Chapter 1 #2
The Knocking ceremony—which was just a fancy name for my official engagement ceremony—was a single week away.
I only had a handful of days before my bond would be sealed, and my eternal betrothal to a faceless, mysterious Hunter Redrow would finally end.
It would be the first time we would see each other, and I wasn’t sure if he’d be pleased—hell, if I’d be pleased—or if the whole thing would turn into a disaster.
The air carried a sudden chill, and I huddled into my jacket for warmth.
“Night of the Bloody Moon, my ass.”
Moonlight dappled through the canopy, catching on my bare feet like silver fire. A stray howl drifted on the night wind, carrying faint strains of the celebration I had left behind. My steps slowed, then stopped as I was taken by a sudden impulse to plead to the Goddess for help.
It surely couldn’t hurt. Stupid, I know, but shouldn’t I try to stack the odds in my favor, however much I possibly could?
As I strained my eyes, I made out the very edge of a moonlit clearing, beckoning me on. It was as if the Goddess herself had sent a sign.
Trudging forward, I ducked under an overgrown shrub and unwittingly stepped into the most serene place I’d ever seen.
It was like I’d crossed into another realm suspended in mist and surrounded by the quiet chittering of crickets, tree frogs, owls, toads, and gentle clicks and chirps I didn’t even recognize.
I’d heard of the Goddess’s temples—clearings she shaped herself, found only by those who wandered deep enough. But to see it now? Yeah, despite my cynical self, I couldn’t help but feel inclined to believe in her divine power.
The air eased against my skin. A calmness I hadn’t felt in a long while settled into my bones, and I knew in my gut that even a lone Omega wouldn’t be attacked here.
I reached the middle of the clearing and fell to my knees, shocked at just how soft and springy the grass was. There were no sharp brambles or jagged sticks poking into me, just the comforting embrace of something far greater than myself.
“Please let him be a good wolf,” I found myself mumbling, the words escaping before I could hold them back.
I figured that if I were going to do this, then I might as well go all the way. I bowed down to the forest floor, my forehead pressing against a patch of moon-blessed soil.
“Please let my pack be safe and happy. Please let this be worth it.”
I was mortified to feel the telltale hot streaks on my cheeks, but at the same time, I knew Mother Luna wouldn’t hold it against me.
I didn’t dare show this side of me to anyone, but I was left with no option but to admit to myself that it really did bother me, losing my choice of mate, no matter how hard I pretended it didn’t.
No matter how often I reminded myself it was my duty as the SanGraal Omega.
If I could gather the courage, I could plead to the Goddess to stop the marriage from happening at all.
Only six months remained before the treaty expired.
If the wedding didn’t happen by then, the SanGraals would continue to receive the Redrows’ protection without sacrificing our land or resources as the treaty stipulated.
But if I should jeopardize the union in any way, my pack would lose everything.
I'd be lying if I said I hadn’t fantasized that Hunter Redrow would allow the deadline to pass without binding the union. After all, it had been delayed all this while. But any such hope died when the Redrows sent their official notice, instructing us to begin preparations.
I let out a long breath, but it did nothing to ease the weight in my chest.
There was a sudden rustling in the foliage. A chill hushed across my shoulders and my wolf went completely still, sensing that someone or something was watching me.
I instinctively turned my head just enough to watch the bushes for any sign of movement.
I didn’t have to wait long. The rustling continued, louder and louder, until the dark shape of a man broke into the clearing, towering over everything else, and me, down on the ground. The wolf inside me whimpered and cowered in subservience.
He was an Alpha.
Even from this distance, there was no mistaking his commanding presence, as if he really had stepped down from her lunar throne.
Did the Goddess send this messenger just for me?
The man lifted his head and sniffed the air.
The moment he noticed me, he froze, and though it was impossible to tell in the distance and darkness, I could have sworn I saw two pinpricks of silver narrow as he drank me in.
Or were they gold? His eyes seemed to flicker from color to color with each blink.
By pure instinct, I clambered up to my feet, my entire body trembling with anticipation and fear.
My mind wavered between whether he was friend or foe, but my wolf…
my stupid, stupid wolf, was already whimpering in surrender, keeping my feet rooted to the ground as the Alpha approached, his face still obscured by the night shadows.
“H-hello?” I choked out, my voice raspy with nerves.
Silence.
Maybe he hadn’t heard me, or was pretending not to, as he closed the distance with quick, heavy steps. I had just barely caught my first clear glimpse of him, but then he moved like lightning and in one fluid second he struck, and I was engulfed in a crushing embrace.
I felt a feral growl from deep within his ribs, the only warning I got before his snarling lips crashed onto mine. The force knocked the breath from my lungs, and when I gasped, he seized my jaws and drove his tongue into my mouth.
It all happened so fast. I only realized I was kissing him back when I heard myself groan against his mouth, as his fingers tangled in my hair, his nails biting lightly into my scalp while he dragged me deeper into his searing demands.
Hot breath poured from him into me, burning through my lungs like a drug stronger than anything I’d ever taken.
My knees buckled, and I sagged against him.
“Don’t,” I tried to say, but my meager protestation only came out as a moan, muffled by our wet, perverse kiss.
His hand moved down my back, anchoring me to him.
It was only natural to lean into his embrace, so much so that I reasoned this could only be a gift from Mother Luna.
She was showing me what I’d been missing for all the years I’d spent avoiding temptation, since I had been betrothed as a pup.
