Prologue
Two years ago
“Alexa, are you ready? It’s time for you to be presented.” My mom yelled at me from my bedroom door and gave me a look that said she didn’t want to be there.
“Yes, mom I am ready.”
“Good, your dad is ready to go to bed already.”
“You mean you aren’t staying at my party? It’s my eighteenth birthday. I thought you would at least want to spend some time with me.”
“Your brother will be there, and he is in charge of the pack and will handle everything you need.”
I fought back the tears that were threatening to escape. I don’t know why I thought tonight would be any different. My parents were never interested in my life. I was ten years younger than my brother and they never really wanted kids after him and so when my mom got pregnant with me, they really didn’t care. They prepped my brother to be Alpha, but my dad never really let him take full control. My dad is always in the background making the decisions and my brother takes credit for it.
I took a few deep breaths to control my emotions and walked to my door and closed it. My mom had left me. I walked to the stairs and saw that my best friend was waiting for me. She knew what would happen tonight and wouldn’t let me be alone. I practically ran down the stairs to her and threw my arms around her.
“Thank you so much.” I said, as I started to cry.
“You’re my sister. I would never let you be alone on the most important day of your life. Now stop crying. You are going into that party and you’re going to find your mate!”
She grabbed my hand and led me to the back entrance, where my dad and brother were waiting for me. My brother would start the announcement and my dad would lead me onstage. Since I was Alpha’s daughter, I would be introduced to the surrounding packs in hopes that I would meet my mate. This was customary in most packs, whether it was their daughter or son.
“Hello dad.”
He didn’t say a word to me, just nodded his head and walked to the doorway. My brother was ahead of us and went up to the podium and gave his speech about me, which wasn’t much because none of them knew me all that much.
“Please, everyone, let’s welcome my sister Alexa Silver.”
My dad led me out to the podium, where I waved at everyone and smiled. That was all I had to do. I wasn’t required to make a speech, which was a good thing because I wasn’t good at public speaking.
My dad let go of my hand and walked off the podium to my mom, where they talked with a few people before they excused themselves. My brother nudged me to get down and go to my table to eat some food. I followed him as he was at my table as well.
“Jade, how long do we have to stay here?” I asked my wolf.
“All night, this is your party. Enjoy it.”
I cut my link with her. I didn’t want to be here anymore, but couldn’t leave.
My thoughts were interrupted by someone asking me to dance. I really wasn’t sure who it was, but he was cute enough. He held his hand out for me and walked me to the dance floor.
“Hello, I am Charlie, Beta to the Red Moon pack.”
“Nice to meet you, Charlie.” I told him as he started to lead me around the dance floor.
“I must say Alexa, you are beautiful, and that dress looks amazing on you.” He leaned in and whispered to me.
The rest of the night pretty much went the same. I had to dance with anyone who asked. Most of these males were looking for their mate and I wasn’t sad that none of them were mine. I really just wanted to get accepted into the Elite Academy and work for them. I was hoping that once I got in, I would find my mate there.
“Alexa, where are you going?” asked my best friend, Sloane.
“I am done with this party. I am going to go for a walk and then go to bed.”
Her mate and the Beta Liam walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. They had just discovered they were mates on her birthday two months ago.
“OK, just link me if you need me.” She said as she came in and gave me a hug.
I walked out of the hall that the party was being held in and headed for the gardens. It was my favorite place to be. The flowers were so vibrant with colors, and they smelled so good when in bloom. I was about halfway through the garden when I got a strong smell of fresh pine. Jade started to wake up with the smell.
“Go to the smell!” Jade demanded.
I continued forward, and the smell got stronger and stronger the further I went. I was at the end of the gardens when I spotted a man standing at the back of it frozen in place, staring at me. I wasn’t sure who it was yet, so I kept going forward and Jade lost all control.
“MATE, go to him now!” She screamed at me.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, now go to him!”
I closed the gap between us as he did, too. I was finally a few feet away when I stopped in my tracks. It was Mateo. I went to school with him. He was a year older than me, but I couldn’t believe it was him because he was HOT!
He took several long strides to reach me as I had stopped walking and he reached up and gently placed his hand on my face. I instantly felt the sparks from his touch and leaned my head into his hand.
“MATE!” we both said at the same time.
“Alexa, I can’t believe it’s you. I thought maybe I didn’t have a mate because I have been looking since I had turned eighteen.”
“Can we go talk somewhere private?” I asked him.
