Chapter 1 — Davina POV
"No wolf yet?" was the first question my mother asked the moment she walked up to me. After enduring a long, exhausting flight, I was completely drained.
"I don't smell a wolf in you." She took a step closer. Her pink face was drawn into a deep frown. "Davina, don't tell me that every penny we spent was useless? I could have burned the money instead."
"Mother, please, she just arrived. Leave her be," Sera said from behind her.
I turned to Sera, my younger sister, flashing her a small smile. It's hard to believe how much she has grown. She was so small back then.
One hard glare from mother was enough to make Sera instinctively back away.
"How are you supposed to find your mate when you don't even have a wolf?" she pressed on. "Who would claim a wolfless female?"
"It's not my fault."
"No, but you're twenty-three. You aren't getting any younger. You need a mate, but you need your wolf first so you can be claimed," she said. "That is the reason I sent you to Blood Moon Pack — so you could be able to shift. But you're different."
"Not everyone was able to shift, Mom."
"Why should I care about that?!" she bellowed. "I had my wolf at sixteen, and your sister had hers at fifteen. Now she's eighteen, but you, at twenty-three, are still wolfless. Are you aware that a wolfless female is a disgrace to her family?"
My teeth clenched at her words. I opened my mouth, prepared to respond, when my father stepped forward. He slid his arm around her waist and whispered something only she could hear.
"We took on debts to cover the costs of sending her there. How will we pay back?"
"We'll sort it out," he assured her.
All of a sudden, she pulled free with an angry gesture and stomped off. Father's face broke into a broad grin as she left. He swiftly moved closer, pulling me into his arms.
"I'm happy to see you." He hugged me tight. When Mother was around, he was reserved, maintaining a certain distance. His love for her was strong, but she trapped him using emotional manipulation.
"Big sis!" Sera hurried toward me, wrapping her arms around me. I smiled. "I'm glad you're back. Even without your wolf, I still love you."
At the mention of the wolf, my mood soured once again.
…..
"You will not disappoint me at the full moon hunt," Mother's voice echoed through the room as I stepped in.
Davina's eyebrows slightly raised at the corners, creating small lines between them. Her eyes looked dull the moment they met mine, and she quickly cast them down.
"What full moon hunt?" I took my seat at the table.
"Sera is to attend the full moon hunt for a mate, which will commence tomorrow night," Mother answered.
"Why is she attending the full moon hunt?" I asked. "Sera is still young for that. And besides, the full moon hunt is exclusively for the Alpha."
"That is the point," Mother said. "Since Alpha Kai hasn't found his mate yet, he wishes to claim a young female wolf as his mate at full moon."
"I don't like this." I frowned.
"You don't like what?"
"I don't like the fact that you want Sera to attend the full moon hunt. As much as this hunt is reserved for the Alpha, she's still too young for that. She just turned eighteen last month, Mom. You are aware of the great danger involved in the Alpha's chase for a mate. Other females would attack Sera if they found out her scent was drawing the Alpha's attention."
"There'll be guards there," Mother said.
"She's too young to be displayed as a mate for Alpha Kai. There are other female werewolves he can choose from."
"I guess you've cooked up a scheme to clear the debts we're drowning in." She gave me a look that could wither plants. "Because we wouldn't be in debt if it weren't for you."
"I vividly remember pleading with you two years ago not to send me to Blood Moon School, but you refused," I snapped.
"Did you also forget how much humiliation you brought upon me?" she questioned.
"Mother—"
"Shut up," she snapped, turning back to me. "You have brought nothing but bad luck to this family. Your presence would sully your sister with misfortune, but I would not sit down and do nothing. It has been decided that Sera will attend the full moon hunt tomorrow."
I turned to Father, whose face was lowered to the food on his plate. He tried to eat as slowly as he could so as not to draw her wrath.
"Father," I called.
He slowly raised his head to meet my gaze.
"Do something, please. Sera is still too young for the full moon hunt."
Father started to speak when Mother snapped her head toward him.
"Do you have something to say?"
"No." He quickly shook his head.
"Then eat your food and stay out of this conversation," she barked.
"I will attend the hunt with her," I said.
"I really don't care if you attend the hunt or not, but Sera must participate tomorrow night."
After we finished dinner, I returned to my room, preparing to sleep, when a knock drew my attention to the door. Sera took a step inside.
"Can I sleep here?" she asked.
"Of course," I replied, shifting toward the wall and giving her enough space to lie down. She walked toward me with her pillow.
