Chapter 1
Amelia
“My chosen mate is . . . Evelyn Cooper.”
Murmurs filled the hall packed with young adult werewolves belonging to the Mcnarty pack as the werewolves glanced at each other before searching for someone around the hall.
I knew who they were searching for. Me, the girl who was supposed to be the future Alpha’s mate, but just got rejected a few minutes ago by her true mate. And the same girl who just recovered from a nearly fatal first shift only to be told that her true mate had given another girl his mating mark.
Before long, the searching eyes found me beside the curtains, which I was trying to blend into, since I couldn’t find a hole to bury myself in.
Some pack members were surprised at the sudden replacement of the future Luna. Some stared at me with pity, and many smiled or laughed.
If I wasn’t the one facing their mocking gazes, I might also think this whole charade was funny. After all, this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened to me.
My cousin Evelyn had done this sort of thing repeatedly. Setting me up with guys only to get them to break up with me publicly. And I had fallen for the same stunt three times.
But this third one hurt the most because I had been so sure we were meant to be. And because of that, I had lowered the guard I had around my heart for him.
After all, what werewolf or supernatural didn’t fantasize about finding their destiny-given true mate, said to be designed especially for you by the moon goddess?
With how rare finding true mates was, I never expected that any werewolf would betray their true mate. But after today, I could testify that it was possible to overestimate a bond as extraordinary as the true mate bond.
After all, I had overestimated my bond with Sawyer, and underestimated my cousin, Evelyn, and how far she could go to steal the things that belonged to me.
When I came out of my thoughts, I found that everyone had stopped staring at me.
Instead, pack members were already holding their partners, mate or not, and dancing with them.
I peered at the main couple of the night dancing in the middle of the hall. Our future Alpha, Sawyer, and future Luna, Evelyn.
If life as a pack member living with the ever manipulative Evelyn had been like living in a heated frying pan, then I was sure that life in a pack led by Evelyn and my true mate was going to be like getting thrown out of the frying pan straight into the fire.
I moved my gaze away and met the gazes of the young adult pack enforcers in training who were staring at me.
Without a doubt, I knew I would no longer be welcome to train with them as I had been during the year Sawyer and I were dating. After all, most of them didn’t like me. They had just tolerated me because of Sawyer.
Thanks to Evelyn, I had a very stinky reputation in the pack. Most pack members, adult, young, or elderly, assumed I was the devil, based on the reputation Evelyn and her mother had worked so hard to build for me. With the both of them telling such diligent lies and setting me up so perfectly, how could anyone believe I was innocent?
How could they believe that Amelia Byrne, daughter to the dead Madelyn and Galvin Byrne, wasn’t truly a psychopath that killed little animals for fun?
How could they believe that when I accused Evelyn of giving me a poisoned meal just after my parents’ deaths, I hadn’t been lying?
How could they believe that I hadn’t maliciously changed the medicine given to the Hall twins because I didn’t like them?
No one would believe me. Not my Alpha, not my Luna, and not even the people I had secretly healed from deadly injuries when I worked in the pack’s infirmary.
Everyone simply believed what they had been told — that Amelia went crazy after her parents’ deaths and became a psychopath.
As I walked past the young adult enforcers in training standing together, one of the Hall twin’s friends sneered, “Serves you right! At least we don’t have to worry about having a deranged Luna anymore!”
I didn’t bother responding to him as I walked out to the Alpha’s patio to get some air.
Unfortunately, the Alpha’s patio also held memories for me. Sawyer and I had sat here together several times during the year we were set to become official mates.
I was sinking into the memories of my relationship with Sawyer in the past one year when someone’s hand touched me on the shoulder, startling me out of my nostalgic feelings.
I moved away from that familiar grip and turned to glare at Sawyer.
It was also at that moment that I realized I was crying. “Why? Did you and Evelyn plan this from the start? Did she tell you to pretend that you were going to accept me as your official mate and then reject me a few minutes before your Mate Choosing Ceremony?”
