*Summer’s POV:
Everything looked perfect. There were two sets of colors: a light lilac theme for me, and a vibrant red for Rose. I had no idea how they managed to do it, but the two were perfectly matched. Rose was dragging me all over the garden and making me greet our guests. There were many familiar faces, along with strange ones. Finally she halted and said:
“Guess who came to see you?”
Two small hands reached from behind my neck and closed my eyes. I would recognise this touch anywhere.
“LINAAAA!” I was screaming with excitement, and soon Lina and Rose joined me.
I turned to see her and hugged her. That’s when I noticed a huge bump. Lina was pregnant!
“Oh my goddess, when did this happen? Why didn’t you tell us?”
“I wanted to surprise youuuu”, she laughed.
Lina was a couple of years older than Rose and me. She had been our closest friend and always looked after us when we were younger. After her eighteenth birthday, she had found her mate: he was the Beta of the Second Prince. Of course she would be here, although it didn’t cross my mind at the moment. The Prince’s arrival was such a surprise, not to mention my rejection.
“Honestly, this is the best thing that happened to me all day!”
I pulled her in for a second hug.
“Well, I, for one, have had an even better thing happen to me!”
Lina turned to Rose, her eyes almost bulging out of their sockets.
“WHO IS IT?” she said, demanding.
“I see someone is still a terrible gossip” I joked, but she didn’t even spare me a look.
“It’s Chris”, Rose finally answered.
“HA!” Lina yelled, throwing her fist in the air, “I knew it!”
We started exchanging stories and laughing like the good old days. Seeing Lina made my day. Soon, a few other female pack members gathered around us. Lina was still very popular, despite having left the pack for a couple of years already. She had met her mate on a hunt. There were rogues attacking our borders, and the Second Prince’s Beta came to give the Prince’s directives.
We kept on chatting with Lina, and she told us so many things about Prince Lucian. I shivered just at the mention of his name. I don’t know why, but I almost felt like I knew him…
As I was trying to imagine his features, I noticed everyone fell silent around the pack house, then the garden. Who are they all staring at?
“IT’S OUR MATE!”
Alexandria was howling in my head as I also watched the door. First, I saw my father, Chris and Marcus. They walked down the stairs, closely followed by a huge man.
He was at least 6 feet 5 and had deep black eyes. His long black hair was up in a man bun, but some strands escaped and fell around his face. He looked…majestic. He went down the stairs, slightly smiling. This could only be the Prince. He had an arrogant look, the look of a man who knows all too well everyone is staring at him.
Out of nowhere, Samantha ran to the small group who had just arrived at the party and started wiggling around the Prince. Of course, that skank couldn’t wait to get her claws into the Prince. I felt Alexandria burning up with rage. But the Prince didn’t seem to notice her. He gave her a bored look before turning to my father and speaking very loudly:
“Where are your daughters, Alpha? I would like to congratulate them for their birthday.”
“Right this way, my Prince.”
Oh goddess, they were coming our way. As they made their way through the crowd, I could no longer see them. I gave Rose a terrified look. This man had killed countless wolves. He was the Royal Prince. She didn’t look as scared as me, but then again, she didn’t just find out he might be her mate. Finally, they were standing in front of us.
“Prince Lucian, allow me to present to you my two beautiful daughters: Rose, who is Chris’ mate, and Summer, my youngest.”
“A pleasure, young ladies.” the Prince said, without looking at us.
My whole body shivered as he slowly raised his eyes to meet mine, and at that precise moment, the whole world stopped.
“MATE!” Alexandria screamed in the back of my head.
I was petrified, watching him standing a few inches away from me. He then started inching closer to me. It was Prince Lucian. He was my mate. I couldn’t believe it. His aura was like no other. It was so strong, almost scary. Even my father, in his most angry state, didn't put out an aura this menacing. Strangely, I was also comforted by it. All I wanted was to be held by him.
Before I knew it, he was towering over me and his dark eyes were devouring me.
“Mine”, he slowly growled, pulling me from my hips and diving his face into my neck. I was suddenly so hot, I felt like I could spontaneously burst into flames. I didn’t embrace him, but I couldn’t push him away either.
How was this possible? I’d just been rejected, and I already had another mate? And a PRINCE? I didn’t understand… and seeing how my father and Chris looked at me, neither did they. I could hear incredulous gasps from the guests.
This was just like my dream, except this time, my mate didn’t reject me! He gently lifted my chin to make me face him, and again, I couldn’t help but shiver.
