Aella

Still at the riverside, I decided to wait for my mate, he promised to come back. All I had to do was wait, right?

Cutting off some leaves and gathering branches from the trees, I decided to make a bed.

The bed took me roughly one hour to complete. I grinned at my work. Good thing the riverside was clear of bugs and the like.

I lay on the bed, watching the bright shining light of stars. I wondered if my mum was watching me from the bosom of the moon goddess.

My face felt hot, something was biting into my skin, opening my eyes, I winced as my eyes blinked open. The sun had already risen, and its orange rays were hot on my face.

Grimacing, I stood, my face fell as I realized a painful truth, my second chance mate had abandoned me, just like my mother and every other person in my life.

Bracing myself for Andrea and Lilith's scorn, I returned to my father's house, even though they made it painfully obvious that I was an unwanted person in the mansion, they haven't abandoned me.

I knocked two quiet raps on the door. The door croaked open. Abuela's eyes widened as she saw me.

"Oh, child. Where have you been? I was so worried." She hugged me as she spoke.

Warmth enveloped my heart, "I slept off by the river, Abuela," I said, not wanting her to worry.

She stepped aside, and I entered, "Aella," she called quietly.

I turned, "they're waiting for you," she said, her eyes filled with pity.

I nodded with a smile, "I'll be fine." I reassured her.

Walking into the living room with small steps, Lilith sat on her usual chair, scrolling on her phone, sneering as she saw me.

"Guess who decided to come back?" she mocked.

Andrea and Beta Andrew turned immediately, their attention drawn to me by her words.

"Good morning," I said quietly.

"And where are you coming from?" Beta Andrew said coldly.

"I told you she whores herself around; this should be enough confirmation, right?" Andrea chirped.

Beta Andrew's eyes darkened as he approached me. He raised his hands, and I shut my eyes, waiting for the impact. This wasn't the first time he took his anger out on me. He'd done it a year after I got here, and I ended up bedridden the first time.

The impact never came. Opening my eyes, I saw Antares, 'my supposed fiancé', stopping him.

"It's bad luck to hit a bride on her wedding day," he said.

"Bride? What wedding?" I uttered, confused.

"Since you've decided to whore yourself around to the pack, we decided to shift your wedding, before you'll bring shame to dad." Lilith snickered.

"What?" I shouted.

Antares looked at me calmly, without saying a word; something flickered in his eyes, too fast before I could see what it was.

"Your wedding is today." Beta Andrew said.

Tears streamed down my face at the absurdity of my father's words. "Papa," I cried out.

"How could you?" I whispered.

He closed his eyes. "I'm doing this for your own good; one day you'll understand." He said.

"No," I shouted out, "I won't marry a man old enough to be my father," I said, wiping off the tears from my face with the back of my hand.

"As you told me last night. You don't have a say in this," he said.

"What are you going to do? Drag me down the altar?" I bit back, I won't let them take away the only thing I had left.

"How dare you rebel against your parents?" Andrea charged at me, and Antares stepped in front of me, shielding me from her fury.

"No one hits my bride," he said again. I looked at him gratefully. No one had ever protected me from them, but I refused to marry my father's dog.

He reached out his hand towards me, and I took a step back. His hand stopped halfway. "Please," I was pleased looking into his eyes.

"I'm sorry, one day you'll understand." He removed his eyes, stepping back.

"Take her," he said.

Two rough hands grabbed me. I thrashed around. When did they come behind me?

"No, no, no, please. Father, no!" I screamed as they dragged me away. I dug my heels into the floor, but they pulled me; my human-like strength couldn't rival a wolf's.

They dragged me to a part of the house I had never seen. Chains rattled as we entered, the chains bit into my skin as they caged me tightly, sat me on a chair, and left.

I snarled at the makeup artist who entered, tears filled my eyes, but she ignored me, her nose wrinkled and scrunched in disgust as though the very air offended her.

I was primed and dragged out of the house by male omegas, my heart hammered in my chest with each step I was forced to take towards the pack grounds. They were really forcing me to do this.

Getting to the pack grounds, Crux sat at the head table in the open space. Other pack members surrounded him in a big circle; they were here and probably excited to doom me.

I locked eyes with Crux; his face lacked expression. He turned away, ignoring me. Lilith sat by his right hand.

Antares stood at the center of the crowd, waiting. I dug my heels into the ground, thrashing harder as they pulled me.

"I have a mate, I have a mate," I screamed as I sighted the pack elders. Crux shot me a warning look, but I ignored him. They stopped and looked at the elders for their verdict.

"Continue, she'll say anything to get out of this," Crux ordered.

They resumed pulling, towards Antares, who only watched, waiting for his bride.

Looking at their cruel faces, all looking expectant and eager to force the union, I closed my eyes in resignation, biting my tongue. I would rather die than accept this.

As my vision began to blur, the air around me thickened, and the scent of sweet honey dew mixed with musk clouded my senses.

