1. The wedding

Kathleen’s POV

"Little girl, how far do you think you can hide them? You think of me as a different person, but you and I are the same," someone cooed in my ear, making me jump from my bed.

I looked around frantically, trying to find the source of the voice.

"Who is it?" I asked, pulling the dagger from under my pillow.

"Who am I? You should be worried about why I am here. You have been having dreams, no? Little visions of something you feel familiar with. And you still ignored them?" The voice asked.

"Look, whoever it is, if you think this is funny, then it isn't," I said, feeling a weird creepiness settle in my bones as I pointed the dagger in random directions.

"Funny? Do you think I am trying to be funny? Well, I wonder what you'll have to say about what you will go through starting this moment," the girl chuckled coldly.

"Miss Woods? Miss Woods? Are you okay?" I suddenly heard a voice around me, making me open my eyes as I looked at the girl who was doing my makeup.

"I will take it from here," I heard another voice.

"Hey, don't be so nervous. Everything is going to be alright," Sylvia, my best friend, said for the umpteenth time.

Everything is going to be okay. I just need to calm down. I have waited for this day for my whole life. Whatever I am feeling was just my nerves working up because of the wedding. I repeated the words in my head.

"I know, Sylvia. It's just I feel like something wrong is going to happen," I said helplessly, hiding the truth about my dreams as I looked at my reflection in the mirror.

Sitting in front of me was an elegant lady, dressed in a peach-colored bridal gown for her wedding. Her hair was in a loose bun with light makeup to highlight her features.

Her brown eyes were especially enchanting today with the excitement they held. Though it was an auspicious day for the girl, why do I see hints of terror in her eyes? I thought as I touched my face.

"Don’t touch your face. It will spoil the makeup," Sylvia said, pretending to be angry.

'Maybe Sylvia is right. I am thinking too much about things,' I thought before standing.

Retouching my lip gloss one last time, I looked into the mirror before smiling politely.

"Miss woods, are you ready to go? Everyone is waiting downstairs," the maid said respectfully, making Sylvia nod.

“She’ll come down soon. You can leave,”

Looking at Sylvia's suspicious face, I smiled sheepishly as we walked toward the exit of the dressing room.

I am sure if I said one more negative thing, then she is going to show me her claws.

It was still a twenty-minute journey to the wedding place, and I smiled thinking about how I met Drake and how we have come so far.

Drake and I aren't mates by fate. We were chosen mates. We fell in love over time and decided to spend the rest of our eternity together.

When Drake's pack went under attack, they had to flee the area to save their lives. To say our pack and my parents were like a boon to them would be an understatement. They had nowhere to go, and they were barely holding it in with the resources they had.

Since their pack was destroyed, Drake's father decided to join our pack, The Callisto pack, and my father was more than ecstatic to have his best friend over. 

Over the years, the friendship between Drake and me turned into love. We went to the same school and used to spend almost most of our time together. When we talked to our parents about the feelings we have for each other, they made us sign an agreement to be each other's chosen mates so that none of us betray each other when we find our fated mates.

It was a collateral decision, and everyone was okay with it.

I am the only child of my parents, Alpha and Luna woods.

Though I am strong and independent because of the alpha blood running in my veins, my father was more than ecstatic when he learned that Drake and I have chosen each other.

My father has always thought the pack would be more prone to attacks if a female ruled it, and thus, he announced Drake will take over the pack after marrying me.

It was obviously a gender-biased decision, but I never questioned it because I loved Drake. What's mine is also his eventually.

A pack under the supervision of two alphas is bound to bloom, and we proved our capabilities over the years.

We both would've married long ago, but my father wanted me to graduate and turn twenty before marriage.

He didn't want to burden me with the Luna duties, and thus, even after his death, I respected his decision, making us wait for two more years for this day to arrive.

After 5 years of secret dating and 2 years of the agreement, I can’t help but smile as the day of our wedding was finally here.

Of course, marriage isn’t our destination but the beginning of a new journey, and I guess I was ready for it.

"You relax, okay? I will tell you when we'll reach there," Sylvia said.

"Is Drake’s father already there?" I asked, and Sylvia hummed in reply.

My mom and dad both died in rogue attacks at different times, and since I didn't have anyone else to walk me down the aisle, Drake's father volunteered to do so.

As we reached the venue, I looked at Drake's father, smiling slightly when I saw tears in his eyes that he was trying his best to hide from me.

"Dad," I whispered from behind him, and he turned to look at me.

"You are an alpha, Dad. Will it look good if people see you crying like this? We are going to continue my father's and your lineage and take care of this pack under your guidance," I consoled him, and he smiled.

"I know, sweetheart. I know you will be a better alpha, or should I say, Luna? I just miss your parents. They would've been so happy today," Dad said, and I smiled weakly at him.

Of course, they would've been happy. They used to always talk about it.

"Alpha Calvin, I don't think you should make her sad like this," Sylvia reprimanded him, and I chuckled at her angry look.

"Okay, I am sorry, mom," Dad joked with her, and she huffed before walking toward me, making me laugh.

After Sylvia's parents got killed in a rogue attack, my dad took her and made her our family. However, who would've thought that my father would also die like this, making both of us orphans?

I grabbed Drake's father's hand as Sylvia walked behind me and held my long veil.

Walking towards the altar, I looked in front of me, my eyes meeting Drake's eyes, making me blush a bit.

Once I reached the stairs, Drake's father gave my hand to Drake, and he smiled.

"Don't worry, Mr. Cole. I will take care of your friend's daughter, and she will always be my priority," Drake said, and I smiled shyly.