twins during the blood moon. According to the stories, one was born of light and the other, darkness.

They said the child whose eyes turned red during the blood moon was cursed. The elders decided to throw him out of the pack to avoid the problems he could cause due to the curse. They also didn’t want the twins to fight for the throne.

The boy was now a man. A very handsome and sexy man.

While Liam was lean and athletic, Caleb was a big man made of rock-hard muscle. His muscles that looked like they were struggling to pop out from the tight white shirt he was wearing. Facially, he looked just like Alpha Liam, and yet they seemed like polar opposites. His aura was different, stronger, darker.

And for some reason, my wolf was drawn to him. His glowing eyes locked onto mine.

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. I felt something stirring in my core, a sweet ache I couldn’t explain. Unable to hold his gaze anymore, I looked at my feet.

Alpha Liam stepped in front of me and faced his taller twin.

“You have no place here,” he told his twin brother. “You were exiled.”

Caleb chuckled. “And yet, the moon called me back.”

My wolf was growing restless, heart pounding hard in my chest. She was gnawing at my insides, trying to come out. Only one name rang in my mind. And it was not Liam. It was Caleb.

Liam stepped back and took my hand, holding it tight. “Leave now.”

“Are you still spreading the same story?” Caleb asked, turning to the elder. “That I’m the evil, cursed twin. Don’t you get tired of spreading lies?”

“This is not the right time for this,” an old woman called Malena stepped forward.

“Malena right?” Caleb asked.

The woman nodded.

“You were a friend to my mother, so I’ll respect you and leave this ceremony,” he said before walking away, back into the forest.

It was like he went off with a part of me. The ceremony went back to normal, but I became restless, unable to relax.

I was happy. I smiled at those congratulating us and ate as much as I could, but I couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was amiss.

Alpha Liam wasn’t even talking to me. In fact, I was scared about our union. I had never spoken to the man, but now I was about to spend the rest of my life with him.

As the ceremony drew to a close and people started leaving, I excused myself and decided to go to the backyard to have some time for myself. Liam was busy talking to the elders so he barely noticed me leaving.

I was staring at nightroses, slowly inhaling their scent when I felt a presence behind me. The familiar scent was back. I had inhaled it an hour ago. I knew who it was even before turning.

He came close, so close that I could feel his breath on the back of my neck. I felt like arching my neck so he could dig his fangs in and claim me, make me his.

“It’s all a lie,” he said.

I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t. My throat was dry as sandpaper, my breaths rapid and shallow.

“The bond with Liam was forced by magic. Your wolf knows it.”

“No. You’re lying.”

The stories said he caused trouble wherever he went.

He leaned down until his lips were almost touching my ear. I could feel the heat radiating from his body “You do not belong to him.”

His voice sent heat straight into my core. I felt so weak in the knees. I needed to hold on to something.

“What are you talking about?” I asked. By now, my body was trembling, and my wolf was jumping with excitement.

He moved closer, so close that I could feel his rock-hard body on my back.

“You do not belong to my brother,” he said, sending shivers down my spine. My body was stiff. I didn’t know what to do, or say.

By the time I turned, he had vanished.