CHAPTER 1

JAYDEN’S P.O.V.

“Ah, I always love visiting Switzerland,” Jared exclaimed as he stretched and stepped out of the charter plane that our dad owns. Most of our lives, we have travelled via this plane. And we travel so frequently that this plane is like my second home, well, after the Whitaker mansion in Romania – technically, that is my second home because we visit it thrice per year… and while I do not mind going to meet granddad Whitaker and big-ma Sharia, the travel is always a pain. It is just too damn far away!

I grimaced as I felt weird. I have been feeling weird ever since we entered the Swiss airspace, it was like a tug, or should I say a pull in my gut that told me I needed to land immediately.

“Cheer up, Jay,” Jared shook my shoulders, trying to get a smile out of me. But I was feeling hopeless. “Do you remember when we were here last?” he asked, beaming.

“Yeah, how can I forget!” I rolled my eyes.

“Always remember the worst, I remember it as the day mom and dad got married. When mom came back to live with us after months. I still remember feeling so damn happy!” Jared laughed.

“I also remember it such,” mom beamed as she stepped out of the plane on the tarmac too and placed her shaded on her eyes, shielding herself from the direct sun.

“Why are you upset, Jay?” mom asked as she caught the sight of my face.

I just shook my head. But she continued to peer at me, and I could tell she was scanning my face and expressions to know what was going on in my head even when she was wearing her shades!

“I just feel nauseated,” I sighed as I tapped my foot impatiently.

“Nauseated?” my father’s voice boomed as he stepped out finally, followed by Taron uncle and rest of my siblings. And the hoard of security and nannies and all the support staff that always travelled with us. It was no doubt that every time we went on a vacation, the security and staff required ten times more rooms than my family!

“Come on Aron, Rain, Deiter,” mom called out, now giving me really worried look. And my brothers (Aron -- almost eleven years old, Dieter – six years old) and sister (Rain – eight years old) ran out of the plane, laughing and playing with each other. Four nannies ran after them to ensure they don’t run on the tarmac. While four more nannies came out with my youngest siblings – Myra and Samara who were just over three years old.. Yep, I have six siblings, including my twin brother Jared. We are a big family!

“Are you really alright?” mom asked with a concerned look as she hugged me from side and took me to the car that was waiting for us.

“Fine,” I sighed.

‘We are not fine,’ my wolf, Faye, spoke in my head. While my mother swears that her wolf, aka Grace, rarely talked to her, Faye always kept on chattering away in my head. Faye always have an opinion on one thing or other. I think because my mom’s wolf was supressed until she was sixteen, she is like this!

‘What are you feeling?’ I asked Faye.

‘I am feeling like we need to be somewhere,’ Faye muttered. She was feeling aggravated and I could feel it in my bones that she was feeling irked.

‘Well, lead the way then,’ I sighed.

“Faye giving you trouble too?” mom asked with a grave concern on her face.

“I don’t know, she is acting weird, mom,” I spoke honestly as we sat in the car and I placed my head on her shoulder. Mom, immediately, wrapped her hand around my body and held me there. There was always something so peaceful whenever I was with her. And she always knew what was going on in our heads and how to deal with it. I guess years and years of struggle makes a person receptive to certain situations and teach them how to deal with them.

Jared sat in the car with us beside me while dad, uncle Taron and all of my other siblings followed us in a different car. Ideally dad would sit with mom, but Jared could sense I was troubled and in no way he was going to stay away from me. Jared and I have been best friends since we learnt to speak! And while most people don’t know, we are linked in more ways than people can comprehend. It is normal for people of a pack to be linked in mind, but in our case, we were not just mind linked, we are linked emotionally and mentally too. We felt each other’s feelings. We could sense things the other was feeling. And while it was all okay until two years ago, but on our fourteenth birthday, I decided to learn to close my mind. Well, that was the day Jared had lost his v*rginity, and I felt it all. And it was not the greatest experience of my life. The pleasure, the feel, and holy f*cking hell org*sms after org*sms had driven me hot and dry!

And because I wanted to preserve my v*rginity, not for my fated mate because all that was crap, but because my dad would literally kill any boy who would touch me, I learnt very hard to close my mind and did it whenever I knew he was going to enamour one of the she wolves around… which unfortunately happened a lot considering he was the future alpha of our clan.

“I don’t sense your illness,” Jared commented as we drove to the council house. I still had my head on mom’s shoulder. “I sense –” and he closed his eyes to feel what I was feeling.

‘Shut up!’ I scolded Jared in my head and he stiffened.

“What do you sense darling?” mom asked with a concern.

‘You know she is the only one you can trust, like ever,’ Jared replied in my head. ‘We trust mom, hence I was talking! But if you don’t want to…’

“I don’t know, mom,” I lied again with a sigh. “Maybe a quick nap would help.”

“Sure, we will be there in fifteen minutes, sleep darling,” and like old times, mom patted my head lovingly.

I kept my eyes closed but with each passing moment, that tug, that pull was growing stronger. And Faye was going crazy in my head.

We halted out of the council gates and the security guard sitting beside the driver stepped out and went to talk to the men manning the main gate of the council house. But it was too much for me. I have to get out and look around. Find the source of all the troubles.

“Where are you going?” mom asked as she too stepped out. And following her, Jared too stepped out. And seeing all of us on foot, dad, Taron uncle, and everyone else too stepped out. Dad walked up to mom and hugged her from behind and whispered something in her ears.

Mom replied with a shake of her head and whispered something back.

Urgh! They were talking about me.

But before I could turn around and retort at them, I stiffened. Mouthwatering scent was swirling around me driving Faye crazy. She was howling with anxiety, unsure of from where that scent was coming from. As I walked towards the direction of the scent, I heard giggling.

“Why are we at the gate?” a girl spoke at a distance, she was clearly flirting.

“I don’t know, I feel like I need to be here,” a voice sounded. It was the most beautiful voice I have ever heard and it felt like all my life has been leading me to this place only, to this moment, to this voice.

“You look distracted,” the girl spoke. “Let me help bring your focus back on me,” and as I walked up the place where the couple were standing, I saw them locked in a passionate kiss. Her hands were trailling up and down his body, and he, well, his one hand was on his back and one in her hair.

I swallowed hard as I felt someone had stabbed me in my guts. Why was I feeling like this? I have just heard the voice of this boy and somehow Faye was staking a claim at him. I have not even seen his face…

“MINE…”

I swear, I solemnly swear, it was not me. 

The growl that escaped my lips was from Faye. And she was screeching in my head, ‘Mine…’ ‘Mine…’ ‘Mine…’ and one of the many times where she was chanting this word, it had escaped my lips.

The couple broke apart. But before either of them could turn their head in my direction, I turned on my heels and ran away. Back to where my family was waiting for me curiously.

‘MATE’, Faye was shouting in my head, urging me, no forcing me to go back to that place and snatch what was ours from the clutches of that girl. But I did not pay heed to her.

Mate he maybe, but he was not mine. And I certainly was not his!