Chapter 2

the alpha arrives

Caelum's POV

My horse stumbled beneath me as that smell hit my nose like a lightning bolt. I grabbed the reins so hard my knuckles went white, fighting to stay in the saddle as my wolf went completely mad inside my head.

Mate. MATE. MINE.

"No," I growled out loud, making my Beta Marcus look at me with worried eyes. "Not happening."

But my animal wasn't listening. For the first time in my twenty-five years, my wolf was trying to take control. My hands were shaking, my heart was pounding, and every sense I had was screaming at me to find the source of that incredible smell.

"Alpha?" Marcus asked, riding closer. "What's wrong?"

I couldn't answer him. That smell was getting stronger as we rode into the village, and it was driving me out of my mind. Sweet like honey, wild like the forest after rain, and something else... something pure and strong that made my wolf pace back and forth like a caged animal.

"Stop the horses," I ordered, my words coming out rougher than I meant.

My pack of twenty warriors pulled their horses to a stop, looking confused. We were supposed to be passing through this tiny border town quickly. We had important business in the next area.

But I couldn't leave. Not with that smell calling to every part of me.

"Alpha Caelum," Marcus said slowly, "we need to keep moving. The meeting with the Northern Pack is tomorrow."

I ignored him and jumped off my horse. My boots hit the ground hard, and I started walking toward the smell. I couldn't help myself. My wolf was pulling me forward like I was on a leash.

The town was small and boring, just like a hundred others I'd ridden through. But somewhere in these houses was the woman who smelled like everything I'd never known I wanted.

This is stupid, I told myself. You don't do mates. You don't do love. You use women and throw them away before they can hurt you.

That had been my rule since I was eighteen. Never sleep with the same woman twice. Never let anyone get close enough to betray me like my mother betrayed my father. Keep your heart locked up tight, and nobody can break it.

But this smell was breaking down every wall I'd built.

I followed it down the main street, my pack dragging behind me like they thought I'd lost my mind.

Maybe I had. I'd never acted like this before in my life.

The smell led me to a small house with a broken front door. There were other male smells here too - wolves who had come looking for the same thing I was looking for. But they were all gone now, probably scared away by my howl.

I could hear voices inside. A woman crying. Another woman tries to comfort her.

"It's okay, baby," an older voice was saying. "The Alpha scared them away. We're safe now."

Safe. They thought they were safe because I was here. They had no idea that I was the most dangerous wolf of all.

I walked up to the broken entry and looked inside.

And my entire world stopped.

She was small and scared, with tears running down her face. Her mother had her arms around her, trying to protect her. But when she looked up and saw me standing there, her eyes went wide.

They were the most beautiful eyes I'd ever seen. Brown like warm chocolate, with little gold bits that seemed to glow in the light. And when she looked at me, I felt something crack open in my chest that I'd kept locked away for years.

Mine, my wolf whispered. She's ours.

"Please don't hurt us," the older woman said, stepping in front of the girl. "She's just a child. She doesn't understand what's happening."

I tried to speak, but no words came out. I was looking at the girl - my mate - and feeling things I'd never felt before. Want, yes, but something deeper too. Something that made me want to get on my knees and promise to keep her safe forever.

This was not meant to happen to me.

"What's your name?" I finally managed to ask, looking straight at her.

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She was shaking like a scared rabbit.

"Her name is Seraphina," her mother answered for her. "And she's under my protection."

Seraphina. Even her name was perfect.

"I'm not going to hurt her," I said, surprised by how gentle my voice sounded. I was never soft. "I just want to talk to her."

Behind me, I could hear Marcus and my other soldiers whispering. They knew something big was happening. I'd never acted like this before. The cold, heartless Alpha they knew would have already taken what he wanted and left.

But this girl was changing me, and I'd only been looking at her for two minutes.

"Seraphina," I said, trying out her name. "Will you come outside and talk to me?"

She looked at her mother, then back at me. Slowly, she nodded.

Her mother tried to stop her. "Sera, no. It's not safe."

"It's okay, Mom," Seraphina whispered, her voice soft and sweet. "He won't hurt me."

How did she know that? How could she trust me when everyone else was afraid of me?

She walked toward me on shaking legs, and with every step she took, that incredible smell got stronger. By the time she reached the doorway, my wolf was screaming with joy inside my head.

She stopped right in front of me, so close I could reach out and touch her face. But I kept my hands at my sides. I didn't want to scare her more than she already was.

"Are you really an Alpha?" she asked, looking up at me with those beautiful eyes.

