#Chapter 2: The Darkmoon Pack

Knight Darkmoon and I stared at each other for a few moments. I was lost for words at that moment. I’d snuffed out my fated mate, something girl’s dreamed of. But it was the same asshole that had sent his minion to come propose to me in my own home. The same asshole who I was being forced to marry so my uncle wouldn’t lose our pack. A pack that wasn’t even his.

“Hello?”

I shook my head out of the clouds and brought my focus back to the man in front of me. His dark eyebrow was arched high enough that it almost disappeared into his fringe. I blinked a few times at him.

“What?” I whispered.

“Gods, mate,” Knight snorted a laugh. “You’re screwed here if you keep getting lost in your own thoughts.”

“It’s a bit different than my home,” I mumbled. “Just trying to get used to it.”

“Noted,” Knight mused. There was a hint of judgement in his tone. I could tell he was over my bullshit and we’d just barely met.

He sized me up, eyes drifting over me. I wondered if he could see through the potion I’d taken, I wondered if he felt the same pang of a fated mate bond that I did. I wondered if he saw the lining of my chest bindings through my thin shirt. I swallowed thickly and Knight brought his eyes back to mine.

“What’s your name, first year?”

“Ethan,” I said quickly. “Ethan Blueheart.”

“Blueheart?” Knight asked. His lips curved into a smirk. “I am to wed your cousin.”

“Are you?” I snapped. “I don’t remember you in my home asking my cousin for her hand.”

The look on Knight’s face changed immediately. His smirk dropped into a scowl. His eyes went wide and angry. He licked the front of his teeth. He took a menacing step towards me.

“I don’t remember you being the person who I had to ask,” he growled.

I swallowed thickly. I couldn’t believe my uncle wanted me to marry this asshole. I puffed my chest out to make myself look bigger than I was.

“It is tradition to ask all the men in the house,” I hissed.

“Watch your tone, first-year,” Darkmoon snapped. All aspects of friendship were gone. I’d officially made my first enemy.

Well, Ethan had.

Then, his face dropped again. He schooled it back into a smirk before clapping me on the shoulder. The force and the intense lust that surged through my was enough that I had to bite my lip to stifle a whimper. Knight seemed unphased. He shook my shoulder.

“Brother,” he said. “I won’t go easy on you because of your cousin. But, I’ll help you out when I can.”

He slapped me on the shoulder once more before shoving me off towards the crowd that had gathered outside the auditorium. Then, he winked at me.

“Show them the strength of the Blueheart pack, mate,”

I stared blankly back at him before nodding. I trekked off towards the other men in the group. I was, by far, the shortest of the bunch. Though I’d been one of the tallest girls in my grade school class, here I was the shortest one by a few inches. I tried to puff my chest out more to look wider than I was and wound up looking like I was a balloon waiting to be popped.

A few of the men next to me gave me uneasy looks. Then, an older man with white hair stepped up in front of all of us and blew his whistle. The sound made my ears burn and I cringed in response.

“Quit your yapping!” The man yelled. So much for a warm welcome. He settled his hands on his hips. “I am Major Moonfire. I will be your sparring and physical combat professor.” He paced back and forth in front of us as he continued to speak.

“You may have passed the entrance exam to Alpha Academy,” he said. “But there is still another test for you to gain the respect of your peers here.”

I frowned. I hadn’t taken any exam. Maybe Ethan had taken it for me? But then what was I missing in terms of knowledge?

“You will fight one of our third years,” Major said. “The outcome of the fight will see how you place in our ranks. The pairs have been predetermined, as is the order.”

My heart thudded in my chest. Ethan was right, I was a good warrior. But I’d been fighting women for the last nineteen years. Male Alphas were a completely different species. Plus, some of these alphas had been training with experts for years.

“Now the first pair,” Major said. “Is Knight Darkmoon and Ethan Blueheart.”

My stomach dropped to my toes. The whispers and looks started up besides me. Clearly, word of my engagement to Knight had been passed across the packs. I stood up straight and marched forward.

Knight came out from behind the group and stood in front of me. The sick smirk was still on his face. That bastard knew. He knew we’d be fighting one another. Anger surged through me. I took my fighting stance and squared off with Knight.

“No shifting,” Major started. “Begin!”

Knight lunged at me and I immediately threw up my hands to block him. He tackled me to the floor and I landed with a thud. I immediately arm barred his throat and jammed an elbow into his ribs. Knight grunted in pain but kept me pinned to the ground. I yanked my head out from his grasp and used it to scramble up to my feet.

Knight smirked at me as he curled back up onto his feet. He had almost a foot on me, towering over me in a menacing way. I threw a few punches his way. Some of them landed but they were absorbed by the massive entity that was Knight Darkmoon.

My final punch, Knight caught. He twisted my arm back in a way that made me cry out in pain. I twisted under him and tried to force him back. He grunted in pain but then he yanked me once more. I turned into the punch then looked at him. We locked eyes for a moment, one that lasted long enough that I thought Knight finally could see through the potion and know who I was.

Then, he slammed his head into mine and I blacked out.

I came back to myself from the darkness to a pounding in my head. I groaned in pain, unsure of who or what or where I was. Then, I felt hands grabbing at my chest. Immediately, my eyes flew open. I grabbed the hand that was going for the top button of my shirt and turned towards the person attached to it.

Knight Darkmoon stared down at me with his yellow gold eyes.