I stood there dumbfounded by his words. I looked around at everyone and they were all just as surprised as I was.

I really couldn't believe it. Was Andrew my mate? Never in a million years would I have imagined that.

Adelaide was jumping around happily, but I was skeptical about this whole thing.

This was the same Andrew who slept around with all the girls in the pack, and now he was my mate.

How exactly is it going to work out, because I am most definitely not going to mate with a man who still sleeps around?

He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tightly. I felt sparks run down my spine as I felt his body close to mine.

My heartbeat sped up and I unconsciously wrapped my arms around him. He felt warm and at home.

Stepping away from him, I studied his face. For the first time, I really looked at him, other times I was too busy being annoyed by his nasty behavior

He had short blonde hair and very light brown eyes. He had a very angular facial structure with a sharp nose and strong jaw.

He was very handsome. Staring at him directly made me shy as he was also staring straight at me.

The pack members had gone past the initial shock stage, and some started clapping.

I looked around to see the different emotions on the people's faces.

Some were very happy that their next Alpha had finally found his mate, and had smiles on their faces, while some mothers and their daughters glared at me angrily as they left the pack square, dragging their daughters behind them.

It wasn't my fault the moon goddess made me his mate and not your stinky daughters.

I laughed inwardly.

I really didn't know whether to be happy or not as I stared down at the ground, my eyebrows furrowed.

Andrew captured my attention by taking my hand in his and leading me towards his parents, who were standing a few steps away with smiles on their faces.

Alpha Harvey and Luna Lorrie were the power couple of our pack.

They were inseparable and the Alpha never made any decision without consulting his wife first.

They were the perfect example of a healthy relationship and what true mates should look like.

Luna Lorrie took my hands in hers as I stood in front of her.

"Welcome to the family."

I knew she was genuinely happy because of the creases around her eyes and the tone of her voice.

It was warm and welcoming. Alpha Harvey, whose arm was wrapped around his wife, smiled while nodding his head in agreement with what his wife said.

"Welcome, child." He said.

"Thank you, Alpha and Luna," I said, lowering my head.

While I was standing in front of them, I heard footsteps behind me walking towards us.

I looked back to see my uncle Justin and Wendy approaching US.

"Hello, Alpha. I'm Justin Silva and this is my wife, Wendy Silva. I'm so happy to see that my niece is mated to your son. It's a real honor to be part of the Alpha's family."

He shook Alpha Harvey's hand. I never rolled my eyes so hard before.

Kiss ass.

It wasn't like I was expecting any less from them. They had really lowered my expectations of them, especially Wendy.

"It's a good thing now that we're in-laws. I'm so proud of you." Wendy said, hugging me to her side.

I tried to pull away from her, but she held me tighter, her nails digging into the skin of my waist as she broadened her fake smile.

Andrew took my hand and dragged me away from the crowd to a quiet area to talk to me alone. We sat down on a bench facing the fountain.

I gave a little space between us as I wasn't really comfortable with him yet.

"What's your name?" He asked me, and I put my head down, not quite believing what was going on.

"Alice."

"You have such a pretty name. Do you know mine?"

Who doesn't?

"Everybody knows your name. You're the Alpha's son and the notorious."

My eyes widened as I cut myself off from what I was about to say.

He laughed, probably knowing what I was about to say. "I asked because | haven't seen you around before. Are you from around here?"

"Yes, I am. I've been living in the Blue Moon pack since I was four years old.

I attended the same elementary, middle, and high school as you."

I let him know, matter-of-factly.

"Really, then how come I never noticed a beauty like you?" He asked and I shrugged.

Maybe it's because you were too busy chasing short skirts, but I would never say that to your face.

"Well, it's all in the past now. You're my mate and nothing can change that." I smiled.

We proceeded to talk about a whole lot of different things.

He asked about how my parents died and how living with my uncle was, but I didn't want to tell him anything about how they treated me because even though I disliked them, they were still kind enough to put a roof over my head and that was enough for me.

He asked me to tell him everything I knew about him, and I didn't hold back.

"You really seem to know a lot about me."

"Why wouldn't I? All the girls in school wouldn't ever shut up about how they had sex with you one night after the other, and even if I didn't want to know I just had to." He snorted.

"I only ever slept around with girls because I knew that I was going to find my mate soon, and as the next Alpha, I was to stay true to my mate.

