I am not sure how I got to the lake as my body seemed to be in auto pilot. I look out at the lake before me with water covering my ankles. I welcome the coldness of the water as it numbs my feet. The mountains in the distance are covered with fog making the peaks impossible to see. Birds dive into the lake to catch their next meal. The environment around me seems to ignore my existence and continues to live their lives. Just like it is in my regular life.
My heart and soul felt void from Haiden’s rejection. I looked out over the water. The dark depths of the lake are calling to my soul, ready to drown my sorrows away.As tears stream down my face, I take another step further into the water. A siren song seemingly pulling me further. My skin is itching from glue and fur. The water does nothing to absolve the itch and pain I feel. A few more steps and I will be able to drown my sorrows and my pitiful self into the watery abyss that awaits.I take a moment to reflect on how I got here at the lake and why I feel the way I do.I looked down at my body that was covered in hardening glue and fur. I feel so numb that even the smell of the fur no longer is affecting me.I knelt down on the crushed stone beach of the lake and bowed my head in defeat. What did I ever do to receive such cruelty? How did I offend the Moon Goddess so much that she would let me live in this torment.I’m torn from my thoughts as I feel the glue on my skin hardening pulling my skin so much, I fear that my skin will tear. I start cupping water onto my skin, trying desperately to get the glue mixture off. I tear off my dress, not caring how I look to any vultures that may be snooping. My efforts are mute in getting the grime off of me.I stand up and slowly make my way to the center of the lake. The murky depths continue their siren song to my cold heart. The icy water makes the glue harden even more causing me to cry out in pain.As the water hits the tops of my knees I begin to tremble from the cold. I welcome the numbing sensation as I walk deeper into the cold depths.No matter how far I go it does nothing to absolve the pain and agony I feel.As the water reaches my chest, I begin to feel my body go into shock. The freezing temperatures cause a choking sensation in my chest. I can’t feel my body from the neck down now, however all I can focus on is the memory of Haiden rejecting our bond.My father hated me, my sister loathed me, and now the one person who was supposed to love me unconditionally rejected me.I allow myself to put my head under water. Ready for everything to fade away. Just as my oxygen begins to leave my lungs and darkness edges my vision, I am yanked up out of the water by a strong arm.I suck in a breath and cry out at the sting of the fingers that are wrapped around my arm. As my eyes came to focus, I was met with the dark brown eyes that belong to those of my father.My father's eyes are filled with disgust and loathing as he yanks me into his black Rolls-Royce.He opens the car door with enough force, I fear he will tear it off the hinges, and slams me hard into the back of the car. The sound of the door being slammed shut sounds like a gun being shot at me.My body feels like thousands of needles are pressing on my skin when I am met with the heat of the car. My teeth chatter uncontrollably as I try to rub my arms to get warm. I feel the intensity of my father’s alpha aura from the passenger seat up front. His driver doesn’t spare me a glance as he pulls out of the spot he parked in.Shame washes over me of my stupidity. The bite of the icy depths seemed to shake me out of my cold thoughts.I bit the inside of my cheek to muster the courage to say something to my father. It isn’t until I feel the metallic copper taste of my blood before I speak. "Thanks dad." I gulp and pause a moment, before clarifying, “For saving my life...”He turns in his seat to face me. The black eyes of his wolf stare back at me and I know that I have really fucked up. "The irony of the Alpha’s daughter killing herself after the Mate Spring Party. Can you guess what the others will think of me?! Have you even considered my reputation?" His voice is colder than the lake’s water.As we pull into the driveway, my father barely waits for the vehicle to come to a stop before he gets out."Remember to clean the car later." He pins his glare on me.I choked back a sob and nodded."I can’t hear you!" He roars."Yes, Father." I cry out, trying to hold back another sob. He's been extremely hard on me since I was a kid.He squinted his eyes at me before slamming the door and stomping into the packhouse.I give myself a minute to compose myself and walk into the packhouse, trying to ignore the stares from the staff at my half naked form.I go straight to the bathroom attached to my bedroom. I feel a sense of relief being in my safe space. The moment is short lived when I hear my dad and sister arguing."She's your sister no matter what! Why are you going so overboard?" My father scolds."Oh, do you think I believe you really care about her? It's your reputation you care about, not her! Don’t act like you aren’t busy counting how many votes my incompetent sister cost you tonight? Tell me I’m wrong!" Talia’s sneer is sharp."How dare you?!" My father roars. “You have no right to speak to your Alpha like this young lady!”"Don't hold on to the illusion of making her disappear as soon as possible, because even your beta's son dared to REJECT her tonight. You won't be able to get rid of this shame in your lifetime, congratulations to you, my dear father!""Shut up!" I hear Talia’s scream, the sound of glass breaking, then a series of curses from her, and the slamming of the door.