Daphne

EARLIER…

As a werewolf, you constantly fantasize about meeting your mate. Until you've experienced it firsthand, you can never really understand it.

As I eagerly anticipated my future with Lennon, I began to see the world in vivid hues. However, everything came crashing down when Lennon finally found his mate. That very evening, I lost everything in a snap.

“Are you ready, Daphne?”

Jaime leaned against the door frame as he laughed and studied my reflection. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he clearly didn't care if his crisp blue dress shirt wrinkled. He had taken on the role of father for me since I was a baby, and our parents had been killed in an ambush by a band of outlaws.

"What keeps you going for so long? Hey, no matter how much powder you put on your face, it will never change." He smirked.

"You're only distracting me," I grumbled as I met his gaze.

"From what I see, you're already decent enough to blend in with other people," he said, examining my attire. Then he gasped for no reason. "Oh, no! But what if you aren't my sister? The little Daphne I know doesn't even bother to comb her hair, which is why she's often mistaken for a witch's daughter... or a vampire’s!"

I was seriously considering throwing things at him. I thought the solid wooden hairbrush I was holding would do the trick. I cocked my head to look over my shoulder at him. "Why don't you just wait in the living room or assist your wife in putting on her dress?” I rolled my eyes and returned my gaze to the mirror. I took a deep breath and forced myself to smile once more. I couldn't let go of my good mood.

"I was just finishing up the last round of retouching," I explained when I noticed he was still standing by the door. "You see, I have to be the most beautiful girl for this night... and for Lennon's eyes. I have to be ready in case he's found his mate, and that is none other than me." My greenish eyes twinkled in the mirror, which matched my apple green off-the-shoulder cocktail dress that contrasted with my jet-black long hair and pale white skin.

I expected Jaime to laugh again at my claim to be Lennon's soon-to-be mate. But his expression became serious. "Daphne, it’s not possible. Only the Moon Goddess can decide who our mates will be. I'm simply stating the facts. Please do not misunderstand."

His words pricked my heart, causing me to blurt out my irritation. "Then why did you choose to live with Yvette, who isn't your mate? You just stole her from her original pack."

“Abusive pack,” he corrected me. “Will you stop bringing it up every time I give you advice?”

There was an odd silence in my room as we both turned to face one another in the mirror. I despised being involved in family drama. But whenever he lectured me about something I knew he couldn't apply to his own, I didn't see the point in believing in it.

"How many times do I have to tell you that my case was different?" He sighed and shook his head as if water had hit him in the face. He turned the doorknob after that. "I'll give you another five minutes. If you don't go downstairs after that, I'll drop Luna Carmela’s birthday invitation and claim I'm not feeling well. I'm so close to being one, actually."

I let out a long, frustrated sigh. My good mood was gone for good. But I had to go to the party, no matter how sad I was. It was the birthday of Lennon's mother. I had to be there.

***

We arrived at Alpha Darius's pack house a few minutes later. Our home was far from the town's heart. However, my brother chose to live on the outskirts of our urban community, so he could tell right away if rogues were invading the area. Also, he wanted to get along with the common werewolves rather than jam with the high-ranking officials. That made the other wolves love him. They had faith in him and adored how humble he was.

Returning to the present, I smiled as a familiar figure walked toward me. Lennon looked stunning in a black button-down shirt and a dark pair of trousers. He looked great in his casual attire. His hair was pushed back, giving him a stylish appearance.

“Hey, pretty!”

My mood instantly improved when Lennon leaned down and pressed his lips against my cheek. I had to tip my toes to meet the kiss.

"You've arrived. I thought you weren't coming," he said quietly in my ear. His hypnotic voice almost made my knees turn to jelly, particularly when he encased me in his arms. “Are you alone? Where’s your family?”

