Naya's POV
The place is crowded, everyone is wearing black and holding glasses of champagne in their hands. I'm wearing black jeans and a brown hoodie. I am out of place, but I stand right behind so that no one notices me. The girls from the school almost look my way, but I duck. The last thing I want is for them to cause trouble for me.As I slowly walk through the crowd of people, I strain my neck to catch a glimpse of what's happening in the middle of the room. Everyone is so quiet, I wonder what they are all staring at. Finally, I see it– or am I supposed to say him?I see the new Alpha, Erus Bloodton. He is standing right there in the middle with his mother, Mrs. Bloodton. My lips part as soon as I see him, it's him! It's the same rude handsome man I saw! He is easily the tallest person in the room, his mother looks so small beside him. He has a buzz cut and his eyes are a kind of piercing brown. The girls are right, he is so handsome. He is wearing a black suit, hands in pocket and shoulders stiff. He doesn't look like someone whose father just died, he has such an expressionless face.A woman, who is recognized as a seer, is holding tied incense that is glowing as white smoke dances around– she is blessing him.“May your reign be greater than your father's.” She mutters. “You will lead this pack to greater heights. May the rogues be far from us..”He looks nonchalant, slightly annoyed like he doesn't want to be there. Quite a strange boy. Something jerks me and I remember why I am here.I quickly take out my phone to make a video of him. Sherry owes me one for this. I concentrate on making the video, making sure to zoom in on his face.Suddenly, the seer stops halfway, closes her eyes, and inhales dramatically. “Oh, the moon goddess, she has a message for you…” she breathes out.Alpha Erus glances at his mother, I know she is the reason why he is tolerating this. His mother bites down her lips and takes a step closer to the seer.“What does she say, great seer?” she asks.The seer opens her eyes so widely that I fear her eyes will fall out.“His mate. His mate is in the room with us.” The seer nods with vigor.Everyone in the room immediately gasps. Wow, this has just gotten more interesting. I see parents snap their fingers and their daughters run toward them. They adjust their hair and dresses. The young Alpha rolls his eyes and I almost laugh. This is premium gossip, Sherry better buy me lunch after I have shown this to her.The seer starts to walk around, her lips moving as she speaks words not understood by any of us. She is barefoot, her dress is so medieval, nothing like what any of us are wearing.Her hand shakes as she moves around the room, she is turning around in a slow circle. I see the way the faces of the girls fall with disappointment as she passes them. Who is she going to be? If it's a girl from our school she will be so popular by tomorrow.The seer keeps moving, and she comes closer to where I stand. I focus on the video, I want to capture the face of the girl when the seer chooses her.“Show us, moon goddess! Show us the chosen one!” The seer shakes with spiritual craze.Suddenly, her shaken finger stops. She doesn't move again. I hear a gasp, like someone bursting with relief. A girl has been picked. She is shaken with uncried tears and excitement, she grabs her mother's hand as her face turns red.“Is it me?!” She asks in a shaky voice. “It's me!”“No, child, it's not you.” The seer shakes her head. “It's her.”The men standing in front of me give way immediately and boom, the spotlight falls on me. Me. Naya Woods.I don't know what to do, so I quickly drop the phone into my pocket. I look behind me, but there is no one there. I'm the one who she is pointing at.“Me– me?” I touch my chest.“Yes, you, my child.” She affirms. “The moon goddess has chosen her, she is the destined mate to the young Alpha!”Loud murmurs fill. the crowd, it's probably because they don't even know who I am. I'm not an “official” member of the pack, my mother and I.This has got to be a silly mistake, what's happening to me? I want to run out of here, but my legs won't move! I am standing there, watching everyone looking at me, Erus Bloodton is looking at me.I see his jaw tighten and his eyes look like they are burning holes through me. He doesn't like me, I can tell immediately. This has got to be a bad dream…wake me up. My anxiety rises in my chest, I feel like I'm about to faint.“Naya!”Everyone turns to the door. My mother is holding our cleaning equipment, she looks bloody pissed at me. She's going to kill me.