Zara's POV

"Over my dead body," I spat. "You had your chance!"

"Zara!" Noah grabbed my arm, and anger flared up inside me, making Kaya release a warning growl. Nevertheless, Noah disregarded the warning, tightly gripping my arm to keep me in place.

"I think you should let go of my arm before my wolf rearranges your pretty face," I growled. "She will not hesitate to strike and kill you; she is very protective of me."

Noah winced, but he held onto my arm.

"You believe I have a pretty face?" Noah taunted, a grin on his lips. "I feel flattered."

"Let go!" I hissed. "Before-"

"Come one, Zara," Noah said, lowering his head down to my ear. "Do you really think that your wolf would hurt her fated mate?"

"Do you want to put that theory to the test?" I roared, moving nearer and cocking my head to meet his gaze.

Noah and I started staring at each other as our tension increased.

I refuse to back down. He had better step down before I let Kaya have him.

"Luna Zara, Alpha Noah," the hosting Alpha called. "Is there an issue?"

I guess he must have noticed the commotion.

"No," Noah replied, a smile playing at the corners of his lips and a look of amusement crossing his eyes.

With a slow motion, Noah released my arm, raised his hands in the air, and retreated one step.

"Now if you would excuse me," I hissed, anger radiating off me as I straightened my midnight blue dress. "I have better things to do than to talk to my two-minute ex-mate!"

Noah opened his mouth to say something, but I flipped him the bird and bolted as fast as I could down the hall, heading in the direction I saw Levi go.

No matter how good his excuse was, there was no way in which I would give that son-of-a-bitch another chance.

Noah appeared unfazed. I could hear his shoes squeaking on the polished floor behind me. He was clearly determined to speak with me.

"There is something off about Alpha Noah," Kaya remarked. "He seems incredibly eager to make his point."

"Too eager," I agreed.

Doesn't Noah understand that he rejected me and I had moved on? The bond is severed. It is nonexistent. I have no feelings whatsoever toward him.

"Where the hell is Levi?" I growled. "He is meant to stick by my side and shield me from my obnoxious, conceited ex-mate."

I lifted my nose in the air and took a whiff while searching for Levi.

I narrowed my eyes when his scent led me down a long and dark corridor.

What the devil happened to him?

A few minutes later, I discovered a door that led to the garden outside.

After several minutes, I finally noticed Levi sitting by himself on a bench near the goddess's feet. He had his hands buried in his hair.

"He seems sad," Kaya whimpered, and a cold feeling washed over me.

I hurried over to be by Levi's side.

"Levi?" I called. "Are you alright?"

Levi shook his head, but he avoided turning to face me.

"What the heck happened?" I asked, moving closer.

"I should have realized it was too good to be true," Levi whimpered to himself.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, startled.

Oh, Goddess. Tell me, please, that this is not what I believe it to be.

"That he did not want me," Levi sobbed.

Sh*t!

"You found your mate?" I questioned carefully.

Was that the reason why Levi rushed out of the hall, leaving me alone with Noah?

"Yes," Levi cried, his lower lip trembling.

"What happened?" I asked, sitting down next to Levi and placing my hand on his back.

"He rejected me," Levi said, and he sniffed. "He spared me not even five minutes of his time."

I felt a surge of anger.

Who would do such a thing? Levi is the kindest and most compassionate person I know.

"Who is this guy?" I asked, curling my hands into fists. I was already furious. I would not mind extending my claws and taking a big chunk out of the wolf.

"Alpha Harrison," Levi mumbled, and fresh tears streamed down his cheeks.

My heart skipped a beat, and I sighed, relieved. The rejection was a blessing in disguise.

Alpha Harrison was a jerk. He is a heartless, ruthless Alpha who cares more about his wallet than his pack. Everyone despises him. I could not bear the thought of my closest friend getting paired with that awful Alpha.

I took Levi in my arms and gently placed his head on my lap. While I attempted to comfort and reassure him, he silently sobbed from his broken heart.

I knew Levi was depressed, so I inadvertently began to play with his hair, an old habit of mine.

I sighed.

Knowing how much pain Levi was going through on the inside broke my heart, and I had a feeling that after this, he would be very brittle and wary of love.

