Chapter 1: Woman in his arms

In the Norfield packs, Charlotte Mateo, age 22, waited for her husband and mate, the Alpha of the pack, to return home, but she hadn't seen him.

She knew he had been avoiding her lately, but as the Luna of the pack, she didn't want to leave him or end their loveless marriage.

She had been his wife for four years, and their fathers were friends, as her father was the Beta of the pack. To seal their friendship, they had arranged for Teddy to marry her.

Charlotte had just turned 18 when she got betrothed to Teddy Hudson. 

Teddy was the second son of the Hudson family, and since his elder brother had been abroad for years, showing no interest in the ruling power of the Norfield packs, Alpha Lucas Hudson decided to hand over the affairs of the pack to Teddy in the hope that he would look after the pack and help protect them from the ongoing rogue attacks.

Alpha Lucas Hudson was still alive, though aged; he had two sons and a daughter. His two sons were Jack and Teddy.

Jack was the rightful heir to rule the Norfield packs, but ever since Jack left the pack house when he turned 18 a decade ago, Alpha Lucas felt it better to hand over the pack affairs to his second son, Teddy, who had been around.

To take over the pack affairs, Alpha Lucas gave Charlotte Mateo to Teddy as his wife and Luna, to assist him in ruling the pack house, but Teddy didn't like Charlotte.

Since they tied the knot four years ago, Teddy hadn't touched her, nor mated with her to seal their marriage.

"Oh! For a week now, Alpha Teddy is not yet home. Should I call his father and report him? What kind of husband is he?" Charlotte pondered.

She had been enduring Teddy's ruthless nature. He beat her at home, rejected her food, and avoided their master bedroom. Charlotte had endured it all because her father told her not to leave Teddy.

She had suffered facial scars that would later heal, but Teddy didn't like her. He mostly pretended in front of others that he was a sweet, doting husband, especially during any of their pack functions. 

But once he came home, his beastly and animalistic nature took control of him.

Charlotte was wearing a pink nightdress. It was their marriage anniversary, and she wanted to look sweet for Teddy. Maybe, just maybe, he would finally touch her and consummate their marriage.

Charlotte knew she was not Teddy's true mate. Most female werewolves in the Norfield packs found their mates when they turned 18 years of age, but Charlotte was now 22 years old, and she hadn't found her mate yet. 

She wasn't wolfless, and on the night she turned 18, it was the same night her father gave her to Teddy as his wife.

"Alpha Lucas Hudson, here is my daughter, Charlotte Matteo. I present her to your son, Teddy Hudson, as his wife, mate, and chosen Luna of our pack, the Norfield packs," her father said in front of the Alpha and his family.

Charlotte loved Teddy; he was handsome, masculine, strong, and a skilled warrior of the Norfield packs. 

He single-handedly defeated battalions of rogues that had attacked their packs four years ago, and to this day, Teddy was a tough man. 

Teddy was only 22 years old then, four years ago when his father gave Charlotte to him.

"Charlotte, do you accept Teddy Hudson as your husband and chosen mate? To love and cherish until death separates you both?" Charlotte remembered the night she was given to Teddy Hudson.

Teddy had an aloof face; he wasn't pleased with her. Charlotte was dark in complexion, and that was something Teddy didn't like but kept silent about as he wanted to take over the pack.

Teddy did everything his father wanted him to do, so that he could take over the Norfield packs, and he had to suppress his irritation and accept Charlotte as his wife. Though she was young and stared at him with admiration, 

Teddy could see that Charlotte wanted to marry him, but he already had a mate, and he had to let his mate go for Charlotte's sake and to secure the Alpha's position of the Norfield packs.

"Yes, Alpha. I accept Teddy Hudson as my husband and mate. To love and to cherish until death do us part," Charlotte said to Alpha Lucas, who sat on the throne as the whole family clapped happily for her while Alpha Lucas turned to face Teddy.

"Teddy, do you accept Charlotte Mateo as your mate, chosen Luna, and to assist you in ruling over the Norfield packs in your elder brother's absence, until he returns?" Alpha Lucas asked, but Teddy replied, "Dad, I will only accept Charlotte as my Luna on the condition that even when Jack has returned, I will still be the Alpha of this pack?"

Alpha Lucas nodded and replied bitterly, "Yes, Teddy. You have my word, so long as you accept Charlotte and treat her right. You shall remain the ruling Alpha of the Norfield packs from today henceforth. So, do you accept to marry Charlotte?"

With green glowing eyes, Teddy replied, "Yes, I do."

Charlotte wiped the tears away from her eyes after she remembered the night she was given to Teddy Hudson. 

Teddy was 26 years old now, and Charlotte didn't know much about him. He kept her in the dark about his business, hangouts, and friends. She was only his wife and the current Luna of the Norfield packs by name.

It worried her so much if she would continue to live a loveless marriage. To brace herself, she remembered that Teddy had warned her not to contact him on the phone but to await his arrival. 

Charlotte decided to contact Teddy's Beta, Caleb Brown, to find out Teddy's whereabouts.

It was Friday night, and Charlotte was worried as the time in her room passed 11 PM. "Hello, Caleb," Charlotte spoke in a nervous tone to Caleb.

"Good evening, Luna Charlotte. Why are you calling me at this late hour? Do you want to implicate me and have me banished from our pack? You know how possessive Teddy is regarding you? Please refrain from calling me at this hour unless you want me to reject your calls and send them to voicemail," Caleb said, and Charlotte apologized to him, "Please, I'm sorry. It's just that Teddy hasn't returned home since last Monday when he left the house. Do you know his whereabouts?"

The phone call went silent for a while, and Caleb said, "Alpha Teddy will be home today; he went for a business meeting with the neighboring pack, but he will be home today. Take care, Luna."

Charlotte sighed as the phone call ended. Just then, she heard the doorbell ring, and it slipped her mind that she had heard a car arrive before.

When Charlotte rushed to unlock the door, Teddy was back with a woman in his arms.