****My mum and I are sitting in Mrs Bloodton's office, we've been here for over an hour. My mother has been staring at the wall, she hasn't spoken to me, looked at me, or even touched the mountain of food that was brought to us.“Mum,” I touch her hand, begging her to speak to me.She doesn't react, she is pretending like I'm not right here.“Mum, please say something.” I croak with built-up tears. “Please, anything.”“I told you to go to the car, Naya.” She looks at me with pain. “Why don't you ever listen to me?”I know she is right. If I had gone straight to the car, this would have never happened. Another girl would have probably been picked, we would have gone home and at least had some steaks for dinner with what we'd earned.The door suddenly opens and Mrs Bloodton walks in. My mum and I immediately stand up. Mrs. Bloodton is a fucking legend around here, seeing her up close makes me shake. She is very beautiful, she is the Luna of this pack, and she also co-owns the Bloodton empire with her now late husband. She is beautiful, she smiles brightly at us and I melt.“I'm sorry Luna, my daughter was supposed to go straight to the car, we didn't mean trouble.” My mum begs.“Oh, come on, Miss Woods, I'm sure she is just being a normal teenager.” Mrs Bloodton laughs as she touches my mother's arm.I'm stunned. I would have sworn that this woman would have never touched my mother with a ten-foot pole.“Please, sit.” She gestures to the couches. “I've kept you here too long, let's just go straight to the point.”My mother and I glance at each other as we sit gingerly. The pretty couches aren't worthy of us.“I'm sorry about what happened, the seer is probably too old. We should appoint a new one.” She chuckles and waves off. “So, I guess it's best for all of us to just get over it.”I inhale calmly.“So, this is my offer.” Mrs Bloodton adjusts on her seat. “I will make you both official members of the pack, Naya here gets a scholarship till she is done with school, and I will give you a new house and ten million dollars. All you have to do is to accept the young Alpha's rejection.”I almost smile. All of that just to accept a rejection? Count me in! I saw the way the young Alpha looked at me, he didn't like me even a bit and even though he is good-looking, I would rather eat sand than be his mate.I'm bubbling with excitement, this is the best day of my life! Me and my mum aren't going to be poor anymore!“Mum!” I whisper to my mum with a smile on her face, but it quickly goes away.Why does she look so tense? Why hasn't she accepted this offer already? She sighs as she looks up at the Luna, Mrs Bloodton.“Why does she have to accept a rejection of it was a mistake?” She asks. “If it's a mistake, that means she isn't his mate, right? Or is she really his mate?”Mrs Bloodton laughs nervously. “Miss Woods, that's not important. This is a win-win situation. We will all be happy.”“I'm sorry, Luna, but my daughter won't be taking this deal.”“What?” Mrs Bloodton frowns.“What?” My heart falls.What's my mother talking about? Is she crazy? “Mum, what are you doing?” I ask her.“Let me handle this.” She tells me.Mrs Bloodton stands up with her face screwed with anger. She is vexed that my mother is rejecting this offer. “You do realize what you are throwing away?” Mrs Bloodton scoffs.“Yes, I do. That's why we don't take it. Thank you for everything, I will be back to complete the cleaning job tomorrow. Alone.”My mother grabs my hand roughly and hoists me to my feet. I try to protest, but my mother's stern face makes me shut up.“We will leave now, Luna.” My mother bows slightly. “May your husband rest in peace and may this Alpha's reign be prosperous.”*****My mother has refused to say a word to me or explain why she rejected the Bloodton family's offer. She knows that we need the money, and she knows that I need the scholarship, so why did she do something as foolish as rejecting it? She has taken my phone and also refused to explain herself to me. She also made me skip school for two days and it's been absolute torture.Finally, she has agreed for me to go back to school, but not after she has warned me not to speak to anyone about what happened at the Bloodton mansion.She drops me off at the school and zooms off. I inhale deeply, gathering my strength as I walk into the school.Everyone is looking at me weirdly, but I push it away. It's normal, they all hate me. I have barely gone to my locker when Sherry grabs my hand and pulls me into the bathroom.“Ahh, what are you doing, Sherry?” I groan.