My eyes wandered around the lobby over Lennon's broad shoulder. Then I noticed Jaime and Yvette talking with Luna Carmela. I frowned when Alaine came up to them and greeted Luna with a kiss on the cheek. Alaine was the daughter of Jaime and Yvette. We had the same blood running through our veins, but I couldn't seem to like her.

Why do they all appear to be so happy without me?

"I'm not sure." I knew lying was wrong, but I didn't want to talk about it with Lennon. "How did your trip in the Eastern region go, by the way?"

"Good," he said as if it weren't a big deal. "Alpha Calle from the Blood Moon Pack will arrive tonight." He looked around and pointed his index finger in the direction of Alpha Darius. "Oh, the wild one is finally here. He is talking to Dad."

I watched where his finger went and found the person he was talking about. I didn't get to see his face because his big back was turned towards us. But the bun of hair on top of his head was noticeable from a long way away. “Wow. Isn't this pack the most feared in the East? And you've managed to convince their leader?" My eyes grew wide with awe as I looked back at him. "I'm sure you'll be a great Alpha at some point. I'm so happy for you."

“Thanks. Anyway, that’s for the sake of our pack. We need strong allies so our enemies won’t knock us down easily or hesitate to touch us in the first place.” He grinned, but the emotion didn’t reach his eyes. Shortly, he wrapped my wrist with his hand and said, “By the way, there’s something I need to bring up, Daphne. Can I have a moment with you?”

For some reason, his tone made my heart race—in a bad way. “S-sure. Here?”

"Outside."

The next thing I knew, we were standing by the fountain, settling in the garden. This was the center of their sprawling home. Everything was vintage and romantic.

“Daphne…”

My heart skipped a beat as he mentioned my name. But I didn't say anything or turn around. I bit my lower lip, waiting for him to complete his statement… or sweet confession?

“I want you to know that—”

“Lennon, we were looking for you all over the place!”

I turned around to face the familiar female voice that had the nerve to interrupt my private time with Lennon. “Alaine?”

"Hello, Daphne." She smiled at me without appearing surprised but with an expression of disapproval. "Have you heard the whole truth from him yet?"

"What truth?" I asked with a frown.

Alaine looked over at Lennon, who had moved to stand beside her. He even put his arm around her waist.

"Wait a minute, what in the world is going on?" I clenched my teeth, seeing them together.

"Alaine is my mate," Lennon declared, and kissed Alaine on the lips.

Daphne

My lips opened, but no sound came from my mouth. Do I understand him correctly? What if this is all a dream? A nightmare, perhaps?

“A-are you sure?” Finally, I found my voice.

“Surprised? Well, it looks like I'm the next Luna." Alaine let go of her scarf, which showed a bite mark on her shoulder. "Look, Lennon marked me two years ago. Don't you also want to see the mark I put on his shoulder as well?"

“This is impossible!” I yelled, my tears stinging my eyes.

She pulled Lennon closer, then looked at me as they walked away. "Will you excuse us? There's a big announcement coming up in a few minutes. You should come inside too."

I only froze as I stared at both of them. If I moved, I’d be shattered into a thousand pieces.

Of all the people, why would the Moon Goddess pair Lennon with the most difficult being in this whole world?

As I went back to the grand lobby, I was still trying to find out what was going on. Just a few hours ago, I thought I was the most beautiful girl in town. But now, all of my self-respect was gone, and all that was left was shame and self-pity.

Should I return home? What was the point of going to an event that wasn't for me? It hurts my eyes to see Lennon and Alaine in such intimate company. Then there was my brother and his bitchy wife; they were having a good time chatting with the Alpha. By his gestures, it looked like they were planning for the future—Lennon’s future, to be exact.

If I could shapeshift like other girls my age, I would run away into the woods and hide from everyone. But since I couldn't, I just stood there silently, feeling like an outsider in my own pack.

‘Run? No way. Confront the jerk!’

I let out a gasp when someone spoke. But it seemed like no one was talking to me as I looked around the busy hall. "Perhaps, I'm just tired?" I muttered.