Involving me in a serious relationship would just be a waste of my and the other person's time, and they would just cling to me unnecessarily when I found my mate."

Tell that to Eve.

I inwardly scoffed

"But you don't have to worry about any of that anymore. I won't ever cheat on you, I promise. You're the only one for me."

"I hope you keep that promise for your own sake," I said to him and he smiled before he stood up and held out his hand.

"Want to go for a walk before you head home?"

I smiled as I took his hand and followed him through the only other exit at the other side of the park square, because he didn't want anyone to see us leaving.

I don't know why he decided it should be so.

I was still very skeptical about the whole thing. Eve and her group could come after me alleging that I took her man away.

It wasn't my fault that Andrew chose me instead. He may have his reasons and I wouldn't stand in his way or stop him from making such a decision

We held hands as we talked about different things and it was during this time that I got to see Andrew's real behavior. He was actually a really good person and normal just like the rest of us.

He told jokes that weren't funny, he tripped on stones and almost fell, and he made mistakes when speaking.

All this time he had always seemed like a perfect asshole who couldn't do anything wrong. I never would have imagined him being that goofy.

"You know, I'm scared of the future." He said staring off into the distance as we stopped by a really big tree.

"What do you mean?" I asked, looking at him to try and catch the emotions on his face.

"One day, I'm going to be Alpha of this pack, and that position comes with a lot of responsibilities and expectations that I don't know if I'll be able to live up to.

You'll also become my Luna someday.

"My heart skipped a beat at him calling me his Luna. "I really don't know if I'll be able to handle everything on my own."

He sighed looking down, worry written all over his face.

"You're not on your own, Andrew," I said, staring up at the shining moon.

"Like you said, I'll become your Luna someday, and you also have your parents whom I know will always be there to support you, and I'm sure the pack members will help make your work easier.

So you don't have to worry too much." I hesitated, but later placed my hand on his back, rubbing up and down.

All these worries about the future that he had all just made him seem more human than I ever thought he was.

He has so many fears and insecurities hidden behind that bad boy facade he always had up.

He smiled at me and I smiled back before we continued our walk towards my house.

By the time we got to the front of my house, it was already pretty late.

Some of the lights were already off inside, so I guessed Justin and Wendy were already asleep.

Thank the Moon goddess.

He held both of my hands tightly as he stared at me, his gaze intense.

"Good night," I said, trying to escape his powerful gaze.

"No good night kiss?" He asked and I was taken aback by the question.

I moved forward and gave him a peck on his right cheek and was about to run back inside when he dragged me back and gave me a kiss on my lips. I stepped back, my eyes wide, a red tint staining my face.

He smiled at my shocked face, and as he stepped back to watch me go inside,

I moved forward and gave him a kiss of my own, before running into the dark house and closing the door behind me.

"See you tomorrow." I heard him say through the door and I smiled to myself.

I walked to the window and pushed aside the curtain to watch him walk away. When I could no longer see him, I turned around to quietly start my walk to my room when the lights were turned on.

I was shocked by the sudden brightness when I looked around to see Justin standing by the light switch with his arms crossed and Wendy sitting on the couch with her legs crossed.

She looked like the evil stepmother from Cinderella.

"Why are you back so late?" She asked.

"Andrew wanted to talk to me for a longer time, and I couldn't say no."

"How is that any of my business? You have a lot of chores to do in this house, but you chose to stay out talking to a boy.

Well, that's okay, because you would have to do all of them before you go to work tomorrow." I was totally blown away by her words.

"That boy in question is my mate that I just met today, and I have work tomorrow morning, so I'll do it when I come back,"

I said, starting to walk away before I was pulled back by my hair.

"You now have the guts to talk back to me now that you found out you're the Alpha's son's mate, right?! Well, I'll put you in your place."

She said as I struggled to get her hands out of my hair. Justin still stood there watching what was going on like he was in a movie.

Justin never really participated in anything Wendy ever did; the only thing he ever did was stand and watch, and I hated him for that.

He could always have easily stopped her, but he never did. People might find it weird that I hate him for that reason, but I did and that was final.

"Let go," I screamed at Wendy but it was all to no avail. She only held on to my hair tighter as she pulled me around.

I really don't know how strong she is.

I was thrown to the side as my head hit the wall. I heard the door to our house being hit off its hinges and a loud growl before I was pulled into unconsciousness. I really hope I don't die

I woke up to two bright lights shining in my face. I stretched my contracted muscles as I opened my eyes. I stopped in my tracks as I looked down at myself.