“Why haven't you replied to any of my texts or my calls?” She flicks her finger over my forehead.“Ouch! My mum took my phone!” I hit her shoulder. “What's up with you? Why are you so weird?”My heart drops as I see the look on Sherry's face. Something isn't right.“I told you not to come to school in the texts I sent.” She sighs. “Don't worry, I will drive you back home.”“Woah, what are you talking about?” I narrow my eyes with confusion.She sighs as she palms her face. She can't even look at me.“I heard what happened with Alpha Erus. Now he has placed a bounty on your head. Anyone who can get you to accept his rejection is going to be handsomely rewarded.”Naya’s POVMy heart crashes to the ground, what's she talking about? I wait for her to laugh and slap her knee. I want her to pull my cheek and tell me that I'm so easy to prank, but that doesn't happen. She is telling the truth, Alpha Erus hates me so much that he has placed a bounty on my head. “Oh my God..” I walk around with my hands pressed over my face. Why is this happening to me?! It's not like I chose to be mated to that Alpha, I mean I don't even have a wolf in the first place. Is there a glitch or something? Why won't my mother just allow me to accept the rejection? I don't even want to be with the guy and he hates me already. Look, he has placed a bounty on my head. I'm feeling lightheaded, so I press myself against the wall. I don't even know what to do. “Naya, are you listening to me?” Sherry raises my chin. “I will protect you, I will drive you home.” “I can't go home,” I say. “I have a math test today.” Sherry looks at me as if I've gone crazy. “You realize that
Naya’s POVMy body is still hurting, but my mother asked me to get into the shower and take a bath. Afterwards, she sits me down in front of the dresser and starts to apply makeup on my face. She takes her red lipstick– which she hasn't used in years – and she applies it on my already pink lips. “Mum, mum, you said that this wasn't okay.” I stammer. I don't understand why she has just suddenly agreed to the deal with Mrs Bloodton. I thought that she said that this is not a good idea? “The deal she is offering is not bad anymore.” She smiles thinly at me. “But, you said that it's not a good idea.” She holds her chin up and dabs some more powder under my eyes. “Naya, you are young, you are not going to understand. One day you will see that this is all good.” She puts my green dress on the bed and adds my good sandals to them. I don't have any accessories, so my mother takes off her earrings and drops them into my palms. At this point, I start to cry and shake my head. My throat
Naya's POV He hates me, I can tell. He was staring at his phone the entire time that I was with him and he left after five minutes. But his mother said that he and I were supposed to get personal, we were supposed to get to know each other. We are supposed to be married for goodness sake! My eyes water in the car as I am being driven home. Was it something that I did that has made him mad? Do I call his mother and ask for her to beg her son for me? After a long drive , the car pulls up in front of my house, the door opens immediately and mother steps out with eager eyes. She is going to be horrified when she learns that I did terribly and the Alpha doesn't like me. “Excuse me, miss. The Alpha said to give you this. Consider it as a small token to get yourself something nice.” The driver says. He is handing two bundles of money to me. I don't understand, why is he giving me such a huge amount of money? “What? The Alpha asked you to give this to me?” “Is there a problem, miss? D
Naya's POVI hold on to the strap of my school bag very tightly. What's going on here? Why have they all waited for me? “Boys and girls, let's give it up to welcome the fiancée of the Alpha, Naya Woods!” The claps are so loud that my ears are almost exploding. I walk amidst the clap. Trying my best not to trip over my trembling legs. They are all smiling, waving at me as if we have all been cool from day one. The truth is that I've never known peace since I stepped foot in this school. I was a scholarship student, that means that if not for my brain, I wouldn't have had the chance to attend this school. Their expensive school. The rich kids hate me for this. They hated that a peasant like me should be in the same classroom as them, drinking from the same fountain of knowledge. It was unhinging to them because I drank better, I was at the top of the class. So, excuse me if I find their smile a little too ominous for my liking, if I found the friendliness of their eyes too vague.
