One fateful night

Thin, cold rain hadn’t stopped pouring since the crisp starless night had fallen in Telesiya, a faraway kingdom in the North. 

Crickets echoed from the thicket of trees in the abandoned forest near the farmland of the Rowan, a meager family of four. The smell of wet grass and mud hid the strong odor from the inside of the small house in the middle of the vast land.

The animals in the barn lay lifeless on the ground. Their eyes were open and hollow, and blood gushed out from their slit throats.

The rain and the occasional thunder rumbling from the skies couldn’t hide the growls from the monsters with thick furs roaming and searching the forest for any survivors.

Bright golden eyes widened in fear as two sisters—one was sixteen and the other eighteen, lay hidden under a fallen tree that served as a bridge to a big gaping hole in the ground.

Nessie Rowan, the younger of the two, held onto her sister’s hands tightly. In response, Natalia pulled Nessie closer to her. Their frail bodies couldn’t give off any warmth as they were soaked from running in the rain in a haste escape from their pursuers.

The trauma of watching the ravenous beasts storm through their field and slaughter every living being they passed through was forever embedded in their innocent minds, including the deaths of their parents who managed to save them from suffering the same fate.

Every rustle of leaves, the crunch of footsteps, and every creak and sigh brought the sisters to quiver, shrinking further in the slushy mud with their dirtied dresses. 

“I’m scared,” Nessie whispered. Natalia put a finger to her lips, silencing her as the fallen tree groaned in protest with the weight placed by an individual stepping onto it.

Nessie and Natalia looked at the shape on the ground before them. A silhouette of a lone man darkened the soil where the dim light from the moon was displayed.

From a distance, a faint hoot of an owl was heard before it screeched loudly prior to the forest becoming silent once again.

Natalia held her breath, afraid that even the faintest sigh would give them away.

Just then, the man started whistling an unfamiliar tune, tapping one of his feet on the fallen tree. It resulted in piles of dirt and dust falling on the siblings, forcing them to hug each other tighter.

Several seconds later, the whistling stopped, and Natalia pressed her lips together, almost biting onto her skin, only to find the man bent on his waist, his gaze fixated on Nessie and Natalia.

Before her sister could see what was happening, Natalia covered Nessie’s eyes with her hands. 

The man's eyes were bloodshot, and a long scar was visible on top of his right eye, which extended close to his jawline. 

He showed his badly crooked teeth, baring a victorious grin at Natalia.

“Say your nightly prayers, girly. There is no escape.”

–

Jordane snapped her eyes open; her heart was beating frantically inside her chest. It took her a moment before her vision adjusted to the dark. 

‘It was that horrible man,’ Jordane thought bitterly, catching a foul taste in her mouth. ‘Again.’

A soft tap on the door disrupted Jordane’s trail of thought. She groaned, throwing the covers over her head.

Purposely muffling her voice, she called out to the person outside her dim room, “Come in!”

The knob was turned hastily, and the door swung open with a light creaking noise from its somewhat rusty hinges.

Suddenly, the blanket was forcefully pulled off her hold. Jordane sighed wistfully before turning her head in the direction where the mattress had sunk. 

Livvy, Jordane’s childhood best friend, was perched on the broader side of her bed. Her beautiful curls were neatly braided and tied behind by a red ribbon. 

It was a big contrast to the white A-line dress that she was wearing. 

With a slight frown, Jordane slowly remembered why Livvy was all dolled up.

“Ugh,” Jordane groaned, turning away as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “Please tell me you did not come here to drag me to the ritual.”

“That’s basically why I’m here.”

Grabbing one arm, Livvy pulled Jordane to get up. The latter didn’t try to fight and reluctantly followed her friend. 

With a gentle force, Livvy shoved Jordane inside her walk-in closet. 

“Five minutes, Jadie,” Livvy shut the closet doors and turned around, folding her arms and tapping her sandals against the marbled floor. “Your mother already asked me about you.”

There was a snort from inside. 

“What did you say?” Jordane’s muffled voice resonated inside the closet. There was a grunt, then a thud. A minute later, Jordane tapped on the closet doors.

Livvy turned and opened the closet. Jordane’s expression was indescribable, but the white dress she put on hugged the curves of her body.

“I covered for you,” Livvy smiled, gesturing for Jordane to turn around. The latter obeyed, scowling.

“Gee, thanks, Liv. But what did you tell her?”

“I told her,” Livvy started, tutting when Jordane tried to pull her hair up. “Don’t ponytail it. Your hair is pretty, but you just need to run a comb through the tangles.”

Pointing to her lips, Livvy grinned widely. 

“Forget what I said to your mother. Smile, Jadie. Come on. This is like, what? The third time you tried to weasel your way out of the ritual. What are you so afraid of? Losing your freedom?”

Jordane rolled her eyes. She pushed past Livvy and sulked while finger-combing her hair. She sat in front of the vanity and blew off the lone strand that settled in front of her face. 

“I just think this whole concept of finding your mate at the ritual and immediately consummating the unofficial marriage rites invoked by the binding is ridiculous.”

Livvy clicked her tongue, standing behind Jordane, and caught her unhappy gaze in the mirror. 

“It might suck, but we both know we have no other choice, right? Whether we like it or not, we’re bound to follow the customs. Unless a new Alpha is called and shakes things up,” Livvy ran her fingers through Jordane’s hair. 

“We’re stuck, Jadie. You are the Alpha’s daughter, and I’m the granddaughter of the great Mauri, one of the seven councilors.”

Jordane blew out an exasperated sigh.

“What would you do if you find your mate tonight, Liv? Are you…?” Jordane couldn’t finish her sentence. The words got stuck in her throat. 

Livvy licked and smacked her lips loudly, shimmying sexily in the mirror.

She winked at Jordane, teasing her friend.

“What do you think?” Livvy giggled, batting her eyes, pretending that Jordane was her mate. “We’ll rip the bedsheets and rock each other’s world, baby.”