“No, that’s not it at all. I guess you deserve closure, so I’ll just tell you the truth. I planned to mate with you because I believed in the power of the true mate bond. But since I went to the Pack Alphas Congress meeting with my father, I realized that the true mate bond wasn’t as special as I’d thought. I mean, my parents and grandmother already told me you weren’t right for me, but I thought the strength of our bond could make me more powerful, so I held on. Unfortunately, it only deepened my connection with my wolf and you.”
“Sawyer! Are you saying you wanted to mate with me to boost your strength?” I had never seen Sawyer the way he was at that moment, staring at me with a haughty look that nailed my feet to the ground and made my heart hurt, on the same patio where he had confessed to loving me eight months ago.
While we were together, he had been a perfect gentleman. He cared for me, fought for many of the rights the Cooper family had stolen from me, and tried to help me ease my isolation from the pack. But now, I couldn’t see anything on his face other than the calculating glint that lit up his green eyes.
“Yes and No. I actually liked you. Why do you think I would want to mate with someone as weak as you? From the time your parents died, you’ve never been able to win a single battle against your aunt and her family. They keep taking and you keep giving like the hopeless little door mat you are. How could—”
“You! You think the solution to my problems is me descending as low as the Cooper family to—”
“And that self-righteous behavior of yours is so ridiculous. It must result from being trained by the ‘ever’ honorable Galvin Byrne from early in your childhood, but, Amelia, look around you. Your father died because of that so-called ‘honor’, leaving behind his little girl to suffer in his mate’s sister’s hands. The bad guys always win, Amelia. Someone as weak as you, as ‘honorable’ as you, was simply born to be other people’s stepping stones. I thought I could ignore that, but then I met a true mate couple in the Congress and realized that according to them ‘the true mate bond only increases the tacit understanding and trust between mates and their wolves’. It has no power or strength boost of any sort. That’s when I realized you were utterly useless to me.”
The tears that had stopped falling welled in my eyes again. I could see from the haughty look in his eyes that all the care Sawyer had shown me before was probably acting. In fact, he may have never even liked me.
He closed his eyes, rubbing at his temples, and opened them again. “Frankly, between you and your cousin, I would have preferred you, but your Supernatural Council points is in the negatives. How am I to make powerful alliances in the future if my Luna’s negative points are so high, she is almost eligible for a time out in a prison camp—”
“My negative points are not that high!”
“That’s not the point, Amelia. I can no longer keep thinking like a little boy. I am to be Alpha of the Mcnarty pack and my father is right. Alphas do not need to marry ineligible true mates. Of all the girls in the pack, Evelyn is the most eligible. Her father is a warrior in the Supernatural Council and he can help me when I need him, but you . . . you’re just an orphan with negative points.”
My jaws dropped at his audacity and in the heat of my anger, I hit my palms on the iron bars barricading the patio sitting area. “Weren’t you the idiot who told me none of that mattered a year ago when I told you the best option was for us to reject each other and get on with our lives?!”
“I said that because I was stupid in love then. Because even though you may not believe it, I do love you. I just can’t sacrifice my pack’s interests for that.”
As usual, I got lost in his green eyes and the interesting flecks in them and before I could stop him, he had lowered his head and connected our lips in a kiss, hugging me tight.
I was so used to it that my body unconsciously relaxed into his arms. Just as I was about to break out of his arms, Evelyn’s loud voice reverberated in the quiet night, filled with the distant sounds of crickets. “Amelia, get off of my mate right now!”
It took a few seconds to break away from Sawyer, who was being unusually clingy. As a result, by the time I broke away, gossip-loving pack members headed by Evelyn’s friends had already arrived on the scene.
I couldn’t help blushing as I wondered how to get out of this situation.
I ignored everyone’s disgusted looks and turned to stare at Sawyer, only to find Evelyn hanging onto his body, her legs wrapped around his waist.
