The Lycan’s Captive

EMMA

The night that should have been the best night of my life almost sent me back to the goddess. 

I was so excited that day; tonight would be the night I would officially be announced as Anthony's mate and Luna. I could barely keep my excitement within me waltzing and humming to myself that evening. As I walked past the hall, a group of high-ranking she wolves brushed shoulders with me.

"Out of the way, nitwit." The blonde one hollered at me shoving me. I muttered an apology as I pushed past them. No one could ruin my mood. I was the happiest I had ever been in my entire life. 

"I wonder what Anthony sees in her." Another one snickered. 

"She thinks she'll become Luna and get to boss us around. She’s delusional," Their laughter echoed through the halls even as the distance between us grew. 

They didn't care that I could hear them. In fact, they wanted me to.

"Just wait till tonight,” I said to myself.

“You'll see, I will become your Luna." 

I wanted to yell back at them to gloat, but I kept it inside of me. They could laugh all they wanted. I didn't care what anyone thought. 

All that mattered to me was Anthony. The man of my dreams who loves me the way I am without doubt or fear. It wasn't official yet, and no one knew besides Anthony and me, but my position as Luna was to be announced tonight. I made it my point of duty to look at their horrified and shameful faces when it happened. 

Everyone in the pack said I wasn't good enough for Anthony. They were right. 

As the first and only son of the retiring alpha, he was to be crowned as the new alpha in the ceremony taking place tonight. 

My Anthony was everything: handsome, tall, and with ocean blue swoon-worthy eyes. His countenance was fair. He was a blend of charisma and power. 

He was so brilliant that his first shift happened when he was ten years old. Even for an Alpha’s son, that was an outstanding feat. 

And me? I was a nobody. An orphaned teenage girl who hadn't found her wolf yet. I prayed to the goddess day and night for my own wolf, so I could be like every other girl in the pack. 

In all of these, Anthony was my steadfast supporter. He always protected me. People didn't and couldn't say bad things directly to my face when he was around me. He always assured me they would grow tired of the side talks, but it only grew worse as I grew older. 

"Don't mind them, Emma. You're perfect the way you are." He'd always cheer me up. I was grateful I had him and his family. Slowly, our friendship developed stronger and became love. 

Although I couldn't feel the mate pull or anything because I didn't have my wolf yet, Anthony could feel it, and I was more than excited when he told me. The love I had for him, however, became even stronger than before. He was in love with me, and I was head over heels for him. 

"But I don't have my wolf yet," I told him my worries while he held me in his arms one evening.

"Don't worry, Emma. She's a little shy, I guess," he stated, chuckling. I smiled and stopped worrying about it. Once I knew he accepted me the way I am, nothing and no one else mattered to me. 

I smiled to myself as I walked into my room, excited for the night. 

The group of girls that had bumped into me was Aliya’s clique. Aliya was the daughter of the Delta. She'd always set and had her claws on Anthony and nearly ripped her head out the day she found her wolf and discovered Anthony wasn’t her mate.

She was nothing but a spoiled princess.

She nearly went crazy that day. 

Me and Melody, my best friend, watched from a distance, laughing at her. 

Melody was the only other friend I had and was the daughter of the Beta of our pack. Anthony, Melody, and myself all grew up together. 

Soon it was time for the event.

Everyone was gathered, and Anthony stood tall and radiant as he gave his speech. I couldn’t help but smile at him. He was mine, all mine. In a matter of minutes, the entire pack will know. 

"Thank you so much for coming to honor me.”

The hall erupted into a series of cheers and applause.

He bowed curtly, smiled, and continued. 

“As your new Alpha, I have an announcement to make." 

That was it. That was the moment everyone was waiting for—the announcement of their Luna. 

 I held my breath as my heart hammered loudly against the walls of my chest.

"I, as an Alpha, would need a Luna to work by my side. I have found my mate," his declaration sent the entire hall into a frenzy. 

My smile grew even wider. I planned to tell him how handsome and perfect he looked after the event. 

"What are you smiling about? It's definitely not you." I heard Aliya say beside me. When I turned to look at her, she rolled her eyes and looked away. 

I didn’t let her off the hook. I was done taking her rubbish. 

"The Alpha's talking, shut your hole." I spat at her. 

Her eyes widened as she turned to me. 

“You little bitch! How dare you—?” 

