One

CLARISSA

        'Mate!' Snow, my wolf, echoed in my head as a sweet scent flooded my nostrils. Tears of gratitude welled up in my eyes, and my heart started to pound a lot faster as I quickened my pace and followed the smell of my mate. It had to be Kieran. I was his chosen mate, and tonight, our mating ceremony was about to take place. My excitement went up a notch, and I broke into a sprint, hiking up my ceremonial red dress. All of a sudden, pain slammed into me so hard, I doubled over. With my eyes watering, I dropped to my knees. Whimpers escaped my lips as the pain continued to build, searing through me like a red-hot knife.

I was confused and disoriented. I couldn't understand what was happening to me. I parted my lips to call out for my fiancé, but in an instant, I heard the sounds of his moans in my head.

'Fuck, MIA. You feel so good,' I heard him say and my confusion swelled within me.

Mia?

My bully?

That couldn’t be right. My mind had to be playing tricks on me. Maybe I misheard. Maybe…

A wave of nausea rolled through me. No. Not Mia.

Before I could dwell on this for much longer, a vision erupted in my mind.

Kieran. He was pounding into Mia like a mad dog on the loose, and she was moaning, her naked body glistening with sweat.

He was cheating on me.

This pain was coming from our bond, which he disregarded, as if to mock me for not being an adequate mate.

I choked on air, my knees hitting the floor. Tears slipped down my cheeks as the pain continued to worsen, ripping me apart from the inside. Rage swelled to the surface, heating up my blood.

Wasn't it enough that I'd lost my family and my position? Do I have to lose my mate as well?

How could Kieran do this to me?

Sobbing, I rose to my feet and stumbled towards Kieran's room. I should've known. My guts had warned me that Kieran couldn't be trusted. But I'd let myself get carried away!

On shaky legs, I finally arrived at Kieran's bedroom and pushed the door open. Then I froze.

Mia was on top of him, riding him like she was born for it. Her eyes flicked to mine, and a cruel smirk curled on her lips. She didn’t even bother to cover herself.

Kieran didn’t pull away.

He simply glanced at me—unbothered. As if he had expected me to see this.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, breathless, annoyed that I had interrupted.

Something inside me snapped.

"The mating ceremony is cancelled," I croaked, and he pulled away from Mia, glaring at me with fire in his green eyes.

"What gives you the right to say so?" He spat, and I clenched my fists, my vision tinted red.

He was not surprised by my state. He didn't care. Perhaps, he must've known that I was his mate.

"I am the daughter of the previous Alpha! I have every right to call off the ceremony," I told him, and Mia laughed.

"The daughter of the previous Alpha?" she taunted. "You mean the orphaned, powerless disgrace?"

My stomach twisted.

I turned back to Kieran as he rose to his feet, desperate to see something—anything—that wasn't complete indifference.

"You are nothing, Clarissa. Your father is dead. You have no power. You are a weakling. You do not deserve to be my mate, but I was merciful to you. I gave you a chance to stay by my side. I am next in line for the title of Alpha of the pack; shouldn't you do what I want?" Kieran said, halting in front of me.

I felt sick to my stomach. I could smell Mia on him.

"You disgust me," I hissed.

His palm struck my face so hard that my ears rang.

"A lowly servant like you does not get to say such things," he growled.

I stumbled backwards, clutching my burning cheek.

He didn't stop.

"A lowly servant like you does not deserve to say words like that. You should be thankful for my intention to keep you as my breeder," he stated, and I slapped him across the face without remorse.

He pushed me against the wall, his eyes flickering between green and black. I knew he was going to kill me if I stayed for much longer. But I'd rather die than stay bonded to him for another second.

"I, Clarissa Evelyn Nightbourne, reject you as my fated mate," I announced and stormed out of the room. The bond stretched thin and snapped. Then the pain escalated.

My body was trembling and my vision was fading, but I refused to stop moving.

"My lady!" I looked up at the sound of Gwen's voice. She used to be my assistant when I was still the Alpha's heir. Now, just like me, she had been demoted to the status of a lowly servant.

My knees gave out, and she held on to me before I could fall. She lowered me to the ground and took out a bottle from her bag.

"You should drink this. It will help with the pain," she whispered, her brown eyes filled with concern.

"Did you see everything?" I asked, and she nodded, her eyes glimmering with unshed tears.

Without a word, I swallowed the medicine and rose to my feet when the pain dulled.

"Where are you going, my lady?" Gwen asked, her brows furrowed in concern.

"They have to know that I won't be taking part in the mating ceremony," I said, and she followed behind me.

"Are you sure about this? The last time you rebelled against them, you were punished badly," she said to me with a shaky voice.

I stayed silent but increased my pace. I was sick of being treated like an outsider in my own pack.

I stormed into the ceremonial hall and found Kieran's father, Alpha Garrick, waiting with the elders and guests. Something was wrong. The elders weren’t just watching—they were waiting.

Was this a trap?

"You're late, Clarissa." His voice was cold and sharp.

"Kneel."

Confusion flickered through me, and in that moment, Kieran stepped in with a smile on his face. Mia was by his side, adjusting her dress.

"Tell them, Kieran," Mia purred.

Kieran's gaze hardened when it met mine.

"Clarissa is unfit to be my mate. She is weak. Unworthy. She carries a curse in her blood."

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

Blood drained from my face, my heart pounding harder as fear sank in.

This wasn't just betrayal—this was an execution.

How long had they been planning this for?

"She is tainted," one of the elders declared. "We must cast her out before her corruption spreads."

My father's face flashed in my mind, and fresh tears welled up in my eyes. This would never have happened if he were still alive.

"This is a lie. You know it is," I said, steeling my voice even when I felt like I was falling apart inside.

Alpha Garrick cocked his head slightly.

"Then tell me, girl, why your father was killed that night," he said with an icy voice.

I froze, a wave of dizziness washing over me.

My father? Why would they bring him into this?

"He died protecting a secret. Your secret," the Alpha continued.

It felt like a smack to my face.

"Don't do this to me! I'm not cursed! There's nothing wrong with me!" I cried, and Kieran snorted.

"Guards! Lock her up!" He said, and my blood ran cold in my veins.

As soon as the guards seized me, Mia stepped forward and, in one swift movement, she ripped the ceremonial robe from my shoulders.

"There. That's better," she drawled, and the elders laughed.

Heat coursed through my body, a fever of vengeance burning deep in my soul. These monsters must have killed my father. And now they were about to get rid of me. Like hell would I let them.

With a cry of rage, I shoved my elbows into their guts and pulled out of their grip with all of my might. My fabric ripped even more in the process. The whole place erupted into chaos, but I was bent on escaping. So I broke off into a sprint.

They chased after me, shifting into their wolf forms. But all I could hear in my head was my father's last words: 'Rissa, you must live.'

The trees blurred around me, the wind whipping against my hair while the full moon illuminated the empty streets.

The smell of something divine flooded my nose, and the instant I bent round the corner, I crashed into something hard. A man's chest. And this man was the source of the smell I'd perceived earlier. I looked up, my gaze clashing with a pair of shimmering golden eyes. He was stunning.

With a head full of beautiful wavy black hair, high cheekbones, a sharp jawline, and mesmerising eyes, he took my breath away.

'Mate!' Snow whimpered in my head, and my eyes bulged in my socket.

From the distance, I could hear the approaching thuds and howls. So I uttered the only words I could.

"Help me."