Draven Fox
"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Alpha Nathan Grant and the mate of his choosing, Melody Reese." I snapped my eyes toward the stage, putting my phone away.
"Mate of his choosing?" I raised my brows, turning to look at my mother, who was seated beside me, and my father on my other side. We had been invited to attend the introduction ceremony of alpha Nathan of the Starfall pack and his mate.
"Yes, Nathan hasn't had any luck in finding his fated mate, so he chose a girl in his pack to become his mate and the luna of his pack,” my mother explained in a whisper, staring right ahead.
"What if the girl has a mate? What happens when she finally finds him?" My curiosity was piqued, and for some reason, my wolf started becoming jittery. He pushed, wanting to go out for a run.
"Nothing, son," my father, Alpha Jax, chimed in. "Once Nathan marks her, he will own her, and not even her own mate will be able to take her away from him." I didn't like what Nathan was doing, but I also understood the importance of having a luna even though I didn't need a mate. My coronation ceremony was in two weeks, but I didn't see the need to go out looking for my mate. My parents had insisted I begin the hunt, but I remained adamant.
As my mind drifted, Nathan walked to the stage, a devious smirk on his face. Something about him felt entirely wrong and off. My mother must have felt it too, because she stiffened beside me.
Shortly after that, a short girl in a middle-thigh, crimson red dress and black heels walked on the stage, visibly trembling. The insides of my stomach tightened as I looked at the side of her face, my wolf letting out a low growl. We were seated on the front row, so I could clearly see a tear sliding down her right cheek. It was weird how I could almost feel what she was feeling. Clearly something was wrong, and for some reason, that only turned my wolf crazy.
"Is everything okay, son?" I could feel Dad's gaze on me when he asked, but I couldn't move my gaze away from the petite girl.
"My wolf, he wants out,” I stated, taking in deep breaths to calm him down.
"Oh shit!" my father swore after looking at me and then at my mother. I could hear my mom take a loud, deep breath even though my sense of hearing was focused on the girl's loud heartbeat. It seemed the two of them knew something I didn't. The more I looked at her, the more my heart raced, hoping that she would turn around so I could take a good look at what I presumed was an angelic face. To my luck, the two were asked to face us for the introduction process to begin.
The moment she turned, my entire body froze on the seat, an unexplainable feeling taking over. As if programmed, her sapphire-blue, teary eyes connected with mine. My surroundings ceased to exist as the most alluring scent emanated from her, wafting into my nose. Not even my fuckmate back at my pack had ever had me magnetised like that. It was as if something were pulling us together, pushing me to stand and go to her.
"We are gathered here today to be witnesses of this great union,” the MC started, making the girl turn her attention towards Nathan, who was looking at her with his brow raised. He turned his face, directing his eyes to where her gaze had been: on me.
"I need fresh air." I clenched my teeth, pushing my wolf out of my head. He was taking over fast, demanding to get near the girl on stage.
"Don't fight him; I can see the vein on the side of your forehead throbbing, son. He needs control for some reason." My father, referring to my wolf, gave a strong pat on my tense left shoulder.
"I can't give it to him, Father," I whispered, clenching my hands into tight fists.
"She is the one, your mate...isn't she?" my mother stated as a matter of fact, her voice dripping with nothing but sadness and pity.
"But she has been chosen by another," I answered, shutting my eyes tightly, wishing for the wave of nausea that suddenly hit to pass.
"Can't you see how heartbroken she is? She doesn't want to be with him," my mom continued, making my hands fly to my temples.
"She agreed to this even when she knew she had a fated mate out here. You're the one who can't see she chose to be with him." I ground the words, rubbing my throbbing temples.
"Drave—" I raised my hand to stop my father from saying anything, then stood. I didn't look at the girl as I exited the auditorium, my legs too shaky and weak to carry my muscular body. My wolf was protesting on the inside, demanding we go back and stake a claim on our mate. I, on the other hand, refused, trying to reason with him that she didn't need us.
My vision tunnelled as I approached my SUV, searching for my keys inside my slacks. I needed to get out of that pack as fast as I could, far from the she-wolf who was supposed to be my mate but instead chose another. My heart constricted as my eyes burnt, watering despite my attempt to blink the tears back. I had grown up taking pride in never caring about mates. Hell, a second before I saw her, I could have sworn I didn't need one, that I could become the alpha and rule alone.
There I was, fumbling with my car keys as my mind kept on projecting her image right before my eyes. Before I could manage to get inside the vehicle, I sensed her. I stiffened, my hand on the door handle freezing as she ran towards me. I could hear the sound of her shoes as they came into contact with the ground. I inhaled, swallowing thickly, when she finally stood behind me, making my neck tingle.
"What do you want?" I managed to utter in a cold voice, still showing her my back. She sniffled, a silence taking over before she answered.
"Please save me." I didn't expect her to say that, nor was I prepared for her breathy voice to go straight to my crotch. I couldn't believe a single utterance had sent my senses into a frenzy. Closing my eyes to regain control, I spoke, "your soon-to-be mate is waiting for you." I ignored her, stepping back to pull my car door open.
"He wants to make me his breeder." Her confession had me turning abruptly, almost bumping into her.
"You are a lying, selfish bitch." She was so short that she had to crane her neck to look at me. I briefly wondered how good she would feel in my arms as I carried her. With one shake of my head, I managed to pull myself back into reality.
"P-lease," she stuttered, looking over her shoulder, when Nathan approached. She tensed, swallowing thickly as she looked at me with teary eyes.
"I thought you went to the loo," he stated in a sickly sweet voice, snaking his arm around her perfect, tiny waist. I stifled a growl, my hands itching to strangle him for touching her. But then I remembered she didn't give a fuck about her mate when she agreed to be his.
"You must be the soon-to-be alpha of the Yellow Moon pack, Draven Fox." He turned to me, extending his free hand to me. I eyed his hand before taking it for a very strong handshake. He was trying to measure my strength, not knowing I could crush his weak hand in the blink of an eye.
"Right," I simply answered, calculating how long it would take for me to wipe the smirk off his face.
"You seem to be in a hurry; is something wrong?" he pressed, making a muscle in my jaw tick. I looked at him, then at my mate, who would never be mine, and opened the door. I sat down on my seat, ignited the machine, and turned to look at the two of them.
"Congratulations on your union." I closed the door and drove off, but not before I heard him mutter to the girl in a deadly voice.
"You know the punishment for breaking my rule, don't you?" he asked as he waved goodbye at me, a tight-lipped smile coating his face. I could have sworn I heard her response, even though it was barely audible.
"Yes, alpha, 20 lashes on my back."