**I tossed and turned all night, unable to shut my racing thoughts off. As I was making my bed, Amber, one of the maid staff popped into my room. Normally one of the staff would be making my bed, however my father saw to it that I would be the only family member to not have a maid. She clears her throat before saying, "Miss, please change into decent clothes and come downstairs as soon as possible." Amber's wording is polite, but her tone suggests anything but."May I ask what the matter is?""How should I know, miss? I'm just a lowly servant."The servants of the house were very good at taking out their anger from my sister and father's side on me. She leaves my room without another word. Quickly I get into one of my favorite royal blue gowns. As I push my way through the hall, I am shocked when I see I am the last to arrive.I look around to see all my family in their best attire. And even though I was already wearing my best dress on me, I still looked out of place with them.Everyone's eyes shot towards me.Apparently, I was right that I was the last to arrive.A gentleman wearing a white wig and a velvet metal button up dress takes one look at me. Then he arrogantly clears his throat, "It seems inviting every member of the family to attend is not an easy task for your family, Alpha. You are wasting my precious time, and keeping me waiting shows disrespect to our Lycan King!"It doesn’t go unnoticed how the man grits his teeth when he says "every"."I'm truly sorry my lord, this was indeed an oversight on my daughter's part. I offer you my deepest apologies for her presumption." He shoots daggers at me with his eyes. I instantly want to hide."That's enough," the lord says, gently raising his hand to stop my father's nonsense.Once again my father’s intention of hiding my existence is evident. But now I am the one who looks like a fool even though no one told me about this event.It’s clear the only reason I am here is because the lord instructed all members of the family to attend."Please kneel, ladies and gentlemen, I will now announce Lycan King’s holy decree."From the frightened look in my father's eyes, I know he knew nothing about this either. I try to calm my racing heart and follow the lead of everyone in the room and kneel."Lycan King Xavier has suffered the loss of Luna for a long time, and in order to prolong his heir, he is organizing a cotillion at the end of next month, to which every unmarried, fertile noblewoman is cordially invited. Invitations will be sent down to every woman, so please be sure to attend on time if you receive one.""In addition to that, each family should choose a representative as a Luna candidate among the ladies that receive an invitation. The candidates will be chosen by your own family. Please make sure you choose the most perfect female member amongst you. King Xavier only likes the best and expects the best."With that said he rolled up the scroll and signaled the guards at his side to hand my father three invitations."Each one." The messenger skimmed my father again before walking away.After he left, my father froze in place."What Lycan King?" Talia asks, frowning.“Well, he's hailed as the mightiest Lycan King of our land. He was the one who managed to put an end to that age-old tiff between the North and the South just a couple of years back, giving everyone a bit of a breather from a century's worth of brawling.” Dad said without expression."Oh, and also the same one who abuses several of his female companions to death every year." Auntie Leeanne, who also received the invitation, says with dark eyes."No way? Don’t make me go dad! “Talia began to panic."That's just a rumor." Father says lightly, however avoiding our inquiring eyes."Then why is it that nobody ever discovers the women who were offered as tribute by the major packs anymore? Not even their bodies," Auntie presses glaring at my father.Father doesn’t speak as he hands me an invitation.For such a thin piece of paper it felt incredibly heavy.I slowly ran my fingers over the stamped floral font on it, which elegantly reads my name: Annette Lockhart.My father scoffed at Auntie Leeanne’s antics. I was hit with a wave of anxiety when my sister’s gaze was on me. “Well, speaking of representatives… I think we have the perfect person for the job.” Talia said with a smirk at me. "I'd prefer to call them sacrifices," Auntie Leeanne corrected. Before holding out her invitation like it had a disease on it. My father remained silent, but his gaze fell on me. My anxiety turned to panic. I knew where this conversation was headed. I looked down at the floor and back up to my family, who were now all staring at me with a knowing look. They were eyeing me like a lamb being prepared for the oven.This couldn’t be happening. I didn’t want to be sent to my death. I looked to my father and felt my knees give way, sending me to the floor. "Please...,father.” I didn’t care how desperate I sounded. His lips fell into a thin line while his eyes turned black from his wolf. "I won't allow our family to have daughters who can't be married off, Annett
Ana POV "How dare you defile the future Luna candidate offered to the Lycan King!" The voice belonged to the gentleman who delivered the invitations earlier.His voice was stern, but his face radiated disdain toward my father. Talia and Auntie Leeanne looked at the newcomer with shocked expressions. Both of them opening and closing their mouths like a fish rendering speechless. Who knew all it took was the consorts of the royal family to get my family to stop their torture. I rubbed my cheek as I stayed on the floor. A sudden feeling of unease overtaking me. I met the eyes of the gentleman and pushed back the bile that was coming up my throat. "Get ready quickly, our convoy is prepared," he continued. He straightened his peacoat as he addressed us. My father awkwardly stopped his actions. He cleared his throat, adjusted his appearance, and then led my sister by the hand towards the door. My Auntie Leeanne in tow. I struggled to stand and the gentleman offered his assistance. “Are
