A rejection from your mate is the most painful thing in the world. Before Ciara said those, I knew I didn't stand a chance. She fated to marry an Alpha and I simply wasn't that. I was just an ordinary wolf. When she said the words on the day of the moon, my whole being wept inside. "I Ciara King, reject you Markus Lance as my mate." I turned my back and ran away. This isn't the life I wanted. I've known for a long time Markus felt something to me but due to this prophesy, I have to forfeit my love for him. The safety of the pack comes first. I'll get married to an Alpha and together we'll put an end to the tyrant John's reign. But I wish I wasn't doing it at the expense of my true love and mate.
Final preparations for the Day of the Moon celebration were being out in place. I strode through the pack grounds doing a quick sweep. I spotted my best friend moving towards me waving his hands.
He caught up to me and fist bumped me.
"Markus come with me." He said pulling me towards him I stood in place and gave a stupid look did he forget I was on duty?
"Caleb with all due respect I'm working right now." I released myself from his grip and started moving away from him. I knew he was up to no good. Caleb was never up to any good.
"I need help to get away from Vivian---I shrugged--- she won't let me breathe." He pleaded with me. He got himself in trouble with her I had warned him beforehand.
I gave him a condescending look as I started to speak "you're Alpha to be and you can't even ward off someone like Vivian." He shot me one of his sly grin. Of course Caleb could ward her off but he didn't want to. He could be a royal prick.
"Sod off." I walked farther away from him. I knew I had him off my back for a little while.
I went to sit at a spot where I could see everything that was happening. This field had been cleared of all shurbs and weeds. Chairs and tables had also been arraigned so it could host three hundred and seventy-nine werewolves.
My second in command Anne had come to give me her scouting reports I knew by how she was looking everywhere for me. She didn't need to look much cause as a warrior her eyesight had been trained to be able to percieve whoever she was looking for in a matter of minutes. I nodded at her when she caught my gaze.
When she got to where I was seated and gave a salute I returned it with nod of my head.
"Boss, we've swept every perimeter of the pack grounds and it is in the clear."
She reported maintaining her stoic posture. Anne had always been my favourite fighter because of how good she I. She never flaunts orders and knows what to do. That's why she was my second in command. If I ever left the pack military she'd takeover from me.
"Good." I said as I continued watching over things. We were experiencing a year of peace. No loss of werewolves this year, werepups were being born in many and our harvest was flourishing it was almost too good to be true. I was just happy that my people were enjoying a time of peace.
Fights usually broke out amongst packs every now and then, causing loss of lives and properties. But since this year we've not experienced one loss just an endless string of blessings.
"This quietness is too good to be true." Anne spoke up. I looked at her as she looked at me back. I understood her perfectly well.
"Well, let's enjoy it while it lasts." I commented folding my hands against my chest.
"I have a feeling things are going to go bad real soon. It's a nagging feeling in the out of my stomach and I can also feel it at the tip of my tongue." I faced her squarely now.
Not everyone was gifted as a wolf. Originally all wolves had the sight of premonition. But as we grew in numbers, we evolved leaving most of us with a gut feeling that was too right, some with visions that went as fats as they came, some with dreams and a very few with the sight of premonition. Anne was among the first few, those with gut feelings which were so damned right.
"Or maybe you're just scared that you'll meet your mate soon." I winked at her. A blush appeared on her face as she faced downwards.
"Now your fingers are interesting Anne? You're such a girl. You're so tough but at thr mention of a mate you turn tomato red." She was getting redder by the minute. I let out a low laugh. What was it with all the females and getting extremely shy and blushy when the subject of a mate was brought up.
My little sister kicked me in the family jewels when I made mention of a mate to her. Speaking of the devil, I hadn't seen her all day and we were supposed to go home together. So we could stop at the farmers market and pick up some fresh fruits and vegetables for tomorrow's dinner.
"Anne, have you seen my sister today?" I asked her when she was done with her blushing episode. Her face was back to that of a fighter. She just shrugged at me.
It's funny how my sister, Selene, and Anne went from bestfriends one day to bitter rivals the next.
They were always competing with each other and it was suffocating.
"I asked a question Annette." I said to Anne she flinched as I used her real name instead of the shortened version.
"I don't know Markus, stick your head in a bush and you might find her." She said and walked away. As much as I'd like to know what really caused this rift between Anne and Selene I made sure to keep myself out of their business.
Women problems never ended.
"Trouble in paradise?" A voice asked I looked up and saw Caleb. The raking bastard was back.
"More like Annette Vs Selene problems." I answered him while I counted the grass. When I'm troubled I do weird things.
"They were the epic girl group while growing up, the distance between them is worth a question. Should we set them up to talk and listen in on them?" Caleb asked as his eyes twinkled in mischief and excitement.
"No, you always have weird plans brewing in your head."
"Well I'll have to have weird plans brewing in my head cause I have a pack of stubborn animals to control in my future."
"Caleb, you're thinking of your future? I'm shocked, I might just have a heart attack." I said while holding the area of my chest where my heart laid underneath with shock on my face. Caleb gave me a light bump on my shoulder.