Then I heard a deep, loud voice growl,

"How dare you touch my mate?"

Aella

Our heads snapped towards the door where the sound came from. My eyes almost bulged at the sight of the scarred man who walked in claiming to be my mate.

His towering frame blocking the moon, I blinked twice to be sure of who I was looking at. "It can't be," I muttered to myself.

He walked towards me, one glare from him and the male omegas scampered away, leaving just us in the centre.

His figure towered above mine. I winced as I struggled to raise my head to get a proper look at him. There was no way this scary-looking figure was the cute, cuddly wolf I had met a few days back, and why don't I feel any connection to him?

"Little one", his deep baritone sounded softly as he bent to my level, cupping my face gently. I shrank away from his touch; something flickered past his eyes.

I wrapped my arms around my body, unfazed by my measly attempts to run away from him. He gripped my chin again, softer this time, the coarseness of his hands on my jaw was surprisingly tender.

My eyes met his, and I was instantly drawn in by it; the mismatched shade shone under the moon. His left pupil was grey, while the right one was blue; a scar ran from his right cheek across his face.

It added a hint of mystery to his look. My body relaxed at his touch. Hesitantly, I raised my hand, unsure whether I could touch his face. He nodded slightly, encouraging me to continue.

I ran my hand through his scar, feeling him shudder slightly under my touch, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. The world seemed to melt away, and there was only he there.

"You whore," A scream drew me back to reality, and a frown appeared on my mate's face. "Don't be scared, little one", he said again, the tenderness of his voice drawing me in; no one had ever spoken to me in such a tone.

He rose fully, pulling me up to his level and drawing me against his chest, protecting me. "How dare you keep a man outside?" I heard Andrea's voice from behind. Instinctively, I tried to pry myself away from his grip, but he held me tightly, strengthening his grip instead.

"You would not disrespect my mate", he growled at Andrea. She whimpered loudly. I looked up at him in surprise. No one had ever outrightly protected me this way. Who is he? I wondered.

His scent clouded my senses. I couldn't think straight, "release me," I whispered. He ignored me, "please", I added.

He loosened his grip, releasing me from his chest. My knees wobbled, he held me steady, "easy", he said. I felt a sense of loss at the lack of his bodily warmth.

"Thank you", I muttered before turning fully to face my supposed pack and family members. Andrea stood behind Andrew and Antares, who were already in a glaring competition with my mate.

"This is not permitted, Alpha or not, my daughter is engaged to be married", Beta Andrew said.

"You've got guts to engage my mate to someone else, or should I say you're just plain stupid." He sneered.

"She can't be mated to you. She's a wolfless disgrace. I'm certain she can't even feel the mate pull."

I sniffed back the tear that tried to fall from my eyes. He was right. But it still hurts to hear such cruel words from my father, not even after I promised myself not to let anything they do get to me.

"Doesn't make her less of a mate and Luna to me. Speak ill of my mate one more time, and I'll rip off your tongue and feed it to you." He snarled.

Beta Andrew shifted backwards subconsciously. Antares stood rooted in his spot, his gaze fixed on me. I didn't have the time to find out why.

As. The words "Luna and Alpha" resounded in my ears. Remind me of something.

I gasped, "This can't be happening", I muttered.

I've heard the rumours of the scarred Alpha with mismatched pupils, an enemy Alpha infamous for his cruelty and impatience. Rumour has it that his wolf was even worse than he was, the second Alpha ever to be at the threat of going feral. The first Alpha to go feral was ages ago; no one knows why.

"You're Alpha Eros", I whispered, pointing at him as I took a step back, a frown etched on his face as he watched me. Obviously, not happy with my choice to step away from him.

"Little one, don't run from me", he growled, closing the gap between us. "Sorry if I come late, I know you've been waiting for me a whole night at the riverside. "His hot breath fanned me. My heart sank at the proximity.

"You can't be my mate", I murmured lowly that only he heard. He frowned at my words, visibly displeased. My heart drummed. It was said that he killed his father just to take over his pack; he killed anyone who so much as slightly displeased him.

"Aella dear, come this side", Andrea's sickening voice called out. Eros shot her a glare before turning back to me, with a questioning look in his eyes.

"I...I.." I stammered.

"Don't rush", Alpha Eros said.

I exhaled, then began, "I can't feel the mate pull, I have no wolf." I whispered, lowering my eyes.

Having said that, I awaited his thoughts on the issue. Was he going to reject me? I should probably brace myself for a rejection.

Getting my hopes high would definitely end badly for me, and for all I know, he could be mistaken as to who his mate is.

He nodded, putting on a thoughtful look.

Aella

"I don't understand why you can't feel the pull yet, but we'll figure it out when we get to our pack," He said, a soft smile etched on his face.

"You didn't reject me?" I whispered, a lone tear slipping through my eyes.

He looked taken aback by my question, "Why would I reject my Luna?"

"I'm wolfless, I can't even feel our bond, not to mention leading your pack beside you," I replied, head lowered.

