Chapter 1
867 Words
"Caleb, can't you smell it?"
The words left my mouth just as he pulled Selena into his arms.
The first minute of my eighteenth birthday, I caught my mate's scent.
It was something like mint, pine, and the burning possessiveness that ran hot in an Alpha's blood.
It came from Caleb, sliding down my spine like an electric current.
But his hand was pressed against Selena's back, and his eyes never once landed on me.
Selena tilted her head, the silver clip in her hair catching the light.
She asked, "Elara, are you feeling all right? You look so pale."
A few high-ranking werewolves nearby laughed under their breath.
"She's an archive-room orphan. First time at an Alpha's birthday party. Probably scared stiff."
"Don't be so mean. The Pack did raise her."
"Being raised by the Pack and being worthy of one are two different things."
Only then did Caleb look at me.
The pull tore through my chest.
Deep inside the seal, my wolf slammed against the chains and let out a low, broken whine.
I took one step toward him and said, "Caleb, I need to talk to you."
Selena immediately tightened her grip on his sleeve.
"Right now? But the elders are waiting for you to announce your future Luna."
Her voice was soft, but her sharp eyes dropped to my neck with malice.
She spoke up, "Elara's collar is so unusual. I rarely see anyone at the academy still wearing something that old after turning eighteen."
Caleb's gaze followed hers.
I instinctively covered the collar with my hand.
I had worn it for as long as I could remember. It was old and darkened, its edges carved with markings I had never been able to understand.
"Come outside with me," Caleb released Selena, and said to me in a cool voice.
I followed him into a side hall.
The moment the door shut, his Alpha aura crashed down over me.
My knees were weak. I had to brace one hand against the wall to keep from falling.
"What are you trying to do?" he asked.
I looked up at him. "You're my mate."
Caleb's eyes widened only for a second.
Then that lofty calm returned to his face.
He simply replied, "I know."
Those two words hurt more than denial ever could.
I clenched my fists and retorted, "You know? My wolf knew before you did."
He frowned, as if he were forcing himself to endure something filthy. "But that doesn't matter. A mate bond is not a marriage contract. It's not the future of the Pack."
I blurted out, "Then what matters?"
Caleb stepped closer. "Selena matters. Her silver wolf scent can elevate the bloodline of the entire Silver Moon Pack.
"The elders need her. The warriors need her. I need her."
I forced a bitter smile. "And me?"
"You?" He looked offended by the question. "Elara, you're just an ordinary orphan.
"You can't transform. Your wolf doesn't answer. Even your Omega soothing ability is pathetically weak.
"If I announce you as my mate, what will the Pack think of me?"
My throat tightened. "So you want me to pretend I don't know?"
"Not pretend." His voice dropped sharply. "Just forget everything."
The Alpha Command slammed into my bones.
My whole body shuddered, and I bit down until I tasted blood.
"Forget it, Elara," my wolf roared in the dark.
But the seal held like iron chains, dragging her back down.
I gripped the wall and slowly forced myself upright. "And if I don't?"
Irritation flickered through Caleb's eyes.
He snapped, "Don't force me to deal with you in a harsh way."
The door opened. Selena stood outside with a glass of red wine in her hand.
"Am I interrupting?" She looked at me, then at Caleb. "Elara's bloodline is too weak. It's normal that she can't understand the scent between high-ranking wolves.
"She probably just admires you too much and misunderstood something."
Caleb didn't correct her.
He simply took the glass from her hand and said, "Selena, you're always kind."
I stood there, suddenly feeling like the mate scent that had once pulled me in was turning rancid.
Selena walked up to me and spoke in a voice only I could hear, "Orphans should know their place. The Pack raised you for eighteen years. Don't bite the hand that owns you."
I looked up at her.
Her smile grew sweeter. "What? You gonna tell on me? Caleb will only take it as jealousy."
Caleb pulled out a gold-stamped invitation and tossed it at my feet.
He said, "The graduation ball is in three days. I'll officially announce Selena as my future Luna there. You may attend. But you'd better behave."
I didn't bend down to pick it up.
His eyes turned cold. "Elara, don't make me ruin your life with rejection."
The collar around my neck suddenly burned, as if something inside it had awakened.
I said in a very soft tone, "So you had this planned all along."
Before Caleb turned away, he left me with one final sentence. "At the ball in three days, you will either give us your blessing, or you will crawl out on your knees."
- Writer