“Are you going to reject me because I am an Omega?”
“Not at all. I want to talk about the future and my plans.”
He grabbed my hand and led me back to his place at the pack house. He had a small room of his own. It was simple and clean. He sat down on the bed and pulled me into his lap. It had sparks erupting on my whole body.
“Mateo, I have dreamed of always going to the Elite Academy, and I am so close to getting in. I have two years left before I can apply. I want you to go with me. You can find a job there.”
“I would follow you anywhere. I want to be by your side for the rest of my life.”
I just smiled at him and for once in my life, I knew what it felt like to be wanted by someone. We laid on his bed all night and talked. We learned everything we could about each other. There may have been some stolen kisses as well. It was the perfect ending to my night.
I was sneaking up to my room the next morning when Mateo left for work. My dad came out of his room before I could get into mine.
“Where have you been all night?” He asked.
“Why do you suddenly care?”
“Did you find your mate last night?”
“Yes, I did, and he is a wonderful person.”
“Who is it?”
“Mateo.”
He didn’t say anything else and left me. I went to my room to shower and go hit the gym. Jade was happily purring in my head. She had met her mate and her life was complete now. I had finished my shower and changed into leggings and sports bra and threw my shoes on and walked out my door when I got a mind link from my dad demanding I go to my brother’s office.
“Don’t go Lex. They have never cared before don’t let them now,” Jade linked me.
“I can’t. He will just come find us.”
I went down the stairs to his office. I knocked on the door and waited for them to say come in. Finally, my brother threw the door open and gave me a look of pity. He stepped back and let me come in. I saw my dad, mom, my brother’s mate Aubrey and then my heart dropped. They had Mateo.
They had him tied to a chair, and it looked like he had been worked over by someone. I rushed over to him and tried to untie him as quickly as I could, but my dad came over to me and pulled me back and threw me on my butt. Jade was in my head screaming at me to get him and run, but I couldn’t overpower him.
“Alexa, is this the wolf that you have mated to?” My dad asked
“Yes, now untie him and leave us alone.”
“No, my daughter will not be mated to a low life Omega. You will reject him.”
“No, dad I will not reject him. He was chosen for me by the moon goddess.”
He walked behind him and let his claws out and put them on his neck, and pierced his skin lightly.
“Either reject him or I will kill him. The choice is yours, Alexa.”
I looked at Mateo and tried to convey how sorry I was. I didn’t want to do this. I just wanted to live my life with him.
“Alexa, reject me. I know neither of us wants this, but please just reject me. I don’t want to die.”
“See, daughter, he is weak. You need someone strong to protect you.”
Jade was crying in head. She knew that my dad would kill him if I didn’t. We already loved him. It was the magic of the mate bond. It made you love them instantly, and the force of attraction that was there was amazing. I was openly crying now. I didn’t want this.
“Please dad, don’t do this.”
“No, child of mine will ever have a weak mate.”
“Your brother went through this as well. Do you think that Aubrey was his fated mate? At least he didn’t cry like a little baby and just went through with it.”
My father was truly a vile man. If I could overpower him, I would. I hated him. I hated my whole family. I had to get this over with before my dad killed him. I knew he would if I didn’t hurry.
I stood up and squared my shoulders but continued to cry, as my wolf was, too. Her emotions were pouring out of me, and I couldn’t stop it.
“I Alexa Silver, of the Silver Moon Pack, reject you Mateo Black of the Silver Moon Pack.”
He let out a scream as his bond with me broke. He had to accept my rejection and reject me back in order to break my bond, and I had to then accept it to break it fully.
“I Mateo Black of Silver Moon Pack.......
He didn’t finish the rejection, and I looked up to see why. When I met my dad’s eyes, I knew this was over. He was going to kill him either way. He had tightened his grip on his neck, and his claws had dug in deep enough that he had blood oozing out of his neck.
“Alexa, this is on you. If you had just rejected him like I told you to the first time, I wouldn’t have to do this.”
He ran his claws around his neck and ripped out his throat. I felt the bond break immediately. I fell to my knees, screaming. The pain in my chest was unbearable. I was trying to take deep breaths to fill my lungs, but it wasn’t working. Jade was crying uncountably as well. I couldn’t breathe, and blackness was clouding my vision.
“Dad, why did you kill him?” I managed to croak out.
“Because you’re weak and would have gone back to him.”
They all walked out of the room as I lay there and stared at my mate’s lifeless body as blackness continued to cloud my vision before it finally took over.