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Elise

“Hurry, Elise, we have to leave soon!” I hear my mother’s voice down the hall as I stare back at my reflection in the mirror. I put a hand to my chest to try to cool my rapidly beating heart, but how could I? Especially when today was the actual day I’ve been waiting for.

I can’t believe today is the day. My mating ceremony day.

The day I’ve been waiting for, the day that I’m supposed to do my duties as my father’s daughter, Chief Dexton Alderman, is the beta leader of my pack, the Sivernight pack.

Today was an important day that could lead to massive change. Ever since I was nine, I was set to be the bride of another pack when turned nineteen, and my 19th birthday was yesterday.

And everything is supposed to be perfect.

had been chosen by Alpha Kyren of the Darknight Pack. He was a strong alpha and the future leader of his pack, being that he was the son of the chief of his tribe, my father.

Finally, I would be able to set my wolf free for the first time, finally freeing my inner beast to run free. This is only because our pack rules ban the change of a female wolf till she meets her mate, and they would both turn together after the bond is made whole under the high moon when we say our sworn vows and he bites and marks me.

My body shuddered at the thought of being claimed, and all the more, I hardly knew my betrothed; he was more like a stranger to me.

“El?” I hear my mom’s soft voice call out to me as I turn to her when she enters the room. I tried to hide my nerves and show excitement, but she could always read me like a d**n book. “It’s ok to be nervous, my dear, but I’m glad you will finally be able to meet your wolf; it is a special feeling.”

I could only smile and nod to her words; I could feel something in me tug; I couldn’t tell if it was my wolf or my nerves getting the best of me, but I needed to hold my head high; I am the chief’s daughter.

She patted the cloak around my body, her face covered with a see-through dark veil. Kind brown eyes moved to the windows, noting it was time since the high moon was out. “Mom, l-”

But I was interrupted by the heavy push of the door. My dad, Chief Dexton, whose eyes

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formed with irritation, moved his gaze to my mom, who had to bbw in respect to her husband, mate, and leader.

I was already used to her being submissive to his every call and whim, but I hated it- hated that he had to use fear for respect. “We need to leave now, child,” he called coldly as I followed.

We left our mansion, Delta guards greeting us as we passed them by, all forming a straight line that led up to the large auditorium where our guests were waiting.

The large ancient ancestral space where mating of the pack took place, the glass roof made to let the high moonlight shine in, and the step altar in the middle of the room for the mates to bond.

My blood heated the minute I laid eyes on the unfamiliar cloaks of the Darknight wolves. Only two of them stood, Kyren and Father Chief Jon, while their guards stood outside the building with orders like ours.

I couldn’t help but shudder when I met the gaze of Alpha Jon, who assessed mè, seeing if it was fit and right for his son. It felt like I was a tool being sold.

My father and Jon gave a short greeting to each other while Kyren stood in his six-foot glory, his dark eyes staring at me and his expression filled with lust and an unreadable expression in them.

“Elise,” my father’s voice boomed, reminding me where I was and what I was supposed to do. I looked to the old female Ga**a priest who stood, waiting for me to climb the altar.

I took off my cloak, feeling the breeze trace up my nipples till they hardened. The silk dress I was wearing was so thin that I was almost naked. It was a tradition the night packs had followed for centuries, baring all our sins for our mates to accept.

And an easier option for when we change into our wolves and don’t need to destroy our clothes.

My long red hair covered my chest areas, shrouding my nipples from the unforgiving cold as I walked up the cold steps, with my betrothed Kyren waiting for me, his chest marked with white moon markings that stood identical to the ones on my chest and collarbone. While he still stood modestly in dark pants,.

“Magnificent,” Kyren muttered as his eyes stared at me. It felt like a heavy weight. pulling me to whine out in distress, biting my lips to keep myself suppressed.

Now it was time for Kyren to claim me. His first growl set me inside heated and on fire,

!

and in tone, I felt the moon’s rays on my skin heat up.

1 screamed from the pain as my knees hit the ground. My body felt like it was in flames. as white steam came out of me. Was changing supposed to be this agonizing and painful?

Why wasn’t I changing? I could feel Ryan’s grip on my hair and nape as he pulled me up to look at him.

“She dared defy my orders to change? Is this a sick joke?” Kyren muttered, hearing the room erupt in whispers.

“This has to be a mistake,” my father muttered, baffled.

“You dare bring a defective wolf to us!” Jon roared before I could even speak. I felt another crippling pain that made Kyren drop me as I burned. This time, I felt my blood boiling in my skin. I felt a large gasp from the priest as I looked at the reflection from the shallow moon pool at the altar, and someone else was staring back.

My once fully red hair now had an eery streak of a white silver strand, while even my once dark brown eyes were now a bright ocean blue that had me reeling back in shock. And everyone was here to witness it.

“You brought a cursed wolf to us? Isn’t this white hair a trait of the Calhan tribe that is now extinct? What is the meaning of this?” Jon roared.

I looked to my father for help, but instead, I saw his hand clutched to my mother’s neck as his body slammed against the wall. “You w**e!” He roared.

“Malia, whose cursed child is this? Don’t tell me that you let that man touch you.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know; I swear, Dexton, she is supposed to be yours!” My mother cried. What was she talking about? That Chief Dexton wasn’t my father.

“Look at me.” Kyren’s voice boomed like a heavy force as I jerked my head up to meet his stare. His eyes shoved a challenge at me, urging me to bend my head down in fear and respect, but I didn’t want to. Instantaneously, a growl rumbled in my throat, showing my disposition: I would not yield to him.

“You are a stubborn b**h, are you? You aren’t even obeying your alpha,” he muttered.

Forgive m

me, Kyren and Chief Jon; my wife and daughter have shown so much disrespect; I will be sure to punish them,” he urged desperately. I could see the clear anger and embarrassment on his face as he looked at my mother with so much disdain and true hatred seeping from his gaze.

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The next thing. his hand was raised, slapping my mother hard on the face until she fell to the ground. I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

‘No matter, even though the bond has not been completed, the vows have been made, and she belongs to my son, so he can do what he wants with her. She is a wolfless child. a fledgling, and you know it is our tradition to kill the weak,” Chief Jon says.

1 looked to my father to see his distraught face, but he was cold and quiet as he turned his back on me. “If that pleases you, that b**d defect is yours to punish as you want,” he said, breaking my already shattered heart.

“Father..please-“I begged, but he only glared at me with disdain before he turned away, grabbing my mother harshly by the hair. Hot, heated tears spilled from my eyes.

Kyren’s chuckle had my attention as I turned back to him. “Pity, you can’t even be submissive and bow down to me,” he snarled. “Not only are you defective, but you are a b**d born from an extinct pack, and it would be a pity to kill you,” he says.

“You are not even worth being my son’s concubine, but a s**e sold to us,” his father, Chief Jon, spat.

“You! You and your fathers are monsters!” I called, but my words became stuck as Kyran’s hand wrapped tightly around my throat.

“Now I have every right to reject you. Don’t you get it, love? I cannot have a cursed, wolfless fledgling as a mate! It would tarnish my honor So I, Alpha Kyren Gerwolf of the Darknight Pack, reject Elise Alderman as my mate!”

I heard the lifeless scream of my mother one last time as her neck cracked and- everything turned quiet. Her last words were my name, filled with terror, and I knew then that my mother was dead.

And my once-perfect life and the day I’ve looked forward to for years just turned into my worst nightmare coming to life.