Naya's POVHearing that Brie Catelle’s family has been thrown out of the pack and the city comes to me as a heavy shock. I don't know what I expected, many people have bullied me and gotten away with it. I didn't expect Brie’s bullying to be the one to suffer consequences. Erus Bloodton is nonchalant, he didn't even look like he liked me, but he is going hard on people that have wronged me. Mister William sees the shock on my face and he waits for me to recover. It takes a while. “But how is that possible?” I murmur. “Brie's father is the head of the biggest bank in the city, they can't just be kicked out like that.” “Miss Naya, I don't think that you understand how important you have gotten. The Alpha, Erus, is really serious about you. And we all have to respect his wishes.” I nod, feeling a dryness in my throat. I think I'm getting dizzy or something. “Thank you, Mister William.” I say. “You are very welcome, ma'am. Please put in a good word for me when you see your fiance,
Naya's POVThat shatters my poor heart! Haven't I had it bad enough?! Why are they trying to take my mother away from me so early?!“That's not right, no I refuse to accept that! I need to talk to someone, Alpha Erus, his mother, I need to talk to someone!” I yell. “Hush, baby, it's okay. You are going to be fine, you are a big girl and can do it on your own.” My mother kisses my cheek. She is hiding her tears from me, she knows that I will have a total breakdown if I see her cry too. She tells me goodbye and Lance is even kind enough to ask another driver to drive her home in a different car. He drives me into the compound and I view the paradise with tears in my eyes. If I was told that I would one day be moving into a place like this, I would have called bluff. Lance drops me right at the door of the house and when he opens the door for me, he gives me a small smile. He helps me take my stuff out of the car, and he rings the doorbell. We wait for about five seconds and a ser
Naya's POVI have never experienced something like this. I am so conscious of my bare body and I have suffered from body dysmorphia and I hate being naked in front of everyone. She doesn't mind that I'm shaking terribly, she keeps her eyes on me and even shakes her head as she amuses herself with the sight of me. “You haven't answered my question, girl. Don't you know that it's rude for you to keep your Luna waiting for your answer?” This is a very personal question and I wish I am in a proper state to answer it. Perhaps we can discuss this at a more proper setting, but she is not giving me that chance. She wants the answer now. “Are you a Virgin, Naya?” “I– I don't know.” I shiver. “What are you? Dumb?” She barks at me. “It's a simple question! Yes or no! Don't waste my damn time!” I shut my eyes, but I can hear my own teeth chattering with fear. Do I have to live with this woman till when?She comes into the shower, my heart is thumping more than ever. She turns on the water
Naya's POVLuna Bloodton is not happy because she wanted to deal with Marcus very well, but I intervened and ruined everything. Her idea of a punishment for me was to invite the family doctor to give me a thorough examination in her office. I was asked to take a bath prior to the doctor's arrival and as soon as the doctor came, I was asked to lay on the table table as my privates were touched and examined. After the most excruciating ten minutes of my life, the doctor is done and declares me to be a virgin. It doesn't change anything for Luna Bloodton, she just shrugs as if she had expected me to be a virgin the whole time. I am ordered to go to my room. Two days, it's been five days since I have moved into the Bloodton mansion and it has been some of the craziest days of my life. I am having different kinds of lessons as Luna Bloodton is trying her best to shape me into a wide for her son. Before he comes back from this trip of his. My legs are shaved. My eyebrows plucked. My
