Chapter 5

THE TRUTH

ALPHA AXEL'S POV.

It was her elegance that caught my attention. How she held her hands together and walked into the hall like the world was under her feet. It was only a reflex to tell the young man who had gotten to her before I did to scram. No one would get her before I did.

I knew I was taken when she defied my authority and questioned me back. It was a great surprise to see that there was someone here that didn’t know me.

I should have guessed when I felt my wolf pull me to her, but looking into her eyes, I saw what I had been waiting for all my life.

“MATE”

I wanted to kiss her right there, but the queen interrupted us, reminding me we were surrounded by other people, her mask really wouldn’t have let me kiss her either.

“Alpha Axel, you couldn’t be luckier.” She addressed my mate. “What’s your name dear?”

I didn’t even know my Luna’s name. Her head remained bowed, I didn’t like it, I preferred it when she talked back at me.

“Rachel.” She murmured. She had become a lamb.

“Meet me upstairs, both of you.” With that, the queen turned and walked away.

Rachel still didn’t raise her head. “Why didn’t you tell me you were the Alpha?”

“You didn’t ask.” I took her hand and pulled her after me. She followed until we were alone in the hallway, and then she pulled her hands out of mine with a force I didn’t like.

“I can’t be your Mate.” She declared.

“Why?’ It just sounded so absurd, every woman wanted to be my mate. Rumor had it that Athena rejected her mate to have a chance with me.

“Because you’re the Alpha. So you would go alone to the queen and tell her that there had been a mistake somewhere and you do not have a mate yet.”

I watched her as she spoke gibberish, I wanted to take that mask off and ravish her lips. “Why don’t you tell her yourself.” 

“Please.” She begged. I was getting pissed.

“Why? What exactly repulses you about being my mate because I’m Alpha?”

“You would reject me.” She cried, I held myself, trying not to scare her off. I wasn’t so easily angered, but this woman had much power over me.

“Do. I. look. Like. I. Intend. To. Reject. You?” I pronounced each word through my teeth.

“That’s because you don’t know.” She whimpered.

I needed her to explain what she meant fast. “Know what?”

She looked around and sighed. “That I’m ugly.”

I didn’t understand till she took off her mask. She looked like the opposite of what I had imagined her to be. 

I had imagined my mate to be the prettiest, to be as dashing as a model and alluring as a mermaid but she was the direct opposite. I became sad that she looked this way. Her face was too red and unpleasant, it was like what I'd ever seen and I felt sad for her and angry at the same time. Angry that I might have to present her and she definitely was not presentable. 

The only nice physical feature she had was her eyes. They were green and matched her dress. They were the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen! 

I really liked her very much, but I didn’t want to be a hypocrite. I would say she might have been right. I wasn’t sure I could accept her as my mate.

“The queen would be waiting,” I said and walked ahead of her. It felt like my heart had split into two.

I knew the queen would be in the library so I led Rachel there.

We met the queen pacing around. I had expected her to frown at Rachel’s look but she didn’t look at her like anything was off.

“Where have you both been? Have you lost your respect? Keeping your queen waiting?” She scolded but didn’t seem angry.

I noticed there was something different in my study, an arrangement of five mirrors facing each other. What was the queen up to?

“Stand there Rachel.” The queen pointed to a marked spot on the floor and Rachel obeyed immediately.

And to my surprise Rachel's hair which had been dark began to glow in pure white.

The queen screamed for joy. “The moon goddess can never be wrong. Axel, your mate has been chosen by the moon goddess, she will lead us to find the crystals.”

Everything just seemed so wrong. I couldn’t reject a wolf chosen by the moon goddess to save my pack. 

“But.” The queen sounded confused. “Rachel, why does your face look like that in the mirror?”

What did she mean?

I moved closer and saw Rachel’s reflection in the mirror and was surprised.

“Your skin is so white and pure in the mirror, but you look so red and… ugly in the mirror.” The queen finished.

I could see the moon in the mirror, the queen had used the mirror to convey the moon into the library. Rachel looked so beautiful, spotless. She looked like the woman every man dreamed of at night but only in the mirror.

I had to explain to the queen.

“So you mean, that what I see in the moon mirror is what you all see on Rachel's face right now?”

Rachel and I nodded.

The queen had set the mirrors, so her eyes were seeing what the mirror saw.

So when the queen saw her, she saw that Rachel was beautiful,.. 

But looking into the mirror, the queen saw a real red face instead

But the Alpha saw her as ugly and only beautiful in the mirror.

“It looks like this quest would help you as well Rachel. I don’t have answers for you, but the crystal will. I wish you all the best, my dear.” The queen pronounced.

“I would give a brief announcement, but I do not want rumors spreading through the pack, putting fear in the werewolves’ hearts only strengthens the enemy. Both of you and a few others would do this together, I should warn you. It wouldn’t be easy.” 

Rachel looked like she was still trying to understand what was happening, but I nodded. I felt a lot better after seeing her face in the mirror.

There was always a solution. 

She seemed a little bit uneasy so I really wanted to hold her hands.

The door burst open with a loud noise and a lady in a very white dress jumped in with a loud shriek.

“Mother!”

“Athena.” The queen answered patiently like she had been expecting this moment. 

“How could you do this to me, mother? Why couldn’t you choose your daughter? I refuse to accept this ugly thing as the chosen one!” Athena screamed.