‘Give him a taste of what he did, girl!’

I massaged my temples and realized that the voice was only coming from inside my head. Hold on. So, that means... “A-are you my wolf?” I asked hesitantly, feeling a bit foolish for even considering the possibility.

The voice chuckled in response, saying, "Yes, I am. And it's about time you acknowledged me. My name is Reina.'

“Reina?” I couldn't believe it, after all these years of feeling like something was missing, I had finally found my other half. It was a surreal moment that I will never forget. But as much as I wanted to celebrate, I couldn’t. Every cell in my body was weeping because of what Lennon and Alaine did to me. “I’m glad you're finally here, Reina. But forgive me, I can’t chat with you right now.”

I felt her wrinkle her nose. "Why's that?"

“I’m sure you know why,” I said, staring at Lennon from afar.

‘Then go tell the jerk how stupid of an idiot he is!’

I grimaced as Reina continued to cuss in my head. Her anger towards Lennon was palpable, and it was clear that she wanted to confront him about something. I was a bit stubborn, but I think Reina was better, or worse. She appeared to be a feisty and carefree wolf—traits that I loved the most.

‘Just go! Give him a piece of your mind.’

“A piece of my mind or a piece of ‘your’ mind?” I clarified.

‘It’s just the same. We’re a single machine, anyway.’

And now I find myself pursuing her thoughts as I stomp toward Lennon, ignoring everyone's expressions, including Jaime's and Alpha Darius's.

As I approach Lennon, my heart is pounding with anger and frustration, but I take a deep breath and remind myself to stay calm and composed. I know that losing my temper won't solve anything, and I need to choose my words carefully to make sure he understands the gravity of his actions.

“Hi, Daphne.” Lennon smiled, but it was more of a smirk.

“Why?” I gritted my teeth, completely ignoring the notion that I should control my temper. "You should have told me earlier. How dare you play with my emotions!"

Everyone’s attention was drawn to us the moment my voice rose. I was about to step toward Lennon when Jaime grabbed my arm. “Stop this nonsense, Daphne!” he muttered in my ear.

“No!” I countered and pulled my arm away from him. “I started this, I wouldn’t turn back!”

“What do you think you’re doing, little pup?” Alpha Darius huffed.

The Alpha's voice caused my heart to beat a little bit faster. Lennon stood a solid six feet tall, but his father was taller, not to mention, larger. Even though he had gray hair and fine lines on his forehead and around his eyes, he still appeared to be the strongest one in our pack.

Although he was agitating the living daylights out of me, my hatred for his ill-mannered son was much stronger. “Why am I doing this?” I stared at him in disbelief. "Your son has found a mate, but he refused to let me know and persisted in fooling around with me. Why the hell is that, then?”

"Is what you're fighting for worth the scandal?” Alaine glared at me. “Wow, it's obvious why the Moon Goddess didn't pick you as his mate. She is aware that you are not a good fit for the pack, just like you are not a good fit for my family.”

“I’m—what?”

“Enough, Alaine,” Jaime grumbled at his daughter. “This isn’t the right time to talk about this. Wait until we go home.”

“Let her. This is the right time to tell Daphne the truth.” Yvette intervened between her daughter and her husband. Then she smirked at me secretly.

Confusion flooded my mind, making my stomach seem to churn even more. I glared at my brother. "What truth are you guys hiding from me?" I demanded, feeling like my own family had betrayed me. "I deserve to know what's going on."

“Tell us,” Alpha Darius demanded, eyeing Jaime. “We are going to be one house, so hidden backgrounds are not going to be tolerated.”

The strange silence gave me goosebumps on my skin. Jaime’s eyes welled with tears as he looked down at me. “Alaine is right. We don’t share the same blood. I…” he paused, clenching his teeth. “I just found you in the woods.”

I tilted my head at him, his words slowly registering in my head. Reina, on the other hand, became more restless. Her low groans became dangerous growls.

