Chapter 3

Alpha Joe's POV

"She is my mate. The girl standing in front of me with a mask on was my mate!" I thought.

I took a few steps toward her, and she ran. I paused, Why was she running? It was obvious she knew I was her mate too. The fact that she came close to me could mean only one thing: she was lured by my scent. Why, then, was she running?

I immediately came down from the stage and pursued after her, ignoring the murmurs of the crowd. The fight could wait. All I wanted right now was to find my mate.

Where did she run to? She was too fast. I followed her scent; it led me into the bush. I came to a halt when I saw two pathways. I could still perceive her scent, but why was it coming from the two pathways? I followed my instincts and took the path on my left.

"How was she able to do that? How was she able to plant her scent in two different pathways?" I thought as I kept following the scent. Then I saw her. Every thought I had disappeared at the sight of her. She sat beautifully at the foot of a tree. My wolf yearned to be let out.

She suddenly turned, glaring at me with emerald eyes. I was sure she felt the same pull I felt towards her. I didn't want to take a step further. I still didn't know why she ran after seeing me. I needed her to know that I wouldn't hurt her. I could never hurt my mate. If the Moon Goddess has found me worthy of a mate of my own now, after waiting for years, I would never let any harm come upon her.

I watched her as she gently approached me. My wolf fought tirelessly to be let out, but I suppressed it. It must be excited at the sight of its mate, hoping to mark her immediately.

"Not now. We will wait until later," I muttered to my wolf as a smile spread across my face.

"It is nice to finally meet you," I said as she came up close. She looked very fair and beautiful, yet she was a bit shy, but that didn't matter much to me.

"My Prince," she said as she gave a low bow.

"Oh no, please, get up." I held her shoulder and straightened her.

"You can call me Joe," I said as I embraced her, taking in a deep whiff of her lovely scent with my eyes closed. Her body shuddered at my touch, and I felt a wave of desire wash over me. I was hard, very hard. She noticed it and chuckled.

"I have been praying for this day to come, the day I would finally get to meet my mate." I kissed her forehead and tightened my grip on her.

"The Moon Goddess is kind," she said with a smile as soon as I released her.

"She most definitely is."

I took her hand, beaming with joy and pride, as I took her back to the palace. I couldn't wait to let everyone know that I had found my mate. I was so excited.

"What is your name, my love?" I asked, looking into her emerald green eyes. She smiled.

"Lilian. My name is Lilian, my prince."

***********

Lilith's POV

I went straight to the house. I needed to prepare a meal for my mate and meet him properly. I could feel my wolf whirling with excitement. I couldn't blame her. Not every girl is blessed with a mate early in life, let alone getting an alpha prince for a mate. My joy knew no bounds.

The house was empty when I got there. My mum wasn't at home. I wasn't surprised at all. She wouldn't miss an event as important as a duel between the two princes for the world.

I quickly started preparing the meal, putting my heart and soul into its preparation. Soon, I was done.

Beaming with a smile, I scooped it into a flask and made my way back to him.

As I reached the palace grounds, I followed his scent. It kept getting stronger as I drew nearer. I noticed the crowd had been dismissed. The whispers around me confirmed my suspicion.

"What was Alpha Joe thinking, causing that kind of ruckus because of a girl?" one person said.

"Didn't you hear the rumors? She must be his long-awaited mate. If that is the case, then it was worth the ruckus," another person chimed in.

"Well, we will just come back tomorrow evening then, since it will be continued then," the third person said. I could hear them continue chatting as I walked out of earshot and could no longer hear them.

Knowing that I was the reason everything had happened made me swell with pride. Maybe I was important after all. Luck was finally shining upon me. The Moon Goddess had decided to be merciful towards me.

I chuckled as I kept walking toward Alpha Joe's scent. The scent led me backstage. I was pretty sure he was feeling the same pull that I was. As I got closer, it became stronger.

"He must be inside there waiting for me," I thought. "What a patient man he must be." I reached backstage and froze at the sight that greeted me.

Alpha Joe held another lady in his hand, and they were enjoying a passionate kiss. My heart tore at the sight. I quickly hid behind the wall and peeped from the side. The lady had long curly hair, and I couldn't see her face as she stood with her back to me. There was something about her that I couldn't quite place my finger on. My eyes widened as I finally sensed it: she had the same scent as me. How could this happen? Two maidens with the same scent? How could the Moon Goddess be this cruel? How could she resign me to such a wicked fate?

Alpha Joe pulled away from the kiss and held her face in his hand. 

"I must mark you tomorrow, my lady," he said, staring into her eyes. She smiled at him and replied, 

"Nothing will give me greater joy, my prince." He caressed her body as he kissed her again.

I couldn't keep watching. My heart was shattered into pieces. I turned around and ran. My eyes burned with unshed tears.

