Chapter 1. Rejection

~Kimberly POV~

"Has he made his appearance?" As I rose from the bed and strutted to the front door of the home, I inquired from Mona, my stepsister.

My brows furrowed. My face had stiffened, and my eyes had leveled out. I lean out the door, hoping to sneak up on Alpha Derrick, who enters the house with four of his followers.

Alpha Derrick wore a black robe, as he had for years. He has a dominating demeanor and an imposing appearance.

Everyone shuddered from their toes to the base of their spine at the manner he entered. People are terrified to speak when they stare into his eyes. I couldn't help but give him another look as I retraced my steps back into the room.

His face, in my view, was the most beautiful thing a man could have, not because of his appearance, but because of the light in his eyes and the delicate warmth on his lovely face.

Alpha Derrick is the scary Night Walker Pack leader. The pack that instils terror in several other packs. After tonight's engagement, he would become the world's youngest Alpha to ever own a whole city.

Our pack, Moon Stone, owns a chunk of downtown Perth city, and exercises total dominance over all other packs, save the Night Walkers. My father, Alpha Darwin, has spent the past two years committing a portion of all we own to Alpha Derrick to build a working relationship with them.

To ensure the continued viability of both packs, Alpha Derrick ordered my father to abstain from overseeing the other section of downtown. Not only that, but he also proposed marriage to me.

Without hesitation, my father gave me and the other half of the city to Alpha Derrick.

After tonight's engagement, I will join the Night Walker Pack and embark on a new chapter in my life. I'm hoping I won't have to linger too long on this decision!

"You're nervous, aren't you?" Mona, who struts in front of me, inquires, and I comply with a sneer on my face. I jerked my head twice, but my sight remained fixed on her. She cast a peek my way as she grasped my hands. "Relax, Kimberly; tonight is yours to spend any way you like. You are the most fortunate woman on the globe to have gotten access to Alpha Derrick's heart."

"We all know I didn't win him over," I mumble quietly as I scowl and roll my eyes at her. "It's all Dad's fault!"

"And what did Alpha Derrick have to say about all of this?" He chose to ally with us because he admires you."

"Pfft… Alpha Derrick have a soft place in his heart for me?" I doubt it! He is just concerned with the whole downtown area, which he will acquire in a couple of minutes." I reacted. It's simple to see why he never turned down my father's offer. This is because he desires the city, and not me.

"Common, Kimberly, we are all well aware of Alpha Derrick's behavior. He would never say yes, out of self-interest. He makes a point of putting others first."

"It seems you know him better than we do," I remarked, and we both broke out laughing. However, I am accurate in my evaluation. Mona talks as though she is closer to him than I am capable of believing, and I believe her.

"You messed up your makeup," Mona murmured as she brushed away the mascara from under my eyes with the tip of her finger. "You should dress impeccably for him tonight."

"Thanks…" The corner of my lips twitched into a grin as I watched her do my makeup. Others feel she is far older than I am, judging by her continual defense of me.

Three years ago, when I was eighteen and had my first shift beneath a full moon, Mona was the only one who remained by my side for the whole of the night. I anticipated her to be afraid, but the reality was quite the reverse. She tormented the tail of my white wolf until she fell asleep as a consequence of her courage.

I am twenty-one years old now, whilst she is seventeen. I'm excited to observe her eighteenth birthday, which will coincide with her first night shift, and to connect her for the first time with her mate.

Mona treats me as if I were her younger sister, which is fantastic. "I'm going to miss you so much!" I had no clue when the words escaped my lips.

"I'll miss you much more than I already do." Mona suddenly embraced me. She clutched my hand hard, her expression was sorrowful. "Remember, I will always love you and stand at your side!" She whispers into my ear.

My cheeks flushed with heat as soon as I heard her last words. I wriggled her free and placed my hand on her hair.

"Will—-"

Luna Catherine entered the room and interrupted me amid my sentence. "Could you perhaps explain why you are still here?" Her brows furrowed slightly in concentration. "Hey, Kimberly! You need to get downstairs now!"

"Mom!" Mona snapped at her when she observed her mother's unpleasant face towards me.

"All right, Mom… er rm I mean ma'am," The word "mom," which Luna Catherine despises hearing from me, slips out of my mouth inadvertently.

At various times, she has instructed me not to refer to her as my mother. I'm not certain why it continues to tumble out of my mouth spontaneously. Perhaps it is because I referred to her as such for many years until she just asked me to stop.

When I was three years old, my mother died from an inexplicable illness. As the pack's leader, my father was pressured to tie the knot as swiftly as he could. It is impossible to leave Luna's headquarters unattended for an extended period. As a consequence, he was coerced into marrying Luna Catherine, Mona's mother.

Luna Catherine showered me with all the mother's love I could want before Mona's arrival. However, she had a tremendous transformation with the birth of Mona.

Luna Catherine was brimming with contempt towards me. I'm going to assume that was in response to my father. He was so concerned about me that he never made light of anything concerning me. She regards me as a rival to her daughter and wishes for all of my father's devotion to being kept for Mona alone.

Mona, on the other hand, is an opposed personality to her mother. Since she was a little child, she has been a kind young girl. We are unable to be apart for too long.

"I'm not sure why your father felt obligated to choose you at all! I hope Alpha Derrick won't be disappointed when he first sees you!"

Her words pierced my heart, and I was surprised by the sensation of my heart thumping against my ribs. My bottom lips were clenched together, my hands tightly clutched around the white body-con dress I was ready to put on. Even though I'm used to her vexing remarks, the one she just made has me on the edge.

To be quite honest, I believe I am unworthy of being referred to as Alpha Derrick's mate. In every way, he is far superior to me. I'm also not as intriguing as the other she-wolves who are constantly tossing themselves at him.