Erus' POV “Really?” Naya asks. “I can just toss it out.” “Yeah, daddy. It's going to taste so terrible.” Jordan says with laughter. I can't believe that she is teasing her mother right in front of me. I ruffle her hair and walk over to her mother's side. “Let's be nice, Jordan. Try your mother's cake.” Naya cut some pieces for us, and I put it in my mouth. Jordan does the same, and her eyes are waiting for my reaction. Naya is holding her breath, she knows that she is going to be torn apart by us. “Wow, very tasty.” I mulch. Jordan nods too. “I like cake.” Naya looks at both of us, as if she knows that we are not telling the truth. “Come on, you guys don't have to lie to my face.” “It's good,Naya.” I said to her, Since she doesn't want to believe me, I cut an even bigger piece and stuff it into my mouth. Jordan grins with amusement, I guess that's the stillest thing she has ever seen me do. “I'm going to take some cake to lily,” Jordan grabs another piece of cake and rus
Naya's POV Erus just texted me, and never has my heart jumped so much with excitement. It's been weeks since we last saw him, and I hate to admit it, but I kind of miss him. Don't get it twisted, he is still a thorn in my flesh, but I miss him. Jordan misses him too. When I inform her that her dad is going to be here in a few hours, she stands up and twirls around in joy. “My daddy is back! My daddy is back!” I can't help but chuckle. “Yeah, so I guess you should put your toys away.” She immediately becomes obedient and starts to put them away. “Good girl. When you are done, I'll bathe you and then put you in a nice dress.” I stand up myself and head back to my bedroom. I look a mess, I have been in sweatpants for days now, and I haven't looked into the mirror. I blink at my reflection, and I almost flinch at the uneven bits of hair sticking here and there. I should have had there haircut a few days ago. I slip into the kitchen and start to take out stuff from the cupboard
Erus' POV I read through the proposal that Devon left on my table for a long while, and as I slip through the pages, I find out that his proposal is actually brilliant. This would actually put a whole lot of money in my pocket! I angrily pick up the telephone and punch Brandon's number in there. Today is supposed to be his day off, he doesn't even know that I'm back from my trip yet….He yawns when he picks up the phone. “... Erus Bloodton's office…” “Why didn't you tell me that Devon's proposal was this fucking great?” I slam it against the table. “Alpha? Is that you?” He asks, his voice has suddenly gotten clearer. “Don't tell me that you are drunk.” I sigh. “Why am I just seeing this proposal, Brandon? You are supposed to be bright and let me know when something this great is laying around!” Brandon drags a sigh. “Sir, I have kept that on top of all the work on your desk for like four weeks straight!” “Yeah, whatever.” I huff. “If something like this happens again and I
Naya's POV I should have turned around and ran, but my stupid legs won't move. I just hold on to my shopping basket as I stare at her. I still remember that night at the hospital that triggered my prolonged absence, and I still remember that she was one of the causes of it. Pam comes over to me, and puts her hands around me in a hug. I want to pull away, but I don't. Her hands feel so cold to me, so does her hug. “Girl, where the hell have you been?” She gently rocks my shoulders. Her wife stands beside her, her curious blue eyes flickering at me. “Is this she?” She points and whispers. “The Alpha's wife?” “Yes, yes, this is Naya Woods.” Pam nods. “Naya, this is my wife, Camilla.” I manage to smile at Camilla and shake her hand. “It's nice to meet you, Camilla.” Camilla smiles back, then Pam whispers something to her before she goes away. “I have been trying so hard to get in contact with you. We have all been worried about you. We thought you fled Bloodton again, or someth
Naya's POV Dropping Jordan off to school is an extreme sport. She is happy and bubbling, she doesn't know how shitty our lives are right now, and she doesn't know about the scary rogues that are crawling around the city. But it's okay, she deserves to be a happy girl. “Mum, can we get a happy meal after school?” She asks, looking out the window. “Of course, my love. As much as you want.” I smile at her. “And Daddy, can he come with us too?” She asks, playing with a strand of her hair. My breath stiffens, but I manage to keep my smile in place. “I don't think your Dad is available, cupcake, but I will give him a call.” I assure her. He has been away for some days now. He has pulled back on the phone calls too, so I'm not surprised that she is asking. I don't want to call him. If Erus isn't in my business, I take that as a breath of fresh air and stay away from his. After walking Jordan to the door, and her teacher flashes me a smile before taking her down the hall. I am abo
