Chapter 4
Katia couldn't believe it.
The Moon Goddess must have hated her. Why else would she make Xandar her mate?
The bully who tormented her. The man who made her life a living hell.
Inside the office, Katia's eyes locked onto Xandar. That intoxicating scent came from him. That powerful pull dragging her forward was because of him.
"Mate..." Carol whispered in her mind, voice thick with longing.
"No..." Katia gasped. She collapsed, fingers clawing at the carpet. Too weak to stand. The pain of her first shift shot through every nerve like lightning.
In the office, Besides Xandar, her father Beta Glen was there, along with Gamma Mark, Alpha Damon, and his enforcers. They'd gathered to discuss the trespassing incident and compensation terms. Xandar had been trying to minimize the damage.
But the moment Katia pushed open the door, everything stopped.
Xandar's wolf suddenly went feral. His body tensed instantly, fists clenching.
When everyone finally realized what was happening, shock rippled across their faces. Beta Glen's face turned white. Gamma Mark sucked in a sharp breath.
Katia was Xandar's fated mate.
Xandar's wolf roared wildly in his head. "She's ours! Go to her! Now!" His pupils began flickering with savage golden light, chest heaving violently.
But Xandar was livid. His jaw clenched tight, veins bulging at his temples.
Why?
Why her of all people?
The Kingdom's dying seer had prophesied that Beta Glen's daughter was destined to marry the most powerful Alpha King. Because she was strong, carried divine bloodline, would bring prosperity to the entire werewolf kingdom.
That meant Allison!
Why wasn't he mated to Allison? Why was he paired with her weak, worthless sister instead?
The Moon Goddess had to be joking.
"No. I can't accept this." After the shock, fury twisted Xandar's features.
He shot to his feet, ignoring his wolf's protests, and rejected Katia on the spot in a fit of rage.
His voice thundered through the room.
"I, Xandar Black Iversen, Alpha of the Snow Moon Pack, reject you as my mate. May our bond be severed forever!" His declaration rang out.
"I do not accept you as my mate!"
Katia jerked her head up, staring at Xandar in disbelief—though she wasn't surprised. She didn't want this brutal Alpha as her mate either.
"I accept your rejection," Katia said weakly, her voice trembling so badly it was barely audible.
But the instant those words left her lips, Carol howled in her mind.
"No! Don't accept it!" Carol wailed in agony.
A violent pain exploded from her heart and spread through her entire body. This pain was worse than any beating she'd ever endured. It felt like someone was slicing her heart open inch by inch with a rusty blade, then pouring acid into the wound. Katia curled into a ball, nails digging deep into her palms. A bestial groan of agony tore from her throat.
Katia's body crumpled to the floor, the pain of rejection intertwining with the agony of her first shift. Her body convulsed violently.
She thought she was going to die.
The last thing she saw was her father's dark expression as he stared down at her...
When Katia woke, she found herself back in the Omega quarters. She tried to sit up, but the world spun sickeningly.
Her father Beta Glen stood in the room, arms crossed, eyes cold as steel. Her mother Julie sat on the edge of the bed, looking haggard. Her eyes were red and swollen—clearly she'd been crying.
Though Julie had never loved Katia, Allison was dead now. Katia was still the girl she'd raised. That counted for something, at least enough to worry.
"How are you feeling?" Julie asked softly, reaching out as if to touch Katia's forehead, but her hand hesitated.
Katia looked around. Everything that had happened came crashing back like a broken dam. With the memories came the pain. She instinctively clutched her chest, where a dull ache still throbbed.
The pain was so intense, she couldn't even remember if she'd successfully completed her first shift.
"You weren't there for my first shift," Katia said coldly.
Julie opened her mouth, but then she just lowered her head.
"I forgot your birthday. I should have been there to assist with your first shift," Julie said quietly.
"I will be surprised if you remembered." Katia's laugh was bitter.
"Katia. Stop throwing tantrum. You make things even more difficult with this attitude,"Glen suddenly spoke. He stepped forward, looming over her.
"You stopped caring about me long time ago, father." Katia pushed herself from the bed. She was dizzy, but her eyes fixed on her father, unfazed.
"Leave me alone like you always do."
Glen's expression darkened further.
"Your first shift didn't go well," he said. "It will weaken your wolf. You might lose her."
Katia's heart plummeted like a stone down a well.
"Carol?" She called out to her wolf internally.
No response.
"Carol!" She called again.
Her body began to shake, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Still nothing.
Katia felt like half her soul had been ripped away.
Glen walked toward the door. Before leaving, he said coldly, "Consider this the Moon Goddess's punishment for murdering your sister." His words drove into Katia's heart like an ice pick.
And after saying that, Glen and Julie left Katia alone as she was struggling with the abundant pain that she got.
She'd lost Carol. She'd lost her wolf.
She hugged her knees, burying her face in her arms, shoulders shaking with sobs.
Alpha Xandar's office.
Xandar stood by the window, staring toward the Central City in the distance. His Snow Moon Pack was one of the royal guard packs protecting the throne.
He held a glass of whiskey, but the alcohol did nothing to calm him. His mind was filled with Katia's expression when he rejected her. Those bright baby blue eyes full of despair and pain.
She was sick. He was certain of it, because when he strangled her, he felt how hot her skin was. Not to mention, last night was her first shift. Such blow could kill her wolf, and now Xandar couldn't think of anything else, but her.
He rubbed his temples irritably. Damn mate bond.
"You shouldn't have rejected her," his wolf growled in his mind.
"I don't need a weak mate," Xandar shot back coldly. "She doesn't hold a candle to Allison."
"But she's our mate," his wolf insisted. "We need her."
Xandar shrugged, downing the whiskey.
"You're not really going to send her to Cahir's fighting pits to die, are you?" his wolf suddenly asked.
Xandar fell silent. He hadn't expected this to happen. He hadn't expected Katia to be his mate.
Truth was, he craved her just as much as his wolf did. He felt a strange possessiveness burning in his chest, and it pissed him off.
Maybe it was just because he hadn't claimed her yet. Hadn't gotten a taste. Maybe once he satisfied this craving, he wouldn't think about her anymore. Wouldn't care if she lived or died.
Xandar smirked and slowly licked the corner of his lip.
