Chapter 1
~ Killian ~
I stood in my room and stared out my window. My people were gathering below my window waiting for my future wife; their future Luna. It had been long since my pack had a Luna. For years, it had been my father who ruled these werewolves as a lone Alpha. Sixteen years to be exact, I thought to myself. The wolf in me started getting excited as I saw the black cars approach. In one of them was my mate. I still remembered the day I met her vividly.
She was sitting in the hall, surrounded by her family. She laughed carefreely, wrinkling her nose each time. It was like a painting. Her family members were all so perfect. She was the shortest by far. Her twin towered over me and I was 6’3. He was the tallest of the bunch. She sat in the middle since this ball was being held for her. They threw grapes between each other and her father roared each time his sons were successful while the mother stood by him smiling. My mate suddenly stopped laughing. Her gaze moved from them to me. We both knew. The Moon Goddess chose us for each other.
My pack and our allies were thrilled when they heard the news. With enemies rising in the west, we desperately needed to strengthen our own position. Saying that an alliance with the Silver Moon Pack would be beneficial is a great understatement. Every pack south of the No-Man’s Land desperately wanted them as their allies. They were undoubtedly the strongest pack and the one daughter of the Alpha was very sought after. And she was mine. Mine.
The cars pulled up the drive way and the suspense was killing the crowd. Hell, it was killing me. I never understood before what everyone meant with the strength of the attraction between two mates, but one look at her and everything became clear. I was nervous though. I remember how she stopped smiling when she took notice of me. Her icy blue eyes turned yellow for a split second. Then she removed her gaze from me and threw another grape at her brother. The pain I felt when she seemingly ignored me almost killed me. My heart ached and I almost let out a howl. But she then stood up and walked over to me, causing the whole room to go quiet. And that moment was without a doubt the best moment of my life. And it made me feel weak knowing the affect she had on me, whilst I apparently barely affected her.
I watched now as the doors of the cars opened, and members of the Silver Moon Pack exited the cars. They studied the mansion, their faces expressionless. They were so hard to read. They were unlike any other werewolves and it scared me. How could I love someone so different? Many werewolves dated humans, but even that was easier than mating with a Silver Moon Wolf. They were far more exotic and foreign. Politically, it made my pack’s position stronger, but if she and I would not bond quickly, it could just as easily weaken us.
Something stirred within me when the last car pulled up and the Alpha family exited. There she was. She wore a blue dress that emphasized her curves and drew out her blue eyes. She wasn’t short to me at 5’6 but I knew that was short for a Silver Moon Wolf. She smiled and showed off her sharp canines. She closed her eyes and threw her head side to side to get her almost-white hair out of her face. She took a deep breath, taking in every scent of her new home. Her father came out after her and put his hand on her shoulder. He was tall but not as tall as his three sons. The eldest son towered over everyone at 6’7. The second eldest was the only child with the Luna’s red hair. He was slightly shorter than the eldest. The youngest brother and the youngest of them all was still 6’6 at 17. The Luna with her red hair was the first to greet the crowd. She smiled at them and shook some of their hands. They all had blue eyes and wore blue to match. Even the pack members that had accompanied them, which included the Beta and his family and some of the strongest warriors and best healers had bright eyes and hair. They stood out from the crowd for that reason. The crowd loved them for their exotic looks.
A sharp knock on the door drew me out of my thoughts and brought me back to reality. I walked over to the huge wooden door and opened it slightly. My father stood there, smiling. He wore his best clothes and chuckled when he saw me.
“Son. It is time!” He said and put his hand on my shoulder. I couldn’t talk, I just nodded. “Now go greet your mate.”
His tone was joyful yet stern. He knew how nervous I’d get. “Father. I do not feel ready,” I whispered.
“That doesn’t matter. The universe doesn’t wait on anyone while they get ready.” He laughed. “You just have to deal with it. Besides, you aren’t taking over the Alpha duties just yet. I have to give you both time to settle in and bond with each other.”
I sighed. “That is the problem. She is so different from us. What if we… what if we can’t bond?” I looked down.
My father went silent. “The Moon Goddess chose you two to be together for a reason. Just like she found your mom for me when I was unusually old and she was so much younger. Do not worry about things that haven’t even happened, son.” He took me in for a hug and patted my back.
I hugged him back halfheartedly and then we separated. “Let’s go,” I said, trying to sound confident.
We walked side by side into a hall. We took our place in our thrones at one end of the hall and waited for the doors to open.
The doors opened and the musicians began to play music softly to fill the silence. My heart began thumping when I saw her. She was looking down and had put her hair up in a half-bun, clearly in a hurry. Her blue dress flowed as she walked. The long sleeves hid her arms but I could sense that she too had goose bumps all over her skin.
My father stood up, and walked down to her father, Alpha Viktor. They shook hands and exchanged greetings and compliments but I heard none of it. I could only look at her. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my father move onto the Luna and then the three sons. I snapped out of my thoughts and walked over to them as well.
“Greetings Alpha Viktor. Thank you for coming. I hope your trip and your stay will be pleasant. Treat this place like your own home.” I smiled at the giant man who towered over me. He was out of shape and chubby with a long white beard.
He silently shook my hand, then laughed loudly and pulled me into a hug. It took me by surprise but I couldn’t help but laugh. He let me go. “Be good to my daughter or face the wrath of my pack,” he said and laughed. I knew he really meant it though, so I nervously laughed and moved onto his wife.
“Greetings Luna…“ I hesitated. Her name is Signe but only now did I realize that I have no idea how to pronounce it.
She laughed and helped me. “See-neh.”
“Luna Signe,” I said and laughed nervously. “My apologies. Anyways, I hope your stay will be pleasant.” I shook her hand. She did not respond and I felt her eyes burrowing into me as she studied my every move.
Next, I went to the eldest son Vidar. As I stood so close to him, all I could think about was his size. He must have been around 6’7. I shook his hand and did my best to hide my anxiety. He had blonde hair, blue eyes, and a muscular build. I knew the girls in my pack would be swooning over him along with his brothers. His demeanor was calm and that comforted me.
We exchanged pleasantries and I moved onto the second oldest, Erik. He had his mother’s red hair. He grinned and shook my hand. I could see in his eyes that he was a troublemaker, and I made a mental note to keep an eye on him when he was around the females.
Finally, I went over to the youngest one, Klaus. He seemed to be somewhat calmer than Erik, yet he also had that spark of defiance in his eyes. He shook my hand and said nothing when I greeted him. Perhaps he is shy, I figured.
I looked up and saw my father greeting my mate. My mate had her head tilted down but looked up at him through her long eyelashes. I was taken aback by her beauty yet again. To me, she was perfect. Her curves, her hair, her attentive eyes, and lips and her nose that curled up whenever she laughed. Her scent had me swooning. It was sweet like honey and fresh like flowers. Her gaze moved from my father to me. Her smile faded yet again, breaking my heart. The wolf within me whined and howled. Why? Why did I not make her happy?!
She parted her lips, preparing to talk. She took a deep breath and then whispered the one word that I wanted to hear: “Mate.”
