One

"Who the hell is she, anyway, some lowly Omega? I can't even tell her rank!" Dane, one of the Alpha Prince's best friends, comments, and the rest of the men laugh dutifully.

I have just come out of the pack library following a mouth watering scent, and guess what? Moon goddess has decided to humiliate me by making me the Alpha Prince's mate.

Titus is not just the Alpha Prince. He is heir to the throne. He is general of the pack's army of warriors, and he's never lost a battle.

He has the looks of a Greek god, and every unmated girl lies awake at night thinking about him.

I am ashamed to admit that I am one of those girls. I've loved him since I was a little girl, but I've never been stupid enough to imagine, even for a moment, that he would ever be mine.

And now, as I stand there looking at him, I am kind of embarrassed, like I whined to the moon goddess so she'd make this match.

So far, Titus has made no comment about it, just staring at me with a blank expression on his face. He's made no effort though, to stop his friends who are almost dying with laughter and throwing insulting remarks my way.

The laughter dies when the men notice the Prince's continued silence.

"Don't tell me you are thinking of accepting her? We can't have this one as our future Queen..." Dane begins.

Titus shakes his head as he looks away from me. "No. Too scrawny. I will not have her as my mate."

My eyes sting with unshed tears. This has to be the most painful thing to hear. Does he not feel the same pain I am feeling? I have waited all my life to find my mate, and rejection is what I get.

At the moment all I can do is say a silent prayer, for him not to reject me.

But the worst happens, as the next words that come out of Tutus's mouth are those of rejection.

"This is humiliating. I should not be subjected to this," he rolls his milk white eyes. "But come on, let's get this over with before anyone finds out I have such a scrawny girl with no rank as my mate."

Immediately I hear those words, I decide that I am not going to whine or beg. I will pretend everything is okay. After all, that's what I've been doing since my mom died.

"I, Alpha Prince Titus, Reject you..."

"Caterina," I supply helpfully, satisfied at the look of surprise that washes over his face for a second. The idiot expected me to beg.

"...Reject you, Caterina, as my mate and future Alpha Queen."

I swallow and raise my head, determined not to look hurt.

"I, Caterina, accept your rejection!"

I then run to my room to cry.

**

I've been sitting beside my window for hours, listening to angry growls and pitiful whining coming from the trees outside when the scent of my little brother, Brandon, announces his return before he even gets into the house.

A moment later, he stands quietly in the doorway of my bedroom, as though finding comfort in my mere presence.

"Who was it this time?" I ask without looking at him.

"They say it's one of his lady friends. You heard it too," he says rather than asks.

"Yes. I heard."

There is silence for a moment. I finally lift my head to look at Brandon's little face and see a thousand questions written on it. He hesitates and then asks,

"They also say every time the Alpha goes on a hunt like this, it's because something terrible has happened in the the pack to get him upset."

I look away and nod.

"Yeah. They say that. Rumor has it Alejandro Santiago is about to strike again. I hope they are just that; rumours."

Last time the vengeful Alejandro struck the pack, he lost half of his warriors and retreated, but not before inflicting considerable damage to the pack.

My father, unfortunately, was one of the wolves that got injured severely during the attack, crippled for life. A shame because my father was one of the best warriors.

And now, from what we hear, Alejandro is back, more powerful than ever before.

He is camping in the mountains with his wolves, plotting his attack. From what I hear, he is one big and ugly fellow with scars all over his face, so ugly children cried at the sight of him.

"The Alpha King is going to finish us one day with his hunting. And then he is going to rule over bones," Brandon says, a thoughtful look on his small face.

I manage a laugh despite feeling sad.

Brandon is right.

Whenever he receives bad news, the Alpha King loves to play 'hunt' on his pack members, sending a random pack member into the forest and then hunts them down carefully, like a good fat animal he wants to catch and roast.

No one has ever survived the hunt.

Brandon hears the front door open rushes out to meet the only other person we live with; our father.

I follow him close behind. As a guard at the pack house, he usually has first hand information about the happenings there, and he usually shares any latest news with his children.

To my surprise, my father has tears in his eyes, which scares me because I've never seen him cry before. He has his armour in one hand, a short silver knife in the other.

"We are leaving tomorrow at dawn. All of us warriors that fought last time are expected to go."

"No, daddy!" Brandon cries.

"But, dad, you are not exactly young. And you only have one good leg. You are all we've got!" I protest. Why is this day so bad for me?

"I must go," my father says, a certain finality to his voice. He pulls Brandon and me into a hug with one hand.

"I will return to you, my children. But if I don't, know that I will be with your mother. Please take good care of your little brother, Cat."

My brother starts crying loudly, and I just can't bear it. He is too young to lose both parents, he will be broken forever if father leaves us too. I have the strangest feeling that if my father goes this time, he will never return.

Which is why, an hour before dawn, I stand in my father's bedroom (having added the right amount of wolfsbane to his evening juice last night) donning his armour and examining his silver knife.

I will not lose my mate and my father at the same time.

I am aware no female has ever fought in the pack army before but I will go to fight in my father's stead. Disguised as a boy, of course.