I turned my head as my eyes noticed movement, rolled my eyes, and grunted inside when I saw Noah standing a few feet away. He was leaning against the pack house wall, grinning as he watched us in silence.

Could he give his stalking a break?

"The nerve he has," Kaya growled. "To think that, after rejecting us, he is now stalking us like some wild animal."

"Ignore him," I said, turning my attention to Levi. He was whimpering, even though his crying had stopped.

"I tell you what," I said. "I have something at home that can help mend a broken heart like yours."

I gently wiped the tears from Levi's face as he straightened up. His skin had already become scarlet from the tears.

"You do?" He asked, a sob escaping his lips.

"I do," I said tenderly. "Come on. Your name is written on a large bucket of ice cream. And you are welcome to add as many toppings as you would like to go with it."

"Even strawberries?" He asked.

Levi loved strawberries, and they were one of my favorites too.

"Even those," I said. "On the way back, we can make a stop to get you some juicy red ones."

I stood up and extended my hand to take Levi's. "Come on. Let us get going! Let's not waste another minute."

The return trip home was a quiet one.

The desire for his mate lingered in Levi's eyes as he gazed out of the window.

A year ago, when Noah rejected me, I had the exact same dejected expression.

My mind drifted back to that horrible evening.

I didn't take the car home. Kaya took control, shifted, and took off, running into the rain, as fast as her legs would carry her, away from Noah.

We simply ran through the forest for hours on end in an attempt to find relief from the constant ache in my chest.

I eventually returned home, shivering, exhausted, and cold. The pain would always be etched in my heart, a scar that would never truly go away. There was no way for me to overcome it.

I hurried straight to my room when I got back to the pack house. I did not even bother to inform Levi that I had returned.

I was heartbroken to no avail—inside, I felt so empty and cold. The fact that my mate chose someone else over me made me feel ashamed.

I allowed myself to be miserable for just one night.

I kept the rejection to myself, and I never told Levi about Noah. I did not want Levi to feel sorry for me.

I noticed a black SUV trailing behind us.

"It never ends," snarled Kaya. "Allow me to have him!"

"Calm down," I replied. "I think we could lose him in the forest."

Kaya scoffed at me, but she was aware of the reality. Compared to regular wolves, silverback wolves were significantly faster and stronger.

I told our driver to pull over, and he brought the car to a stop.

"What's going on?" Levi asked, surprised.

"Our wolves could use a little run to release some steam," I remarked as I opened the car door. "It will improve their mood."

"What about our clothes?" He asked. "Your dad—"

"Levi," I interrupted him. "I am sure you will never put those clothes on again. Not after tonight, and my father will understand."

With a defeated sigh, he unlocked the car and got out.

I quickly gave the driver his orders, shifted into my black and silverback wolf, and darted toward the forest with Levi's wolf nipping on my tail, hoping to outrun Noah tonight.

****

Zara's POV

"Levi, get up!" I yelled, snatching the blanket away from him.

"No! Leave me alone!" With a cry, he took the blanket from me and covered his head. "Let me sulk in peace!" He mumbled from under the blanket.

"No!" I snarled. "It has been three freaking days. You can't stay in bed. We have training to go to. You cannot miss one more day!"

"Who cares! My mate certainly doesn't!" he yelled.

I took a deep breath. I was going to snap, yank Levi by the collar, and drag him down to training because I had reached my breaking point.

"Levi," I said as I sat down on his bed beside him. "You are now taking this rejection way too far. Other wolves accepted it and moved on."

"Name one?" He growled, moving the blanket from his face.

Oh no. I was not prepared to break the news of my rejection to Levi.

"You know, other wolves," I said, getting to my feet.

With a roll of his eyes, Levi covered his head with the blanket.

"I saw that!" I growled. "Now, get up and go get ready for training. That's an order, beta!"

Levi ignored me, and that was enough to tip me over the edge.

I reached for the blanket and gave it a rough tug, bringing him and the blanket to the ground.

"Aww!" He hissed and massaged the lump on his head. "What was that for?"

"For ignoring your Luna!" I snarled. "Now, get your ass in the shower!"

Levi showed up fully clothed thirty minutes later, and we made our way to training.

"Ah," Beta John, Levi's father, said when he noticed us coming. "Did the future beta finally decide to peek outside his room?"