"Yes," I said. "The most powerful Alpha in the region."

She bit her lip, thinking. "And you came here because of my scent?"

"Yes."

"Does that mean..." she took a deep breath, "does that mean you're my mate?"

The question hit me like a punch to the gut. Was she my mate? Everything inside me was saying yes. But I'd spent seven years making walls around my heart. I'd hurt every woman who'd ever tried to get close to me.

But looking at her sweet face, I wanted to be a different man. A better guy.

"Maybe," I said honestly.

She smiled then, the first real smile I'd seen from her. It was like the sun coming out from behind clouds.

"I've been waiting my whole life to meet my mate," she said.

And that's when Marcus rode up behind me and said the words that would destroy everything.

"Alpha Caelum, your father sent a message. Your wedding to Luna Elira Voss has been moved up. It's in two weeks."

The smile died on Seraphina's face.

And my heart broke into a thousand pieces.

Chapter 3

beating heart

My legs buckled when Marcus said those words about Alpha Caelum's wedding. I grabbed the doorframe to keep from falling as my heart broke into a million pieces.

"Wedding?" I whispered, looking at Caelum's face. "You're getting married?"

The look in his eyes was pure pain, like someone had just stabbed him in the chest. But he didn't deny it.

"Seraphina," he started to say, but I cut him off.

"Get away from me!" I screamed, backing into the house. "All of you, just leave!"

Mom rushed over and put her arms around me, but I could barely feel her touch. Everything felt numb and cold. How could this be happening? How could I find my mate and lose him in the same day?

"Everyone out!" Mom yelled at Caelum and his soldiers. "You've done enough damage!"

But Caelum stepped forward instead of leaving. His face was hard and determined, like he'd made some kind of choice.

"No," he said firmly. "I need to talk to Seraphina. Alone."

"Absolutely not," Mom snapped. "You've hurt her enough."

"She's my mate," Caelum said, and his voice was so strong that it made the walls shake. "I have the right to speak with her."

My heart jumped when he called me his mate, even though I was angry and hurt. Part of me still wanted to run to him and forget about everything else.

"Your mate?" Marcus said from behind him, sounding shocked. "Alpha, that's impossible. You're marrying Luna Elira in two weeks."

"I know what I'm marrying," Caelum growled without taking his eyes off me. "But this doesn't change what she is to me."

The other soldiers started whispering among themselves. I could hear words like "scandal" and "impossible" and "what will the pack say?"

Mom held me tighter. "Sera, you don't have to talk to him if you don't want to."

But I did want to. Even though he'd just broken my heart, I needed to understand what was happening. I needed to know why fate would be so evil as to give me a mate who belonged to someone else.

"Five minutes," I said, wiping the tears from my face. "That's all."

Mom looked like she wanted to argue, but she could see I'd made up my mind. She kissed my forehead and walked to the kitchen, giving us space but staying close enough to help if I needed her.

Caelum's troops moved back too, but I could see them watching through the broken doorway.

"Talk," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "Explain to me how you can be my mate when you're marrying someone else in two weeks."

Caelum ran his hands through his hair, looking more upset than I'd ever seen anyone look.

"It's complicated," he said.

"Try me."

"The marriage to Elira was planned when we were children. It's a political union between our packs. I've never had a choice in the matter."

"But you're the Alpha," I said. "Can't you just say no?"

His laugh was sour and angry. "Being Alpha means putting the pack's needs before your own. Always. This marriage will bring peace between two powerful territories and avoid a war that could kill thousands of wolves."

I felt my anger starting to fade, replaced by something worse - understanding. He wasn't marrying Elira because he wanted to. He was doing it to save lives.

"So where does that leave me?" I asked quietly.

Caelum stepped closer, and I could smell his scent - pine trees and rain and something wild that made my wolf purr inside me.

"It leaves you with a choice," he said. "You can stay here in this village and say we never met. Live a normal life, find a nice Beta to marry, have normal children."

"Or?"

"Or you can come with me to my pack lands. Be near me, even if we can't be together the way we want to be."

My mouth fell open. "You want me to come live in your pack and watch you be married to another woman?"

"I want you where I can protect you," he said furiously. "Your smell is unlike anything I've ever experienced. When word gets about what you are, every unmated Alpha in the region is going to

come for you. Some of them won't take no for an answer."

A chill ran down my spine. I remembered the men who had circled our house earlier, the hunger in their eyes.

"What am I exactly?" I asked. "Everyone keeps acting like I'm some kind of freak."