The Goddess was offering a tantalizing glimpse of what was just around the corner, what I’d finally get to experience with my betrothed.
She was sending me a message through this strange wolf. It had to be. Because if not… What the hell are you doing, Monte?
But, fuck, it felt so good.
So fucking good.
My restraint crumbled with every demanding press of his mouth, the taste of him spilling over every thought of caution, clouding my mind from reason and making me slide my tongue against his. He groaned into my mouth, and I felt the sound pulse in my pants.
“Who are you?” he whispered against my mouth, catching my bottom lip between his teeth, sucking and biting. Every time his tongue touched mine, my wolf surged to the surface, claws scraping just beneath my skin, desperate to take over.
As if he could sense the chaos of the beast inside me, his hands slipped under my jacket and the shirt beneath, finding bare skin.
Fingers traced the curve of my spine, sending shivers up my back, then moved lower, gripping my ass.
I gasped when he pulled me flush against him, causing me to feel his hard and undeniable erection.
Oh Goddess…
I was just as hard. I’d never felt another wolf this close before, never like this.
“We… we can’t…” I panted in between his onslaught. Inside, my wolf whined and quivered, needy for the Alpha. It wanted to tumble him to the forest ground and let him have his way with me.
But under all that wildfire pull, a primal fear snaked into my mind.
What if this wasn’t a manifestation of the Goddess’s love? What if he was just another wolf from the festival who had stumbled upon me while I was at my lowest?
Suddenly panicked, I tried to pull away. But his arms tightened, caging me in as if he could sense my hesitation bleeding through the kiss. He broke away just enough to press his nose against the side of my neck, dragging in a deep inhale that made my whole body lock up.
“It’s okay. It's okay,” he whisper-growled, and then he licked a slow, possessive stripe along the skin beneath my jawbone.
A violent shiver raked through me, and I swear I spilled a little as his steaming lips nuzzled into my neck.
I should’ve pushed him away then. I should’ve fought with every ounce of strength I had, but my body and wolf seemed to have a mind of their own.
My shameless wolf was frothing at the mouth with excitement, folding into his warmth, and the maddening scent of pine and rain-soaked earth that clung to the Alpha’s skin.
My wolf just sniffed and snarled, greedy, frantic. It couldn’t get enough, gulping that scent into my lungs like in that moment, nothing else could keep me alive.
His teeth grazed my neck, and this time, there was no denying the dripping I felt from my cock, aching with more desire than I would have chosen to admit.
“Mate,” he growled.
My spine stiffened.
That single word cracked through the haze of whatever spell I was under, snapping me out of it and filling my chest with a guilt I resented feeling. Hunter Redrow had no claim on my heart, but I was his pledged mate… not this wolf’s. Not any other wolf’s.
I jerked back, heart slamming against my rib cage.
I had no idea how I managed to break the hold of a man so much stronger than me, but I did, taking several steps back.
My eyes met his hooded gaze, and for the first time I truly saw his face.
He was much older than me, maybe in his mid-thirties or so.
Strong lines carved his cheekbones, his jaw shadowed with stubble; lips pressed into a firmness that spoke of his rank.
Every inch of him looked like command itself made flesh, even in just plain black long-sleeve and dark slacks.
His eyes wandered up and down my body, studying me just as I was him.
He stretched out his hand to me. “Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you,” he said, his deep voice soft and inviting, yet with a depth of authority that made disobedience unthinkable. “Come here. What’s your name?”
I couldn’t look at him a single moment longer. If I did, I was sure I would fling myself back into his devouring embrace. So I did the one thing I should have done the instant I realized he was an Alpha who could easily overpower an Omega like me.
I turned on my heels and fled.
The cold night air sliced through my skin, but I didn’t dare slow down. Leaves crunched under my feet, roots threatened to trip me, and still I pressed harder, driven by a fear I couldn’t find the words to describe.
I didn’t dare glance back. I couldn’t risk it. Whether or not he followed, I only knew I had to get away before I lost myself to a strange wolf mere days before my wedding.
What have I done?
What the hell had I done?
I ran for what felt like forever. My lungs burned with every gasp for breath. I didn't slow my pace until the distant sounds of celebration reached me, and I could see the flaming silhouettes of bonfires.
By the time I reached the oak tree where I'd left Nena, I was a heaving mess.
Nena was leaning against the trunk, arms crossed, barely acknowledging the guy talking beside her. She straightened the second she saw me.
“Monte?” Her eyes swept over me. It only took one look for her to know something was wrong. “What the hell happened?”
She closed the distance in quick steps, worry etched on her face.
“Nothing,” I rasped, bending over and bracing my knees as I fought to catch my breath. “We should—we should go home.”
Her frown deepened. “Are you okay? Seriously, what happened?” She glanced toward the direction I’d come from. Instinctively, I looked back too and let out a shaky sigh of relief.
He wasn’t there.
Good.
Good.
I had no idea how I would’ve explained… that.
“Come on. Let’s go.” I grabbed her hand, practically dragging her toward where we’d parked the car. I needed to get out of there before he found me.
“You drive.” I tossed her the keys. She caught them easily but kept her eyes on me, suspicion darkening her stare. But she didn’t press me any further.
That was one thing I liked about Nena. She knew when to step in and when to give me space. Right now, I needed all the space I could get to wrap my head around what had just happened.
But no matter how I tried to steady my breathing, my heart kept racing, and so did my thoughts. It felt like I had just made the biggest mistake of my life, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was about to make an even greater one with this marriage.