Chapter 1

Adeline

 

I'm Adeline Galdur, a twenty-year-old alpha daughter of the Nightingale Pack. I am known for being intelligent, vigorous, and brave, and I step out of the limelight and out of the shadow of the night. I grew up with my brother Daniel, who taught me self-defense, which I took seriously. For me, being a woman was never an advantage; however, I couldn't say it was a disadvantage either. I join the warriors and fighters whenever necessary and will never run to the bunker for safety. I was outgoing and wild; my defiance toward my father was evident and known to everyone.

 

None of the pack members disliked me, no matter how hard-headed I was. My helping hands were known to the folks, which made them love me no matter what. Luna's duties had been on my shoulders since my mother died, and I had done really well.

 

Although I love my pack and am happy about every member who successfully finds their mates, perhaps I just dislike the idea of mates. I want the feeling of falling in love; it's crucial, vulnerable, and sincere. Unlike what was occurring, the "match-making" of the Moon Goddess called a mate bond.

 

As my brother and I stood in the vast training hall of our pack, the scent of sweat and determination spread throughout the vicinity. The room echoed with the rhythmic clash of our training blades and the grunts of werewolves engaged in combat practice. I had my hair pulled back into a tight braid because of my brother. He’s a formidable sparring partner because he doesn’t hold back. Daniel swung his practice sword, but I skillfully parried his blows, my amber eyes focused and determined. We exchanged quick, calculated strikes; our movements were fluid and well-practiced.

 

As we sparred, our conversation flowed easily. "You're improving, Adeline," Daniel acknowledged as we circled each other. I grinned, raising my blade. 

 

"That's because I have the best teacher." He chuckled before his expression grew more serious. 

 

"I've heard about you and Mike, Adeline. Father wasn't happy about it." With that, my expression tightened as I blocked his strike.

 

"He needs to understand that I can choose my own partner in life. I don't believe in the whole 'mate' thing. It's archaic."

 

Daniel sighed, lowering his sword. "Adeline, listen; it's our tradition, and Father is just concerned about the pack." I couldn’t help but frown as I lowered my blade as well. 

 

"That doesn't mean I should have no say in my future. I love the pack and everyone in here. But I also love Mike, and I don't want to be forced into a loveless mating." Before Daniel could respond, Dad, the Alpha of the Nightingale Pack, entered the training hall. 

 

His commanding presence echoed throughout the room; his silver hair was streaked with age, and his piercing eyes held a mix of authority and concern. It wasn’t hard not to notice him. He excretes his alpha aura, making everyone bare their necks, and that includes me and my brother. "Adeline, Daniel," he called, beckoning us over. We approached him with tense expressions. "I've heard about your relationship with Mike, young lady." I met his gaze with defiance. 

 

"Yes, Father. I love him, and I want to be with him." 

 

Dad’s face darkened with disapproval. "Love?" He asked, making a provoking laugh. "Adeline You're too young to understand the difference. What you should be focusing on is the importance of mating with your true mate. It's a bond that strengthens our pack, Adeline. You must wait for your mate, as our traditions dictate." 

 

Because of that, my frustration boiled over. "I don't believe in mates, Father. I believe in choosing the one I love. I won't let anyone dictate my happiness."

 

With his stern voice, Dad replied, "Your defiance could fracture our pack. We cannot afford that." 

 

Staying would only make me feel even more frustrated, so I turned away, my jaw clenched. I had always maintained a fiercely independent spirit, finding it intolerable to have someone dictate who to love. Without another word, I left the training hall with a heavy heart because of anger and disappointment.

 

I know that Dad will follow me and will try to stop me. But I also know that Daniel will stop him. That’s how he is. He doesn’t want me and Dad to face each other with our current emotions. It will only hurt him and me if we say something we can’t control because of our emotions.

 

Everyone in the pack house was mated to their fated mates. It was Dad’s strict rule, and the alpha’s before him. It would be a humiliation if I did not follow him. To be fair to him, he doesn’t like Mike because he’s a human; he doesn’t like him because he’s not my mate. As he always says, he doesn’t want me to waste my time and energy on the wrong person and eventually hurt myself and Mike.

 

Dad has started to worry because we can only find our mates the whole year after a blue moon occurs. If we fail, we will have to wait a year and a half, or the next blue moon, to get another chance. I know that Dad was excited to see me and Daniel with our fated mates, but I am different from the others. I am not excited at all because I know that he will only restrict me from doing something I want to do. I saw how mated couples were in the pack, and I think they were very possessive. A personality that I don’t like.

