Sweet Evangelina

“The prologue sounds interesting,” I thought to myself before turning the page over. I was sitting on the edge of my window with my nose deep into a romantic book. I like reading but, mind you, only novels and comics. My interest nowadays inclines towards erotica. Goodness, the details they provide. Lord have mercy, I wonder if the men in real life are as passionate as in fiction. I learned a lot of things from those books but never got to put them in practice.  

“I cannot wait for our mate to take us and make us his,” my wolf, Celine purred dreamily. I ignored her comment. She was just so dreamy all the time.   

It is not compulsory to have sex only after mating. Many wolves have sex before mating too. As to why I don’t, well, because the person I wanted to lose my v-card with has already lost his to his mate. 

Logan, the son of our alpha and future alpha king. He is the most handsome boy in our pack. With piercing blue eyes and that boyish smile, he can have any girl he wants. But what I like the most about him is his ever-burning passion for power. He can go to any length for his pack. No need to mention, he is the most popular boy in our pack. I wanted him too and I wished I was his mate but he was destined with someone else. I was heart-broken when he told me he has found his mate, Aliah, from a neighbor pack. Sometimes this mate thing feels like a curse. Who knows he might have fallen for me if not for matebond.  

My wolf was never a fan of Logan. She is the only reason I could never even get down to first base with him. He had once initiated but my wolf pulled away. She just wanted her mate. 

I might be wrong but I had sensed Logan’s interest in me before Aliah came into the picture. His flirting, that teasing smile, winks, holding hands… did I read too much into it? Was it all in my head? Of course, he changed completely after Aliah’s appearance and started ignoring me.  

And guess what, today is his mating ceremony. I wish I could badmouth Aliah but the girl is really sweet. She is stunning like every luna should be and has a warm smile. But no matter how much I pretend, it hurts. It hurts seeing your childhood crush falling madly in love with someone else. There is nothing romantic about one sided love. I really was hoping for us to be mates.   

“ Evie, get ready, will you? The ceremony isn’t going to wait for you,” I rolled my eyes at my aunt's sarcastic tone. Yes, my aunt. I lost my parents five years ago in an accident. My dad was beta. But after he died, the title was passed down to my uncle. My uncle took me in only to have the title. 

The transition from being a loved child to an insignificant orphan was painful. It was hard getting used to the fact that nobody cares. They seized my home too and I was living like a servant in my own house. Aunt would always taunt me for being an ungrateful child. She says I should kiss their feet for letting me stay with them. I do all the household and outside chores. I cook, I garden whereas Aunt keep herself busy with her kitty parties and all. I don't know what more she wants from me. Their constant taunting is one of the reasons I took to books. Reading was my escape from my harsh reality.  

Putting the book aside, I got to my full height which is only 5. 2”. My height is another factor that puts me in doubt. I don’t think I am destined to mate with an alpha. No Luna I know is this short. Logan’s mother is 5’8 and Alia is 5’11. My short height is a big disappointment for my uncle as he is expecting an alpha to be my mate.  

I exhaled loudly and went up to my closet to grab the dress for today’s ceremony. It was a lovely pink knee-length dress. Aunt had said it brings out the blue of my eyes. Once Logan had pointed out that I have beautiful eyes. That day, I didn’t move from the mirror and admired my eyes all day long, grinning like a fool that I was. Still the same fool.

Sighing, I lay the dress on my bed and went inside the bathroom to take a shower. 

……….

I came downstairs after getting ready and found my aunt, uncle, and Kyle, my cousin brother in the living room.

My aunt assessed my appearance from top to bottom with a critical squint, looking for any mistake. I waited for her verdict with bated breath. Once satisfied, she gave me a reluctant nod of approval. 

The ceremony will be attended by many renowned names and my aunt wanted me to snag a powerful alpha. Being the former beta’s daughter, the responsibility of forming ties with other packs through mating falls on me too. My uncle and the alpha hope that my mate is an alpha of some strong pack so that they could use it to their advantage. When they say things like this I feel as if I am just a commodity for their disposal. Which was in a sense true. 

I hate to admit it but we are a pretty weak pack. The balance of power has been disrupted with the sudden emergence of The Midnight Pack. As their name suggests, like a nightmare, its warriors strike in the middle of the night and rip the packs apart. No one has been able to survive their onslaught. 

The pack rose to prominence after Zavion Kessler- better known as Invictus- the unconquerable- ascended to the throne. He is called unconquerable both in terms of battle skills and looks. They say he is the handsome devil with a soul as bright as the new moon. You getting it, right?  He doesn’t know what mercy is. He feeds off on violence and thrives in others' fear. None of his victims got the opportunity to look beyond his vicious death claws. It is also believed that the barbaric alpha eats his victims’ heart and bathes in their blood to enhance his power. Some say he has made a pact with a demon of hell who shares his power with him and in exchange alpha Zavion feeds him human flesh. He has ominous black wings tattooed across his chest. They say these are the wings of his demon. And if it is not enough, he also wears a chain that has a claw dangling from it. To keep it short, he is a freak with no conscience. I heard he is on the hunt for his mate. I pity the woman who will end up with him.       

I’ve never seen him nor I wish to. It’s better to stay away from maniacs like him.   

So, as I was saying, the shift in balance has made it a necessity for us to make connections with as many strong packs as we can. If Midnight pack ever planned to attack us we won’t stand a chance. 

My eyes popped out in admiration as I observed the arrangements. The entire hall was decorated with lilies, Alia’s favorite color. As I had expected, almost every pack had shown up. No matter big or small, every pack is attending every gathering to strengthen their relationship with others. The midnight pack has already established its dominance over half of packs, those who are yet to face them are making strategies. To think once midnight pack was laughed at for having a weak king. Now his son was showing the world what true might and power looks like.     

“Evie,” I turned and found my best friend walking towards me. We both checked each other out. 

“I look better than you,” we both spoke at the same time.

“Jinx,” we both said again before bursting into a fit of laughter. 

Hanna has been my best friend since third grade. She is studying to be a healer and I must say she is a bright student. She isn’t a nerd though. My girl can kick anyone’s ass both figuratively and literally. She knows everything about me. She knows about my silly crush on Logan and how hurt I was when Logan found his mate. I know it’s no one’s fault but still it hurts. Hanna is beautiful with her sparkling green eyes and fiery red curls. She is taller than me and leaves no chance to throw it in my face. All in all she is a bitch, a pretty bitch. 

   

“Are you okay?” Hannah put a hand on my shoulder and asked in a serious tone when we stopped laughing. 

“Of course,” I assured her. She analyzed my face, knowing very well I was lying. She gave me a comforting smile.  

“Wanna try those ice cream?” she pointed to the stall where ice-cream was. 

“Why would you ask?” We made our way towards the stall. Luckily, neither she nor I stumbled upon our mates if we have any. 

Finally came the moment of marking. Logan and his mate were standing on the stage. They were looking perfect with each other. Logan leaned over and marked Aliah on her shoulder. The minister declared them as mates causing a roaring applause to ripple through the hall. I watched him pecking her lips and shudder when their lips touched. Spark. 

I wonder if I would ever get to feel that.