One

I, Beta Atlas Redding, reject you, Ruby Angelo, as my mate.”

These words kept playing in Ruby’s head as she stared at the roof of her room. She hated herself, she hated her life—her life sucked.

Beta Atlas was her mate, but as soon as he found out, he was… disgusted, furious, and he had outrightly rejected her, in front of everyone. Her stepsister had no issues. Her mate had accepted her without a second thought, obviously smitten with her, but she had been rejected. The word sounded traumatic to her.

Ruby sighed and stood up to change her clothes into simple ones. She had run away from the ceremony immediately after Beta Atlas rejected her. She couldn’t bear the disapproving stares, the looks of disdain.

Why did everyone think that when a female unmated wolf was rejected, it was all her fault? Wasn’t the male stupid for rejecting her? Ruby looked at herself in the mirror as she slipped into a simple shirt and jeans. She didn’t look bad; she knew she was attractive enough to get second glances. A knock sounded on her door, and she reluctantly got up to open it.

Her stepsister was there, smiling smugly. Ruby shot her an unfriendly stare

“What do you want?” Ruby said, and Alexa smiled at her.

“What do I want? That’s rude, sister. Don’t tell me you are upset about what happened today,” she purred, and Ruby scowled.

“Why wouldn’t I be? Who wouldn’t be when you are rejected in front of the whole pack?” she complained , and Alexa grinned.

“Life isn’t fair. You were rejected by a beta, your mate. Not fair,” she studied her nails, and Ruby looked away. She was trying very hard to keep her temper in check. She knew that was what Alexa wanted; she wanted her to lose her cool, to pick a fight, but Ruby was not going to fall for her games, not today at least. She wasn’t in the mood.

“What do you want, Alexa?” she asked again, and Alexa grinned. She looked annoyingly beautiful. Ruby was trying hard not to feel jealous, but she couldn’t help it.

“Father wants to see you, upstairs in his study,” she answered , and Ruby’s eyes widened—that didn’t bode well.

“What for?” she asked, and Alexa rolled her eyes. She tossed back her glittery mane of dark hair and shrugged.

“I don’t know, but whatever it is he’s calling you for, it does not look good,” she smiled, and Ruby sighed.

She knew the resentment and sturdy lecture she was going to get from her father. He wasn’t going to be pleased that she had been a public disgrace. Her father took pride in glorifying the Angelo name.

Ruby dreaded meeting him, and she knew he would have set cunning and smart plans to revive the family name—the name she so embarrassed.

Ruby nodded and stared back at Alexa, whose smile was growing every minute.

“I’ll go meet him upstairs,” she finally gave in, and Alexa grinned.

“I have advice for you, girl to girl. Try not to provoke father. Just do as he says, even if he tells you to jump off a cliff,” she winked. Ruby ignored her and headed upstairs.

Her heart pounded. She knew her father must have given the situation some thought and must have found a way to use it to his advantage. She got to her father’s study and knocked on the door.

“Enter,” came her father’s deep voice, and Ruby took a deep breath and walked in. Her father’s study was stuffy, filled with books—or rather, brimming with books. Her father sat on a brown leather chair behind the mahogany table. He raised his dark eyes to stare at her, and they hardened.

“Sit,” he commanded , and Ruby sat in the leather chair before him. Her father just stared at her for a moment, not saying a word.

“Is there something wrong, Father?” Ruby asked. Her father shook his head.

“Are you asking me that?” he countered. Ruby kept mute. It seemed Alexa was right; he was really in a bad mood.

“You have disgraced our name,” he said, and Ruby stared at him in surprise. She wasn’t the one who rejected anyone; she was the one rejected.

“I had no intention of doing that, Father. I was the one rejected,” she insisted, and her father sneered. He looked furious.

“So?” he growled. “Why wasn’t Alexa rejected? Why must you be the one to tarnish my name? Now other houses look on me with disdain, just because of you,” his eyes were dark as obsidian.

Ruby was speechless. How was it her fault? All she did was dress up and look beautiful and had gone to meet her mate, but Beta Atlas had rejected her. So how was this her fault?

“I have a solution,” her father said finally, and Ruby nodded. Of course, he always found a way of fixing things, especially to his taste. Ruby hoped that this time his solution would be in her favor.

“Um, what’s the solution, Father?” she asked. Her father’s eyes glinted with a predatory look that Ruby found suspicious.

“You’ll still get married,” her father deadpanned, and Ruby raised a brow. She didn’t know if she should be happy or sad. But she felt relieved; at least even if she was going to marry a troll, she was going to be married anyway.

“Who am I getting married to?” she asked, and her father smiled—a dangerous smile, one that Ruby didn’t like.

“Alpha Kane Rivenwood,” he declared, and suddenly it felt like Ruby had been hit by a truck.

Alpha Kane Rivenwood? Oh, God. Alpha Kane Rivenwood was the most feared alpha in all of North America. No one was as brutal as he was when it came to raw brutality. He took packs without hesitation, killed without hesitation. It was even rumored that he kept slaves for sex.

Ruby’s eyes widened in horror. Her father had married her off to a monster, someone even worse than a troll. Why was life so unfair?

“Father, you can’t do this,” she pleaded, near tears, and her father smiled smugly.

“Oh, yes, I can. You’re leaving tomorrow.”