CHAPTER 4

ESMERAY

"Hope I'm not bothering the ladies," he said, a smirk now on his lips.

It was Beta Leon of the Blue Rock Pack from the west side, and my heart sank.

"No, of course not. I was just about to leave," Miriam answered in one breath as she rushed out of the room, leaving me with a mischievous wink for some reason as she shut the door behind her.

Leon's parents and mine were allies and good friends to the core.

My father had met Leon's dad during the battle of the alphas, although they weren't from this kingdom. Ever since they met, their friendship grew stronger, and of course, it made sense for Leon and me, who were their children, to be close as well.

The silence in my room persisted for a while before the handsome Beta standing by my bed broke it.

"Well, someone has been a crybaby," he said, chuckling as he approached to sit beside me on the bed.

"Get out." On a regular day, I wouldn't struggle to make that funny, although he chuckled at my words again.

"I would, but I can't miss your mother's tasty delicacies she is preparing for dinner, so... No!"

"What do you want, Beta Leon?"

"Hey, just wanted to see my childhood friend on the beginning of her special day, the battle of the alphas. And you know you don't need to add 'Beta' before my name. Only my comrades do that," he said, massaging his ego. "And hey, don't try to change the topic."

I stood up from my bed now at a different angle, avoiding eye contact with Leon as I wiped my puffy eyes with my palms.

"I am fine, Leon."

"Cut the crap, Esmeray. I can smell that your bedsheets are soaked with tears. Tell me what happened."

"You can't do anything about it."

"Try me. You'd be surprised how strong this Beta is," he said, his head now tilted in my direction as he crossed his arms around his chest.

"I know you are strong, but this is not about going all out in combat."

"Then what is it, Esmeray?"

"I trust you Leon, but I am not ready to talk about it just yet until I have my answers."

"Really...Since when did we start keeping secrets, little Esmeray?"

That's what he called me because of the two-year age gap between us. Leon was two years older than me.

"Leon.."

"Okay, okay... I trust you," he said, with his hands lifted up as a sign of giving up.

"And please don't tell Mom and Dad I was crying. I don't want them to worry."

He stood up from where he sat and approached me, cupping my face to meet face to face with his, barely inches away from each other.

"Get ready. Dinner will be served soon," he said slowly as his grey eyes circled round my face. I felt he wanted to say more but was hesitant.

"Alright, leave," I jokingly said.

A smile graced his lips as he stepped backward with his hands up without saying anything and left my room.

"Arrghh!" I grumbled after he shut the door behind him.

I wasn't comfortable shutting Leon out, but I also couldn't bear the embarrassment of telling him that my mate plainly rejected me. It would make the pain I'm feeling deeper since everyone knew how much I love the idea of the mate bond.

"We have to get ready to meet him again," Fox snapped me out of my thoughts, and she was right. I needed to clean myself up right away.

I took off the royal ball snow-white gown I had put on for the chamber, but it was not as neat as when I first wore it, so I threw it to the side of my bed.

Without wasting any more time, I locked my door and headed straight to the bathroom. I was certain I spent forever in there, as it was already sunset when I came out. Then, I heard a knock on my door.

"Princess, dinner is served," a voice called out.

"I'll be there in a minute," I responded hastily.

I changed into something more comfortable and less formal—a long gown embroidered and gifted to me by Miriam on my 18th birthday. It felt comfortable, even though it revealed my curves and part of my right thigh due to its straight opening that ended at my thighs.

I stared at my reflection in the princess mirror and was relieved to see that I was no longer crying. My wolf had also seemed to improve.

Maybe it was because Miriam had agreed to help me meet my mate again. I grabbed my black scarf and finally left my room for dinner.

I hurriedly descended the stairs, with one hand clutching the railing, until I reached the ground floor.

I walked through the grand hallway until I came face to face with the enormous dining table on the other side.

"And there she is," Leon uttered while taking a spoonful of food into his mouth.

"My daughter, come sit beside me, Esmeray," my mom called as I approached the dinner table, filled with more than enough food.

I took her hands with a faint smile curving my lips as she watched me take my seat beside her.

"Is anything wrong, my dear? I sense sadness around you," my father interrupted.

"Yes, is something wrong, my dear?" my mom added, as Miriam approached and served me my plate.

"Thank you, Miriam."

My gaze shifted to Leon, who was sitting across the table, and he shook his head in a reflexive manner, as if he knew what I wanted to say.