John is the Beta of the pack and my father's second in command.

At six feet nine, he was a towering darkheaded wolf with the palest blue eyes that gave me the impression that they could see right through me.

Beta John growled and rushed forward, infuriated at being treated disrespectfully, as Levi folded his arms across his chest, sighed, and rolled his eyes.

"You have been missing training," he roared. "I am very disappointed in you. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Levi brushed off the question and lifted his chin to meet his father's eyes directly.

"Beta John, morning," I said, moving between them just before John could explode and give Levi an ass whooping. "Uhm. I apologize for being late. Which training session is planned for today?"

Beta John squinted his eyebrows as he gradually turned to face me.

"Sparring and tracking," he growled through his teeth. "Ten miles in human form."

I shot Levi a warning glare as he huffed from behind.

Did he have a death wish? He is aware that his father would never back down from a fight.

"Excellent," I replied, grinning, and hurriedly nudged Levi in the direction of the ten-mile path.

"You should have let him give me a beating," Levi said when we were out of earshot. "Even if it was only for a brief period, it would at least make me feel something."

"You are being stupid right now," I snapped, cutting him off. "Let us finish this run before your father decides to add more training. I am already exhausted just thinking of it."

The fact that we had hardly covered ten miles in human form meant that I knew Beta John was intentionally punishing us.

We entered the sparring ring a little over an hour later, and it did not take me long to pin Levi to the training mat.

"I submit!" Levi called out.

"Do not give up so easily!" I hissed. "Fight!"

Levi and I would usually spar for a lot longer than two minutes. All I can hope is that Beta John was blind to Levi's poor performance this morning. He would inform my father, which might lead to issues when I assume Luna's role in the pack.

"As if you have any experience with rejection," he scowled and shoved me away. "Just let me be!"

"I can't do that, Levi," I said. "You are my friend and Beta. Your suffering is my suffering."

"Give it a rest, Zara," Levi said, getting to his feet. "I am leaving to go clean myself up."

Did his broken heart cause me to lose my friend forever?

"What's his story?" Kevin, one of the head warriors, asked when Levi hurried toward the changing rooms. "He appears to be depressed."

"He is just having trouble focusing," I answered. "He is going to be fine."

I headed to the changing room and had a quick shower.

As I was leaving, I noticed Levi and his dad arguing angrily in the hallway.

Oh, Goddess, what now?

"Beta John, is something wrong?" I asked, maintaining my composure, as soon as I got there.

"No," he said, giving his son a fierce look. "Everything is now in order."

"Alright," I said gradually as I noticed Levi maintaining his neutral composure. "Then we will be on our way."

I reached out to take Levi's hand, but he shook his head and retreated.

What the hell was going on?

"Zara," Beta John said, and my gaze snapped toward him. "The Alpha desires a meeting with you."

"I know," I replied. "We are meeting for lunch today."

My folks had returned last night from a trip to a rival pack where they were signing a treaty.

Beta John took a step forward. A blank expression filled his face. I detested it when he behaved that way—there was clearly trouble ahead.

"I want to clarify that he is currently waiting for you in his office," Beta John answered.

"As in right now?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes, right now," he answered, his normally icy, light blue eyes growing even colder.

"Very well," I responded. "Levi–"

"He is not coming with you," Beta John interrupted, pinning my gaze.

Shocked, I knitted my eyebrows together. Such a reaction from him is unprecedented.

Levi shuddered visibly as my eyes slid towards him.

Did Kevin say anything about Levi's performance this morning?

"He has no right to try and scare you," Kaya growled in my head. "You are ranked higher than him."

Kaya was right. I straightened my shoulders and regained my composure.

"I am sorry, Beta, but I need to have my beta by my side," I said. He opened his mouth to protest, but I held up my hand to silence him. "If my father, the Alpha, has rescheduled our meeting for earlier, then I, the future Luna, have the right to have my Beta by my side. This meeting seems important, and I am pretty sure my father would agree that Levi needs to attend."

Beta John's jaw tightened, and anger flashed in his eyes. He didn't expect me to pull rank on him.

He nodded stiffly to me and stepped aside.

I grabbed Levi's hand and dragged him along as I rushed past him. I knew whatever my father wanted me to talk about had to be important, but I had no idea it would permanently alter my course in life.