I ignored her, taking my focus back to my dearest Anthony. He was about to say my name, and I didn’t want to miss the look of love in his eyes when he did. 

"My mate and Luna is none other than Melody, the daughter of my father's beta." Anthony announced 

Wait. What? Who?

The world around me came to an abrupt halt. Everyone rose to their feet, clapped, cheered. The sounds were nothing but echoes in my head.

"What?!"  

"No, no.” I rose to my feet.  Anthony had made a mistake. 

Emma. Not Melody. What kind of mistake was that. 

Melody wasn't Anthony's mate. 

But I watched still stunned as Melody walked to the podium and joined him.

I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. 

“Ant…Anthony.” I whimpered.

"What's she doing there?" I heard people whisper. 

I was stunned for a while, I didn't have realize when I had walked to the front from the back of the hall where I originally stood. 

"Emma, what are you doing?" The cold in Anthony's voice sent chills down my spine.

"Anthony, what are you doing?" I couldn’t help the tears that streamed down my cheeks when I asked the question. I shamelessly reached for his hand. 

His hand that was joined with Melody's.

"Let go." He snapped. 

"But you're my mate. We’re mates!”

The entire hall burst into laughter. 

“She's delusional!”

“How dare she?”

 “Such audacity!”

They continued to scream and laugh, but it didn’t matter to me. Whatever was going on, I had to get to the bottom of it. 

“Melody,” I turned to my best friend. 

Her brown eyes that once looked at me with warmth only held disdain in them as she looked at me. 

"What's wrong Emma? Why are you here?”

Why am I…Why am I here? Was she really asking me that?! 

 "I am Anthony's mate and you know it!" I screamed. The pain in my throat was nothing compared to the one in my chest. 

"Emma, stop your nonsense immediately!” Anthony scolded me, grabbing my wrist and pulling me away from Melody. 

I blinked. Once, twice. 

"W...what?”

"Anthony, is this some kind of prank? Are you trying to do all this just to see how I’m going to feel?  You’re my mate." I reached for his arm, but he shoved me aside with force, sending me face first towards the ground. 

"I can't have you or accept you as my mate Emma."

"What are you doing?!” Alpha Jason thundered walking up to us. He was Anthony’s father and the former alpha.  He had just arrived.

"I'm rejecting Emma as my mate, father." 

Rejecting? 

"What? Are you nuts, boy?" Alpha Jason yelled

. 

"She's your mate, hurry up and accept her this minute!" The panic in his voice caused me to look up at him. Beads of sweat trickled down his face as he spoke. He seemed very anxious. 

"I won't.” Anthony bit nack. 

“You're my father, not the alpha anymore. I am the one in charge now, remember?” I had never heard him speak so coldly before. 

Alpha Jason looked down at me. I couldn’t tell if the emotion in his eyes was pity or disappointment. 

"Son you're making a mistake, you can't reject Emma."

That’s right. Tell him! 

"Anthony?" I coughed out, turning to him. 

"Anthony, look at me!" I tried to blink hard and fast enough to keep my tears at bay, but it didn’t work. 

Anthony wouldn’t look at me or his father.  

"Anthony!" Alpha Jason matched furiously towards his son. 

"Think about this. We need Emma!" His father yelled. 

I swallowed the lump that had risen to my throat.

"I can't do it. I can't take a wolfless weak woman as my mate.”

Wolfless and weak? 

“It was all fun and games then, but this is real. Father, I can't accept her just because she's well versed in potion's father! I need a Luna, a strong, capable one!"

That's it? 

That was why Anthony was with me?

 Why didn't he reject me all this time?

 When I wanted to leave the pack, he insisted I stay, the reason he made me feel like I belonged here, because they need my skills? 

Unlike other wolves well versed In self defense and building muscles I didn't have any of that. I could fall sick easily. So I studied, and discovered I was naturally gifted with plants and healing potions.  I put it to use treating members of the pack. 

Even though I threw my heart and everything into it, I was still considered a burden to them despite my efforts. 

"She's a burden on the pack, she can't even fight. The least she can do is at least treat the injured." They would  say. 

 Only Anthony ever appreciated my hard work. But  apparently, he was using me for what he believed I had. I was nothing more than a tool to him. 

With my bleeding heart and tear filled eyes, I nodded and pulled myself up from the ground. 

I understood there and then what I had to do. 

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