Chapter 1. I Don’t Want Another Mate

One year after the attack...

“How do I look in this dress?” Rouse spins in front of her sister, a broad smile on her face. “I think this color is divine, and besides, Mom loves white, so she’ll definitely approve.”

Rouse glances at Selene through the mirror and shakes her head. Her sister is absorbed in her cellphone, completely ignoring her.

“Selene!” Rouse calls, hands on her hips, frowning at her. Rouse is very sweet and charming, but she hates when her sister does that.

“What?!” Selene’s question only confirms to Rouse that she hasn’t been paying attention at all. Clearly, she’s only here out of obligation because Katrina ordered it.

“You should choose yours. This is the last store we’re visiting, sister, and you haven’t tried on or bought anything. Our mother will be angry if you’re not dressed properly, remember that many...” 

“Many packs from all over the world will be present. We need to make a good impression on the guests,” Selene finishes her sister’s sentence sarcastically, rolling her eyes. It's what their mother has been repeating every day for the past three months. She’s neither deaf nor stupid, as everyone seems to treat her.

“We don’t think you’re stupid, you just do things that neither Mom nor Dad like,” Rouse interrupts her thoughts. Selene had completely forgotten that her sister can read her mind when she wants to, so she huffs at hearing her sister’s well-worn good daughter speech. “Our parents only want the best for us and both packs. Is it so hard for you to obey them in this?”

“You know I don’t like attending these mating parties Mom throws, or wearing all those fabrics.” Selene points at the dresses on the rack with a grimace. “My presence isn’t necessary there; I’m not looking for a mate because I already have one.”

“Selene... Dexter...” Rouse can’t continue, knowing her sister is still suffering greatly from what happened that night.

“I know, you don’t need to remind me,” Selene snaps, annoyed. “For that reason, I don’t need to be there.”

“You can’t do this to Mom. She has put a lot of effort into this event, even packs that have never come before will be there, and she’ll be very sad if you’re not present. At least participate for a few hours, then you can leave. What are you so afraid of, sister?”

Selene looks away towards the window, trying to hide her distress. Rouse walks over and sits beside her on the sofa.

“Are you afraid of discovering that the Moon Goddess has given you another mate?” The young woman asks, looking intently at her sister’s tormented face. Selene’s pupils widen for a few seconds, exactly the sign Rouse was looking for. “What’s going on, sister? Is there something you haven’t told me? Did something happen these past days?”

"I don't want to go to that stupid party, that's all," Selene stands up and heads toward the restroom. Rouse follows her.

"Why?"

"I don't know! I just know I don't want to be there. Saya has been very nervous these days, very restless, and it worries me. She doesn’t usually behave like this."

"I knew it," Rouse raises her hands to the sky. "She’s sensing the arrival of her mate. She’s anxious about it. She wants and needs a new companion."

"You don't know that. You don't even know what it feels like; you haven't found your mate. Besides, why would the goddess give me a destined mate exactly one year after taking Dexter away from me?"

"Because it's your destiny, what she has planned for you."

"No!"

"No what?" Rouse starts to grow impatient with her sister's reluctance.

"I don't want another mate, Rouse. Is that so hard to understand? I don't want to replace Dexter. He will always be my one and only true mate. I don’t care what the goddess thinks is good for me or what you all think. I don't care about these parties my mother organizes to pair off pack members. I don't care about meeting new people or interacting with them. Is it so hard to understand that I want to be alone?!"

Rouse shudders at seeing her sister so distraught. Saya growls in Selene’s mind, but she ignores her. Her wolf has been very upset all week since she told her she wouldn’t go to the party.

Selene rushes out of the store, ignoring her sister's shouts to wait. No one understands her or her reasons behind her decisions, and she’s fed up with everyone trying to pair her off when she’s already told them she doesn't want anyone else in her life. Is it really so necessary for her to have a male by her side to be happy? Do they think she can’t be okay on her own?

Completely irritated, she adjusts her small backpack at her side and runs towards the sidewalk, not noticing a black Maserati speeding in her direction.

Beltrán, the driver of the alpha of the Redwood Wolves pack, doesn’t have enough time to brake and hits Selene, throwing her slender body a few meters away.

“What the hell was that?!” Connor's growl echoes inside the luxurious car.

“This must be a record,” Jackson says, looking ahead. “Half an hour in the A****n and we’ve already killed someone. You outdid yourself, Beltrán.”

His cousin’s mocking laughter only irritates the grumpy, burly alpha Connor further. The situation could be serious enough, but Jackson never misses an opportunity to treat it as a joke to laugh at.

“I think I hit a young woman, Alpha. I’m going to get out to assist her.” Beltrán unbuckles his seatbelt and gets out immediately. Jackson follows him.

Beltrán reaches Selene in a few long strides.

"Are you okay, miss?" The driver tries to grab Selene's arm to help her up, but she swats his hand away in protest, causing him to step back.

"You just ran me over, and you ask if I'm okay? Where the hell did you get your license?! Did you steal it?!" Selene struggles to get up from the sidewalk and examines her right elbow, which has a large cut where blood is starting to gush out.

Jackson looks at the young woman from head to toe. A smirk forms on his face, and Connor recognizes that familiar mischievous look. Selene is very beautiful, slender, and short, but with a beauty that hypnotizes anyone. The hues of her eyes, one green and the other blue, make her stand out wherever she goes. Her look, a mix of innocence and dishevelment, makes her even more captivating than she intends to be. The females in his pack are nothing like her.

"It was an accident; you don't need to be rude!" Connor's deep, firm voice makes Selene look up, but not high enough for their eyes to meet.

Alpha Connor is too tall and bulky; just trying to look at his face makes her neck hurt. How tall is he? Two meters? Two thirty? Yeah, he’s probably all that and more. Don’t his feet hurt from carrying such a monument all the time?

"You and your..."

"I'll take you to a hospital," Connor interrupts Selene abruptly. He takes her elbow and, after examining it closely, signals Beltrán to bring the car closer.

"What?! Nooo!" Selene's protest is completely ignored by Connor, who grabs her uninjured arm and pushes her into the back of the car before sitting beside her and speeding away.