Prologue
I had it all!
At the age of nineteen, I had my life completely figured out.
A career in werewolf evolution. Check.
My beloved Alpha Sole as my chosen mate. Check.
A pack to inherit. Check, and in fact, make that two packs.
And last but not least, a loving family to come back to. Check, check, and check.
Everything was just like I always wanted.
I was loved and cherished every minute, with a future as bright as the sun.
Or so I thought at that point in time.
Then in just ONE moment, everything changed, shattering my picture-perfect life.
*******
"You guys are so made for each other," Sole's mom cooed, smiling at the two of us fondly. "I can't wait for you to officially become our daughter, Aria."
"Two more days, mother, just two more days, and then we get to keep Aria," Sole replied as he tightened his arms around my waist, merging my body into his, as our hands intertwined with each other's, encasing our engagement ring.
Yes, we were engaged. Sole was officially my fiance.
Sole and I were family friends and childhood sweethearts. Ever since we started dating each other when we turned fifteen, everyone around us had always thought that we would be mates. Our feelings were built on years of childhood friendship and understanding, so I guess in a lot of ways we fit well with each other.
Our union also signified the amalgamation of two of the most illustrious families in the werewolf world.
I was the daughter of Alpha James White and the heiress of the White family, one of the three original werewolf families, and Sole was the son of Alpha Red, and the future Alpha of the Red Pack, which again was one of the three original packs.
One could say that we were considered the crème de la crème among werewolves and that together we were the IT couple, garnering admiration and envy amongst the rich and powerful in our world.
But that was not important, what mattered was that we loved each other to the moon and back. And by the grace of the Goddess, our love had flourished over the years, despite the many hurdles that had come our way.
The five months between Sole's eighteenth birthday and my turning eighteen were nothing short of hell, with each day testing our patience. We were so excited to mark and mate, but when my eighteenth birthday rolled around, we knew.
We knew that we were not fated mates.
None of us had ever imagined this scenario. This was not what any of us had planned for. I was broken and hurt, but I was willing to accept fate and move on. I loved Sole, but the moon goddess didn't see it that way. However, Sole was adamant that he did not care for the moon goddess's choice, for I was his choice, and that was enough. It had to be enough.
He wanted to mate and marry immediately, joining the two powerful families and packs into one, but I had put my foot down, saying that we both deserved to meet the person the moon goddess had chosen for us. Both our families, especially my parents, had sided with Sole, saying that we were perfect together, and they accepted our union.
Due to my insistence, we had both even gone out to various mate balls, but to no avail.
That was a year ago, and here we were today, standing hand in hand and arm in arm, celebrating our engagement with our friends and family. Just two more days, and we would be one, married, marked, and mated for eternity. And then we would set off for university, in one month, in Sole's Pack. Oops, I meant our pack. We would focus on our education and careers for the next couple of years since our parents were there to do the Alpha & Luna duties.
"Come on, you two, we are on a schedule here", Sole's father called out to us, "You need to get your photoshoot done for the official press release, and then you have the official toast, followed by interviews with the journalists," he said, pointing his hand towards the set, "and before the day's end we need to sign the contracts."
For heaven's sake, this was our engagement. I just wanted to enjoy myself and cherish these moments. Why did Sole's dad have to be such a fun buster?
"Is that today?" my father asked Alpha Red, "the contract signing? I thought it would happen after the official marriage and marking ceremony."
The contract in question here was regarding our inheritance and how the two families and pack would be merged after we took over, since we were both the heirs to our families. A contract like that was not as common among werewolves, but it was the least bit surprising for distinguished families like ours.
"I just don't know what the big deal is about the contract," I said to Sole, just like I had a thousand times before. I was just not comfortable with the idea that a piece of paper was what would bind a love-riddled relationship like ours. To me, it seemed like an insult to our relationship, if we needed a contract to keep us together.
"Come on, doll, you know this is important for the council."
I hated it when he called me a "doll."
"And we need to understand that this is the first time in our history that the two original packs are going to be merged. Do you even know what it even means?"
Of course, I knew the legal and political implications of it, but I still let Sole explain them to me. It was our thing, I guess. He liked to tell me about politics and business-related things, and stuff like how to run the pack and all that, and I always patiently listened, giving all the right expressions at the right time. Men always liked to feel important.
"We would be the ultimate authority in our world. I would be the most powerful Alpha, and you would be my Luna. We will even be ahead of the Ravens." Sole said, smirking to himself as he thought about being ahead of the Raven pack.
In all our years together, I had never understood his obsession with the Ravens. The Ravens were the third original family, as the old ones would say, they were the first among equals, and were always looked up upon, even within our three families. Although they were as powerful as they were deemed, they were also equally guarded, so much so that most of us had never met them. They were not even here today at our engagement, where the elite of the werewolf world was present.
