Chapter 1
Estelle’s POV
“No!” I cried out, holding his lifeless body close to me. “Dad, you can’t leave me. I need you!”
But I knew my tears were futile. He was dead. Stone-cold dead. I knew this, and yet I kept calling out to him, wishing for a miracle to bring him back. Back to me.
I was stained from neck to ankle with my father’s blood. Glancing around, I could see the bodies of my pack members littered about. The sight brought a lump of emotion to my throat. It was horrible.
I looked up to see him approaching me slowly, the monster, Alpha Mason.
He had a wicked smile on his face as he advanced closer, the blood still dripping from his claws. He had led the Crestwolf Pack to our borders, had raided our territory and killed my family in cold blood.
My mother, my brothers, and my dad had all been taken from me before my very eyes. My sadness knew no bounds.
By now, Alpha Mason had gotten close enough to me, his bloodshot eyes boring a hole through my very being. Behind him, I could see the full moon hanging from the sky like an omen.
An omen of death.
As he raised his claws to the air, I took in a deep breath. I knew what was coming and I embraced it. I anticipated the blow. The fatal slash of his claws on my neck would bring me freedom from this life.I would be reunited with my family once more.
I closed my eyes as I waited. I wanted him to do it, I needed him to. What could this life possibly have to offer if my family wasn’t with me? I needed him to kill me.
I could feel the darkness all around me. Why hadn’t he killed me yet?
Then slowly, I began hearing a familiar voice call out in the distance…...
“Wake up, Litte Red Wolf!” The voice called, getting increasingly louder and aggressive. I opened my eyes slowly to see one of my fellow slaves.. Her face was twisted in a hateful grimace as she kicked out at my side.
Getting my wits about myself, I realized I had only been thinking. No, dreaming. These nightmares had become a part of my nights ever since it had happened. Since my pack had been burned to the ground.
“Marie has requested your presence. She’s in the kitchen.” She said and left almost instantly.
Slowly, I stood from my tattered mat, then quickly strapped on my collar. I walked into the kitchen to see the many maids and servant boys busy with one task or the other. My eyes danced around the room in search of Marie. Catching sight of her, I approached.
“You called, ma’am.” I said as soon as I was within earshot.
“Where have you been, you idiot?” She snapped. “Bet you were sleeping, weren’t you? The ceremony’s ongoing and you dare retire to your chambers? I’ll have you taken to Master for this insolence”
I parted my lips to speak, but before I could, Marie suddenly lunged forward, grabbed the leash attached to my collar and pulled me forward.
“Listen to me, you vermin!” She snarled in my face. “The next time I catch you dawdling on duty, I will tear you limb from limb and feed you to the wild dogs. Understood?”
“Yes, ma’am.” I murmured and picked up a nearby tray laden with food.
Brushing the tears from my eyes, I walked out of the kitchen, tray in hand, making my way towards the noisy main hall. Alpha Mason was hosting the Ascension of the Moon Goddess. It was a ceremony that happened every five years, hosted by an alpha in the region. Every alpha from every pack had to partake in it, and it was regarded as a great honour.
A bitter taste gathered in my mouth as I remembered my father had hosted the last Ascension. But today, no one remembered who I was, all because of Alpha Mason.
I got closer to the hall, the noises growing louder. I swung open the door and stepped in. The room was packed. Everyone who was anyone was present. It had been so long I had been at one of these events.
The noise quickly died down as Alpha Mason stood from his seat, facing his guests.
“Guests, it is such a great honour to host the Ascension this year.” He started. “For millennia—”
Suddenly, he paused as a messenger rushed on stage and whispered something into his ears. Alpha Mason nodded and took a quick scan of the room.
My eyes followed his gaze. And at the very end of the room stood a new guest.
The new guest was fully clothed, with his hands in a pair of black leather gloves, but my alert wolf eyes could pick out the battle scars that snaked up his arms and disappeared into his short shirt sleeves. He stood with all the authority of a strong alpha wolf, and every single gaze was on him.
I watched as Alpha Mason got off the stage and made his way to the end of the room, where the man stood. I watched as they exchanged smiles, as Alpha Mason welcomed him with a firm handshake and a hug.
“Welcome, friend!” I heard Alpha Mason declare, as the guests resuming their drinking and chatting. I stood in the shadows, transfixed to the spot. The tall man had this mesmerizing aura around him that I couldn’t understand.
They exchanged a few words I couldn’t make sense of briefly and took their seats. Suddenly I felt a shove from behind, and I stumbled slightly.
Marie was right behind me, mouth inches from my ear. “You’re dawdling again, Little Red Wolf! Go and serve the new guest his food!” She snarled.
I nodded silently. Quickly maneuvering through the crowd, I arrived at their table in no time and proceeded to serve them.
Then I accidentally made eye contact with the new guest, and my world shifted.
I caught his beautiful grey eyes and they held my gaze, making it impossible for me to look away. The direct pull from those eyes made me stand for a moment, transfixed. It was as though my entire world had lost its orbit, as though nothing else mattered but the both of us, lost in the surprise of this newfound connection.
I felt my heartbeat quicken under his gaze, as though it had found its twin. For five full seconds, our gazes held. The guest’s mouth was hanging open in surprise, and I knew he had felt what I’d felt too. It was so alien, the feeling, so unlike anything I had ever felt before.
Our fates were aligned. I’d found my mate.
Hastily, I pulled my gaze down to the tray where I laid the plates and glasses, trying to shake off the vertigo that followed. What had just happened to me?
“Would that be all, Alpha Mason?” I muttered in Alpha Mason’s direction, holding the empty tray against my chest like a shield.
“Ah, yes. You may go.” He replied with an impatient wave of his hand.
I turned to take my leave. But at that moment, my ears caught the unmistakable voice of the new guest.
The man who had just turned my world on its head.
“Who is she?” He asked.
