4

THORNE

I couldn’t believe this was happening to me. How could my mate be a mere human? A lowly stripper at that. Was this some kind of sick joke? A mistake? Did the moon goddess make a damn mistake? 

That had to be the case. I let out a frustrated sigh, running my fingers through my hair as I paced around my room. But why? How? How could she make a mistake?!

There was no mistaking the fact that the stripper was my mate. The moment I buried myself inside her, I felt my wolf stir inside me, and for the first time in years, my wolf was awake. He was alive.

After that, I made the biggest mistake of my life. I marked a human. I was so lost in the moment that I couldn’t resist the pull. 

I buried my fangs in her, and now, I was  connected with a human for eternity. A dirty stripper. A sneer escaped my lips as my footsteps echoed around the room furiously. I was so doomed.

Why did the moon goddess choose her?! Why was it a human of all things?! The sheer thought of being mated to a human caused bile to rise up in my throat.

I detested the human species with every fibre of my being. Despite being inferior, weak, and ignorant, they were arrogant and acted like they knew it all, and now I was mated to one? 

What the hell did I do to deserve such a calamity? My hands clenched into fists by my sides. This was all that ridiculous woman’s fault. She must have done something. 

I would make sure her life in this castle was a living hell. I would make sure she regretted ever crossing paths with me. 

I didn’t stop pacing around as different thoughts ran through my mind. What was I supposed to do in this situation? 

I really didn’t want a human as a mate, and if news got out that my fated mate was a human, I could lose my throne. I pressed my cold fingers to my temple, feeling a bit of headache crawl into my skull.

There was only one thing I could do to avoid losing my throne. I would send the human away and take Elder Isak’s daughter as my mate.

The moment I thought of getting rid of the human, an excruciating pain shot through my entire body as my wolf’s howl reverberated in my head. I let out a gasp, holding my head in my hands before crumbling to the ground in a heap.

A pained groan escaped my lips as my body trembled slightly. It seemed like I couldn’t get rid of the human. I could be in extreme danger or worse, I could lose my wolf if I did.

I let out a sigh, shaking my head slightly as beads of sweat trickled down my brow. I was truly done for at this point. 

A soft knock on the door slowly brought me out of my reverie. I slowly got up to my feet, wiping my face with my hands.

“It’s open.”  I answered gruffly, clearly in no mood to see anyone. I already knew it was my beta, Kellan, even before he entered the room.

“Alpha,”  Kellan greeted, bowing slightly, his dark hair falling over his eyes. He rose, and my ever observant beta’s eyes scanned me carefully from head to toe, his eyebrows furrowed.

“Are you okay? You seem a bit off.” He said, and I could hear the concern in his voice.

I dismissed his question with a wave. “Yes, I’m fine. Why are you here?” I asked, instantly changing the subject.

Kellan stood straighter, adjusting his black, three-piece suit. “I heard from a few workers that you found a woman and brought her into the castle. Is it true? Who is it?” 

Although he sounded cold and distant like he always did, I did not miss the curiosity in his voice. 

I let out an internal sigh at the situation of things. I wanted to keep everything involving the human a secret, but it seemed like someone must have seen me bring her here, and unfortunately, gossip spreads like wildfire in this castle.

Soon, me bringing a woman here will be the talk of the entire pack. 

“She is no one,” I replied. “Just a maid.” 

“But you already have enough maids.” Kellan answered, eyeing me suspiciously like he knew I was up to something which was not good at all.

I had to do everything I could to hide the fact that my mate was a human, and as if that wasn’t tough enough, I also had to keep her close to me at the same time.

I shrugged, sporting a nonchalant expression. “We can never have too many maids now, can we?” 

Kellan opened his mouth to speak, no doubt about asking more questions, but I quickly cut him off. I couldn’t have him digging further into this. 

“What about the documents I asked you to look into at the office?” I asked, smoothening my hair with my hands.

“I was just about to go take care of them. I ran into Elder Isak, and he says he wants to see you, Alpha.” Kellan reported, and I let out a huge sigh. My beta didn’t need to speak any further as I already knew what this was about.

“Fine. I’ll meet with him.” 

“Do you need me to come with you?” Kellan asked, and I waved my hand dismissively. 

“That’s okay,” I answered. He didn’t need to follow me everywhere just because he was my beta. “Just go ahead and do what I asked you to.” I commanded.

“Yes, alpha.” He replied, and after bowing, he made his way out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

With an exasperated sigh, I adjusted my suit and hair and left the room after a couple of minutes. 

I knew Elder Isak would be in the meeting room, so I wasted no time heading straight there. Indeed he was already waiting when I got there and so was my mother.

“Alpha.”  The elder greeted, bowing his head slightly while Mother flashed me a small smile. 

“Elder, Mother,” I greeted, taking my seat at the head of the table before going straight into business mode. “You wanted to see me?” 

“Yes,”  the Elder answered. “I believe you know what this is about.” He added.

“The mating ceremony.” I stated, matter of factly. There was no use beating around the bush.

“Precisely,” Mother chipped in. 

“Elder Isak and I have decided that the mating ceremony between you and Avalon Stormwolf will take place in three weeks, which gives us ample time to prepare. Avalon, your chosen mate will be away for cleansing and preparation for the ceremony during that time, and when she gets back, you two will be mated. The faster the ceremony takes place, the better for all of us. When your heir arrives, your title as alpha will be secured.” 

I let out an internal sigh, listening intently. I did not have any other option but to go with their plans. It was the only way to secure my place as Alpha of the pack.

Avalon was a powerful werewolf, and with her by my side, nothing could threaten my throne. 

Although I had no feelings for her as I barely knew who she was, at that moment, feelings did not matter. Only my throne did.

“Yes, mother.” I agreed, and her smile widened remarkably.

“Would you like to see Avalon off tonight? It will be about three weeks before you get to see her again.”

“No, thank you,” I declined politely. “If that would be all, I will take my leave as I have a lot of things I still have to do.”

“Thank you for your time, alpha.”  Elder Isak said with a bow, and without uttering another word, I made my way out of the meeting room, my shoes echoing loudly on the marble floors.

I was glad they did not bring up the woman I brought into the castle earlier, which meant that they had not heard about it. 

I truly hoped it remained that way. It would become a huge hassle if they started digging into my business. 

After making sure that I wasn’t being followed, I made my way straight to the human’s room and the moment I stood outside her door, her sweet scent made its way into my nose, turning me on instantly.

Going into her room was probably a huge mistake at that moment, but I didn’t have it in me to even turn back.

My wolf whined with need and pleasure, and the urge to feel her body against mine grew even stronger. 

I was truly disgusted with myself. Why the hell did I feel so strongly for that woman? Why was I so attracted to her? I fought hard against my urges, but in the end, I lost.

Unable to fight any longer, I opened the door, slid into the room, and shut the door behind me.