He cupped my chin, raising it slowly to meet his gaze. The intensity of his gaze had my toes curling. "You're my mate, the only one for me. That's all that matters; we'll figure everything out along the way. And I'm sure you're more than capable of leading our pack,"

He said our pack, tears glistened in my eyes, his words warmed the emptiness that had taken hold in my heart, "you..."

"You can't take my daughter away, Alpha Eros; she's engaged, the old laws forbid it." My father interrupted our moment, bursting my bubble and reminding me that I was still at the center of the pack grounds where I was about to be bound to a man old enough to be my father, for life.

"She's my mate, I'm leaving with her, and there's nothing you can do about it," Eros growled, the sound shaking me to the core.

"Taking her means war. Are you declaring war on us, Alpha?"

"How dare an ordinary beta talk when I am talking? Are you challenging me?" A feral roar left his lips, his mismatched eyes shone brightly, his pupils flickered red, a sign that his wolf was about to take over.

Beta Andrew whimpered, bowing his head in submission. Subconsciously, I shrank back, away from Eros, unable to breathe from the pressure of his aura, and a whimper slipped from my lips.

"Little one," recognition and guilt flashed through his eyes; he reigned in his aura. I gasped out in relief. He reached out to me, but I took another step back, the pressure I felt now still weighing on me.

Hurt flickered in his eyes. "I'm...Sorry," he said softly, "I forgot you were here."

My eyes widened in surprise at the words that just left his lips. There's a sort of unspoken rule that Alphas don't apologise, "it's okay." I shook my head.

"You're okay?" He asked again, his eyes bore holes into my body; nothing could ever get past those eyes. I nodded and looked at him reassuringly before he breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm leaving with my mate, I'm willing to overlook everything that happened here today, but the next person to lay even a finger on my mate will die faster than they can blink," his voice went dangerously low as he spoke, but it echoed through the crowd, some released breathes they were holding, obviously happy he was letting them go.

As the weight of his words fully settled, he pulled me tightly against him, glaring daggers at everyone present; the lower-ranked wolves cowered from his gaze.

"This is illegal," Andrea's voice came out in a whimper, "You can't do this," she shrieked from behind Beta Andrew.

Eros shot her a glance; she trembled from where she stood, seeing her cower and hide like a coward, her previous demeanor and dignity all gone. I felt refreshed.

She looked nothing like the terror of my dreams or the orchestrator of it.

He turned to me, his eyes soft and pleading, "The choice is yours, little one, just say the word, and I'll take you out of here." His voice held a promise.

"Aella," Antares finally spoke, his voice carried a hint of warning, "scram." A roar erupted from Eros, the pack members scampered away, but Antares stood his ground, unshaken by the roar. I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

With one last glance, Antares turned and left without looking back. I shook off the unease and chill I felt as I watched his retreating.

"What's your choice, little one?" Eros blocked my view, drawing my attention back to him.

Looking at all their cruel faces and the chains that would have doomed me to a future I never had the chance to choose for myself, I knew the choice I had to make.

"Take me away," I muttered, clinging to Eros. A huge grin spread across his face, making his scar look less frightening. I returned it with a smile of my own.

Eros took my hands into his large ones, taking large strides away from the pack grounds, with me solidly behind him.

As we drew nearer to the pack boundary, chills ran through my spine, apart from the whispers and the finger pointing I was already used to, this felt way too easy, but I felt calm, finally, I was leaving this horrible place behind.

Mom, I hope you can see me wherever you are, I whispered in my heart.

The sound of footsteps, leaves crunched under boots, approaching us rapidly, added to the unease I felt.

Figures emerged feint her dark.

"Last I checked, this is still my territory, Alpha Eros, mate or not, you're not allowed to take my people away." Crux emerged, followed by Lilith, Beta Andrew, and a few faces I didn't recognise.

"Ellie, how could you leave Dad behind? Don't you know how worried he gets when you're too far from him?" Lilith said with fake sweetness.

I scoffed, the hurt, anger, betrayal, disgust I felt earlier all came back like a tidal wave, "more like he can't wait to get me out of the way, to keep his perfect little family without the mistake standing in the way." I shot back.

Lilith froze, not expecting me to talk back to her, especially since I had always preferred to avoid any sort of confrontation with her or her mother.

Eros looked at me with clear approval in his eyes, standing behind me silently, just enough for me to know that he was there.

"Alpha", one of the men who came with Crux, greeted Eros as he jogged over to us.

Eros only nodded.

"We don't want trouble, just hand her over and be on your way," Crux said

"I would only leave my mate here over my dead body, and believe me, yours would drop before mine," Eros replied with a bored tone.

"Aella, come back to us," Andrea said in a syrupy voice that threatened to make me gag.

"So you can derive more pleasure from tormenting me? What did I ever do to you? I asked.

"You're a mistake, a disgrace, and a murderer's daughter," Lilith burst out.

"What?"