Caelum's eyes got very serious. "You're what we call a moon-blessed omega. Your DNA is special, ancient. There haven't been any like you for over a hundred years."

"What does that mean?"

"It means your smell can drive any Alpha to madness. It means any children you have will be incredibly strong. And it means you're going to be hunted by wolves who want to use you for their own gain."

My legs felt weak again. "I just wanted to find my mate and be happy. I didn't ask for any of this."

Caelum reached out like he wanted to touch my face, but stopped himself. "I know. And I'm sorry. But I can keep you safe if you come with me. My pack is the strongest in the area. No one would dare try to take you from there."

"Except you're going to be married to someone else," I said, tears starting again. "How is that protecting me? How is watching you with another woman going to make me feel safe?"

"Because even if I can't claim you publicly, you'll still be mine," he said intensely. "My wolf has picked you. That tie doesn't just disappear because of some political marriage."

I stared at him, not believing what I was hearing. "You want me to be your secret? Your secret mistress while you play happy family with your wife?"

"I want you to be alive," he said desperately. "And if this is the only way I can keep you safe, then yes. I want you to be my secret."

The front door suddenly burst open again, and a woman with long black hair and cold blue eyes walked in like she owned the place. She was beautiful in a sharp, dangerous way, and she wore expensive clothes that screamed money and power.

"Caelum," she said in a voice like honey mixed with poison, "what's taking so long? We have important things to talk about our wedding."

My heart stopped. This had to be Elira Voss, his fiancée.

She looked at me with those cold eyes and smiled like a hunter who'd found easy prey.

"And you must be the little omega who's been causing all this fuss," she said sweetly. "How... quaint."

Caelum stepped protectively in front of me. "Elira, what are you doing here?"

"I came to meet my future husband's new pet," she said, walking closer. "I wanted to see what all the excitement was about."

She stopped right in front of me and breathed in deeply.

"Oh my," she said, her smile getting bigger and scarier. "You really are special, aren't you? I can see why Caelum is so... distracted."

Chapter 4

The car door slammed behind me, and I jumped at the sound. My hands were shaking as I looked up at the massive stone walls of the Blackthorn estate. It looked like a castle from a scary fairy tale.

"Second thoughts?" Caelum asked softly from beside me.

I wanted to say yes. I wanted to run back to my little town and hide in my mom's kitchen forever. But Elira's threat kept playing in my head. I will make your life a living hell. And then I will kill you.

At least here, with Caelum, I had a chance.

"No," I lied, holding my small bag tighter. "I'm ready."

He studied my face for a moment, and I wondered if he could smell my fear. Probably. Alphas could smell everything.

"Come on," he said softly. "Let me show you where you'll be staying."

As we walked through the front gates, wolves started coming from everywhere. They lined the pathways, looking at me with curious eyes. Some looked friendly. Others looked hungry in a way that made my skin crawl.

"Ignore them," Caelum murmured, putting his hand on my lower back. "They're just curious about the new omega."

But I could hear their whispers following us.

"Is that her?"

"The moon-blessed one?"

"She's so small."

"I heard the Alpha's gone crazy over her."

My cheeks burned with shame. This was exactly what I'd been afraid of - being the center of attention, being talked about like I was some kind of prize.

Caelum led me through a side door into a quieter part of the building. The halls were long and dimly lit, with old paintings of serious-looking wolves on the walls.

"Here," he said, stopping at a wooden door. "This is your room."

He opened it, and I peeked inside. It wasn't huge, but it was bigger than my bedroom back home. There was a bed with soft-looking covers, a dresser, and a window that looked out over the mountains.

"It's nice," I said, meaning it.

"Good." He seemed relieved. "Dinner is at six. I'll come get you."

"Okay." I set my bag down on the bed. "Caelum?"

"Yeah?"

"When is Elira getting here?"

His face went hard. "Tomorrow. She's coming to finish the wedding plans."

My stomach twisted. Tomorrow felt way too soon.

"Will she... will she try to hurt me?"

Caelum stepped closer, and his smell wrapped around me like a warm blanket. "I won't let her touch you. I promise."

The way he said it made me believe him. For the first time since leaving home, I felt a little bit safe.

"Get some rest," he said. "I know this is overwhelming."

After he left, I sat on the bed and tried not to think about how stupid I was being. Coming here was possibly the worst decision I'd ever made. But what choice did I have? Stay home and wait for some other Alpha to take me? At least here, I had Caelum.

A soft knock on my door stopped my thoughts.

"Come in," I called.

A girl about my age poked her head in. She had short brown hair and kind eyes.

