Chapter Three

Elissa

The twigs snapped beneath my feet, my gown flowing behind me as I ran like my life depended on it. Someone was barking orders to follow me, and I recognized the voice as Lucian's.

Our pack is different from other werewolf packs. We don't get our wolves at eighteen but at the age of twenty, and it is known that if you don't have a wolf, you are either cursed or forgotten by the Moon Goddess, a fate far worse than death itself.

If I went back there, I didn't know what they would do to me.

And I didn't know what I was going to do.

So I ran faster, desperate to get away.

Away from the people I used to call family.

I didn't even know what to believe anymore.

The ground trembled, followed by the sound of paws pounding against the earth.

My gown got caught in the bushes, but I ripped it free, adrenaline rushing through my veins, the wind roaring in my ears as I ran even though I had no idea where I was going.

The noises were getting closer, and I was beginning to lose strength.

After everything that had happened today, it was too much for me.

I couldn't bear the pain.

I didn't deserve this.

I reached a large clearing, and a snarling wolf emerged from the other side, baring its teeth at me.

I recognized it as one of those who had shifted today.

I exhaled, trying to calm it down. I raised my hands in a peaceful gesture, hoping it would listen.

Its ears lowered as it looked behind me before it suddenly dashed away.

That was when I noticed Lucian had caught up with me.

Several Gammas stood behind him in their wolf forms.

"I found her. Give us some space. I'll bring her back," he told them.

They obeyed and disappeared into the trees.

Candice stepped out from behind him with a smug smile.

"What do you think you're doing?" Lucian demanded, eyeing me with a condescending expression.

"I... I can't..."

"We know you can't shift because you don't have a wolf. You're useless and forgotten by the Moon Goddess. But that doesn't mean you get to run away."

As he moved closer, I instinctively stepped backward until I was completely cornered.

"She really thought she could escape?" Candice mocked. "Are you going to beg the MoonGem Pack to take you in? A wolfless weakling?"

I was too distracted to notice Lucian had closed the distance.

His hand wrapped around my throat.

My breath caught as he lifted me off the ground by my neck.

I clawed at his wrist, gasping and struggling, but I couldn't loosen his grip.

My legs dangled helplessly as darkness crept into the edges of my vision.

I'm going to die here.

"Or maybe she's lying," he sneered. "Pretending to be wolfless so we'd let her go. Is that it? You ran here so you could shift on your own?"

Candice folded her arms across her chest as she walked closer.

She glared at me as though I had done something wrong.

I couldn't breathe.

The pressure in my chest intensified, and my hands slowly dropped to my sides.

My vision blurred.

His grip tightened again.

A tear rolled down my cheek and landed on his hand.

Every memory we'd shared over the years flashed before my eyes.

Maybe embracing the pain wouldn't be so bad.

Maybe I'd get to see my parents again.

Then he threw me aside like a rag doll.

My back slammed into the ground, and I heard something crack.

Pain exploded through my body.

Their laughter echoed in my ears as everything around me began to fade.

What had I done to deserve this?

I surrendered to the darkness because it felt kinder than the betrayal.

Perhaps dying would be peaceful.

I wouldn't have to endure this torment anymore.

Slowly...

I slipped into oblivion.

Something... or rather, someone... lifted me.

The pain in my back made me hiss.

There was movement around me before darkness claimed me once again.

I woke up in my room at the Beta's house.

Dread settled in my chest as I sat upright and looked around.

My clothes had been changed, but the maids were nowhere in sight.

The Beta walked in at that moment.

Hope flickered inside me.

My body still ached.

It would prove what his son had done.

Surely the Beta would punish Lucian.

Surely...

But the hope died the instant I saw the expression on his face.

"Elissa, what have you done?" he demanded coldly.

I frowned.

"What?"

"I thought Candice was like a sister to you. How could you do that to her?"

Confusion swept over me as a Gamma entered with Candice following behind him.

She was limping.

Her clothes were torn.

Bruises covered every inch of exposed skin.

Instinctively, I moved to get out of bed.

She collapsed onto the floor, sobbing.

"What's going on?" I asked, alarmed.

She had been perfectly fine earlier.

How had she gotten those injuries?

She lifted her head just enough to shoot me a secret smug smile before breaking into louder sobs.

My heart dropped.

She was pretending.

Whatever this was...

It was part of a plan.

A plan she had made with Lucian.

I looked back at the Beta, shaking my head.

I didn't like the way they were looking at me.

Then everything happened so fast.

The Beta grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked me off the bed.

I cried out as pain shot through my scalp.

He dragged me outside before throwing me to the ground in front of the entire pack.

