Chapter 2

Carrie

My heart began to pound, wanting to get clarification. Although I have a hint about the person she was talking about, I still dared to ask. 

‘Who are you talking about?’

Vera answered me with enthusiasm. ‘Our mate, you silly girl! Our mate is here.’

Oh, shit! Could this night be any worst? 

I wasn’t like the regular she-wolves who dreamed about finding their mates all their lives. While I revered the female deity who was sacred to us werewolves, I would rather choose the man that would become my husband rather than settle on what the moon goddess had chosen for me. So the whole idea of this soulmate thing never captured my interest. This was the reason why I gave my heart to Alpha Noah without any second thoughts. He became my boyfriend because I chose to love him, not because of an invisible force that binds us together. 

‘Don’t you just stand there! Follow the scent so we can be with our mate. Hurry!’ Vera exclaimed. This was the first time my wolf commanded me like this. This sudden display of attitude really surprised me. 

Or maybe, this was the effect of having “the mate” around. It would make you do stupid things you didn’t normally do. Hence, It only added to my conviction that having them around would only bring trouble. 

So instead of going in the direction where the smell was coming from, I decided to move in the opposite direction. 

‘No, Carrie! Turn to the other side!’ yelled my wolf. She was begging me to go and see our mate yet I ignored her. After what had happened between me and Noah, I would never open my heart to anyone again. Not even to the person the moon goddess had chosen for me.

My decision was final! I will never love again. 

Once again, I was reminded of how foolish I had become. I chose to swallow my pride and disregard my dignity to be with a man who didn’t choose me in the end. How pathetic! 

Bearing this bitterness inside me, I moved faster. It didn’t take long before I reached the outside of the hall. I was ready to ruin my dress and morph into my wolf form when I caught a glimpse of someone. 

No, make that two completely familiar someones. 

“Jerald? Jerick?” I uttered. I saw my older twin brothers running in my direction. 

“You brat! Didn’t we tell you not to go here? Dad will surely—”

Jerald’s angry face was replaced by an immense amount of worry when he saw me sobbing. “What happened, munchkin? Why are you crying?”

“I am begging you…Take me out of here…please…” My brothers no longer have to hear what happened. My tears were enough for them to understand. 

Jerick rushed to my side. He took off his jacket and covered me with it. “I will kill that alpha dickhead!”

“Shut up, Jerick. He is still our alpha so show some respect!” 

In the end, Jerick shut his mouth. Amongst the two, Jerald was the exact copy of my father. He would put his duties first above anything else, including family. Meanwhile, Jerick was more of a rebel like me. No wonder he was my enabler in most cases. However, both of them, like our father, never approved of my relationship with Alpha Noah. And now, I can clearly see why. 

Both of them walked me toward Jerald’s car. Jerick assisted me inside before going to the seat beside Jerald. Meanwhile, Jerald was already in the driver’s seat and was ready to start the engine. But before he did, we saw a familiar vehicle parking not far from our direction. 

“Fuck! It’s Dad!” Jerick cursed. I could only cover my face with my hands. What should I do now?

“Wait here,” Jerald instructed. He unloaded the vehicle and walked toward Dad. Although we couldn’t hear what they were talking about, we saw the sudden change of emotion on Dad’s face. The next thing we know, he was walking toward the vehicle. 

He knocked on the window, asking me to open the car door. I wasted no time following his bidding. Our dad did not say anything, but the type of stare he was giving me was enough for me to speak. 

“Noah found his mate. He…He broke up with me on the spot.”

As expected, Jerick was furious. Jerald shook his head, totally disappointed with what he heard. Meanwhile, our father stared at me lovingly, while pulling me into a hug. 

“We are here, Princess. You will get through this,” he whispered as he caressed my back to pacify me. Now, I feel a lot worse. I almost turned my back on my family for Alpha Noah’s sake but in the end, they were the ones who remained at my side. 

What did I do in my past life to deserve a family like this?

“Bring your sister home. She’d been through a lot,” our father said after a while.

Jerald’s eyebrows creased. “You’re not coming with us?”

Dad shook his head. “No. I need to settle some things before I could sleep soundly tonight.”

“But dad—”

“No buts, Jerick. Our priority is your sister. Make sure she rests well. Don’t worry about me. I would not be our pack’s Beta for nothing.”

My brother Jerick did not say anything further. He just nodded as we all watched our old man go inside the hall. 

“Let’s go.” This time, it was Jerald who led the way. Seconds later, we were all inside as he maneuvered the vehicle out of that parking spot going to our home. 

Tired, I rested my head on the window. I was looking outside when I caught a glimpse of a man. The night was darker than normal so I wasn’t able to see his face fully. But when his deep, brown eyes caught mine, my world was put to a sudden halt. 

“Mine…” 

A voice inside me echoed to my ears. My wolf was beyond ecstatic. 

“That’s him! That’s our mate!” Vera exclaimed. For the second time, I dismissed her inside my head and pretended I wasn’t affected by this man’s presence. This was for our own good. My heart could no longer bear to trust another man anymore. Noah would be the last. 

Little did I know that those sets of eyes would come to haunt me for the rest of my life.