Chapter 1

Chapter 1 I never thought this would be my fate, that this would happen to me. All I ever wanted was my mate—my fated one. It was the only hope of finally feeling loved. “I’m sorry, but I… can’t be with you. I reject you…” After those words left his lips, I don’t recall anything else that was said. Only those words echo in my head, and my heart feels shattered into little pieces. He didn’t even get my name, nor I his. He rejected me the moment he saw me in the garden—the moment we realized we were fated mates. I didn’t have a chance. The instant those words left his lips, I turned and walked away, lost in pain, dazed. It’s been about an hour now, and I’m still trudging through the rain along a desolate road. I have no idea how I got here—or even where here is. The dark street flares with sudden light as a black car pulls up beside me. The window slides down, and Ronan’s voice cuts through the rain: “Valeria! What are you doing? Where have you been?!” My father’s Beta stares at me, his face tight with worry. “I’ve been searching everywhere for you. Please—get in the car.” I slowly do as he says, unable to think for myself. I don’t have a will of my own at this point. My life feels meaningless. I’m a soulless husk. “Are you hurt?” This man always shows more concern for me than my own family ever does. But I don’t have the will to answer him. Ronan looks at me through the rearview mirror with concern but says nothing else and begins to drive. My chest aches with pain so sharp it feels carved into the bone. A mate rejection is final—our bond shattered, and I felt it tear through me. Now, I’m nothing but hollow. Back at the pack house, Ronan leads me into the parlor where my father, mother, and sister sit together. Their laughter fades as I enter, replaced not with concern but irritation. Joy lingers in the room, but none of it is meant for me. “You’re looking filthy,” Mother says. “Where were you?” I look down at my dress. It was pretty when I left the house, before we arrived at the Mating Banquet. Now it’s covered in mud. “Eww, why are you crying?” Jade squints her eyes and then gasps. “It can’t be! Did it really happen? Did you get rejected?!” She laughs. “She did! I knew it! I told you that you would. No one would ever want you. A wolfless. But I’m more surprised that you, of all people, found a fated mate. Kind of unfair if you ask me.” It stings to hear this. It’s exactly what happened. She was right. “Are you serious?” Mother asks. “Is that what happened?” I don’t answer. All I do is silently cry. She huffs, now even angrier. “Well, of course this would happen!” Jade laughs. “She’s a wolfless one. A runt. If not for being the daughter of an Alpha, she’d never have been allowed to set a single foot in the Mating Banquet without an apron and a tray.” “Jade, enough,” Father speaks next. “Why did you leave the banquet? The whole family was expected to be presented to the Royal Speaker, and you were nowhere to be found. Made me look like a fool. Thank the goddess the Alpha King didn’t show up.” “But some of the princes did.” Jade smiles with flushed cheeks. Behind me, Ronan puts a towel over my shoulders. The old man pats my back almost as if he were sympathetic. “Well, let’s not let this bring us down.” Mother smiles and claps. “It’s been decided that Jade is to be mated to the fourth wolf prince. He asked directly for her hand in mating. He was beside himself when he saw her today—so smitten.” Jade smirks. “One of the bastard illegitimate princes, but I’m not complaining.” She smiles with pride. “He’s still a prince, and of course I didn’t say yes. I told him I’d think about it. A girl has to play hard to get. Especially when there are five more princes to choose from.” Of course, it’s a prince she attracts. My sister, with her golden locks, ocean‑blue eyes, and flawless skin, always knows exactly what to say, how to act. I don’t despise her beauty—I despise the way she treats me. Beneath the perfect surface, she’s as rotten as our mother. On the ottoman, Jade stretches out with a sigh. “In a month or two, I could be a princess!” As if she isn’t one already. Mother and Father bow to her every desire, while I’m ordered to serve. Valeria, Jade needs this. Valeria, Jade needs that. Valeria, Jade wants your dress, your doll, your shoes. And Jade never hears the word no. Mother fixes her gaze on me. “Jade is getting princes while you’re getting rejected. Just great! What are we going to do with you? You’re a wolfless twenty‑year‑old no one wants. If only you had a single attractive feature.” She speaks as though I were the ugliest creature this pack has ever seen. My hair may be black as charcoal instead of golden like Jade’s, and my eyes just as dark, but I am attractive in my own way. Not that it matters. I feel broken now. Whatever resilience I clung to all these years has crumbled to dust. I should have known better. But foolish me had to believe—to cling to the fantasy that my mate would love me, want me, when no one else ever did. I turn to leave. Behind me, Father’s voice drifts through the parlor: “Don’t worry, dear. Even if she’s wolfless, she’s still of Alpha blood, still my daughter. Someone will want her.” I stop listening. I give up. Let them do whatever they want with me—mate me off, cast me into the woods. I don’t care anymore. I drag myself upstairs, each step heavy, tears still falling freely. I stumble into the hallway and find Max, our one‑hundred‑and‑eighty‑pound English Mastiff, waiting outside my door. He’s