Before I could speak, his booming voice echoed across the clearing.

"A member of our pack was attacked in the woods today by rogues. She was beaten and assaulted, but our Gammas managed to capture one of the attackers before he escaped. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done. Before he died, the rogue confessed that he had been sent by one of our own."

He pointed at me.

"Elissa Moonstone."

My blood ran cold.

"Tell us why you sent rogues after your personal maid. Was this your way of distracting everyone from the fact that your wolf never surfaced during the ritual? Did you plan that as well?"

Goosebumps spread across my skin.

Tears blurred my vision.

Then I saw him.

Lucian.

Standing among the crowd.

Smirking.

This had all been planned.

The Beta was part of it.

"We need answers!" someone shouted.

Others quickly joined in.

Their voices blurred together until they became nothing more than distant noise.

No...

This couldn't be happening.

They believed him?

"Elissa refuses to answer us," Beta Lennon declared. "She has betrayed this pack. A ruler without a wolf. A traitor."

The crowd erupted.

"Throw her into the dungeon!"

"She doesn't deserve to rule!"

Beta Lennon raised a hand for silence.

"She will be imprisoned in the dungeon. Tomorrow, we will hold another ceremony, and she will be stripped of her title. A traitor cannot rule this pack. She will answer for what she has done."

The crowd cheered.

I barely heard another word.

The ringing in my ears drowned everything else out.

My heart still beat inside my chest.

I wondered why.

Why was I still alive?

The Gammas dragged me away while Beta Lennon continued addressing the pack.

The same pack he had ruled ever since I was thirteen.

I had been too blind to see it.

He was never going to give up that power.

The betrayal sliced through me like a blade.

And left me bleeding.

Two Days Later

University of California, USA

KAYDEN'S POV

The lock was almost as weak as the door itself.

It took almost no effort to rip it free.

I pushed the door open, switched on the light, and found my keys sitting on the coffee table.

"Any problem, Mr. Lockwood?"

I didn't have to turn around to know it was Alice from next door.

Her citrus perfume always announced her presence.

"No problem, Miss Vince. I forgot my keys, so I came back to get them."

I tried not to sound rude, but my patience was wearing thin.

If she didn't leave my doorstep in the next minute, I was seriously considering shutting the door in her face.

Coming here had already been frustrating enough.

Leaving my pack behind wasn't easy.

The professors never stopped bothering me.

The women were even worse.

"Alright... I was wondering if..."

My phone rang.

Perfect timing.

Alice took the hint and walked away.

I shut the door before answering.

"Speak, Soren."

I picked up my keys from the table.

If my Beta was calling, it had to be important.

Hopefully it meant I could finally return home.

I was tired of maintaining this ridiculous facade while searching for something I didn't even know how to recognize.

"Alpha Kayden, how have you been? Any luck so far?" Soren asked.

Besides being my Beta, he was also my closest friend.

He had been managing the pack while I was away.

"None. And I hate it here. Living among humans is suffocating. I still don't know what I'm looking for, and the so-called cure hasn't shown itself in three years. I'm beginning to think the prophecy is complete bullshit."

Soren chuckled.

"As your Beta, I understand your frustration. The pack appreciates what you're doing, and everything is under control here. Now, as your best friend..." he paused. "Maybe you should take a break. Find someone and blow off some steam."

I scoffed.

"That would be your advice. I don't have time for distractions. Have you dealt with the rogues crossing our borders?"

"Yes, Alpha. The Gammas are handling it. They'll learn not to trespass on Bloodfang territory."

"Good. Contact me if anything important comes up. And have the seers consult the prophecy again."

"Understood."

I ended the call.

The walk to my classroom was short since the faculty apartments were located on campus.

I greeted a few students I recognized before making my way toward the freshman lecture I was teaching.

The moment I stepped into the classroom, Kade became instantly alert.

A warning.

I frowned.

That had never happened before.

We were surrounded by humans.

What could possibly threaten us here?

Then I caught it.

A scent.

Unlike anything I'd ever smelled before.

My wolf stirred, excited yet cautious.

My gaze swept across the room.

Until it landed on a pair of golden-brown eyes.

Something tightened painfully inside my chest.

Painful...

Yet intoxicating.

She was breathtaking.

Long light-brown hair.

Pale skin.

Soft pink lips parted in surprise.

A faint blush dusting her cheeks.

But that wasn't what caught my attention.

It was her scent.

Sweet.

Floral.

Completely intoxicating.

"Wolf."

"Mate."

Kade and I spoke at the same time.

What was a wolf doing here?

"Mate," Kade growled again.

This time...

The word truly sank in.

Mate.