Naya's POV “ I know that you have gloated and relished in the fact that my son chose you over me, and kicked me out of the house that I've lived in for decades, but I need you to give your word that you won't say a thing about me being here.” My throat feels dry. To even think that Luna Bloodton would ever ask me to do something for her. “Yes, Luna, you have my word. I won't tell him about this, I swear.” She nods and turns to her guards, nodding at them too, they step out of the house. Sherry can't stand Luna Bloodton, because she knows everything the woman did to me when I was a young bride to her son. She gently squeezes her hands as she turns to me. “I will be going up the stairs.” “Thanks, Sherry.” I briefly hold her hand. As soon as she is gone, I turn back to Luna Bloodton. It's ironic that I have turned into a host in a house that she has lived in longer than me. “Would you like some wine, Luna?” I offer as I walk her to the living room. “I'm not as young as I was y
Erus' POV “You had had to ruin the fun, Gwen.” I wipe my knife and put it away. She annoys me more than anything right now. Did she know how long it took to get that rogue? We weren't even able to get one good answer out of it! She heaves as she drops the gun to the ground “I'm sorry, okay? He was looking at me weirdly and it freaked me out.” “Yeah, of course it did.” I huff. “Now, it's your mess to clean up.” I give Brandon a glance, and I head to the door. “This meeting has come to an end.” I murmur. “But sir, we haven't spoken on how to deal with this problem. What if the rogues appears and start to kill people again? What are we supposed to do?” “Double your security measures, and call me as soon as you see a rogue.” I order. Brandon and I leave the room and head to the elevator. Brandon is sighing over and over again, I have to turn to look at him. “Are you dying or something?” I ask him. He is now sweaty and white like a ghost. “I hope not, sir,” he pulls at his coll
Erus' POV There, she said it. I have always known that she couldn't stand Naya, even when she tried to deny it. I shut my eyes and drop my face into my hands. Brandon immediately stands up and tries to curb this crisis. “Miss Bloodton, I don't think that you are using the right words.” He laughs nervously, raising his finger in protest. "It's true that Naya was attacked, but she is not working with the rogues, that's absurd." She twists her neck around with a look of absolute disgust on her face. “Are you speaking to me, little boy? Do you think because you are my brother's personal servant that you should suddenly be able to speak to me?” Brandon immediately bites down his lips, swallowing the rest of his words as he backs away. I didn't say a single word, so he sits back down behind me. “Miss Gwen, are you saying that the Alpha's wife is part of the enemy?” one of them asks. “Exactly.” Gwen affirms. “She might look like she is very innocent, but she is the answer to conque
Erus' POV She says goodnight and the door clicks as she goes back into the house. If I was told that I would ever be driving late at night to give my daughter her favorite toy, I would have called it bluff. I inhale the cold air as I turn around and start to walk back to my car. My phone vibrates in my pocket. It's a text message from Brandon, reminding me about the meeting I am supposed to be in right now. I put the car in motion and drive away from the house…It takes me almost twenty minutes to get back to the office, where Brandon is waiting for me outside, he is shivering from all the cold. “Sir, I'm sorry for blowing up your phone like that.” He rubs his hands together. “They are all waiting inside.” We walk into the building, through the turns and elevator, and then he opens the door of the conference room. There are over twenty men sitting in the room right now, they all stand up and bow as soon as they see me. “Gentlemen, you may take your seats.” I sit by myself.