BONDED IN DESIRE: Winning Her Alpha Mate

DAISY'S POV My hands trembled at the sides as I watched Ryker repeat after the elder, not even sparing me a glance. He was too busy digging into Iora's eyes as he recited the mating vows. I fought back the tears, and for the first time since the mating ceremony started, I took my eyes off Ryker and looked around me. All the pack members were out under this full moon, smiling proudly at their Alpha as he was bonded with one of the most powerful witches in the district. Iora. This shouldn't have happened. Not at all. If only I wasn't human. A powerful and feared alpha like Ryker could not get mated to me, even after his wolf had explicitly displayed all the signs; and even when he had taken me several times, weaving threads of Love and Lust into each thrust. He loved me, I knew that. But I wasn't about to share my mate with another woman just because she fitted the description of 'Luna' more. My fingers fisted as they kissed, the pack erupting in screams and applause. A tear slipped down my cheek, and I quickly brushed it away. I was getting stylishly rejected by Selenecove pack. The beautiful witch, Iora, was more preferable. I wiped my eyes and marched through the crowd as they shouted in excitement. My arms throbbed, and my ears were ringing. I needed someone to pat me on the back and tell me everything would eventually be okay. I marched into the castle, still fighting back the tears that threatened to fall. But when I got into one of the guest rooms where my things had been moved into, the tears fell freely. I crumpled against the door and let out the pain, anger, frustration, and hurt. Pain gnawed at my insides as I dragged out a suitcase and started digging out my clothes from the closet. I was halfway through packing when I heard the door open. I didn't expect the face that popped in. Ryker looked outside to be sure nobody followed him before rushing inside, closing the door quickly behind him. "What the f**k are you doing, Alice?" "Leaving," I said simply, not even sparing him a glance. It was supposed to be me. "Don't you have a mating ceremony to complete?" "I do, and you are interrupting me!" He grabbed my hand and turned me to face him. "Alice, we've talked about this. Iora isn't important. She is only—" "Your mate!" I sobbed. "She is only your mate." I snatched my hand back and threw the remaining clothes I could find into the bag, zipping it shut with trembling hands. "Where are you going to go?" Ryker's silver eyes pierced into me. "Somewhere far from here." "Daisy, I love you, and you know that. Please." He turned me to face him once again and I could see everything I saw in him the first day he got all the signs that I was his mate. He was still that same Ryker, only that he had accepted the woman the pack pushed his way. And now, I was supposed to stay in the guest room and be a mistress. When the proposal was first tendered before me, I thought I could cope. I cried that night, and Ryker had comforted me, saying that at least I would still have him. But seeing him tonight in someone else's arms, kissing her like he used to kiss me, and holding her against himself with that exact tenderness I was used to... It all made me insane. I furiously wiped the tears off my cheeks. "Goodbye Ryker," I choked out. "I hope you are happy." Without another word, I turned around and dragged my things out of the castle. The pack members were still gathered, celebrating their new Luna, while waiting for Ryker to get back from the restroom. So that was the excuse he gave to come see what I was up to. I passed by the guards at the gate and none of them acknowledged me like they used to. The tears poured fresh as I dragged my bags to the roadside and boarded a taxi. For the next three days, I lived like a vagabond, eating nothing but my tears and despair. On the fourth day, burdened with grief, I abandoned my luggage and walked into the forest, staggering as fatigue took me over. I knew where I was going. I'd visited this coven a lot in the past, but I was usually an invitee to some of their ceremonies. My position in Ryker's life gave me that honor despite being a human. My legs wobbled as I approached the rock entrance covered in moss and climbing weed. "Cecil!" I cried out. I fell at the entrance, clutching my chest, and soon she rushed out in her gloriousness, her white hair flowing behind her like the wind. "Luna Daisy?" she gasped. Two young witches rushed from behind her and aided me into the coven. "Don't call me that," I said weakly. "The Luna title has been stripped from me." I coughed. "I want to be a powerful witch. Help me become one, Cecil." Iora's face flashed in my memory and the tears fell faster. "Luna Daisy, you are human," Cecil said softly, ignoring my order to not be addressed as 'Luna.' "I've heard I can be turned." I looked her dead in the eye and added with a sob, "Do it to me. Turn me." Her jaw dropped. I heard the two girls behind her gasp. "That is an insane request to make. A lot of pressure would be put on your body. You may not survive it." "Do it," I said through gritted teeth. "I don't care what the sacrifice takes. Do it. Right now." Cecil clasped her palms together. "You may want to discuss this better when you are more sober and—" "No! Do it now!" I screamed into her face. She nodded. I sobbed quietly as she ordered the girls around to pick some things for her. I was ushered into the inner chambers. The roof was opened and the sun streamed directly on an altar. Stripped off all my clothes, I was made to lie down there and gaze at the opening. I was weak, hungry, and completely hopeless. How could Ryker let the pack do this to me? A chill worked up my spine. I forced the tears back. I didn't move even as witches began to pile in, their dark robes swaying behind them as they chanted in low tunes. Then I felt it. Fire. That was the only way to describe it. A fire that didn’t burn my skin but set everything inside me ablaze. The moment a needle pierced my arm, I knew I had made a mistake. The fire surged through my veins like molten metal, twisting and writhing beneath my skin. My breath hitched, and then I was screaming. I couldn’t stop. My muscles seized, my bones felt like they were cracking apart, and my heart slammed against my ribs like it was trying to escape. The witches around me didn’t move. Their faces remained unreadable, their dark robes pooling like shadows around their feet. Their chants grew louder, more frantic. "It hurts!" I screamed as Ryker's face flashed in my vision. I couldn't tell if the pain was coming from Ryker's rejection or the unnatural feeling in me. I clawed at my arms, desperate to rip out whatever they had put in me. The heat didn’t want to settle. It was fighting me as much as I was fighting it. “Stop resisting,” Cecil warned. “Let it in, or it will tear you apart!” I rolled off the stone altar and clutched my chest, delivering a bone-chilling scream that knocked me out.