Our eyes met, but his were full of malicious amusement before he buried his head in Evelyn’s neck, pretending to be embarrassed.
My blood ran cold as I realized that this was a setup. But for what purpose?
As I glanced around at my whispering pack members, I realized why. Although almost everyone here was young, they had parents and elders at home. Elders and parents who still liked my parents for their contributions to the pack and thus, had been caring for me and protecting me because of my parents.
But they were also very traditional people. If they learned that I had tried to seduce the future Alpha, who already officially chose another mate, that would be the last straw. After all, I’d already ‘supposedly’ done many outrageous things.
And this way, Evelyn would have no stigma for stealing her cousin’s mate because no one would remember that Sawyer and I had been dating in the past year.
“What the hell is going on here?!” Before I could say a word to the watching crowd, our Alpha had already gotten involved.
Evelyn slid down Sawyer’s body and turned to a blubbering sobbing mess in mere seconds. “Alpha! Amelia was seducing Sawyer! She knows that Sawyer gave me his mating marks and we are to be officially mated next month, but because they dated for the past year, she invited him out here and tried to seduce him. If I hadn’t come in time, wouldn’t she try to coerce him into giving her his mating marks?”
Alpha Vincent sighed, glared at me, and wiped off Evelyn’s tears as though she were the daughter he never had. “Sawyer, take her inside and make it up to your mate. Everyone else, go back inside.”
Sawyer nodded and bowed his head. “I’m sorry.”
Then he held Evelyn’s hand gently and walked away with her.
That’s how everything always went. Nobody ever asked me what truly happened.
Everyone just always believed Evelyn since she stabbed herself when we were 8, placed the knife in my hands, and pretended that I had stabbed her.
I wanted to say something, but Alpha Vincent glared at me with such intensity that my tongue felt glued to the roof of my mouth.
There was no point arguing because no one would believe me. The only person who could have spoken on my behalf was Sawyer, but since our eyes met that last moment, I knew I wouldn’t get any help from him because this was all part of his plan.
I caught Evelyn’s triumphant smile as she glanced back at me once before walking away.
Alpha Vincent and I stood in silence and watched as everyone returned to the Mate Choosing Ceremony after party.
When the back of the last pack member disappeared behind the doors, Alpha Vincent turned to face me. “Amelia . . . I know you used to be Sawyer’s mate. Although I don’t know what made Sawyer choose Evelyn as his mate, there is something called the sanctity of mates among werewolves. I know your father had Fae heritage, but in this pack, we don’t tolerate multi-mating. So I’m afraid that you aren’t welcome anywhere near Sawyer until after he is officially mated to Evelyn next month. I don’t want you making life more difficult for Evelyn, especially since she now wears my son’s mating marks.”
His last statement shocked me and I was sure it showed on my face, “I didn’t make life difficult for Evelyn—”
“Of course you did, and don’t look so shocked. Evelyn finally worked up the courage to tell me about the other things you’ve been doing to her since you started living with her parents’. I knew you were an evil seed, but I didn’t expect you to be so bad. I was really worried that someone like you would be the future Luna of my pack, but thankfully, Sawyer saw reason and chose someone else.”
The contempt in Alpha Vincent’s eyes told me that he had already taken Evelyn’s side and he wasn’t ready to listen to my side of the story.
As usual.
We stood there staring at each other, my mouth slightly parted as I tried to find the words to explain myself, but seeing the contempt in Alpha Vincent’s eyes, I knew it was a waste of time.
I mentally shuddered at the thought of the lies that Evelyn must have told our Alpha, which put the revulsion I could see in his eyes toward me. I licked my lips as I looked away, realizing that Evelyn had once again won another battle, or better yet, all battles. After all, with the Alpha, Luna and future Alpha on her side, who could go against her?
I sighed again and said, “Of course, Alpha. My purse is in the hall. Am I permitted to go back in to get it?”
