Chapter 1- Freya

Breath Breath Breath Breath

I keep chanting the same words as my father comes to my side.

“You look beautiful my girl. Your mother will be so proud of you.”

His words of affirmation do so little to calm my nerves down because now I have to recall my mom.

I lost her at the age of eight to a monster. I close my eyes to chase the terrible memory of her being dragged away.

“Thank you, Father” I manage. My palms are sweaty from how tight i've been clutching the sides of my dress.

“Chin up. This has to be perfect,” he says, but I hear his underlying words. I have to be perfect. Give them no reason to think I am not fit for him.

When we enter the court chambers.

He sees me but his eyes hold little affection when they find mine. The loud clud of the doors closing behind me causes a slight tremor down my body.

I swallow my nerves and move with my father.

“Alpha, Luna” my father greets with a bow and I join him.

“Rise Elian. We are soon to be family. Welcome.”

Alpha Rowan tells my father and he gives a chaste smile.

“Damon why don’t you take your fiancée on a walk while the adults discuss important matters,” Luna speaks.

Damon returns his mother’s request with a nod.

He walks past me and I hear the chamber doors open and shut again.Same slight tremor.

I give my father a weak smile to hide the surprise that he did not acknowledge me. Just left me here.

“Alpha, Luna” I greet them both before turning on my heels to catch up with Damon.

“Is something the matter?” I ask, panting as I try to catch up with him. He is way taller than I am and his long legs held strides that needed me to run.

He does not answer me so I quicken my pace to keep up.

Servants pass us and give me a look of disdain.

“Isn’t she the wolfless girl?” they murmur as I pass but I ignore them. Swallowing the pang of hurt that follows with the rumours. I do not care about their opinion. Only his.

“Damon!”

He finally stops.

When I rush to reach him, I trip. He catches me in an instant and pulls me from falling on my face.

“Thank you,” I say when he steadies me on my feet.

His eyes are distant and full of worry. So I ask again.

“Is something the matter?”

The silence is loud except for the sound of water rushing down the creek. Birds chirp around us while jumping from tree to tree and I would have resigned myself to admire the beauty of this garden as it is not often I get to see one, but my future husband is not speaking to me.

“Freya, I have to speak to you about something.”

The way the words leave his mouth has my heart beating with anxiety.

“If I am going to be Alpha one day, I would need to be married,” he says, and my heart skips a beat. Is he going to propose to me now?

Yes, we have been betrothed to each other since I was eight. He is my first love, and when I turned sixteen, there was an undeniable shift between us. We were fated mates. My father told me to thank the moon goddess for such good fate.

I did not care about the moon goddess. Where was she when my mom died?

All I knew was I was in love and the thought of being apart from him was one I never entertained.

He loves me and he is going to claim me when we get married. His recent distance since I turned eighteen I could not understand, but I did not let it bother me.

“I would need a strong Luna by my side”, he continues, and I can hear my internal squeal as a small blush makes its way up my face.

I was not expecting a proposal.

“A luna with a strong wolf.”

My widening smile deflates.

“You have not shifted” he speaks the words as if it breaks his heart but it shatters mine.

Since I turned sixteen, I have been waiting for the day I would shift and find my wolf, but that day never came.

The members gave me a look of disdain as if it was a curse that I had not shifted. I was the only one in the pack left.

It was impossible for me to be an omega. I refused it. My father refused it. He and mom had strong wolves.

“I am a late bloomer. We all agree that was the problem. I..I..mean ..” stuttering as words evade me.

“Freya” he grips my shoulder cutting me off.

“We cannot wed if you do not shift.”

My eyes widen at the statement. He turns away from me.

“My father. He says I cannot marry a weakling.” His words are a slap to my face.

A weakling?

I am not a weakling. I agree I am not the strongest but a weakling.

I have tried my very best. Participated in pack duties that only members with their wolf should be capable of.

I knew my wolf would show up one day, so I pushed myself. Being the Beta's daughter I had no choice. My father spared me no loving treatment.

Hard and sharp, he raised me, and now, because I had not shifted yet. I am called a weakling?

This cannot be happening.

“We are fated mates Daimon” I choke out the words as the feeling of despair engulfs me.

“The Moon Goddess will not give me a wolfless mate” he bites back. Like the clankering sounds of shattering plates the insult falls on me and I flinch.

“I am not wolfless,” I raise my voice at him but it breaks as tears roll down my face.

I grab his hand, desperate and pleading.

“Damon, I love you.”

He pulls away from me as if my hand burns him and It pierces my heart.

“Duty surpasses love Freya” he says and my world comes to a complete stop.

Having no response as he walks away from me, I sob alone in the garden.

I love him

It is my duty to marry him

But I do not see anyone surpassing the other.

Moon goddess please, send me my wolf.

I repeat the silent prayer to her for the first time in a long time.

……………

The compound is full of everyone who is here to witness the union of their next-in-line Alpha.

I do not know what my father did or said but Damon has not mentioned any words concerning what we discussed last week. As if it never happened.

He is smiling at me from the altar as my best friend stands next to me.

I catch her staring at Daimon. When she turns and smiles at me,

“Finally” she coos handing me garden lilies, “I was going to kidnap him if he tried to break your heart. You two are perfect for each other.”

Jane has a way of making me feel better.

A blush creeps up my face as I stare at him. Warmth feels my stomach as butterflies threaten to implode inside me.

She is not wrong.

Ever since I was little we have been close. After I lost my mom, everyone avoided me, except Jane. She was and still is a breath of fresh air in my hard and lonely life. Till he came along.

“We have gathered here today to witness the joining of Daimon Aidenson and Freya Blackwood.

As the Alpha of this pack, I honour the moon Goddess by officiating these sacred rights.”

The fire crackles under the full moon and I smile at the mention of the moon Goddess.

She did hear my plea after all. Not exactly but I am not complaining.

Standing facing each other with our two hands joined in front of us and everyone.

The joining ended with the merging of our lips and how much I wanted to melt into him was devastating. To be in love and to be loved all the same. To be chosen all the same.

The full moon shone with twinkling stars scattered all around her. Like she’s smiling down at us. Joyous noise and clapping hands ricochet around us, but my eyes are connected to his. My husband, I feel safe.

Music, food and dance. That was the agenda for the remaining of the night though I just wanted the ceremony to end so it could just be the two of us. My smile is so big. It rivalled the sun. My father nods from his seat and I know he is proud of me.

I take a cup of drink to Alpha Rowan as part of the ritual. He is not smiling but drinks from the cup. He hands it back to me but he coughs.

The cup and its contents spill on the floor, forgotten as Damon rushes to his side.

We both gasp in horror as blood spills from his mouth. The music stops and every guest stands in shock as the Alpha falls to the ground.

The Luna screams from where she sits as the commotion gets louder.

I watch in slow motion as people push past me to attend to him while I stand welded to the ground, I cannot move.

Why is the Alpha choking blood?

What is happening?

“He’s been poisoned,”

A man attending to him says.

My eyes widen as the rate of my heartbeat picks up. There is a series of gasps going around.

This cannot be happening. It was supposed to be my perfect day. Still trying to grasps the situation someone shouts over the cackling noise.

“She poisoned the Alpha!”

I whip my head in that direction to see who did but every eye is on me.