“You are mine, my Princess.”
I tried to pull away, but it only made him tighten his hold. He let out a small growl.
“Don’t pull away from me…”
His tone was cold and demanding. I turned to look for some help from my parents or Rose. Could someone please intervene and explain this situation? I was absolutely lost! But they seemed to be even more lost. The Prince followed my gaze, and spoke to my father:
“Alpha, your daughter Summer is my mate. I am taking her back with me to the Royal Palace, once our business is concluded.”
“Respectfully, my Prince, I have to…”
“If you wish to truly show respect, you will not upset me on this matter. I have made up my mind”, the Prince harshly answered, his eyes flashing warnings at my father.
This was clearly a command. I did NOT appreciate the way he spoke to my father, and the aura he was letting out to signify he was stronger and more powerful. My father was still an Alpha, and this was his pack. How could he humiliate him like this?
“HEY! It is not only up to you. I still have to accept you as my mate, and I don’t want to leave my family!”
He looked at me, both with shock and surprise. Then he smirked. Apparently, I was not menacing to him, only funny. I tried to mimic his aura, but in vain. Alexandria was literally purring in my head.
“I see… I like that my little Princess has fire.” His eyes narrowed before adding: “that is very well, but do not defy me on this. You are my Royal mate. I am the Royal Prince, and I insist on announcing it officially, right this evening.”
Samantha had made it to the front row, and was watching me with so much hatred, I could almost feel the sting of her look on my skin. Again, the Prince followed my gaze and when he saw her staring daggers at me, his eyes instantly turned black. He gave her such a glare, she started whimpering on the spot. My goddess, this man had a rough way about people, and I was strangely loving it! I turned my eyes back to stare into his.
“We can announce that we are mates, but we still have a lot to discuss.”
He leaned closer and whispered in my ear:
“Once we spend some quality time alone, my sweet Princess, I do not believe you will have any more objections to leaving with me, I promise you…” he said, before elegantly bowing and brushing his lips against my hand.
I was melting. How could he be so hot one second and stone cold the next? No answer crossed my lips, but before any of us could do anything or say anything, a loud roar shook the ground:
“GET YOUR F***ING HANDS OFF OUR MATE!”
*Marcus’ POV: The pack house was beautifully decorated. As I walked inside, I saw many pack members staring daggers at me. Of course, everyone knew I rejected the Alpha’s daughter. This was the only possible explanation. But even though I had tried to give up my rank and leave, I was still their Beta. I stared back, and made my aura as menacing as possible. I watched with satisfaction as they lowered their heads in respect. After the Alpha refused to let me go, I’d allowed Brutus to take over and we went on a small hunt. I was both exhausted and at peace, and I finally felt like I had it together enough to face Summer at her birthday party. I didn’t answer when the Alpha summoned me back for the meeting about the rogues, but the least I could do was show up to the meeting. That way, at least, I would uphold my rank and responsibilities. I also felt like I owed Summer some explanations, so I could go back to being Beta without feeling guilty or anxious every time I encountered her i
Pushing the Prince away, I positioned myself between him and Marcus.Seeing the turn in events, my dad took matters into his hands:“My Prince, I believe it is only right that we listen to Summer. After all, she is the one with a choice to make.”The Prince didn’t answer, but he didn’t try to stop me or order his henchmen to hurt Marcus, so I took that as a positive sign and started pleading with him. I had to convince him not to kill Marcus, otherwise war would surely break between the kingdom and my pack, and everyone I loved would be in danger. Even though the Prince had more authority than my father, ours was a proud pack. I knew having his beta killed would make my dad retaliate, despite all reason.“Marcus is the beta here, he is a member of my pack. I will not watch you kill him like you would a rogue”, I told the Prince.His eyes were studying my face. I could tell he was annoyed.“If you want me to be your mate, you have to respect my opinions. It’s true, Marcus was my mate u
*Lucian’s POV: After deciding to lead a joint attack on the rogues, finally, it was time to prepare both armies. I quickly took the lead, as it was my duty before all else to ensure this operation would go smoothly. Thankfully, Alpha Storm saw no inconvenience in this, and he didn’t mind me commanding his troops as well as mine. “Though if he did, he would have more problems with me than the rogues…” I thought to myself. “He is our mate’s father, we could never harm him”, Ghost tried to scold me. I didn’t answer, and merely frowned at the thought of Summer having more difficulties accepting our bond. I couldn’t believe that after all this time looking for my mate, just when I had found her, she was already mated to someone else! And not someone of royal caliber, but a mere beta, who had the audacity to reject her. I pretended to go along with his stupid challenge just to please my mate and soothe her temporarily, but there was no way in hell I would let her mate with him over me. I