He seemed to have been swayed by destiny, as he accepted without hesitation to our engagement.

"There is never a time when it is too late to make a difference. You still have the option of withdrawing to avoid public embarrassment!" Luna Catherine murmured as she fixed her gaze on me. 

"I'm sorry," I said.

"That, Mom, I believe is enough!" Mona fastened a glare on her with a penetrating gaze. Luna Catherine remained silent, but rolled her eyes and exited the room. "Kim, please do not let mother's words impact you. You have a stunning face."

"Thank you very much, Mona," I responded, feigning a smile. I am not going to let her remarks ruin the best night of my life.

I haven't been able to get a mate since I had my shift, which is unusual in our pack. Every she-wolf in our pack is always reunited with her mate the next day after their shift, except for mine.

I have no concept of what it's like to have a mate or to be connected to your soulmate. My friends always express how they're feeling, and I've been secretly hoping that I'll finally be able to experience it myself. 

"All right, let's get going before Dad's come looking for us," I said. 

Mona is the one who leads the way out of the room, with me trailing close after. As we went out of the room, I could feel my heart thumping against the inside of my chest.

From the entrance of the pack house, where we were, all the way down to the exit door of the pack house, there were a variety of fresh packs carried in from the city. They were all humming in time to the music that was playing in the hall.

My father was the first person I noticed as I went into the room. He was busy with negotiations with the other alphas gathered around the large table.

As I glanced around, I noticed that someone seemed to be missing from the group of individuals that were seated with him. Alpha Derrick is nowhere to be seen among them. "Where could he be?" I have a bitter look on my face when I look at them.

"Huh?" Mona shifted her hips in different directions. Her eyes are wide open. She misunderstood my statements for her own. "What did you say?" She enquired.

"I can't seem to find him!"

"Who? Alpha Derrick?" 

"Yes!"

"Take a look over there!" When Mona drew her finger to my back, I quietly twisted around. What I saw was an intriguing sight that I will remember for the rest of my life.

Alpha Derrick's stunning blue eyes met mine for the very first time. Goosebumps descend upon me like rain for no cause. I couldn't keep my gaze away from him. It was as though those piercing blue-sea eyes of his had imprisoned me.

I could feel my body growing heated, nearly to the point of being uncontrolled. It felt unsettling to have my fingers twitching in response to something so bizarre. Suddenly, the moment came to an end.

As Alpha Derrick sat back in his chair, one of his brows was raised. He had a carefree grin on his face as if he was unfazed by what he had seen. I was immobilized with horror. I did, in fact, freeze like an idiot.

Despite this, my moist eyes still had enough time to unclothe him. Please don't hold it against me, but I couldn't seem to keep my gaze away from him. He was a very tall, muscular man with broad shoulders. A man who is irresistibly gorgeous and who has no difficulty with ladies.

He had a structured, somewhat crooked nose, possibly as a consequence of past battles, as well as a weird, concealed smile, as if he knew something that we didn't. He was immersed in an odd, mysterious aura. Furthermore, he is, undoubtedly, my ultimate dream man.

"Kimberly!"

My eyes widened as the sound of Mona's voice shook me out of my daydream. "I… I… am Kimberly!" With a wave, I introduced myself to him, and I must admit that I stuttered a bit.

When he first heard my name, he had a sour look on his face. He seems to be unimpressed by what he is experiencing in front of him.

When I noticed his reaction, I let my right hand hang in the air. Even a fleeting glance of his stare makes me feel dejected. What exactly am I doing here? I was believing that he wouldn't be troubled by my looks, but I was incorrect. Through his beautiful eyes, I could see his resentment towards me.

"Can you tell me precisely what this thing is doing here?" He turned to one of his followers and asked with a fierce glare. 

He ultimately says something. However, I'm uncertain if I should be thrilled or upset when someone refers to me as a "thing!" I can't pretend I wasn't aware of his disdain for me, even though I like the way he talks. Instead of answering, I buried my face in my hands, overwhelmed regretfully.

When my wolf overheard his statements, I could tell she was furious and that she wanted to do something uncalled-for. I, on the other hand, keep command of the situation. We have no chance against the strongest alpha in the city.

"She's my sister, and you're going to be mates in no time! Is there a problem with that?" Mona rushed over to my side and squared up to him. I exhaled and arched my brows. I couldn't believe what my ears were hearing.

"What do you think you're doing?" I creased my brows when I stare at her. I quickly hauled her behind me and turned to address Alpha Derrick. "I apologize for her impolite behavior." My chin is still buried between my chest.

Alpha Derrick chuckled as he marched up to us. I stayed still, not daring to open my eyes. My knees slapped against one other, and my hands trembled. 'What is he doing, getting closer to me?' Is he going to hurt us?'

I had countless questions running around in my head, but I couldn't come up with any answers. 'If he tries to put a hand on Mona, I'm going to have to fight him to the death!' With a defiant look on my face, I thought to myself.

As Alpha Derrick got closer to me, he came to a full halt. He carefully raises my head and grips my chin between his index and middle fingers. When his touch brushes across my skin, my heart skips a beat. My eyes twitch compulsively as I scrutinize his beautiful skin up close.

'What precisely is he seeking to accomplish? Is he pleased with the way I expressed my regrets? I need to take a big breath and try to find out what he is aiming at.'

"I believe she's wonderful! As a result, I chose her to be my mate!" The sound of Alpha Derrick's voice resonated across the hall, and everyone turned to face us, their eyes and mouths wide open. When I heard him express his affections for me, I instantly had butterflies in my tummy.

But, to my complete surprise, he immediately tugged me to the side. "She would be my future Luna!" He suddenly grabbed Mona's hand in his and hoisted it to the heavens…