"Now, don't you start with the Raven Pack? We don't need to compare them to them. They have their stature, and we have ours."
"f**k their stature," Sole scoffed.
"Is that what you want to f**k on our engagement?" I teased suggestively.
"Well, since you won't let me f**k you, what are my options?" Sole whispered in my ears, as one of his hands slid into my ass, while the other cupped my breast as discreetly as he could.
"It's just two days, and besides, I never said no to a finger f**k," I murmured as he squeezed my ass cheek.
My p***y pooled at his touch, readying itself for more action. We had been together for so many years, and while we had explored each other's bodies, we still had not slept together. Each time he asked, I turned him down, waiting for when we would be marked.
"Goddess, I can smell you, Aria," Sole said as he claimed my lips in an urgent kiss, making way for his tongue to delve into my mouth.
"Come on, come on, love birds, you guys still have to go for the press release photoshoot," Alpha Red reminded us, but Sole refused to let go of my lips, as his erection pressed into my belly.
"Sole, Sole,"
"Come on, Red, let them be, it's their engagement, for God's sake. Don't you remember your time?" My dad teased Alpha Red, buying us some more time.
"There was no PR Campaign or i********: handle to manage at the time," Alpha Red replied glumly.
One hour later, we were done with the photoshoot and the toast. My father had convinced Alpha Red to move the contract signing to the day after our marriage so that we could enjoy ourselves more.
"Thanks, dad, for moving that stupid contract to later," I told my dad, hugging him.
"Anything for you, my love," dad said, kissing my forehead, "I know Red looks excessive, but you know that PR and image are important. And Red is a PR genius, so we will have to follow his lead."
I frowned, but I knew he was right, and I could just use a couple of minutes of peace before Sole returned and we would have to go for the media session. Sole was having a few drinks with his friends, and I had taken this time to mingle with my parents and my friends.
But all my respite was shortlived as Alpha Red summoned me.
"Here, here. We just found the bride-to-be," he exclaimed as he presented me to one of the journalists.
"Aria, he is John, from the WQ magazine, and John, this is Aria White, soon to be Mrs. Red," Alpha Red introduced us.
I wanted to tell him that I would rather keep my name, but I chose to just smile as I shook hands with John.
"John wanted to do a one-on-one with you, Aria. He wants to know all the things the bride is feeling. Isn't that a wonderful idea?"
"Of course, it is," I answered, giving them my Colgate smile as I fought the urge to roll my eyes.
"I thought we could walk outside in the gardens, away from the crowd, as we talked about your new life," John suggested.
"Sure," I accepted politely, frowning inwardly at the prospect of leaving my party. Weren't these journalists getting too damn demanding?
"Do you want to ask me anything else?" I asked John as we walked outside, but he shook his head.
I had no idea why John had gotten me out of my damn engagement party. He had barely asked me any questions in the last ten minutes. He only had some basic questions, and they lasted only the first five minutes. Since then, we had been scouting for a perfect spot for my photograph.
"Are you sure this is not a good spot?" I asked John for the tenth time in the last five minutes.
"No, the lighting is a problem," his photographer answered.
John suggested an alternate spot, pointing at a tall rose bush that served as a border wall, "I think we should try there."
At this point, I was willing to pose in the middle of the fountain, as long as I could get back to my party.
"I do have one more question for you, Ms. White," he said as we walked towards the spot he had selected.
"Aria, please,"
"Do you wonder what would happen, if any one of you were to find your fated mate?"
"We both respect the Moon Goddess's choice, and therefore, we spent a year looking for our mates before he decided to commit to each other," I recited my much rehearsed answer, "but as we get into this union, we have to have the same respect for each other and stay true to our love. Even if one of us finds our mate, our love won't change."
My wolf started getting restless, as I continued with the next bit of my answer.
"Also, it would be disrespectful to our mates to be in such a situation, they don't deserve to be second to anyone either. So to answer your question, we have both decided to let our fated mates go, that is, whenever we find them."
The scent of roses, sandalwood, and arousal filled the air as we got closer to the bush of roses. Intertwined with the scent was an essence that reeked of familiarity, but I could not put my finger on it.
"Are you sure Alpha Sole Red also feels the same way?"
"Of course," I answered mechanically, not paying attention to his words. My wolf had started howling in my head, as she sensed the impending doom. Something was not right.
"Do pray tell, then, what is Alpha Sole up to here?" John asked as he locked his eyes on a pair who were completely engrossed in their s****l bliss.
As I tore apart Sole's rose essence from the odor of the pink roses that now poorly hid him and the petite red head, he was so far gone, that he didn't even realize that there was an audience. He didn't even recognize my scent around him. The same scent that he had craved like a drug for the last five years.
There he was. My fiance, my chosen mate, and my to-be husband, f*****g the brains out of another girl on our engagement day.