"I'm okay, Mom and Dad," I said, simultaneously taking a spoonful of food into my mouth to avoid further questions.

"Dear, if it's about being anxious to meet your Alpha, I can understand," my mom blurted out of nowhere, causing me to choke on the food in my mouth.

"Haha."

I lifted my head to Leon's scornful laughter.

To divert the topic from me and avoid being the center of attention tonight, I gladly set Leon up.

"So, Leon, haven't you found your fated mate by now?" I said with an evil smirk on my lips.

"That's right. I found my beautiful Luna here when I was about your age, son. Have you been attending galas in the hopes of finding her sooner?"

My father picked up the conversation from there, and I could see Leon's face covered with a glare as he stared at me. It made me happy.

As time passed, the conversation at the dinner table went on without including me.

I kept tapping my foot on the floor because I was feeling restless.

"Where is she..." I whispered to myself as my eyes scanned the dining table.

Almost immediately, I felt a touch on my shoulders, and I instinctively turned my head in it's direction. It was Miriam.

"Excuse us, my king. Princess Esmeray and I will be heading to bed now."

"Yes, father! Good night, mother."

"Goodnight, sweetheart," she said, blowing kisses into the air.

I looked away and quickly followed Miriam up the stairs. We didn't stop until we reached my room's door.

"Currently, all the surviving alphas are mating in the warriors' chambers. If your fated mate survived the first stage, you will find him there," Miriam said in one breath.

"Good luck, princess." She held my hand for comfort, and I nodded, slipping my hand away as I rushed to the warriors' chambers.

Along the way, I put on my scarf to conceal my identity because a princess shouldn't be in such a manly place all alone, especially at this time of the day.

The warriors chambers was outside the palace, but Miriam had made a way for me to go out unnoticed. The scent of arousal filled the air as I stepped into the warriors' chambers.

I could hear moans and screams of alphas and she-wolves from different tents all over the place. It was terrifying.

I could still remember his scent, my fated mate, so I focused on it until I picked it up from a nearby tent and hurried in that direction.

I stepped inside his tent without realizing it, perhaps because it was about to rain and I didn't want my clothes to get wet.

But then, as I removed my scarf, I saw him standing right in front of me, halfway undressed. His broad back looked incredibly attractive from my perspective.

He slowly turned his head towards me, and our eyes met. However, his face showed no emotions, making it difficult for me to read his thoughts.

He tilted his head back to its previous position and finished undressing. I had to close my eyes to resist any temptation.

Though my eyes were shut, I could sense him getting closer to where I stood frozen. His presence was dominating.

"Lie down on the bed," his voice came out hoarse, causing me to tremble where I stood.

"Don't make me repeat myself."

What had I gotten myself into? Was I really going to allow my mate fuck me as if I meant nothing to him? Did he even remember that I was the princess?

"H... How dare you, Alpha? I'm the princess of the Silverstone Pack!" I said, forcing my eyes open to meet his intense gaze, filled with ruthlessness.

I did my best to keep my head up, fixating my gaze on his hardened face, even though he was still naked beside me. He was close enough for me to feel him if I stopped resisting.

His forehead creased as he ground his teeth. I could now see that my words had angered him, which was the last thing I wanted to do.

"I don't care if you're the princess. A princess shouldn't be in the warriors' chambers in the first place, so stop talking and do as I say."

He stepped closer to me, narrowing the distance between us, and it only weakened my defenses.

"Remember, I am not merciful to disobedience. Step onto the bed and spread your legs. I can smell your arousal," he whispered directly into my ear.

Fear gripped me, my fated mate had rejected me earlier today, so why did he want me now?

"You called me a distraction. You rejected me without even knowing me. Why?" I managed to say between sobs, allowing my tears to flow freely down my cheeks.

A firm hand grasped my waist, holding me tightly. The next thing I knew, I was in the arms of my Alpha, who was still naked. We stood there in silence as his captivating eyes gazed upon my frightened expression, soaked in tears.

"Hush, kitten," he finally broke the silence, lifting me from the ground and carrying me to his bed.

*****AUTHOR'S NOTE****

If you've made it this far into the book, I deeply appreciate you. 🙏 It's my first-ever werewolf story, and I'm not exactly sure how readers would perceive it, so I'm open to constructive criticism. ◉‿◉ I do hope you stick around for the next chapter as we uncover the dramas ahead between Alpha Caesar and Esmeray.