Prologue

"Please do not cry. It kills me to see you in pain and sobbing like this." Delila murmurs in a quiet and caring tone, attempting to console me, but the pain I was feeling only grows.

"Why does this have to happen to me all the time, Delila? What had I done to offend the Goddess?" I sob, and her hand softly grazes up and down my back, attempting to soothe the pain.

"Life may be brutal at times. But, in order to achieve the bliss that awaits, you must first overcome the grief. At least, that's what I believe." Delila shakes her head and glances down at me.

"Do you want to know what else I believe?" She asks and even though I shake my head, I kind of know what she will say. "Well, my dear friend. I believe that you should accompany me tonight."

"I'm not going to this ridiculous party."

"It would be a lot of fun, believe me. We can dress up, drink some liquor, and dance with some handsome attractive men. Wolves are coming from all over the packs and perhaps we could find our males." Delila enthusiastically cheers, but all I want to do is roll my eyes and get back under my duvet.

"You know I'm not going to be able to find-"

"I'm sure you've told me that a hundred times, Nesta. But that shouldn't stop you from having fun and perhaps getting laid." Delila's words make me gasp, and she winks at me.

"I'm saving my virtue for my male! You deplorable wolf." I huff and cross my arms across my chest. Delila only chuckles, "I know, I know. But we can have a few drinks and dance the night away, right? There is no harm or shame in enjoying your life as you please." Delila asks, and I nod. Actually, there is no harm in doing so. There is no harm whatsoever even if I give up my virtue. They have already labelled me a whore, there is no harm if I live up to that name, now is there?

"It's settled then, we are going." She declares making me sigh.

When we start getting ready, I feel fully at ease. Delila applies makeup on my face, concealing the dark circles beneath my eyes and the paleness of my skin from the restless night of weeping. She assists me in applying red lipstick and blush in an attempt to make me appear more vibrant and less pale as if I am ill.

"Isn't this a little too short, Delila?" I anxiously ask, my gaze fixed on my reflection in the mirror.

"Absolutely not! You have beautiful legs, Nesta. Show them off girl!"

"All right, fine," I respond hesitantly and Delila grins at me and powders her face.

After Delila had dressed, we both step out of my room. I could see the young wolves of my pack dressed and ready for the party we were going to through the narrow window on the stairwell. I swallow thickly and stare down at myself one more time before climbing down the stairs.

"Come on, let's go seduce some hot males!" Delila grins as we walk out of our house.

“How are we supposed to get there?” Delila smirks as I inquire in low voice.

“I have prepared for everything.” She remarks smugly as she points to our left. I follow the direction she is pointing in to find an awaiting car. I smile and shake my head. She knew even before yesterday that she will drag me to the party no matter what. We walk to the waiting car and slide inside the slick black sedan.

The car accelerates out of our pack's borders and drives along a narrow road surrounded by dense woodland. The driver is a member of the pack who is also a skilled driver and warrior. Delila had already obtained approval from my parents and had spoken with my parents. They believed it will be an excellent chance for their un-mated daughters as in us to find our males. As a result, they agreed to Delila's idea and arranged for our transport. We are quickly approaching the border of our neighbouring pack, and the guards don't even question us as they are aware of our arrival, and our pack and the host pack are allies.

Time passes by once we enter the spacious packhouse of our neighbouring pack. The space is packed with wolves from all around, music is blasting with people swaying to the music and drinking the alcohol the pack had to offer. And at that moment, I forget the anguish that had been eating me up from the inside as time passes. I and Delila crept in amid the crowd, making a beeline for the bar. I am ready to dance to the music after a few shots of whiskey, my hands in the air, my body moving like an uncoiling rope, and my eyes are on fire.

The excitement I am is feeling like a shot of adrenaline to my heart, and I am suddenly moving, one with the music, one with every wild person dancing in that place. My mind grows foggy and all I can feel are the heady waves of alcohol and music. But that doesn't stop me from feeling those burning eyes that are scorching my skin. It is as if those eyes have set my body on fire, and that gaze has merely rekindled my latent hunger. My core is ignited by the want to feel some sort of touch to cool my scorching flesh, and my fingers skim sensually over the curves of my hip and exposed neck. My eyes are drawn to those blazing eyes, and when the owner of those eyes approaches me, all I could do is stand there waiting.

There is this kind of intoxication in those eyes and his scent that shut my soul down and the kind that woke it up again. As the male stand tall in front of me, a part of me wants to run and a part of me sought to perceive his touch, to cool the fire his gaze had set my body on. I know I will have bolted for the hills if I hadn't been high on booze. But being drunk has switched off the rational parts of my brain and left the fool to run my life, to run my mouth. And it is not long before I find myself in the arms of that male.

I am certain that if I had known the consequences, if I had realised what was going to happen, I would have fled to the foothills and hidden in the deepest pit of hell. I would have hid myself from this world for the coming decades and just vanish from the face of earth. But now that I think of it, even if I had done so, I know I would still end up where I am. Because it was my fate, my destiny. The Goddess had already decided my fate for me and I only followed along the path that was laid out for me. Even if I tried to veer from that path, fate would still bring me back on that very path. And for that, I fell straight into the cruel trap the Goddess had meticulous set for me.

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A/N**

WARNINGS:- PLEASE READ. IMPORTANT

- This book might have some triggering content, thus if you are not comfortable with such literature, please do not read it. You've been forewarned!

- This is a slow-paced book to give readers that slow burn and feel the character growth. If you prefer fast-paced books, then this is the not the book for you.

- In my novels, males are DOMINANT over females because their universe is structured in a certain way. Their world is extremely different from ours in terms of values and ethics. So don't compare them and accuse me of portraying abusive scenarios because I do my best to show animal behaviour and they will be rough and tough.

- In this book, the female protagonist is strong willed with a strong mind set to follow what she believes. It might seem sort of stupid or way to kind at times, but thats how she is. And she will submit to her mate at times. If you want to witness a female protagonist that is unrealistically 'always strong and never breaks,' please look elsewhere rather than leaving comments expressing your disappointment, hatred, and frustration. I don't want to read hate comments on my characters AT ALL.

- My protagonists are fully mature adults. NOT CHILDREN. If you want to see them always happy, never argue, and live in a fantasy world, this is not the book for you.

- You must be at least 16 years old to read this book; it is intended for adults rather than children.

- Constructive critique is welcome, but harsh comments will be removed!

- Please be respectful of other readers' opinions; there's no need to impose yours on them.

That's all. Now dive in and enjoy the ride.

Happy reading!!