*Summer’s POV:
He rejected me… he rejected me… it was over.
Alexandria howled in pain in the back of my mind, but it was nothing compared to how I felt. There were just no words. Like someone opened my chest and pulled out my still-beating heart. I have to accept the rejection, I thought.
“DON’T! FIGHT FOR OUR MATE!”
“No, Alexandria. I am the daughter of an Alpha. I will not beg anyone for their affection. You saw him too, with that girl!”
“But the mate bond is sacred! He needs to explain himself. Let me talk to his wolf.”
“No.”
I swallowed my pain and looked him right in the eyes before answering:
“And I, Summer Storm, daughter of Alpha Richard Storm, accept your rejection.”
That was it. His eyes lingered for a second on my face, and I could have sworn I saw… a tear? He transformed right there and then, leaping out of the garden and into the woods.
My mate, my crush, had rejected me. And he was gone.
It was almost dark. The sun had set a long time ago, and the orange skies slowly turned red, then purple, then dark blue. After leaving the garden, we had shifted for the first time. Typically, we have to wait for the birthday ceremony to shift in front of the whole pack. But after facing Marcus’ rejection, all I wanted to do was run away.
Alexandria pleaded with me to let her take over, and I did. We ran and ran, and ran, avoiding the direction he went. Finally, we stopped at the edge of the forest, and I shifted back. Alexandria wanted to hunt, but I didn’t let her. Enough pain for one day.
Alexandria was hurt, like me, but we would get through this together. It was like she said, I’d never have to go through anything alone anymore. I had my family, but this was different.
“Summer? Summer? SUMMER?”
I heard a voice calling out for me. Before I could answer, Rose came out of nowhere and hugged me tightly. Chris was close behind.
“Oh my goddess, Summer, we’ve been looking for you!” she said, still hugging me. “We tried to talk to you through the pack link but we couldn’t.”
Chris didn’t say a word. He looked angry, and somehow sad. Why?
“Why were you looking for me? I just came out here for a run and put up a mental block so that no one would disturb me…”
She pulled back and I was able to get a good look at her face. She’d been crying.
“What happened, Rose? Why were you looking for me? Why are you crying?”
A horrible thought crossed my mind.
“Did something happen to mom and dad?”
She nodded no.
“It’s Marcus”, Chris said with a harsh voice, “he came by the pack house a few hours ago and…”
Oh, no. My stomach turned.
“He told us what happened, Summer. Are you okay? Why didn’t you come looking for us right away?”
I avoided Rose’s pitiful look. This is exactly why I tried to avoid everyone.
“I’m fine, I just wanted to be alone.”
“Well, he won’t be fine once I get my hands on him”, Chris barked. “If your parents and Rose hadn’t stopped me, I would’ve shown him exactly what you get when you insult the alpha’s daughter, my best friend AND my sister-in-law.” His eyes pooled with black as his wolf tried to take over. He was literally shaking in rage. I reached out for his hand and tried to get him to calm down.
“It’s fine, Chris, really. I accepted his rejection. It’s over, he was right to reject me. He doesn’t deserve me, nor our family.”
Rose was also pissed.
“Why did he tell you guys anyway?”
They shared a weird look before Chris finally spoke.
“Marcus tried to resign as beta and leave the pack.”
“WHAT?” I couldn’t believe my ears. He tried to permanently leave the pack? Was he so disgusted to find out that we were mates that he didn’t even want to stay in the same pack? Like rejecting me wasn’t enough…
“Yeah”, Rose continued, “dad was super mad. He refused his request and gave him a few days off.”
“Days off? Since when do wolves get days off?”
“That’s what I’d like to understand, too.” Chris said, “anyway, your dad named me interim-beta while that a**hole is away. I hope he never comes back.”
I ignored the urge to ask them where he’d gone and tried to change subjects.
“Chris, that’s so great! I wish you’d become beta once and for all, no one deserves it more than you. But then again, after marrying Rose, you’re bound to become Alpha. So maybe don’t get too excited for your new title and wait for the next one” I joked.
Chris grinned and pulled me into a hug too. I was finally laughing again.
“Soooo, tell me, you two…”
Rose and Chris looked at each other, confused, then back at me.
“Tell you what?” they asked, simultaneously.
“DID YOU DO IT?”