“No, you’ll just upset everyone by going back in there. I’m sure Evelyn wouldn’t mind bringing it to her parents’ house for you.” Alpha Vincent said this with a glint in his eye, as if he wanted to remind me that I was living with Evelyn’s parents and not mine.
I didn’t forget to bow to him before I left, but as I walked away, tears rolled down my face. I didn’t need to glance back at Alpha Vincent to know that he was still watching me with contempt, but as soon as I was out of sight of the Alpha’s house, I dissolved into sobs.
With the recent developments of today, my life in the pack was going to get harder. Those elders and pack members who still cared for me because of my parents’ kindness toward them would turn away from me and stop defending me.
And without Evelyn’s father in the pack, no one else could take my side on any matter. Evelyn could do anything she wanted at this point. And I would always be the evil doer while she would be the saint.
I didn’t know when I got to Evelyn’s parents’ house, but staring at the two-storey building that seemed so homely from afar but was equivalent to a hellhole, I was suddenly filled with a strong desire to leave my pack and become a rogue. It wasn’t the first time I was having such thoughts. But unlike when I was younger, I knew better now. The life of a rogue wasn’t as simple as just fighting hard. It was a turbulent life and one I knew I wasn’t strong enough to live.
Imagining the fake pity and smugness in Evelyn’s mother’s eyes when she realized that her daughter had successfully stolen yet another thing from me made me unwilling to move even an inch closer to Evelyn’s parents’ house. A house that used to be my parents’ but was handed over to Evelyn’s parents so they could care for me.
Since I couldn’t stand the thought of going into the house, I decided to sleep in the abandoned cabin deep in the woods. It was practically my second home, anyway.
As I walked deeper into the woods, I started noticing a familiar burning pain. The same one that almost killed me when I changed into my wolf form the first time.
Remembering how messed up I was after my first shift had occurred while I was foraging for herbs in the woods, I looked around, trying to see if I could call for help from any adult pack member so they could guide me into a clean shift this time.
But I had already walked so deep into the woods that there was no one to help me and I couldn’t run back to the pack for help because all my bones felt like jagged stones.
The burning ache spread all over my body and I didn’t know when I fell to the ground. At first, I couldn’t stay still, as I tried to find a position that hurt less until I realized that the pain was alleviated when I lay on my stomach with my hands pushed above my head.
I wanted to cry, but only weird whining sounds left my mouth as I stayed in that position, wishing and praying for the pain to stop.
Unfortunately, the pain didn’t stop. Instead, it intensified, making me feel like I was being dunked into molten lava from an erupting volcano repeatedly.
I was losing consciousness when I realized I was finally changing forms. The pain was so much that I concluded that I was probably going to die in the woods. That conclusion somehow eased my anguish before I passed out.
***
It was the blazing light of the sun behind my eyelids that woke me up the next time. And even then, it was a struggle to open my eyes. I tried to move, but every part of my body ached, so I stopped moving. Tiredness compelled me to close my eyes again until I fell into a fatigued sleep right there on the floor.
When I woke up again, it was late in the evening and in the dreary disorientation of waking up on the floor, I remained where I was lying on the floor, staring, to the left, at the group of ants marching away in a straight line. After the last ant marched past my point of view, I dragged myself up to a sitting position.
It didn’t surprise me that no one came searching for me, even though I had probably been missing for at least a day or two. Instead, I was just relieved that I survived my second shift after the first one almost ended my life.
As I lay back on the floor gazing at the moonless sky, the first thought that came to my head was how glad I was that I was eligible to attend Camdine Academy.
Even though I would be going with some other young adult pack members, I didn’t have to return to the pack with them. If I worked hard and worked smart, I could become a respected Supernatural Council warrior like my father.
But first, I would need to survive the isolation and the other threats that Evelyn’s new position as the Mcnarty pack’s future Luna would bring me.
After that horrid shift, though, I was confident that I could survive anything.