 

I returned to the pack house and went straight to my bedroom, ignoring the omega that greeted me. I wasn't like that to anyone. I’m very close to every pack member, but because I was mad right now, I ignored the poor omega. So, I made a mental note to apologize to her later.

 

Upon entering my room, I took off my clothes and went to the bathroom. Because of the incidents that happened around the border, I had been training vigorously and had no time to see Mike, and I plan to visit him now after taking a bath.

 

While taking a shower, I couldn’t help but think about Dad. I know how worried he was about the pack's safety, so as much as possible, I didn’t want him to worry about my love life. Lately, there have been lefty hunters who were causing trouble, not to humans but especially to wolves. Lefty Hunters are those who don't like the idea that supernatural beings coexist with humans. They are selfish bastards who think highly of themselves.

 

Just a week ago, an alpha’s daughter of one of our neighboring packs was kidnapped when she was with her human friend and found dead. For a fourteen-year-old girl who has not had her wolf yet, it was horrible. On her dead body, written in her blood, it says, “Your kind is not welcome in our world." This gives us the idea that those hunters were the ones who did it. And I know that Dad didn't want that to happen to me or any of the pack members, combatant or not.

 

I was thinking that there may be some humans who were just like those lefties and didn’t want supernatural beings to get acquainted with them. For me, it’s not impossible since I believe that, whether supernatural or human, there is always someone who thinks they are superior to others. It is also possible that supernatural beings committed that horrible crime to frame humans to make everyone lose their trust and confidence in each other. I shook my head thinking about the incidents in the past few weeks, and it was so frustrating to think my father still had time to look after my love life.

 

Mike, I miss him so much. My wolf, Elda, has been giving me cold shoulders because of him, but I don’t mind. As long as I’m with him, it’s fine.

 

When I’m done, I dress up and run out of my bedroom. I was in the woods, as it was the fastest way to Mike's, who lives just outside our border when Elda said, 

 

‘Stop; I don’t like him. He’s not our mate.’ I rolled my eyes at her and replied, 

 

‘Elda, stop it. I like Mike, and I know that you can feel that he loves us too.’ 

 

‘But he is not ours, Adelle.' 

 

‘He’ll be ours once we get married and we mark him.’ I replied, feeling annoyed. I adore my wolf, but I feel as though we are adversaries whenever she behaves in this manner.

 

‘I’ll ask the moon goddess to bring us to our mate.’ Elda said before she retreated to the back of my head. But before she totally hid herself, I still heard her say, 'I want to see our mate.’ I shook my head in response. The moment I said yes to Mike and had sex with him, Elda started to feel annoyed with me as well. My wolf tried to stop me from getting intimate with him, but I was too stubborn to oblige.

 

I continued running but noticed that the surroundings seemed different from what I remembered, so I stopped and looked around before sniffing the air.

 

‘Elda, it’s weird.’ I told my wolf but didn’t receive any replies from her. Next, I heard the rustling of leaves and the breaking of branches, and a rogue appeared before me. Then the warriors chasing him came next, and they were now looking at me, probably wondering who I was or whether I was with the rogue or not.

 

“Mineee…” A yell from behind a warrior echoed, which made me look at where the yelling came from; there I found a masculine and huge man in his shorts. 

 

"Lucky," I heard the rogue say, which made me turn and look at him. With the way he grinned, he must be thinking that he would be able to get his hands on me. Unfortunately for him, I was so swift that I grabbed his hands, sidestepped, and stretched my arms, causing the rogue to fall facedown before I used my elbow to strike him on the back. Just before the rogue’s body touched the ground, I readied my foot and kicked him, which made him fly a few meters away from me. That’s when the warriors around us grabbed the rogue. While the man who yelled “mine” was now approaching me, 

 

“Mine, you are mine!" the man said, pulling me closer to him. I was confused since I had no idea who this man was. I creased my forehead before pushing him away. 

 

“I don’t know what you are talking about, but I am not yours.” 

 

“What?” the man asked. 

 

“Are you deaf?” I asked again. “I am not yours!” I repeated this, shouting. 

 

“You are mine; you are my mate!” The man shouted back, which made me frown. What is this one talking about? Is he out of his mind?

 

“In your dreams, moron!” I replied arrogantly. 

 

“Alpha,” one of the warriors interrupted us, which made him growl at him. “We’ll go ahead," the warrior said in fear and left with the rogue.

 

“You! Whether you like it or not, you are mine, and I am going to bring you into my pack.” 

 

“What! No way!” I exclaimed.

 

“Why are you fighting the mate bond?” 

 

“What mate bond are you talking about? I don’t feel anything towards you, moron." I replied, which made the man even angrier. He reached for me and was about to grab me, but to my surprise, he was gone.