The lost princess

An unwanted mating

Emmi POV

I must have looked comical, but the situation I had found myself in was anything but amusing.

I was frozen to the spot with my eyes bulging. I had to keep my mouth firmly closed to ensure my stomach contents didn’t make an appearance all over the Luna’s new white sheepskin rug.

The sitting room in the alpha’s house suddenly felt like it was beginning to constrict around me, the interior design blurring into a mixture of cream and blue splotches.

I was sure I was in shock, I could see everyone’s lips moving, but all I could hear was the whirring in my head.

Olivia’s blonde hair was bouncing around her head as she spoke excitedly and alpha Aran and Luna Maxine stood with satisfied smiles on their faces, while Noah pulled me into an embrace.

“I…I don’t understand.” I voiced, my throat croaky as a build-up of tears began to form in the back of my eyes. “I’m going to be sixteen in a fortnight, what if I find my fated mate?”

“This is the safest option for you, don’t you see that?” The alpha began with a smile. “We have kept you safe and out of the royal family’s hands for all of these years, it’s in your best interest to stay within this pack.”

“But…My mate…”

“Do you want the royals to come and take you away from your home?” Luna Maxine questioned, crossing her arms across her chest. “Do you want to become their little pet? We have treated you like a daughter for all of these years, we are just trying to protect you.”

“Your parents gave you to me, to keep you safe…” The alpha said with a disappointed look on his face. “And if you don’t agree to this union, you will be making my job a lot harder. I wouldn’t be able to protect you if you were anywhere else.”

“But surely becoming Luna would bring more attention to me?”

“You’ll be safe as long as you use your elixir. If another pack finds out how strong you are, you will definitely be thrown into the spotlight.”

I looked at the alpha as he spoke, tears were beginning to blur my, already foggy vision as I tried my hardest to keep them at bay. This was everything I had feared, being mated to a man that I saw as a brother.

Of course, I loved Noah, but it was the type of love one shares with a best friend, not the type that leads you to ripping their clothes off with your bare hands.

“I’ll keep you safe, my love.” The affectionate name that escaped Noah’s lips felt wrong, he wasn’t supposed to be saying those things to me, only a mate should address me with that sort of love and I genuinely felt nothing but friendship for Noah, so I very much doubted that he was my destined mate.

“Besides…” Alpha Aran interrupted. “You don’t have a mate, well not one that would acknowledge you as such…the potion sees to that.” I had heard alpha Aran speak harshly to others before, but never to me. “If you want to stay out of the royal families clutches you will have to forfeit your mate.”

I didn’t know that I could get any more heartbroken, I really had no other choice. I truly was stuck between a rock and a hard place, if I stopped using the potion and went in search of my mate, I would probably be found and captured by the enemy. But if I stayed here in my own pack, I would be forced into a mating that would ultimately cause me to despise my best friend.

“A chosen mate isn’t bad, honey…” Luna Maxine gave the alpha a scowl, silently scolding him at being so brusque with me. “Look at Aran and me, sixteen years together and we’re happy with two wonderful children…And a beautiful future daughter in law.”

I sighed in defeat, there was no getting out of this, if I wanted to have a life that didn’t involve being in danger of being found by the royal family, then I will have to accept my fate.

“Ok…” I said quietly, the lump in my throat making it difficult for me to speak, as I turned to face Noah’s wide grin. “I’ll be your chosen mate. I’ll be your Luna.”

“AHH…” Olivia squealed excitably. “Emmi, we’re finally going to be sisters!”

It had been three days since I had reluctantly agreed to the alpha’s proposal and I had thrown myself into training even more, if that were even possible.

Noah had been nothing but attentive to me and Liv had already started planning my Luna ceremony, even though we couldn’t actually mate for another two years.

I was glad for the delay, if I had to perform the process in just a matter of days I don’t think I would be able to go through with it.

“Goddess Emmi, give a girl a break!” Liv cried as she dodged a punch that had all of my strength behind it.

“sorry…” I sighed, placing my hands on my hips as I looked towards the ground. “I’ve just got a lot on my mind right now.”

“I know…” She rested her hand on my arm. “I know my brother isn’t your first choice of mate…”

“First choice?” I squeaked. “He’s my best friend…He’s practically my brother!”

“But he’s not your brother…Isn’t that what mates are though? Your best friends?”

“Yes, but the difference is, a mate is someone you actually want to sleep with…The thought of me and Noah…I don’t even want to think about it.”

“Eww…Well that makes two of us.” She said with a visible shiver of disgust.

“But look on the bright side…We’ll be sisters!” She grinned widely.

“I already see you as a sister Liv, I don’t need to be mated to your brother to have that relationship with you.”

I hugged her tightly, partly to show my affection for her, partly to comfort myself.   

The sun was slowly sinking from its high position in the sky, making the scorching temperature of the day begin to decrease. It was an ideal time to take a stroll, it was just a shame it was in such an awkward silence.

Noah, Liv and I had been best friends before we even knew what the words meant, we had always been inseparable. Noah was a year older than me, whereas Liv was just under a year younger, but there never felt like an age gap to us.

Noah and Liv would often quarrel, the way I had seen other siblings argue, but neither would hold a grudge for longer than ten minutes. I think it was because of their upbringing, they were alpha Aran’s pride and joy, they weren’t allowed out to the parties or gatherings the rest of the pack were attending.

They had been persuaded against making friends, alpha Aran always insisting that they were worth so much more than any other pack member. That was why I wondered why he allowed them to associate with me.

I was nothing, just a young girl that he had been burdened with. My parents had, had to leave me with him to protect my identity.

I had been born to special wolves, I didn’t know what was so special about them, the alpha had never told me that part, but it had left me with some extraordinary skills.

I was exceptionally strong and fast with impressive stamina, which made me an ideal warrior. By the age of eight I was defeating the older teens in training sessions and holding my own against the adults. All I ever wanted to know was where I had gained this superb power from.

My parents were running from the royals, the king had heard about their powerful offspring and after the Jeffrey’s uprising was scared of anything different that may house a threat to the kingdom. I was their enemy before I could even walk, but the alpha had taken me in, cared for me, trained me, he had ultimately saved my life. Although he had never disclosed to me who my parents actually were and what my true heritage was.

I had always enjoyed spending time with Noah, but over the last three days I hadn’t spoken a word to him. I didn’t know what to say to him, I thought he cared about my feelings, but after I had voiced my concerns about ruining our friendship, he still went running to his father in an attempt to coerce me into mating.

He was suddenly someone I no longer recognised, lying, scheming, thoughtless.

“Why?” I voiced. “Why did you do it? Why would you want me, instead of your destined mate?”

He turned and looked at me with an unreadable expression.

“Because I love you.”

“You will love your mate when you find her.”

“What if I don’t find her?”

“So you are going to forfeit the chance of finding your ultimate gift, one that has been gifted by the moon goddess herself, just in case you don’t find her?”

“ I love you enough. I don’t want another she wolf as my mate.”

I wanted to scream and shout, knock some sense into that thoughtless little head of his. He was being so ignorant, concerning his apparent love for me, that he was willing to risk both of our happiness’ in his delusions.

“You will grow to love me in time.” I halted, turning to look at his determined expression.

“I do love you Noah. Don’t you see that? I love you as if you were my own brother.” I looked at him through saddened eyes.

“Once we’re mated your feelings will change…” He shook his head before continuing with his stroll. “Then it’ll be you, that has to combat the urges of ravishing me.”

I grimaced at his words, all of the hair of my arms raised as I heard his confession. He seemed so determined with his decisive words, I was beginning to abandon any hope of changing his mind on the matter.