Alpha, I was yours before

SIX

MICAH

The murmurs from the crowd were getting louder and louder. I didn’t know what to say or do. I just stood, rooted to the spot, wondering what had happened. What went on? Who was Seraphina?

The snickers and whispered laughter reminded me of years ago. Standing in the middle of my peers as they taunted me to morph, but I couldn’t. The harsh laughter echoed in my memory.

Back then, Carter used to save me. He would come to my rescue and tell them off. But I had lost that one solace too. And the person I lost him to was holding onto him now, a wicked grin on her face as her eyes mocked me from the back of the hall.

Luckily for me, the Beta came to my rescue.

“Let’s go,” he urged.

“I’ve not been wedded or marked,” I whispered, fear flickering in my eyes.

“When the Alpha is ready, he’ll mark you. So do not worry about it,” he replied, holding my hand gently and walking me through the throng of people, who looked like they would swallow me at any moment.

“I’m so sorry,” the Beta whispered to me. “But what happened back there… you’re the first woman the Alpha has ever walked out on. On his wedding day…”

I couldn’t even explain what had happened to him, because I didn’t fully understand it myself.

We reached where Lena stood with Carter. She tutted loud enough for me to hear.

“You’re a curse. No one likes you, and no one ever will.”

I felt a knife twist in my lungs at her statement, but I faced forward, deciding not to let her words get to me.

The Beta helped me into the car, and the drive to the Alpha’s grand mansion was silent. I remembered the conversation I had with Selena earlier that morning; about wanting to be happy. The Moon Goddess couldn’t even grant me that on my wedding day.

In the mansion, there was no flurry of activity. The omegas were not preparing for a feast. Normally, after every wedding, there would be a feast and everyone would be invited to celebrate the marking between the Alpha and his true Luna.

“We’ve changed your room,” the Beta told me. “Now you’ll sleep in the Alpha Tower with the rest of his harem. There’s a room designated for you there.”

“Will I be required to sleep with the Alpha?” I asked, heart in my mouth. I couldn’t imagine having to sleep with someone I deeply hated. If I disliked him before, I detested him now. Who on the planet leaves their young bride jilted at the altar?

“Yes, you would. The consummation is very necessary; it confirms the marking. He’ll most likely see you tonight.”

As the Beta led me to my sleeping quarters, I tried to access my wolf, Crispy. She had been dormant for some time now, and I really needed to talk to her.

In this world where everything was against me, she was my only solace.

“This is it,” the Beta said as he led me inside the room.

Okayyy. This would make my stay here less uncomfortable.

The bedroom was magnificent.

The bed was in my favorite color; peach. It was a queen-sized, four-poster bed. Very different from the tattered mat I used to sleep on back home. There was a dressing table with exotic creams and makeup items I didn’t even know how to use. A maid followed my gaze.

“As the new Luna, you’ll accompany the Alpha to some important meetings. It’s mandatory that you look good all the time,” she explained. I nodded, quite shocked.

“All right. So… do you like it?” The Beta nudged me.

I chuckled. “Do I have a choice?”

His face turned serious. “Of course, you do. If you want to customize the room to your own taste, the option is open to you.”

To say I was speechless would be an understatement. I could even decorate my room the way I wanted?

“Nexxie and Aurelie, see to everything she needs,” was his final command to the omegas cleaning my room before he left.

As soon as he shut the door, they fussed over me.

“Oh goddess, she is so pretty.”

“See her eyes.”

“The Alpha will be so pleased with the latest pet.”

The last statement made the juices in my stomach turn sour.

First of all, the Alpha ditched my sorry ass, and second of all, I was nobody’s pet.

“Would you like to eat something?” Nexxie asked gently. I nodded. I was famished. I remembered I hadn’t eaten all day because I’d been too nervous; excited to be wedded to the feared Alpha King. Not excited to be happy, but the kind of nervous excitement you feel before meeting a legend.

“Yes,” I said, hopping onto the bed after stripping out of the white gown. “Can you bake chocolate muffins?”

Chocolate muffins—the only warm memory I had of my mother.

“We’ll send your order to the kitchen. It’ll be done.”

At the word done, I closed my eyes and sank deeply into the foam mattress, inhaling the lavender-scented sheets.

This life—maids at my beck and call, a warm bed to return to every night, a kitchen that would cook anything I asked—I was starting to deeply love it.

Nexxie left, and Aurelie remained.

Somehow startled by the sudden silence in the room, I sat up and saw her watching me with a soft, somewhat sad expression on her face.

“What is it?” I asked, fear lacing my voice.

She came closer to the bed. “Can I sit?”

“Yes.” I was open to making any kind of friend in this place. Back home, I was all alone, with only a distant inner wolf to comfort me. And it was not a nice way to live.

“Tonight might be a very painful and scary night for you,” she began, and my heart started to beat faster than normal. “The Moon Goddess will finalize your marking to the Alpha… by blood.”

I lurched. She must have seen the freaked-out look on my face, because her voice turned softer.