‘Hell, no!’

“T-that isn’t true,” I chuckled bitterly, my misty sight wandering at each one of them. Reina, on the other hand, continued to deny our origin. “You are my brother. And our parents are the previous high-ranked werewolves in this pack.”

“They were,” Jaime said, staring down at his feet. “But you are not one of us. I have no idea where you come from.”

"This is bad news," Alpha Darius said harshly as he looked at me. "You know what we do to werewolves who don't belong in this pack, right? Who knows, maybe your parents were rogues."

I tried to speak, but nothing came out of my trembling lips. My heart was as cold as if someone had just stuck an icy dagger into it.

“You. Leave.”

I blinked. “W-what?”

Alpha Darius looked over at Jaime. "I won't say what I just said again. So you should tell her, or I'll take away your Beta rank."

I turned to Jaime, giving him a begging look. “I have nowhere to go!”

He avoided my gaze. “This is the best for you, Daphne. Now that they know, everybody in this pack will mock you. Worse, they will torture and kill you. So set yourself free.”

Daphne

PRESENT…

He rescued me back in the woods. He was a werewolf like me, yes. But he was still a stranger to me. Although he let me wear his shirt that hung down to my knees, the kindness was odd for me—even suspicious!

Why would someone help someone? Not unless he was going to ask for a favor back? Hell, I didn’t like losing trust in everyone. Blame this on the shitty pack of those shitty people who left me nothing but a shattered heart and soul before casting me away!

The next thing I knew, we were walking towards a building. Nestled in the middle of the woodland, it seemed to grow even bigger and bigger as we got near.

“Are they aching?” He glanced down at my bare feet. Maybe he figured they were swollen from a long walk. He offered to carry me in his arms when we got out of the forest and he shifted back to human, but I refused.

A few minutes later, we were standing in the middle of the grand lobby. From my spot, I could see anything the house offered, leaving me breathless in awe. Across the upstairs gallery ran a diamond-designed iron railing. On both sides of the house were wings.

He ascended a few steps made of marble just as I was ready to speak. I had no choice but to chase him on foot. Walking between the large columns, we passed room after room that was wide and light-filled. I found myself staring up at the chandelier over our heads. The teardrop bulbs shone brilliantly, like diamonds falling on us. It was so large and lengthy, and the ceiling was so high that our footsteps reverberated off of it, that all I could do was stare around like an idiot at everything I saw.

“Do you live here?” I asked with great admiration.

“I don’t just live here. I designed everything you see in here.”

My eyes grew wide as I turned to him. “What exactly is your—“

“Let’s get you to your room so you can make yourself better.” He cut me off. There was impatience in his tone.

“Wait...” I paused as we passed by another beautifully decorated door. “Am I going to stay here too?”

“Do you have any other choices?" He gazed at me with low brows. "When I found you in the woods, it seemed like you were heading for nowhere.”

“But this is too much for me... and you are too generous to help a worthless little wolf. So tell me, what makes this even possible?” I asked him, my eyes starting to well with tears. Yes, I was culture shocked. One moment I was being thrown out of my pack; the next, some stranger would want to treat me like a queen.

He crossed his muscular arms over his chest. “You’ll find out soon.”

“Welcome back, Alpha Calle.”

I looked at the large man who just spoke. He was tall and had a lot of muscles. He appeared to be the same age as the man I was speaking with and had a decent appearance with a square jaw and high cheekbones. He handed him a brown denim coat that he was clutching.

‘Wait, what did he call him?’

I gulped when I turned to face him again. “Y-you are Alpha?”

My first instinct was to run away. Anything that had something to do with alphas made my nerves shiver in fear and anger. It seemed like I was allergic to that word already.

But with an olive skin tone, a prominent jawline, and dark, wavy, long hair that brushed against his broad shoulders, this Alpha standing before me was the most attractive man I’d ever seen. It seemed that he didn’t even need to try too hard to look good.