the only joy this house has ever given me. His tail wags, his massive frame pressing close as he seeks my touch. I wipe my tears and let him remind me I’m not entirely alone. “Hi, buddy. What are you doing here?” He must have snuck in. “You’re not feeling well today, are you?” Poor Max has had an upset stomach all day. He got into the garbage again, and whenever he does, it leaves him with terrible diarrhea. He’d been kept outside, unable to control himself, leaving messes across the floors. My heart aches for him. “Aw, poor baby. We’ve both had a bad day.” I hug him, but immediately hear his stomach bubble. “Oh no, poor guy…” He looks up at me with those puppy eyes. I can’t put him outside. I just can’t do it. Many times, I’ve thought about seeking revenge. But I’ve never gone through with it. I was always afraid. Now, I don’t know what’s come over me. I feel nothing. “Come here. You need a good rest in a good bed.” I lead him inside one of the rooms and close the door so he doesn’t mess up the whole house—but he’s welcome to shit all over my sister’s room, which is right where I left him. Taking a stuttered breath, I walk to my room and lie in bed, still wet and dirty. I just want to close my eyes and not wake up. But I do wake when I hear Jade scream from the hall. I can even smell it from here. It must be bad if even I can smell it. As a wolfless, my senses and strength aren’t as heightened as a real werewolf’s. Hearing Jade’s screams makes me smile, and for just a moment—just a slight moment—I feel life in me. When the feeling fades, I sink back into sleep. One day, then two, pass with me waking in tears. I spend my hours screaming into my pillow, still trapped in the same dress. The pain is unbearable. By the third day, I nearly break—with a sharp razor and a swift slide—but somehow, I find the will to stop myself. Let my heart grow cold. Let me refuse to love again. I reject love, I reject a mate. These words echo in my mind, a chant I repeat endlessly. I accept that happiness isn’t meant for me in this lifetime. Hope is gone. I’ll never place my joy or love in someone else’s hands. Never again. *** Two to three weeks pass, and I hear scratches on my door. I’ve barely eaten, mostly drank water, so I feel dizzy when I get up, but I manage to shake it off. Max is the one at the door when I open it. I kneel to his level and rub his cheeks. Max and Ronan—who’s been bringing me food—are the only ones who’ve looked in on me, making sure I wasn’t dead. Max drops a toy ball and sits expectantly. “You’re going to make me get out of my room, aren’t you?” He gives a few whines and lifts his paw, trying to tap my hand. I sigh. I suppose it’s time. I must continue living. I slide my slippers on and head out of the room with Max. The light blinds me, but when my eyes adjust, I wish I were truly blind. Jade is the first soul I see. “Ew! Go back to your room! Have you seen how you look?!” My head turns to a mirror on the wall. For the first time in my life, I think I agree with her. I look like I’ve been homeless for years. I probably smell too. This isn’t me at all. I love fashion, I love clothes, and I love looking my best. But I just don’t care anymore. “You stink. Go back to your cave, you troll.” “At least I don’t smell like dog shit,” I mutter, going past her. She gasps, and my own eyes want to bulge out in shock. I’ve always kept my thoughts hidden, but this time I gave myself away. And still, I don’t care if Mother’s wrath falls on me. I don’t care about anything anymore. “You! You did that? You did that!” I can feel Jade about to pounce on me, but she stops herself when a parade of black cars arrives in front of the house. One of the cars bears the royal insignia. “Oh no! Is he here?!” Mother and Father rush out of the house. Mother is shocked but does a double‑take when she sees me. “What are you wearing?” A dirty oversized shirt, stained sweatpants, and slippers. My hair hangs like a hag’s mane. From the car, a man in a black suit steps out, opening the back door. A handsome stranger emerges—light brown hair, brown eyes, an expensive suit, and a pin bearing the royal insignia. “That’s him!” Jade squeals. Yeah, that’s a prince, all right. He dresses the part. Father puts on his most polite tone as he bows his head. “Prince Emmet. To what do we owe this pleasure?” “I wish I could say I was here on a leisure visit, but I was sent by my father on official business.” Mother turns to me and whispers, “Go back inside! No one can see you like this!” Panic tightens her breath as she looks between me and the prince. Any other time, I would’ve sprinted inside because I didn’t want her angry at me. But as I’ve been saying, I just don’t care anymore. Inhaling a tired breath, I go down the stairs and stride right past Father and the prince. The man looks at me and immediately pinches his nose. I can hear my mother gasping in the background, and it feels good, but she would’ve beaten me up if the prince wasn’t here. I walk to the back of the house, where in the distance, an unkindness of ravens circles above the treetops. These winged little beasts seem to like our pack. The little demons attacked me once when I was a kid. I hate them. Staying around the safety of the pack house, I play with Max for a while. When I come back inside, the house is in an uproar. “What happened?” I mutter. Ronan walks past me, carrying suitcases with Father behind him. “Get yourself ready, Valeria,” Father says. “We’re leaving. Now.” “What? Why? Where?” “Just do it!”