Chapter 1 Four Years Earlier

Lana

Four years ago.

I stood there with my uncle, the only living blood relative I have besides me at the ceremony ground. A few pack members from the beta's side had decided to come and watch the mating ceremony. I could hear people whispering. I knew they were talking about me, especially the young female wolves who gathered at the dark corner as if having a separate meeting on their own.

The priest is yet to arrive, and we were instructed to wait for him patiently.

My whole body has been so hot, and it suddenly began to feel itchy. It was one of the ways my body reacts when I am not comfortable at a place. I kept tapping my toe on the ground, hoping I could control it, and my uncle seemed to notice as he pinched me tightly on my arm, making me wince silently.

"Stay quiet, Lana; you're the bride. Everyone will be looking at you," he whispered to me without looking in my direction.

He was right, though; everyone was looking at me, and I felt like I should disappear from their midst and go somewhere none of them would find me.

My heart was burning up in anger, perplexity and general exhaustion. I was completely tired of everything going on around me. I didn't know who to blame: was it Derek who rejected me as his fated mate or myself who thought he'd ever accept our fate or the goddess who knew I was going to be rejected by him and still made me his fated mate?

Now I have to be mated to the pack's oldest beta, the one who collects rejected females and has a dozen of them under his roof already. Hades, I'm doomed.

"I need to go take a piss," I whisper to my uncle, standing up from the chair without waiting for his response as I begin to walk toward a corner filled with trees where I could hide and breathe fresh air.

I only said that to him as an excuse to walk away from their midst; I couldn't take it anymore. I needed some seconds to myself.

My thoughts were simple now: "Run, just run, Lana, run and never look back."

It was about two minutes when I began to hear noises from the same direction from where I came. It was so loud, and at first I thought it was the presence of the priest that was being hailed, but when I heard screams and the chaos, I instantly knew and sensed that something was wrong.

I held up the tail of my gown and began to walk back slowly. I was ducking behind the trees, not wanting to be seen by whatever was out there causing the noise.

Just then, I heard horses neigh, and my sight blurred when I saw some of the wolves at the ceremony ground lying on the floor. I hid myself completely behind the tree in front of me when my wolf noticed one of the attackers riding his horse in my direction.

"Have you sent the note?" The one who was now sitting on his horse right behind the tree where I was hiding said to another one. I could hear them approaching. Their smell was too heavy and strange.

"I gave it to the priest to give to the alpha. If he doesn't comply, we are going to come back stronger," the other one said, and that was when I knew exactly what they were.

Warriors from the Moonblood Kingdom. They were the only ones who would raid a pack and leave notes of their return if a certain demand was not met.

"How many prisoners have you taken?" The voice of the first one asked again, and I shivered in that corner, praying deeply in my heart that the moon goddess was going to spare me this one time.

"Just two; I do not think the rest would be valuable for exchange; they're mostly amateur female wolves. 'I killed them all,' the other one replied.

The shock of the female wolves being killed betrayed my safety; I winced unintentionally. I quickly held my hand over my mouth, hoping that they had not heard the sound.

"Who's there?" one of them asked, but I stayed quiet, controlling my breathing so that it doesn't give me away.

"You have one last chance to come out now and surrender yourself, or else I'll come in there and drag you out." Another one said.

"You heard him; it's better if you come out now and surrender yourself, or else you'd be dead in a few minutes," the first one's voice came again, and at this moment I was already calculating my odds.

There was no way they wouldn't find me if they came looking in that direction, and slowly I stood up. I stepped one foot behind the tree, revealing myself to them.

I couldn't see their faces clearly; the moon was not shining so bright anymore, and they seemed to have a mask over their eye area.

"Please, please, don't kill me," I begged, falling to my knees immediately.

I was too scared to look up at their face, but I was forced to lift my gaze immediately when I heard the cracking sound of steel being pulled. I was unable to pray even inside while a giant figure held the sword over my head.

"Wait, bring her here," the other one behind him instructed. Roughly he pulled me by my shoulder, pushing me forward to the warrior who was still sitting on his horse.

"How old are you?" He asked, but I was too shaken up in fear to respond, so I suddenly began to stutter.

"I, I—I am Twen…twenty one…" I managed to voice out, unable to look directly at him.

"Take her, put her among the prisoners and make sure she doesn't escape," he said again to the one holding his sword as he suddenly rode off at speed.