Chapter 1

MIRA

Today, I was supposed to find my mate, but I’ve spent hours working on the preparation for the alpha’s ceremony.

I turned 21 years old today. That is the age most wolves find their mate while a few unlucky ones never find theirs. I have a feeling that I am far from lucky.

I had just finished up with my work and decided to rest by the clearing deep inside the woods when the taste of blood filled my mouth and almost instant a sharp pain pierced through my chest making me almost lose my balance as I doubled over.

What was …. Before I could form the thought, a scent hit my nose.

It was a rich overwhelming aroma of dark chocolate and fresh pine. It was my mate!

My heart raced as I looked around. I couldn’t hide my smile.

My dreams had finally come through. I have finally found my other half that will be with me till the end of time. A mate that will stand with me and stop the entire back from bullying me.

I started to go in the direction of the scent when I was hit with another blinding pain.

This was how finding your mate was explained to me. The elders never said you’d be in pain.

“Ahh!” I screamed clutching my chest as the pain became worse.

The agony in my chest throbbed in sync with my racing heartbeat. It felt like my soul was being ripped in half.

Panic flooded my veins. Something was wrong. My mate was in terrible danger, or perhaps he was dying.

I forced myself up, my legs trembling violently.

I had to find him. I had to make sure he was safe.

I breathed in deeply, letting the chocolate and pine scent fill my lungs to guide my path. The heavy aroma pulled me deeper into the pack. Branches whipped against my face, scratching my cheek as I followed the woods, but I barely felt them. The physical pain in my chest was the only thing that mattered.

Every step felt like walking on broken glass. I ran faster, my breath coming in ragged, desperate gasps. The scent grew thicker, choking my senses, telling me he was close.

I finally reached a small clearing near the northern border and I froze. My heart stopped beating entirely, and the air trapped itself in my throat.

There was no rogue attacking my mate. There was no life-threatening emergency.

Richard, the soon-to-be Alpha of the Silver Crest pack, and my mate was pressed against a large boulder. His fingers were tangled in the hair of a girl. He kissed her with a fierce, desperate hunger.

The girl wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, pulling him closer. When she tilted her head back to catch her breath, the moonlight hit her face clearly.

It was Luciana. My best friend.

I gasped as the revelation hit me in my gut. The pain in my chest mutated into a sickening, heavy ache.

I stared at Richard’s hands on her waist, at Luciana’s soft sighs echoing in the quiet night. The bond screamed in my head, confirming the truth. Richard was my mate. The boy I had crushed on for years from afar, the one whom I admired, was the person connected to my soul.

But as I watched Richard pull Luciana back into another deep kiss, a horrific realization settled over me. The pain I felt wasn't from an injury. It was the agony of my mate rejecting the bond while engaging with another female.

Richard was already a powerful future Alpha. His wolf was fully awake. He had to smell me. He had to know I was his mate, yet he was intentionally touching my best friend.

"Richard?" My voice was barely a whisper, but in the quiet forest, it sounded loud enough.

The two of them snapped apart instantly.

Luciana’s green eyes widened in horror as she looked at me, her hands dropping from his neck. She stepped back, her face turning pale. Richard turned his head slowly. His blue eyes locked onto mine. There was no guilt in his expression, just a cold calmness made my blood run cold.

"Mira," Luciana stammered, smoothing down her wrinkled shirt. "It’s not what it looks like. We were just"

"Quiet, Luciana," Richard interrupted. He didn't look at her; his gaze remained fixed entirely on me.

I walked forward, my boots crunching loudly on the dry leaves. The scent of pine and chocolate was suffocating now, but it no longer brought me comfort. It made me feel sick to my stomach. I stopped a few feet away from him, my fists clenched tightly at my sides to keep them from shaking.

"You knew! You felt the bond snap. You knew I was your mate, and you still brought her here." I said, my voice trembling with a mixture of rage and grief.

Richard stood tall, squaring his broad shoulders. He looked every bit the Alpha he was born to be, imposing and ruthless. "I did know, Mira.”

"Then why? Why did you choose to ignore our bond? Why?!" I yelled, tears finally spilling over my eyelashes and scalding my cheeks.

Luciana looked between us, her mouth opening in shock.

"Mira? You’re his mate?" She took another step back, looking genuinely confused, but she didn't run away. She stayed right by his side.

“And even if I wasn’t his mate, you still kissed him knowing how I felt,” I said her betrayal burning through me.

“How could you do that to me? you are my best friend!” I screamed while she rolled her eyes.

“There was no way Richard would have noticed you. Even with the bond you weren't acknowledged so you can’t blame me.” she said.

I felt like I had been slapped by her words because they were entirely true.

Richard stepped out from the shadow of the boulder and closed the distance between us until he was towering over me. Up close those blue eyes that I thought was beautiful were like ice.

"Because a mate bond is a suggestion for a partner, not a mandate," Richard said, his voice flat and devoid of emotion.

"The Silver Crest pack is facing tension from the southern borders. We are on the brink of a potential war. This pack deserves a strong Luna who can stand beside me on the front lines. It needs a woman who can command respect and project power. A woman who can lead the pack"

He paused, his eyes scanning my small frame, my tear-stained face, and my trembling hands not hiding his disgust.

"Look at yourself, Mira. You are a low-ranking omega. You spend your days in the kitchens and the archives. You cannot fight, you cannot lead, you have no wolf. You are weak, and you are not fit to be my mate. The pack would laugh if I introduced you as their future leader."

Every word he spoke felt like a rock crushing my ribs. I looked at Luciana, hoping to find some shred of loyalty or remorse in her face. But as Richard spoke, Luciana’s expression hardened. She shifted closer to him, her chin lifting slightly.

She was a strong beta warrior. She fit his description of a powerful Luna perfectly and she knew it.

"So, you chose her," I whispered.

"I chose what is best for my people," Richard stated firmly.

He raised his chin, his chest expanding as he took a deep breath. His wolf surfaced to the front of his mind, making his eyes glow a faint amber.

"I, Richard, future Alpha of the Silver Crest pack, reject you, Mira, as my mate and future Luna." He spoke loudly.

“No!” I grabbed my head, then my chest.

The rejection hit me so hard, I feel to my knees as my entire body shook in pain.

“Accept the rejection.” He commanded.

“No, it would kill me!” I cried as the pain in my head intensified and blood dripped out of my nose.

“Then you deserve to die for being that weak.” He said ruthlessly as he towered over me.

“Accept the rejection now or I’ll rip your throat out and you’d die either way.”

“Please,” I begged but when I looked into his eyes, I found no shred of pity.

“Accept the rejection. You’ll surely not be missed if you die now,” Luciana’s voice sounded irritating my ears.

Fuck this shit. I thought.

I pulled myself up making sure to stand straight as I looked into Richard’s eyes.

If I was going to do this, I’d do it right.

“I, Mira, accept you rejection and hope you remain miserable in this life.”