I was still in the same dress as yesterday. I looked around the room, this wasn't my room.

This bedroom was bigger and more fancy than my own bedroom. The room was well-designed, and whoever lived there was rich.

Have I been kidnapped? What sort of kidnapper would keep me in such an expensive room?

Well, if I had been then they had really hit one big jackpot with me.

I said sarcastically to myself in my head.

I sat up quickly, but I fell back on the bed as dizziness hit me. The events of last night began to come back to me and I gasped but slowly sat up this time. I didn't know who it was that had attacked our house last night and I didn't even know where I was.

I then remembered what Wendy had done to me and shook my head. I felt like killing her. I made my way towards the door to try and leave, but it opened before I got close to it.

My heart started beating faster because I was about to face my captor, but to my surprise, it was Andrew who came in.

He held a tray of food in his hand as he walked in. He looked up and saw me standing and quickly dropped the tray on the dresser before walking towards me.

"Alice, you're awake. Are you feeling better?" He asked, touching my forehead.

"Andrew, how did you get here?" I was surprised.

"Well, I think I'm supposed to be here, seeing as this is my house." He smiled and I gasped, nodding my head.

"Wait, so what happened last night and how did I get here?" I was confused.

"Well, after watching you go in, I started my journey home, but then I heard shouting and it sounded like your voice. I'm an alpha, so my hearing is way more advanced than yours."

He explained that I wondered how he was able to hear our voices so far off.

"I barged into your house to see that Wendy had thrown you to the side, and your head hit the wall. Luckily, it was nothing serious." He said pulling me to sit on the bed.

"So what happened to them? Where are they?" I asked.

"Why do you seem more worried about them than yourself, when you were the one who got hurt?" He asked me to put my hands up.

"I just want to know."

"Well, when I ran to your house, the door was locked, so I pushed it off its hinges.

Your uncle tried to fight me off, but I overpowered him and knocked him out. Your aunt also tried to escape, but I caught her.

They are both in the dungeons now, awaiting their punishment." He said and I was surprised.

"Wow, okay."

"Why didn't you tell me what they were doing to you? I could have helped you."

"Well, maybe because I had just met you, also because I kind of felt indebted to them, so I just left things as they were, but I was going to tell you....eventually. But you can't blame me for that, I just met you." | shrugged.

"Well, that's true, but it's all over now, because you'll be living with me right here from now on, so they won't bother you anymore."

He said and I shifted away from him on the bed, my brain not registering what he said.

"What do you mean?" I frowned.

"I mean exactly what you heard. Your uncle and his wife are now in the dungeons, and as your mate, it is my duty to take care of you no matter what, isn't it?" He said proudly.

My heart began to beat faster as I stared at him. Not only had he saved me from the hell I was living in, but he also gave me a roof over my head and promised to take care of my every need.

I looked up as tears threatened to fall from my eyes. I've never known kindness like this before. It all seemed too good to be true.

"What's wrong?" He asked as the tears began to drop from my eyes.

"Nothing, I think something got in my eyes," I said as I wiped my tears.

Suddenly, he hugged me, knowing I was lying. His warm hug comforted me really well.

"You don't have to worry about anything ever again, I'll take care of it all." He said, resting his cheek on my shoulder as he rubbed my back.

"You should eat before your food gets cold." He stood up to get the tray of food. On the plate were bacon, eggs, and toast, and a glass of water beside it.

"I made it for you." I stared up at him. "Really? I hope I won't die from food poisoning."

"It might interest you to know that I am one of the best cooks I have ever had the pleasure of knowing." He said, emphasizing the 'the', and I looked at him incredulously.

I picked up the fork and raised the eggs to my mouth, tasting them, then coughing seriously. Andrew panicked and started hitting my back, thinking I was choking.

I raised my head and gave him a mischievous smile.

"Got you," I said and his mouth fell open.

"Seriously, you. Do you know how scared I was?" He said and I apologized.

"Aww, come on. I was just messing with you. Don't take me seriously. "I said and continued eating.

When I was done, he took the plate and kept it aside, and moved closer to me.

"Do you know how scared I was when I walked into your house and saw you passed out on the floor?"

I turned around and looked him in his eyes. He looked so genuine that I could hardly tell if this was the same Andrew White that I knew or if he had been replaced with a new one.