Rachel's POV Leaves rustled in the breeze and as my brother and I approached the gated estate of the Moon Stone pack in his black Lexus, we could hear the howls of wolves echoing through the trees in the distance. They were most likely the pack's scouts, roaming their territory and keeping an eye out for any potential threats. "Can't be too careful, huh?" Cole muttered to himself, and I knew that he was referring to the scouts that were patrolling the territory. At the edge of this pack's territory was a sprawling expanse of forest and wilderness, filled with dense underbrush and towering trees. There were equally clearings and streams scattered throughout. Despite the festivities which I was sure was in full swing inside the estate, if you were just passing by the outskirts, you would've hardly guessed that there were a whole bunch of people living here. This was my first time attending the annual ceremony that the Alpha of the Moon Stone pack hosted in his mansion, even though I

Rachel's POV As I was being driven by my brother, Cole to the Moon Stone pack whose territory was in the West, I leaned back in the passenger seat, staring out the window and reflecting on why we were heading to the Moon Stone mansion. I couldn't help but think of how I was being forced into marriage with this pack's Alpha, Damon. After the incident at the party two nights ago when Alpha Damon had blatantly called me his mate, word had quickly spread that the Alpha of the Moon Stone pack had found his mate. Then my father had summoned me to his study and informed me that arrangements had been made with Alpha Damon's father for us to get married. He reasoned that our union would strengthen his business alliance with the Alpha's father, and hopefully Alpha Damon, too, and I had no choice in the matter. He had threatened that if I dared refuse, he would rather cast me out from our pack than let my unreasonableness affect his business dealings with Alpha Damon's father. I wasn't sure

Rachel's POV I had been greeted with a shocking and unexpected sight as soon as Cole had pulled up to the curb. In one jarring moment I had witnessed Alpha Damon and another woman locked in a deep kiss, and I had also realized that he was the source of the scent that had tickled my wolf and I even before we reached the gates to the Moon Stone mansion. So the man whose mate I was destined to be was already in love with another woman? Making me what, an intruder in their relationship? What a cruel joke the Fates and the Moon Goddess had decided to play on me, I had thought, shaking my head sadly. I could hardly believe that the Moon Goddess had made us mates, much less understand why she would pair me with someone so cruel. It was so unfair! "I have to get back home to our pack," Cole had informed me. "Now you take care of yourself and don't go stepping on tails that shouldn't be stepped on, okay?" I had nodded sadly in agreement and reached out to hug him briefly, wondering how lo

Damon's POV I sat in my study, going over a file containing building plans and the proposed materials that would be needed for the construction of a new building that my team and I had gotten a contract for in Los Angeles. I was still trying to come up with an estimated budget for the project, when someone knocked on the door. Without bothering to inquire who it was, I asked them to come in. I raised my head up to see Caleb strolling in and taking a seat. I returned my focus to the file on my desk. "Hey man, what are you up to? Is that the Montana project?" he asked, pointing to the file. I nodded. "Yeah." "Oh, good. What did you think of the blueprint?" "The designs are great, but I think Sam could make a few adjustments to them. So I'm taking him along with me to LA tomorrow to go over the plans, and also because I'd like to be at the site and have a talk with Ken about the building materials. It'll help me better with making an estimation for the budget, since I'm still strug