"Oh, look there's your sister." I turned back to see my baby sister Selene, standing amongst pack members. She looked as she had always looked, like a wild young woman. Her brown hair cut to the shoulder length and her brown eyes hooded. No matter how long she slept she always had dark circles under her eyes.
"And there's my sister." I looked at the angle Caleb was pointing and surely there stood his twin sister, Ciara. She was nothing like the buffon who stood next to me. Sometimes I think Caleb was the female in their mothers womb so he cheated and changed genders with Ciara.
She walked towards us with a huge smile. Caleb intersected her as I was about to walk up to her.
"My other but definitely not better half." He said planting kisses on her face while she tried to ward him off. Caleb had become way touchy with his sister and we all knew why. There was a high possiblity she'd find her mate and then leave with him to another pack. Everyone knew she had been predestined to mate with an Alpha. I left them to talk as I said a quick goodbye.
I turned and headed home. I was the head of the first man army for younger wolves, I had duties but also I had privileges. Privileges like going home without reporting to anybody.
"You should really stop thinking of her, you know." Selene's voice sounded next to me. The little mutt had decided to join me walk back home.
Our resemblance was quite uncanny. We were both adopted by this pack when I was five and Selene barely a year old. I had stayed here for a year and two months before my father found Selene in the woods, close to were they found me.
They had a choice to send her to the packs nursery for orphaned and abandoned children but they went straight to bringing her home. It was the best day of my life. Maybe living together for so long made us look like eachother.
"Selene I'm not thinking of Bridgette. She's been off my mind since forever. Let it be." I said not wanting to start a conversation with my sister.
"Not that dummy, I meant Ciara. You'd never have her." Ever brutal Selene and delivering her blows. But who was I kidding, Ciara would marry an Alpha and I wasn't one. Heck I wasn't even a true member of this pack to even fight for their Princess.
"Selene thank you, but I really don't want to have this conversation." I said and she kept quiet.
The walk to our house was long and pitiful. Pitiful for me cause the truth was that no matter how long I'd love Ciara, she'd never be mine.
Darya spent three years loving Micah, worshipping the ground he walked on. Until his neglect and his family's abuse finally woke her up to the ugly truth-he doesn't love her. Never did, never will. To her, he is a hero, her knight in shining armour. To him, she is an opportunist, a gold digger who schemed her way into his life. Darya accepts the harsh reality, gathers the shattered pieces of her dignity, divorces him, takes back her real name, reclaims her title as the country's youngest billionaire heiress. Their paths cross again at a party. Micah watches his ex-wife sing like an angel, tear up the dance floor, then thwart a lecher with a roundhouse kick. He realises, belatedly, that she's exactly the kind of woman he'd want to marry, if only he had taken the trouble to get to know her. Micah acts promptly to win her back, but discovers she's now surrounded by eligible bachelors: high-powered CEO, genius biochemist, award-winning singer, reformed playboy. Worse, she makes it pretty clear that she's done with him. Micah gears up for an uphill battle. He must prove to her he's still worthy of her love before she falls for someone else. And time is running out.
After two years of marriage, Sadie was finally pregnant. Filled with hope and joy, she was blindsided when Noah asked for a divorce. During a failed attempt on her life, Sadie found herself lying in a pool of blood, desperately calling Noah to ask him to save her and the baby. But her calls went unanswered. Shattered by his betrayal, she left the country. Time passed, and Sadie was about to be wed for a second time. Noah appeared in a frenzy and fell to his knees. "How dare you marry someone else after bearing my child?"
Janice, the long-forgotten legitimate heiress, made her way back to her family, pouring her heart into winning their hearts. Yet, she had to relinquish her very identity, her academic credentials, and her creative works to her foster sister. In return for her sacrifices, she found no warmth, only deeper neglect. Resolute, Janice vowed to cut off all emotional bonds. Transformed, she now stood as a master of martial arts, adept in eight languages, an esteemed medical expert, and a celebrated designer. With newfound resolve, she declared, "From this day forward, no one in this family shall cross me."
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"
Brenna lived with her adoptive parents for twenty years, enduring their exploitation. When their real daughter appeared, they sent Brenna back to her true parents, thinking they were broke. In reality, her birth parents belonged to a top circle that her adoptive family could never reach. Hoping Brenna would fail, they gasped at her status: a global finance expert, a gifted engineer, the fastest racer... Was there any end to the identities she kept hidden? After her fiancé ended their engagement, Brenna met his twin brother. Unexpectedly, her ex-fiancé showed up, confessing his love...
Charlee was left at the altar and became a laughingstock. She tried to keep her head high, but ultimately lost it when she received a sex tape of her fiance and her half-sister. Devastated, she ended up spending a wild night with a hot stranger. It was supposed to be one-time thing, but he kept popping up, helping her with projects and revenge, all while flirting with her constantly. Charlee soon realized that it was nice having him around, until her ex suddenly appeared at her door, begging for another chance. Her tycoon lover asked, “Who will you choose? Think carefully before you answer.”