"Hi," she said shyly. "I'm Lily. I work in the kitchens. Alpha Caelum asked me to bring you some food."

She held up a tray with soup and bread that smelled amazing.

"Thank you," I said, suddenly realizing how hungry I was. "That's really sweet."

Lily came in and set the tray on the dresser. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Is it true? About you being moon-blessed?"

I sighed. "I guess so. I'm still not really sure what that means."

"It means you're special," she said with joy. "My grandma used to tell stories about moon-blessed omegas. They were like queens among our kind."

"Queens?" That didn't sound right. "But I'm just an omega."

"Not just any omega," Lily said seriously. "Moon-blessed omegas were said to have the power to choose their own fate. They didn't have to follow the same rules as everyone else."

Before I could ask what she meant, heavy footsteps sounded in the hallway outside.

"I should go," Lily said quickly. "Enjoy the food."

She rushed out, leaving me alone with way more questions than answers.

I ate the soup while watching the sun set through my window. When six o'clock came, Caelum knocked on my door right on time.

"Ready for dinner?" he asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

The eating hall was huge and filled with wolves. Conversations stopped when we walked in, and I felt dozens of eyes following our every move. Caelum led me to a table at the front of the room, where several important-looking people were already sitting.

"Everyone," Caelum said in his Alpha voice, "this is Seraphina. She's under my care, and I expect her to be treated with respect."

A few people nodded, but I could see the questions in their eyes. What was I doing here? Why was their Alpha bringing home a strange omega right before his wedding?

Dinner was awkward, with people stealing looks at me when they thought I wasn't looking. I barely ate anything, too nervous to have much hunger.

"Would you like to get some air?" Caelum asked quietly when dessert was served.

"Yes, please."

He led me out onto a balcony that overlooked the mountains. The moon was full and bright, casting everything in silver light.

"Better?" he asked.

"Much." I took a deep breath of the cool night air. "Your pack seems... intense."

He laughed softly. "They'll get used to you. Change is hard for wolves."

We stood in easy silence for a moment, both looking up at the moon.

"Seraphina," Caelum said suddenly.

"Yeah?"

When I turned to look at him, his eyes were sparkling in the moonlight. He reached out and gently touched my face.

"I know this is complicated," he said quietly. "I know I'm asking too much of you. But I'm glad you're here."

My heart started beating faster. "Caelum..."

He leaned closer, and I could feel his breath on my lips. "Can I kiss you?"

I should have said no. He was getting married to someone else. This was wrong on so many levels.

But when I looked into his eyes, all I could think about was how right this felt.

"Yes," I whispered.

His lips touched mine softly at first, then deeper when I kissed him back. It was like rockets were going off in my chest. My wolf was nearly purring with happiness.

When we finally broke apart, we were both breathing hard.

"Seraphina," he said against my face.

"I know," I said. "I know this is crazy."

"I wish things were different."

"Me too."

We stood there hugging each other under the moonlight, and for a moment, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. This was my mate. This was how it was supposed to feel.

Then a voice like ice cut through the night air.

"How touching."

We sprang apart to see Elira standing in the doorway, her cold blue eyes sparkling with rage.

"I thought I told you to stay away from my fiancé, little omega."

My blood turned to ice. She wasn't meant to be here until tomorrow.

Caelum stepped protectively in front of me. "Elira. You're early."

"Obviously," she said with a cruel smile. "And it's a good thing I am. Imagine what the pack would think if they knew their Alpha was kissing his lover on the eve of his wedding."

"She's not my mistress," Caelum growled.

"No?" Elira's smile got bigger. "Then what exactly is she?"

The question hung in the air like a threat. I could see Caelum fighting for an answer that wouldn't make everything worse.

"I thought so," Elira said when he stayed silent. "Well, don't worry, darling. I have an answer to our little problem."

She clapped her hands twice, and six large soldiers stepped out of the shadows behind her. They surrounded us quickly, blocking any exit.

"What are you doing?" Caelum demanded.

"Protecting our future," Elira said quietly. "Boys, please take Miss Hale to the dungeons. It seems she needs some time alone to think about her choices."

"No!" Caelum stepped forward, but more fighters appeared, surrounding him too.

"Don't make this harder than it needs to be," Elira warned. "Unless you want the whole pack to know about your little midnight romance?"

The warriors grabbed my arms, and I looked frantically at Caelum.

It's okay," he said, his eyes telling me he'd fix this. "This is just temporary."

But as they dragged me away, I heard Elira say to one of her men: "Make sure she doesn't live to see the wedding."