I was hesitant to ask about his age, but I think he was older than the jerk Lennon, but much younger than my brother, Jaime.

If only Reina could take me away from here, I would disappear in no time. But she wasn’t talking to me just yet, and I couldn’t feel like I could shapeshift any longer.

Alpha Calle wrapped the coat around himself. He didn’t manage to button it down, giving me a view of his chiseled chest. I looked away, clearing my throat.

“Is there any problem with that?” he asked, referring to my question about him being an Alpha.

I wanted to blurt out the word ‘yes’, but I forced myself to shake my head. “N-nothing at all. I just didn't think that someone like you would be the one to find me in the middle of the woods.”

“That’s part of the perimeter of my pack,” he said, turning to the man who remained standing by his side. “Beta Degen, gather everyone in the hall. I’ll check them out after I talk to the warriors.”

The man he called Beta Degen made a brisk nod. “Right away, Alpha.”

“Where’s Suzette, by the way?” asked Alpha Calle as he furrowed.

“She said she’d be gone for two days to visit her father’s pack.”

Beta Degen caught Alpha Calle's continuous attention. I couldn't help but wonder who Suzette was as they appeared to be talking once more in their heads. She might be the pack's Luna, his mate.

After Beta Degen excused himself and headed back through the passing hall, Alpha Calle turned to me and said, “I will take you to your room. Everything is there, so you don't need to worry about anything. And while I'm preoccupied with other things, I'll delegate one of the staff to look after you. We'll speak once my workload is under control.”

The place he was talking about was one of the doors we just went through. I yelped when he pushed me inside, then he shut my door and left.

“W-what just happened?” I muttered, still staring at the door. Then I looked around. Everything was as impressive as the rest of the house. The bed was large and fluffy. The wall was painted with earth tones. There was even a large painting of the forest—on the lower left of the frame, there was a signature that read, Architect Calle Earheart.

He was a professional artist in the human world and an Alpha of the werewolves’ realm. How impressive.

When I gazed out the window, I mouthed ‘wow’, providing my eyes with a magnificent view of the forest. It looked unreal, toy-like even from afar.

“Couldn’t I be happy here?” I said, a smile almost curving across my face. But I was taken aback when memories of last night and this morning hit my head like a bullet. “No, I can’t accept any of this. What if this is just bait? What if Alpha Calle is no different from Alpha Darius who wants me dead because I came from rogues?”

And then I gasped, recalling what Lennon had said way back in their pack house.

Alpha Calle of the Blood Moon Pack will arrive tonight…

“They’re allies. It means that Alpha Calle's enemy is also Alpha Darius's enemy.” The cold fear that seized my heart made me nauseous, and I nearly wanted to vomit. But no, weakness wasn't appropriate at this time. “I have to leave this place immediately before it’s too late!”

Reina, where in the deepest pit of my freaking head are you hiding?

I was about to run to the door when it suddenly flew open. Alpha Calle's tall figure was suddenly revealed. I took a step backward until I was next to the window. “I knew it. You want to leave because you don’t trust me.”

Alpha Calle was already a few inches from my horrified face before I could even move. “Please, let go of me!” I begged him as I shook in protest of his hold.

"Is that what you want?” His amber eyes grew darker as he roared. "Aren't you hoping for exact revenge for what they did to you?”

“H-how did you—why do you know about…” I couldn’t form any questions as confusion spread into my head like dark clouds in the sky.

"Answer my question!” he demanded, roaring with such force that the impact jolted my entire body.

“Yes!" I screamed as I shut my eyes. “I badly want to ruin their entire pack for destroying my heart and soul!”

"Then start by being an obedient little wolf," he muttered roughly in my ears. For some reason, I felt a strange current running up and down my spine. My skin, on the other hand, hummed sweetly from his tight touch. “...and forget about escaping your sweet ass from this pack.”