Xavier POV "Xavier, your highness," my beta barged in, "the Mate Selection Ball is about to start." He took in my appearance and the room around me. Ethan Dreeves was not only my beta, but my best friend. He was the only person who could get away with being so casual with me. "Uh-huh. Your point?" the words slurred a little as they came out. The wine clearly had gone to my head. I lounged on my throne, absentmindedly toying with the tassels on my shoulder, giving my wine glass a gentle swirl. I hated being in my formal royal attire. Ethan gave me an annoyed look. "Why did you end up drinking so much?" Ethan asked while he picked up a nearly empty bottle. "How are you going to elegantly mingle with the ladies and nobles later?"I took another look gulp of my wine and gave my beta a lazy smile before it fell from my face. "It's not like I'm the one who wants this ball to happen," I frowned, a touch of irritation in tone. I tiled my head back and finished off the glass of wine in one
Ana POVI woke up in the arms of a guard. One arm dangling off to the side while the other was pinned between myself and the chest of the guard. His cologne had a soothing effect. Leather and a hint of cigar smoke. A manly scent that only some could pull off. Slowly, I opened my eyes and looked out from the tiny holes in my mask.I was confused on what was going on. I could tell I was in the main event space, a crowd gathering around me. I couldn’t understand why everyone was staring at me. From what I could see the guard was a behemoth of a man, with broad shoulders, sandy blonde hair that was tied up at the base of his head. "What's going on?" I croaked out. I tried to remember, but my body ached and my brain was drawing a blank. My body felt like I had been hit with a train. Although some of my injuries had healed, I still had some that were going to take a long time. Werewolves were known for their ability to heal, however with not having a wolf, my healing time would take much
Ana POV"Hi, you awake? Luna," a melodious female voice echoed in my ears.I opened my eyes, finding myself in an opulent room. It felt like I had just awoken from a dream where a strikingly tall and handsome man declared that I was his Luna. He had carried me through endless corridors, a lifetime's length away before I had fallen into unconsciousness. My head must be seriously messed up. I groaned as I tried to move my body. Still recovering from the rogue attack. I was on a bed, that much was clear with all of the luxurious silk throw pillows and blankets that cocooned me. "Hi what is..." I had a million questions but didn't know where to start."Relax! Let me give you a brief rundown." The girl said, motioning her hands in surrender before she winked at me.She was quite pretty with her auburn tightly curled hair, delicate features, whiskey colored eyes, and a pale complexion. "I'm the maid assigned to you, and you can call me Geegee."Geegee went into full detail how I had been fo
Ana POVAfter Xavier left me to my own devices, Geegee knocked on my door and walked in with a first aid kit. She sat next to me on the bed with a wicked grin on her face. “So how did that go?” I fell back onto the pillows and covered my face with my arms and groaned. “Well instead of dying from embarrassment, I almost died from choking on my coffee.” I moved my arms from my face to see Geegee’s reaction. She burst out laughing and tried to cover her mouth with her hand to stop the noise. I gave her a playful, disapproving look before laughing at myself.“Well, that is certainly a way to go!” she teased. I lifted my chin, motioning to the first aid kit. “What’s that for?” Geegee lifted the box, “We need to change your bandages.” Carefully she took off the soiled gauze and medical tape off my arms, shoulder, and left calf. The shoulder was the most sensitive. “Damn girl, they got you good here.” She stated as she cleaned the wound out on my shoulder. I hissed at the pain. “Ugh, y
Ana POV "Please, Ana, have a seat," Elizabeth said in a formal tone. She clapped her hands to signal the serving staff. A short young man with blonde hair came into the room with a tray full of dishes that were covered with a silver top. As the young man began to place the dishes on the table and remove the covers, I walked over and sat next to Xavier. I tried to keep a smile on my face while my heart felt like it was going to beat right out of my chest. I placed my hands on my lap to hide my fidgeting fingers. A large hand gently grabbed my hand and laced their fingers with mine. I looked at Xavier who gave me a slight nod to let me know it would be okay. He had a way of soothing my anxiety in ways that I wasn’t sure how to unpack. Xavier’s thumb began to rub circles on the side of my hand, continuing to show his support. I grabbed the glass full of water that was at my place setting, and drank half the glass in one gulp. I met the piercing eyes of Elizabeth who was sizing me up o
Ana POVI looked at Xavier flabbergasted at his statement about a wedding ceremony. Ethan stepped back into the room. “You don't think the greatest Lycan king on this land would quietly sneak away for a wedding, do you?" I was started by his question. He walked up to the table and grabbed something off of it. “Sorry to interrupt,” He held up his phone. “Forgot this. But in all seriousness, did you not think there would be a wedding?” Both Ethan and Xavier looked at me expectantly. My mouth opened and closed like a fish several times before sputtering, “I…I guess I thought we would be doing things more .... privately?” I know I sounded naive, but I really hadn't put much thought into the logistics of what was to come. Especially after my Auntie Leeanne all but petrified me with the notion that King Xavier killed every prospect. Why would I be any different or expect anything different?My thoughts began to spiral. What if this was all a ruse of some sort, to make me feel comfortable