****

Zara's POV

"What the heck was that about?" I asked when we entered the hallway, heading toward the offices.

Levi appeared even more withdrawn and melancholy after talking to his father.

"It's nothing," he said.

"Do not lie to me, Levi," I growled. "I am just as familiar with your father as you are. What was it that the two of you were fighting over?"

"Damit, Zara!" His hands clenched into fists as he snapped. "Leave it alone. I am capable of handling it on my own."

I wanted to say something, but the sound of laughter erupted from my father's office, cutting me off.

"It seems like someone is with him," Kaya remarked, causing a shiver to run down my spine.

"Is it someone we know?" I asked.

Kaya took a whiff, her eyes narrowing.

"I am not sure," she uttered. "Yet there is a familiar scent lingering in the air, and it is coming from your father's office."

The door to my father's office screamed on its hinges less than a second later, and when it opened, I saw the enormous wolf I called father. He was grinning and appeared to be content about something.

"Damn," Levi mind-linked. "Your father appeared to be pleased with something."

I suppose the treaty-signing process went according to plan.

"Ah, there you are, Zara," my father said. "We were expecting you."

"We?" Looking back at Levi, I asked, startled.

I have never seen my father this happy before. For an Alpha with a short fuse, he was behaving a little strangely. This was not how he usually behaved.

I quickly turned to look at my father again, hoping to pick up some clue as to what the devil was going on, but all I saw were his beautiful, joyful gray eyes.

"We should probably head inside to see what all the excitement is about," Levi mind-linked me, sounding like himself again.

"Levi's mood swings are going to give me whiplash," Kaya remarked.

"I suppose so," I replied to Levi, as my heart began to race.

"Come, come; we cannot have our guest waiting," my father said, extending his arm and waving us in.

As we followed my father into his office, Levi and I shared the same expression of confusion on our faces. His massive back was facing us, obstructing our view.

My eyes swept over the 6'9" Alpha; his gray hair was neatly combed, and for once, he appeared to be completely rested.

Was this what the quick trip away had done to him?

I froze in my spot when I smelled the faint scent of grassland, making my heart skip a beat.

"No! It can't be!" I let out an internal hiss. "He would not dare come here!"

"What the f*ck, Zara!" Levi bumped into me and growled behind me.

"Sorry," I mumbled, wide-eyed.

"What's going on with-" Levi's voice faltered when my father turned away from us and approached his table, confirming my worst fears: Noah f*cking Flinch!

"Is that?" Levi mind-linked, and I nodded my head.

"What brings him here?" He mind-linked.

"Come, come, have a seat, Zara," my father called out to me. "We have a lot to discuss."

I gave a nod and walked stiffly over to the lone chair that was left open in front of my father's desk.

"Beta, you are welcome to sit," my father gestured toward the lover's couch near the wall.

Levi cast a sidelong glance at Noah and shook his head.

"Thank you, Alpha," Levi grinned stiffly and said. "However, I would prefer to be at Luna's side.

My father's eyes swept over the two of us, expressing confusion with knitted eyebrows.

"Very well," my father said. "Suite yourself."

"Zara," he uttered next. "I understand that you are familiar with Alpha Noah."

I forcefully swallowed the lump that had appeared in my throat, and I slowly nodded my head.

"Great," my father said, sitting back in his chair with a smile forming on his lips. "Alpha Noah has also informed me that you are his fated mate."

"What is your father talking about?" Levi growled over the mind-linked. "Is he your mate? How come you have not told me? Are you keeping secrets from me?"

"Don't play the protective beta now," Kaya barked back at him, making Levi quiet. "You are giving me a bloody headache!"

I gave a nod in response to most of the questions, staying silent throughout.

I wanted to rip the smile from Alpha Noah's face as it appeared on the corners of his lips.

"Superb," my dad went on. "Alpha Noah has requested your hand."

All the hair on my body rose. The bastard was using my father to approach me.

"Is that so?" I finally found my voice.

Both my father and Alpha Noah nodded.

"Interesting," I said as I stood up. "Were you told by Alpha Noah that he rejected me more than a year ago?"

My father's smile wavered as Alpha Noah's face turned to ash.

Did Alpha Noah really believe I would just blindly obey an order from my father without a fight?