How could this happen to me? I had indirectly been rejected.

I halted when I was far away and fell to the floor. Looking up, I shouted, "What did I do to deserve this, Moon Goddess? Kill me, just kill me. I don't want to live anymore. I am tired of this life of misery." I cried, and suddenly there was lightning followed by heavy thunder. Then came the rain, pouring heavily. I gathered my wits and stood up as a thought came to me. The same thought that had kept me going for years. It was finally time for me to escape. I still had to go home and pick up the small bag I packed to escape with and get my money from my safe.

A glimmer of hope surged through my body as I thought about what kind of life would await me outside this pack. However it would be, I was very sure it would be nothing like what I was currently going through at Starfall. I rushed home in the rain with the flask of food I had prepared.

"What a waste," I thought.

As soon as I got home, I saw my mother sitting on the couch. As soon as she saw me, she growled.

"Well, well, well, now who do we have here?" I stood, looking at her, unable to say anything at all. All I wanted to do was to go into my room, pick up my packed bag, take my money, and leave without looking back. But I thought against it. I wanted to leave discreetly without her knowledge.

"Where exactly are you coming from?" she snapped.

"I am coming from the palace."

"And what is that?" she asked, looking at the flask I held in my hand. The events of the past few hours came flooding back into my mind as I bent my head in shame, trying to hide the tears that were beginning to well up in my eyes.

"I am asking you a question!" she snapped, anger evident in her voice.

I suddenly felt the urge to explain everything to her. Maybe I would feel better if I told someone everything that had happened.

"It is food that I prepared for my mate, Prince Joe."

"Your mate, Prince Joe?" she scoffed before erupting in laughter as if what I just said suddenly registered in her head.

"He is my mate! I felt the bond, the connection between us. I perceived his scent, and it led me straight to him..." Her eyes suddenly widened. 

"Prince Joe is my mate!", I finished.

"That was you? The person wearing that mask, walking towards the dueling stage was you?" I simply nodded my head in dismay.

"Now he is with someone else. I just saw him with someone else with my exact scent." Tears flowed freely from my eyes.

She watched me in amusement, circling me as she spoke.

"You actually thought he was going to choose you? Have you seen yourself?" She reached for the mirror on the table and presented it before my face, forcing me to look into it.

"Take a look at yourself, see how ugly you look. How dare you think a prince would accept a lowly, ugly-looking servant like you as his mate?" she scoffed.

She pulled my hair as she said to me in a low tone, "Just imagine Alpha Joe wins the fight with his brother tomorrow. You really think he would make someone like you his Luna?"

"You dare to dream! Instead of thinking of how to work harder and earn me more money, you dare to dream, you fool," she spat.

I ran into my room and immediately closed the door. I went to my bed, lay on my pillow, and sobbed bitterly. I had no strength left in my body. I was so weak. I decided to escape the next evening. Soon enough, I fell asleep.

*******

The evening of the next day arrived, the day the fight was to continue. I had already planned to escape once my mother went to the palace to watch the duel, as I wouldn't be attending. She came to my room.

"Get dressed, you are going with me to the palace," she said.

"I don't want to go today, Mother," I replied.

"You will do as you are told, young lady! Get dressed immediately." I was frightened. Whenever she used that tone, I couldn't dare disobey her because of the dire consequences that would follow.

I quickly got dressed and followed her. I knew she did this to torture me, to make me see Alpha Joe, my mate whom I couldn't have.

My heart sank as we arrived at the bustling arena, which was filled with anticipation and apprehension. We sat and waited for the duel to start.

Soon, it began. Alpha Joe and Alpha Jay entered the stage. I watched carefully, observing the fight. They circled each other, launching attacks. They did that for a while until Alpha Jay brought out a shiny object hidden in his palm—a small knife. At the sight of it, my heart skipped.

Wasn't he violating the rules? It was supposed to be a fistfight, and no weapons were allowed. As soon as he lunged at Alpha Jay, hoping to stab him with the knife, something strange happened. I didn't know what it was, but Alpha Jay held his eyes, almost as if his vision had been impaired.

Seizing the opportunity, Alpha Joe delivered a powerful blow to Alpha Jay's stomach, leaving him crumpled on the ground. The crowd gasped in astonishment, and Alpha Joe stood victorious, raising his fist in triumph while Alpha Jay was swiftly carried away on a stretcher.

The fight was over, and Alpha Joe was declared the winner, to everyone's astonishment. I was happy at least. I wanted him to win, and he had finally won, much to the dismay of everyone.

My joy was short-lived as soon as he raised his hand, beckoning the crowd to become silent.

"I have an announcement to make," Alpha Joe said. He looked around, wearing a huge smile on his face as he spoke with pride.

"I have found my mate."