"Mom has been planning this for weeks now," Sera finally said. "She wants me to wear a fake scent so Alpha Kai will choose me. She believes that if I get claimed tomorrow, Alpha Kai will help us erase the debts."
"And she didn't think for once that there's a possibility Alpha Kai might not claim you?"
"She believes the fake scent will convince his wolf to claim me," she answered. "I told Father about this, but you know how he is… he wouldn't dream of defying her."
"Come here." I tapped the space beside me. She sat down. "I have a plan."
"A plan?"
I nodded. "During the Alpha's chase tomorrow, we'll try as much as we can to stay away from the hunt. Alpha Kai won't notice, and before we know it, he'll have claimed another female."
"You think that will work?"
"I believe."
"Okay then." She lay down, pulling the blanket to her chest. "Good night."
…..
We ran hard. We ran fast and tried as much as we could to stay away from the hunt. Despite knowing the consequences of her actions, Mother had insisted that Sera wear a fake scent, believing her natural scent wasn't enough to draw the Alpha's attention.
Her scent smelled delicious, and it turned the heads of every unmated male toward her. But they knew not to touch her. Alpha Kai had declared beforehand that the full moon hunt was for him alone, and no male was allowed to claim a female tonight. He didn't care if they found their mate or not — tonight was reserved for him.
Females challenged each other as they tried to make themselves chosen by Alpha Kai. We ignored them and continued to run. Sera ran in her white wolf form, as pale as snow. Her pink tongue came out every once in a while, licking the fur around her mouth. Meanwhile, I ran in my human form, and it was hard to keep up with her.
Once we were far away from the hunt, Sera shifted into her human form, her clothes tattered from the shift. We sat down by a lake, dipping our bare feet inside the cold water.
"What if we just ran away?" she chuckled, throwing a stone into the lake.
I was about to respond when the air around us suddenly grew thick and suffocating, pressing against my chest like a heavy weight. Goosebumps pebbled my skin, a reaction my body couldn't control. Sniffing the air, I stilled, instinctively recognizing the presence.
My eyes widened as I swiftly turned to see Alpha Kai.
"Other females die to attend the hunt, yet here are the two of you. Why did you leave?"
It felt like we were both struck by electricity. We couldn't move, speak, or do anything as Alpha Kai approached. He walked straight to Sera. He sniffed her, nose flaring as he took in her scent. If Alpha Kai knew her scent was fake, I did not know, but he grinned with approval.
I caught sight of werewolves in the background. Females stood at a distance as they watched the scene.
Alpha Kai took her hand in his and, like a gentleman, placed a kiss on the back of her hand. But there was nothing gentle about Alpha Kai. I'd heard numerous rumors about him. Since he was crowned Alpha after his father, he had carried so much pride. I couldn't tell if the pride stemmed from the fact that he was about to be crowned King of Werewolves of the Seven Packs or if he'd always been that way and just hid it behind a gentle appearance. I found him completely unappealing.
My heart hammered as he licked her skin, his eyes never leaving hers.
"You taste as delicious as you smell." He grinned. "Would you also taste this good down there?"
Sera's face bleached of any color as she stared at Alpha Kai, wide-eyed.
"What?" I took a step forward.
His canines, which were already out and prepared to sink into her, withdrew at my words. He snapped his head toward me.
"You cannot claim her."
"Why?"
"Because I said so — and because she's my sister," I answered.
"Big sis." Her eyes burned with tears.
"I will not allow Alpha Kai to claim you. He's not a responsible man for you. He's not even your mate."
The words blurted from my mouth in anger before I realized the consequences of what I'd said. My eyes widened as gold swallowed the brown of Alpha Kai's iris. I quickly took a step backward but was suddenly pinned against a tree.
His eyes darkened with rage, claws pressed against my skin as he glared at me.
"What did you just say?"
I opened my mouth to speak, but the sudden feeling that consumed my body silenced me. My body tingled from the warmth that spread through my skin like wildfire. My pulse quickened, and it felt like every single nerve in my body awakened. Instincts whispered to me that he was mine and that no other touch would ever feel right again. I tried, I tried so hard to resist it — but my body drew closer.
For some reason, I found Alpha Kai completely appealing. His face was handsome with a strong jaw and tanned complexion. His hair was golden brown that curled just a little bit. His lips were full, and I wanted to brush mine against them.
His lips parted. "Mate…" he growled.