"He did what?" Levi roared behind me.

"There is more," I said. "He rejected me in favor of a mate he chose."

"Is that true?" My dad questioned; his face hardened, and his eyes shifted black—Marcus, his wolf, must be fighting for control.

"It is," Alpha Noah admitted. "Nevertheless, I can explain. I was given a love potion by my chosen mate in hopes that I would fall in love with her and make her my Luna. It was not until I rejected Zara, feeling her pain, that the spell broke, and I came to my senses."

"Liar!" Kaya growled, grabbing control and extending her claws. She wanted to rearrange Noah's face.

"Calm your wolf, Zara," my father ordered.

Levi's arms snaked around my waist, and he pulled me back to the back of the office. Kaya was outraged, and she didn't stop fighting against his hold.

"Why haven't you told me?" Levi eventually asked when I could regain control. His eyes revealed pity, which was the exact reason why I didn't want him to know.

I inhaled deeply. Since the secret was already known, lying about it would not make things better.

"There wasn't much to tell you," I said. "He kissed his chosen mate and rejected me in less than two minutes."

"Damn, I am sorry," Levi said, pulling me into a bear hug.

"Don't be," I said as I slowly withdrew. "It is better this way."

I sighed.

In less than a day, word of my rejection will get around the pack, and everyone will feel sorry for me.

My gaze moved toward my father; he and Alpha Noah were in a heated argument. All of a sudden, my father's smile returned as he nodded.

"Oh, no!" Kaya grunted. "What did Alpha Noah say?"

"We better find out!" I hissed. "Before-"

"Are you still in control?" Levi asked, seeing my face harden.

I gave a nod.

"Kaya is just upset," I explained. "She doesn't like Noah much."

With a nod from Levi, we headed back to my father's desk together.

"Zara," my father said gently. "After discussing the situation with Alpha Noah, I have made a decision."

"Decision?" I gasped, feeling my heartbeat racing up. "What kind of decision?"

"Well," Alpha Noah said. "I am willing to give us another chance since you have not found a second chance mate yet."

Was he f*cking serious right now? And my father agreed to this?

I turned to look at my father; he seemed happy with the arrangement.

"Willing?" I glowed with disgust. "I am not interested."

"Zara," my dad, glared at me menacingly. "You will not be able to assume leadership of the pack if you are not mated."

I wrapped my arms around my waist. I am familiar with the pack regulations. Without an Alpha, a she-wolf cannot lead a pack; however, an Alpha can lead a pack without a Luna.

I rolled my eyes. Our pack's politics are so incredibly complex and unfair.

"Who said that I don't have a mate?" I asked.

That startled all three of the wolves, who were now staring at each other, confused.

"Levi and I have agreed to be chosen mates," I continued. "It's better this way. Levi is well-versed in all the rules and regulations and is well-liked by all. He will be a wonderful and just Alpha."

The three wolves gave me a skeptical look.

"What are you doing, Zara?" Levi mind-linked me when he finally realized what I had just said. "That is not something we have ever agreed upon. You know I can't...."

"Just go with it," I mind-linked back.

"No!" He growled over the mind-linked. "I can't lie to your father. This isn't right!"

"We are not lying," I mind-linked. "We are just buying some time."

"Beta Levi, is this true?" My father asked.

My heart hammered against my rib cage as Levi appeared like a deer caught in headlights. I crossed my fingers and hoped that Levi would go with it.

"Come on, Levi," I mind-linked him. "I am unable to pair with this cunning weasel. Look at him. Something is not quite right in this situation. He cannot become the leader of the pack. He will destroy everything our fathers built."

Levi looked at me, then back at my dad.

Shutting his eyes, he forcefully swallowed.

"Yes, Alpha," he replied as he gradually opened his eyes. "We have put such an agreement in place."

I interrupted Noah as he was about to say something.

"Are we done?" I asked, getting to my feet. "Can we leave now?"

My father nodded but cleared his throat when Levi and I both reached the door. Both of us looked back at my father, anticipating his final comment.

"Oh, no!" Kaya whimpered. "I know that look!"

"It means trouble is..."

"Zara. Beta Levi," my father turned serious. "Kindly be aware that your mating ceremony will occur on the next full moon."

My heart plummeted—that was this weekend.

****