Cole's POV
"You mean Lila? Is the one you were referring to?" My father asked me with a bit of disbelief. He wasn't expecting me to make such a selection.
"Oh, that's her name? Yes, she's the one. You got a problem with that?" My gaze flickered. I couldn't get my eyes off Lila. I couldn't even glare at my father anymore.
Lila mesmerized me with her beauty.
Lila wasn't properly dressed, yet I find her captivating.
There's some uniqueness about her, I'm yet to decipher. Could her curved shape make her look like the epitome of beauty herself? Or her long black hair and hazel eyes that could make men fight just to have a taste of her?
I would have argued if anyone had predicted that my mate would be this casual.
Immediately, I stepped inside, and I felt the mate bond. I felt my senses tingling. I felt some butterflies in my belly like a teenager in love. I knew Lila and I were meant to spend the rest of our lives together as one.
"You can't have her. She's untouchable.
You might want to find another person." My father authorized me. Absolute stillness enclosed the atmosphere like a graveyard when my father said that.
Everyone feared him. Everyone was anxious to witness my father's next action. No one could question his orders. They were all afraid to speak against him. They practically worshiped the ground he walked in.
"Why can't I have her? I demand a valid reason. You just can't decide who I want for myself. I have made my decision and that's final. Why stand in my way? The last time I checked, you promised to support my decision. What has changed now? Can someone please explain to me what's going on?" I sparked outrageously as my voice echoed back to me.
No one said a word to me.
I felt stupid that I was speaking to myself.
Lila shivered like a hen drenched by the rain. She was enclosed in the garment of confusion. She couldn't believe her eyes. From the way she was dressed like an omega, it was apparent that she never expected to be chosen as my mate.
My father was mute for a couple of minutes. His silence was killing me. It pierced my heart like a dagger. I wanted him to speak even if it meant yelling at me. I hate to be kept in suspense.
I had a thousand questions lingering in my confused head without a response.
Majestically leaning towards me, my father placed his hand on my shoulder and whispered to me.
"Son, I'm sorry to disappoint you. The truth is, Lila is one of my concubines. She's also one of the slaves. She doesn't have a wolf. She's pathetic and useless. There's no way she can be your wolf,"
"She what?" I cried.
My hope was dashed. I felt something departing from my body. I couldn't tell what it was.
I buried my head in the ground to process what my father just told me. I wanted the ground to swallow me.
"Is this a joke or something?" I lamented. I wished I were hallucinating. I wanted someone to tap me and say, "Wake up! Stop dreaming,"
None of that happened. I realized that it was the reality of rubbing my face in the mud.
"It's fine. I retreat," I concurred.
I can't imagine myself having a woofless mate. It would be a slap to my face.
"I, Cole Bennett, the Alpha of Bloodthorn, deserve royalty for a mate. How would I introduce Lila to my pack members at Bloodthorn Pack, knowing how worthless she is?" I announced it to everyone.
I won't only be ridiculed, but I would also lose any respect they've got for me.
"Lila, please leave. You are becoming a distraction," my father ordered. I concurred immediately. Lila has suddenly made me lose touch with reality. I forgot who I was.
On the verge of leaving, a voice echoed in my head, forcing me to stop Lila from leaving.
"Your mate needs to connect with your inner wolf, or else you risk losing your life," the voice of the witch of Bloodthorn pack echoed in my head.
How did I ever forget?
This put me in a difficult situation. I was stuck between the device and the deep blue sea. Whatever decision I make, it would be detrimental to my life.
I risk losing my life by disobeying the witch's warning. In the same way, I am most likely to offend my father by accepting Lila as my mate.
"Why did you halt? Be gone to your quarters this minute, or I'll be forced to chop off your head with my sword," my father commanded. I could feel the earth shaking from his ferocious voice.
"She goes nowhere. Father, stay out of this," I confronted my father and rushed to grab Lila by the arm.
Everyone started quivering, knowing that a third world war was most likely to happen.
Some of my father's concubines signaled to me to let go, reminding me of my father's terrifying nature. My father's wrath is like the lion's tail.
No one steps on it and gets away from it. Hypothetically, I might as well turn out to be the first werewolf to challenge my father to a fight.
Under normal circumstances, I would have obeyed my father and walked away quietly without creating a scene. On second thought, I considered the possibility of losing my life if I disobeyed the warning from the witch.
Departing the cold world at 24 isn't something I was prepared for. It wasn't long before my father made me the Alpha of the Bloodthorn pack.
I have potential. I have a lot to accomplish. If disobeying my Father would keep me alive, I'm ready to do it.
"Please, let me go. I've caused more pain to your father. I would rather not ruin the bond you both share," Lila pleaded. I ignored her wailing. If only she knew what was at stake…