“It’s called the Moon Bond.” She lifted me gently and walked me over to the floor-to-ceiling mirror. I stared at my slightly puffy face. Just three days here and I was already gaining weight.

Out of nowhere, Aurelie brought out a starched white gown. I was mute as she slid the gown over my shoulders. It was undoubtedly the most beautiful gown I had ever seen. Expert embroidery in moon threads stitched lace into soft curves that revealed more than I’d care to admit. It brought out all the beauty I didn’t even know existed in me.

Aurelie caught my reaction. “This dress will enhance your looks for the Moon Bond.”

“What’s the Moon Bond?” I wanted to ask, but the words caught in my throat when I saw her step behind me with a silver basin of scented oils.

“When the moon reaches its peak,” she said softly, brushing oil down my arm, “the Alpha will claim you. But not just with teeth and vows. The Moon Goddess requires something... deeper.”

I turned, brows drawn. “I—I don’t understand.”

Her voice dropped into a reverent hush.

“The old ways speak of the Rite of Joining. Flesh to flesh. Blood to blood. The Luna’s body must open to the Alpha, willingly, to seal the sacred link. No union is true until the Alpha’s heat merges with the Luna’s core... and she bears his mark from the inside out.”

A flush of realization crept up my neck. “So... when you say... blood…”

Oh goddess. My heart beat twelve times faster. I was so new to this. I was still untouched.

I met her gaze, and I could see that she was watching me again; quietly, thoughtfully; as she oiled my arms.

“The first blood must be hers. It’s the Moon’s way of testing a Luna’s surrender.”

My breath hitched.

“And if I’m not ready?”

She touched my cheek gently.

“Readiness is not of the body, my lady. It’s of the soul. You need only open to him, and he will guide the rest. The Alpha’s instincts are... ancient. He will know when to take. And once he does… you will no longer be his Luna by name alone. You will be his in every way.”

Nexxie crushed the silence by bursting into the room with a large tray of chocolate muffins.

My heart leapt in excitement.

“Eat all you can, my lady,” Aurelie’s voice trailed as I flitted to the tray. “For the Alpha is required to stay with you all night.”

CASPIAN

I stared out the window of the North Tower, trying hard not to think. Not to feel.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” a voice snapped at me. Caesar.

“Did you see her face when you turned and walked away? She needed you in that moment, and you ditched her.”

“Caesar, enough.”

“No, it’s not enough! That is your mate. The scent you've been searching for lifetimes. The second chance the Moon Goddess gave you, to breed, to bond. My wolf will not accept any maltreatment toward her.”

I had never seen Caesar this angry before, and I could feel the heat of his wrath burning in my chest.

“I’ll make it up to her tonight. I promise.”

The heat in my chest faded, replaced by a longing ache.

He whimpered.

“You told her not to look for you…”

“I will find her. Claim her. Wrap her in my scent. Make her mine.”

A knock broke the air.

It was Nexxie. “She’s ready for you, my lord.”

I dismissed her, stripped, and wrapped myself in a velvet robe. Then, with hesitant steps, I walked through the hallways.

Goddess knows, I’d waited lifetimes for this moment, to be wrapped in the scent I’d long hunted.

When I reached her door, I knocked.

---

MICAH

I gripped the sheets tightly as I heard his broad, dominant footsteps echo into the room. My heart was pounding so hard, I could hear my own ears sing.

I was pretending to be asleep, but I couldn’t help jerking when his warm fingers touched the sensitive skin of my arm.

“You’re awake,” he murmured, laughter curling around his voice.

I peeked at him from under the sheets, and was awed. A very toned body, marred by scars, but still beautiful to perfection. His silver-black hair glimmered under the moonlight. He looked every bit the devastatingly gorgeous Alpha the females of Ember City gossiped about.

Nope. He didn’t fall short of the rumors.

His soft fingers left my arm and began gently stroking my feet. My walls of anxiety crumbled. Slowly, I started to sit up.

His eyes—oh my Goddess.

“Have you forgotten you were supposed to hate this man?” Crispy teased me.

Crispy! I mentally snapped. How dare you ignore me for four days and just come back like nothing happened?

“When I felt his hand on your skin, I stirred. I wasn’t about to let only you have all the fun.”

“What’s your name?” he asked, his voice deep and honey-smooth.

“Micah.” Simple. Plain. Mundane. Just like me.

His fingers trailed my chin and lifted my face. I couldn’t believe the ruthless Alpha of North Europe could touch so gently. Was he like this to all his women? Is that why they threw themselves at his feet?

“You smell of innocence and purity. I like that.” His eyes flickered with gold, and his easy, heart-wrenching smile shimmered under the moonlight.

Ah, Goddess, Crispy purred. You were intentional when you made this one.

My breath caught as his hands slid to my waist and pulled me closer. His lips found my neck.

“I want to mark you here,” he whispered, his tongue grazing my skin. I shivered. “And here,” he added, nibbling at the tip of my ear.

Pleasure bloomed inside me. I was trembling so much.

“I… I don’t know what to do,” I admitted, breathless.

His lips brushed against my throat.

“Just surrender to me,” he whispered, “and moan when you want to.”