Chapter 1

Hunter’s Pov.

I watched her jump excitedly with her friends, twirling and giggling alongside them before abruptly leaving their hands to follow my guard who was sent to escort her to me.

“Have a seat, Miss?”

“Julia, Alpha Hunter,” she said with a small courtesy bow.

“You know my name?” I asked in genuine surprise, it was my first time in this Pack and in this Ball since five years ago when my mate died. So, it is surprising to know that someone other than an Elder or Alpha of a Pack knew who I was.

She blushed, a bright red shade coating her cheeks for a short while, “I doubt there is any female in this Ball who doesn’t know who you are, Alpha”

Although I was refusing to stare directly at her because of the effect the mate bond had on Alphas, I could tell she was a nice girl. Her voice sounded so genuine and lovely that even with my fully transformed cold heart, I still felt bad about the prospect of hurting her.

Just exactly as I had felt when I rejected the last four ladies the Moon Goddess had paired me with ever since Anna’s death.

Fidgeting with her hands and shifting in her seat, I could tell she was nervous about what would be happening next while I on the other hand was fully ready to get things over with.

“Julia?” She raised her face to stare at me, big brown eyes staring sweetly at me, love and desire clearly written in them.

“Yes, Alpha Hunter?” her face was flushed and the smell of her arousal had clung to the air. Damn, this mate bond! It made things ten times harder.

 “I Hunter Garfield, Alpha of the Silver Dawn Pack, reject you as my mate and Luna,” I spoke the words out with resolve. It was sure to hurt her, but this was better than being tied down to a heartless mate and Alpha like me.

It was obvious that what I just did still felt like a mirage to her because of how still she looked from the shock and confusion hovering in her brain. I gave her time to process everything just as I had given the other four rejected ladies the Moon Goddess had paired me with.

Flattening the side of my suit that had ruffled up a bit, I got up to leave after some minutes of watching her shed uncontrollable tears. “My men will take you home.”

“Don’t leave me here!” I stopped in my tracks to stare at her. “I don’t mind and I also don’t care if I can’t be your Luna,” I stared at her in bafflement, wasn’t expecting this sought of outburst from her at all.

“Good for you, Miss. Find someone that’ll treasure you.” I said with a relieved sigh before preparing to get out when her next words made me stare back at her open-mouthed.

“Take me with you!” the lady I had just rejected ordered in a desperate voice. “I can’t stay here any longer so you really must take me with you! I will willingly live as your concubine or maid if you agree…please, I’ll die if I remain here,” she added.

My wolf groaned desperately for me to heed her pleas, the mate bond was messing with our mind, making me feel the need to protect her even though I had just rejected her.

“Are you being harassed by anyone?” I heard myself asking like I really cared when I didn’t, it was just the mate bond talking through me.

“No…Yes…Please, just take me from here…I’ll tell you everything once I am out.”

I sighed in frustration; this was not how I expected today to go. “Follow me.”

~~~~ few years later ~~~~

Hunter’s Pov.

Panting and sweating yet another night from the same memories that plague me day and night, I am almost successful in detangling myself from her hold to get a glass of water when I feel her nauseating fingers crawl back into my chest, forcing me to stay back down.

“It’s too early to get up babe, lie back with me,” she whined in what she felt was a romantic voice which only furthered to irritate me the more.

“I was going to get a glass of water,” I said in the somewhat pissed voice that she was used to by now because of how regularly I spoke to her in it.

She tiredly sat up, the duvet covering her bare breasts riding down to her tummy. “Was it the same nightmare?” she touched my forehead to check my temperature but I pushed her hand away, got up, and walked to the fridge.

Not bothering to get a glass, I grab a bottle of water and jug it down before disposing the can unceremoniously in the trashcan. “Dress up and head to your room” I announced dismissively as her presence and smell were now infuriating my wolf.

“But babe…” she began to complain before I cut her off.

“Shhh! You know my law.” I stared pointedly at her, driving fear and the urge to submit to her. My pheromones were too strong for her deviance to stand. So in the end, she was hurriedly putting on her clothes with tears in her eyes.

“Can I see you later today?” she asked after sniffing back her catarrh.

“No, I’ll be too busy.” I tried to sound as nice as I could but I knew nothing other than my presence would make her feel alright. “Hurry up and leave, I need to be left alone,” I ordered agitatedly. The longer she remained, the closer I felt the desire of my wolf to cause havoc to her face.

Noticing how close she was to burst into a crying spree, I gently took her arm and walked her to the door even though she kept struggling against it. “It’s time we stopped this, Julia.”

“What?! Why?! What wrong have I committed this time?” she asked at once, her face pale and filled with sadness.

“You’re a beautiful young girl, Julia. Many unmated wolfs would want something serious with you, but I can never be part of them so you should stop throwing yourself into my bed. You deserve to be with someone who loves you enough to not make you a secret.”

She angrily cleaned off her tears and stared ragefully at me, obviously pissed by my words. “How many years has it been now? How many years have we fucked and cuddled on this bed now?! How many years have I sneaked into this room to hug and kiss you while listening to your heart cry out in pain…” her voice choked.

Grabbing my hands and intertwining them with hers, she brought it to her chest and stared deeply into my eyes, like she was trying to find answers from my soul.

“When will you finally let go of the past and embrace the future?! When will you stop treating me like I mean nothing to you? What more can I possibly do to be worth your love, Hunter?”

“There is nothing you can do Julia. You’ll always mean nothing to me.” I said unremorsefully to the sobbing girl who had warmed my bed for years now.

She dragged her hands away from mine like it was hot lava before hissing degradedly at me, “You’ll die a lonely and forgotten man if you continue like this, and by the time you eventually realise yourself, it’ll be too late!” She spat before forcing the door open to storm out.

“I’ll be leaving soon Julia,” I said before she could walk out.

She turned around to stare at me so I continued, “Hopefully before I come back, you’ll be out of here.”

She said nothing before running out, I also didn’t expect her to as her sad eyes had said all the heavy words her mouth could not utter.

I sighed tiredly when I was finally alone before walking sluggishly to the bathroom where I pulled off the shirt and shorts I had on because it was filled with her now irritating smell. Turning on the shower, I allow the water to wash off the smell that had slipped into my skin.

“At least that ended better than we thought it would.” my wolf remarked happily like this had not been his doing in the first place.

Still enjoying the feel of the water on my skin, I hear my phone which I had kept on the brushing sink ring. Turning off the shower, I grab the phone and yell angrily at the caller. “Who the fuck is this and why are you calling me this early?”

“Woah, someone did not enjoy sex today.” My best friend and Beta remarked in his annoying voice.

“What is it this time, Jeremy?” I asked in a bored and annoyed voice. I should’ve known it was him, no one else would boldly try this without caring about the consequences of it.

“Nothing much, I just wanted to update you that the trip has been confirmed, the mansion’s staff has all been briefed and that departure to California is by 10 am,” he announced proudly.

It angered me more to hear the satisfaction in his voice as he listed out all the things that were ordinarily his job to do. “You called me this early just to tell me this?” Before he said something even more annoying, I switched off my phone and dumped it back on top of the sink.

“The fucking marriage better help me get what I desire.”