They immediately blushed, which could only mean they did the deed. I started laughing hysterically.
“Wooooow! You guys really couldn’t wait, huh? Did you tell dad yet?”
“We need to get back to the pack house and get ready for the party. Guests have already started to arrive and you look like you haven’t showered in weeks”, Rose did her best to ignore my question.
The party! My birthday party! As much as I was dreading it this morning, I was now very excited. Even though I had found my mate and got a rejection, this was still going to be one of the highlights of my life. For a werewolf, turning 18 is a really big deal and the parties were an excuse for all the packs to get together.
This mainly allowed for other pack members to meet their mates: since pack territories were vast and every pack lived almost in isolation from the other, every party, meeting, training seminar, was an opportunity for young unmated wolves to look for their mates in other packs.
We made our way back to the main house. It was noisy and busy, omegas were putting the finishing touches on everything. The decoration was incredible: the three-story house was fully lit, candles and balloons were everywhere with the initials “S&R”. Rose was right, some guests had already arrived, which meant mom would try to kill me for not being ready. I braced myself as I entered the kitchen.
“OH THANK THE MOON GODDESS!” my mom screamed in relief.
She hugged me so tight, I could barely breathe.
“Mom, I’m…choking.”
She finally let go. Her golden eyes were full of tears. Dad was standing right behind her, but unlike her, he didn’t look one bit sad. Even though it had probably been a couple of hours, I could tell he was still angry. He smiled at me.
“We thought you were going to miss your own party. Heard you got your wolf… Can’t wait to meet her…”
Poor dad, he was trying his best not to mention Marcus and the rejection. I smiled back at him before answering.
“Her name is Alexandria. You’re going to love her…”
This blissful family moment was cut short when an omega came looking for my parents.
“Alpha Richard, Luna Morgan, the Prince has arrived. I’ve taken the liberty to invite him and his pack members in and show them to the meeting room.”
Prince? Did she say Prince? Surely, it couldn’t be the elder son of the Alpha King. It would be… I gasped! The famous Prince Lucian Stone, one of the most powerful werewolves on the planet. His wolf was called Bloodghost, a fiery scarlet beast. We had heard rumors that any enemies of the crown were immediately attacked and destroyed by him: he had murdered entire packs, almost overnight. What was he doing at my birthday party?
“Thank you, Miley. Chris, we have to go greet Prince Lucian. As acting beta, you will come with. He is here on official business, so let’s not make him wait.”
“Dad, did you seriously organize a business meeting on our birthday?” Rose seemed furious, but dad ignored her as he walked towards the meeting room.
“Don’t worry, babe, we won’t miss the party. Plus, it’ll give Summer some time to clean off the mud and leaves…” Chris joked before kissing her on the forehead and following our dad. Rose was blushing. Ughhh, these two were seriously cute.
Mom was still staring at me. Before I could say anything, she pushed me towards the stairs.
“GO! Get ready, and don’t be late.”
I honestly couldn’t wait to get to my room, a shower was exactly what I needed after today’s events. I closed the door to my room, then started to take my dirty clothes off. Something wasn’t right, I felt like I was being watched, which was impossible because no pack member, not even the omegas working in cleaning, had the right to enter my room without my permission… I was shivering, both with fear and anticipation. Was I…excited?
“Alexandria, can you feel this?”
“I CAN! IT’S OUR MATE!”
Mate? Did she mean Marcus? It couldn’t be…
*Summer’s POV: I was being drawn somewhere. I quickly put on a dress and fixed my appearance before exiting the room. After all, it was still my birthday. I had to look beautiful, especially after what happened. I imagined Samantha’s reaction, and it made me feel even worse. Finally, I opted for a turquoise dress. I fixed my hair into loose waves and put on some makeup, then headed for the door. Somehow, I still had this strange feeling, that I was about to meet my mate. It couldn’t be Marcus: he was no longer in the pack house and the scent was very different. Besides, it felt like whoever this was, he was a lot stronger than Marcus. Alexandria was urging me to follow that feeling, and eventually, I did. I slowly went down the stairs, taking the time to sniff around. There was a unique scent in the air, I couldn’t really tell what it was, but it was warm and comforting. It had strong smoky influences, but also a sweeter note, like some sort of vanilla. The more I walked, the mor
*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 Pr
*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