*Summer’s POV:I was floating around, in this black fog. My body felt weightless, and my mind felt free. Distant voices reached me through the fog. “...know who did this, I will have their heads.” It was a familiar voice, but more filled with emotion than I had ever heard it. “I agree with Prince Lucian. Whoever attacked Summer wasn’t a rogue. We made sure to keep them busy, and none of them escaped unharmed. I don’t think an injured rogue would have been able to attack Summer.” Chris was here too… “Samantha found her. Maybe she was the one who…” “No, my sister would never harm her.” Marcus interrupted Rose. “Not physically anyway, she knows she’s my mate.” “She is not your mate, beta. I forbid you to call her that.” They were arguing, again. The fog surrounding me was getting thinner and thinner, and I could finally see something other than the pitch black void I was floating in. “She’s waking up!” I heard my father’s anxious voice, and movements around me like people were r
I was still deciding whether or not I should follow the Prince. On one hand, I knew everything he said was true. The way my pack looked at me when I shifted, the way they always looked at me, ever since I could remember… Being weak was not allowed, when you were the Alpha’s daughter. Every single training session was agony, despite Chris and Rose always having my back. In fact, even Marcus would occasionally step in to remind warriors and other pack members that I was their superior: they weren’t allowed to make fun of me in my face, but I knew they didn’t refrain from it in my back.Like being weak wasn’t enough, apparently now I was wolfless! Who knew how long Alexandria would need to recover? Our pack doctors may be qualified, but the palace doctors were surely more so. I looked over hesitantly, to my parents and sister. They were the reason I couldn’t bring myself to accept this offer. Maybe it was just time I accepted my weakness and just stepped aside. I could reject the Prince,
*Marcus’ POV:I left the hospital ward and headed straight to the pack house. I needed time to think, and of course time to cool off. Brutus was so angry, I could barely restrain him. Even though we knew it was the Prince and we needed to respect him, the way he attacked me and humiliated me in front of Summer was just too much. I started pacing back and forth in my room, when the person I wanted to avoid the most barged in. She stood right in front of me and started screaming:“WHAT WERE YOU DOING IN THE HOSPITAL? WHY DID YOU HAVE TO GO VISIT THAT SKANK?”“You better leave me be, Samantha. I’m not in the mood.”My patience was already worn out. I wasn’t going to take it from her either. She scoffed.“If only you were mated to her sister, that would make more sense. But that weak b**ch! I don’t understand what you all see in her, you, even the Prince! She doesn’t deserve him! And now he’s taking her with him? She should have just died in those woods when she lost control!”I could fee
Summer’s POV:I was still stunned by Lucian’s kindness and his generous gift. He showed such vulnerability and opened up to me truly. All I could think about was how this was the exact opposite of how Marcus treated me: he shut me out when all I wanted was for him to accept me, he rejected me cruelly, without any second thought. I looked at both men, and it hit me how different they were. Marcus was always the playboy, but he had this funny, bubbly way about him. He's also got the power and the spirit. Yet inside, he wasn't all that determined and decisive, nor was he secure, let alone trusting others. I knew all too well the demons that haunted him. Prince Lucian was the contrary: he looked very cruel and dark on the outside, but the more I got to know him, I learned he was actually sweet and fiercely loyal to those he loved.“Prince Lucian… I feel so honored that you would give me this dagger. I don’t know what to say…”I looked up at him, and he came closer. I could feel his sincer
*Summer’s POV:I accepted. I was leaving the pack, leaving to go with the Prince. Marcus looked so sad, and I couldn’t help but ask myself: was this the end for us? For good? He looked up at me, and I didn’t know whether I was feeling pity or sadness, but knowing him like I did, it was obvious he didn’t want my pity, nor anyone else’s for that matter. I tried my best to keep my calm as he spoke to the Prince:“If Summer wishes to leave with you, it is my duty to accompany her. As the beta of her father, I am best suited after the alpha to protect her. With your permission, I would like to leave with you both.”Thankfully, he was not provocative this time or defensive. The hard and cold tone he used surprised me: it reminded me of the cruelty with which he rejected me. For once, Prince Lucian wasn’t aggressive or assertive with him either. He just nodded. Marcus looked at me and continued:“You are the alpha’s daughter. Where you go, I go, and I will make sure no one from the other pac