Chapter three

The following morning, Katarina is still asleep, when I hastily grab a pen and paper to write down a letter for her. This way, she won't be overwhelmed with worry when she wakes up and can't find me.

Dear Katarina,

I'm heading to the Black Pack, I'm uncertain about my fate, so keep my departure a secret from Matthias. If my plans go as intended, I'll return, and we'll launch the Keep together. Avoid bothering Matthias too much and also take good care of him for me.

See you soon.

Love,

Lana.

After the short letter, I gather my belongings with a determined heart, ready to make my way to the Black Pack. I decide not to tell Matthias because I know that my brother will never let me marry Alpha Damon. I am also not going there to marry him, but to reject him.

I mean, he can't possibly demand marriage from me when he doesn't even know what I look like, so I can only assume this is a big prank or his way of tormenting the seven indigenous Packs.

If he is indeed my mate, then he has to give me a few weeks to get to know him, and I will be the one who chooses whether I want to marry him or not. If he can't accept that, is he even worthy of being my mate?

With a firm heart, I tied the small bag that contained a few dresses, snacks, and jewelry, and slung the small pack over my shoulder.

I sneak out of my room without waking Katarina and I make my way to the stables. I avoid the patrolling guards, and soon I am out in the field where my inaugural ceremony was supposed to be held last night.

My gaze falls on the decorations that are still adorning the open field, and tears begin to fall from my eyes again.

“All of this is Alpha Damon’s fault. He better be a worthy mate, otherwise, my face will be the last thing he sees as he takes his last breath.” I swear to myself, biting my bottom lip to hold back my emotions.

I look away from the field and quickly rush to the stable because dawn is breaking already.

When I get to the stable, my eyes scan the area, and they settle on my beloved horse, Mason. A bittersweet smile forms on my face as I approach him.

I tenderly stroke its mane, whispering to it. “We are leaving home, Mason, and we may never come back,” I say to my horse and it nods as if understanding my words.

I stroll with it outside of the stable and I swiftly lift myself up to get on Mason’s back.

Each gallop feels like a drum in my ear, escalating my wrecked nerves and making me feel like I'm making the worst decision of my life.

I console myself and continue to tell myself that this is for the best. If I don't go to the Black Pack to resolve this, my Pack and the other non-related Packs will be in danger.

After I exit my Pack’s border, the sun already hangs in the sky like a fiery orb, casting relentless waves of heat upon my fiery red hair.

I am already close to Crimson Valley, and I'm nearing the next Pack, Cyan Pack.

I'm almost at Cyan Pack’s border when I suddenly hear an indistinct rhythmic hoofbeats approaching me. From the hooves, I suspect it’s not just a person.

Suddenly, the distant thunder of hooves approaches from behind, and as I turn to glance, a group of mounted figures emerge, their silhouettes ominous against the horizon.

“Oh my goodness, what the hell is happening?” I breathe heavily in fear as they circle me, blocking every exit.

“Who are you? You can't harm me. Do you know who I am? I am the Princess of the Red Pack!” I cry out at the mounted figures in the masks, but they continue circling me, unfazed by my identity. “I am also the Black Pack Alpha’s mate. If you—” My words are cut short as I suffer an impact behind my head, and then everything goes dark.

When I finally regain consciousness, the blurry surroundings slowly come into focus. I force my eyes open to figure out where I am and soon, I notice that a girl is before me. To my surprise, she's wearing the emblem of the Black Pack.

The realization of my surroundings sends a jolt of confusion through me, and I wonder how I ended up in the Black Pack.

“I know you're awake, you don't have to pretend that you are still unconscious.” The girl before me says in a condemning voice and a frown gradually forms on my face.

“Who are you?” I ask, and she scoffs with disgust.

“I am the maid assigned to you. I should respect you but I don't have time to waste on a Princess, so pardon my rudeness.” She says brazenly and I stare at her in disbelief. I can see the shrewdness in her eyes and I feel certain that I’m not the first person she will be rude to, but I let it pass.

“How did I get here? I'm in the Black Pack, right? I want to see your Alpha.” I demand and the maid stares at me as if I am out of my mind.

“Our Alpha is not available to just anyone.” She retorts after a while, her voice full of disdain like she is talking to someone beneath her status.

Identifying the scornful tone in her words, I slowly nod before standing up from the bed to inspect the whole room. It is quite spacious than my room in my brother’s mansion, and it is painted in lilac, Katarina’s favorite color. Flowers are dangling on the walls and the interior designs look beautiful, except it feels lonely and foreign to me.

I know that the Black Pack isn’t my home but I fear I might never get used to it until my plan is achieved. The reality that I was kidnapped on my way here by some masked men is already terrifying, and now I have to cope with a rude maid.

I turn abruptly to face the maid, my eyes reflecting the anger that clenches my chest.

“I need you to tell Alpha Damon that I demand he sees me,” I demand with a hard glare.

“Do you really think Alpha Damon gives a shit about you? Who do you think you are? His mate? Don’t make me laugh. You are just a powerless Princess, you can never be our Alpha’s mate!” Another maid who just entered the room replies to my words as she moves closer to me.

I scream when she unexpectedly yanks my hair. My eyes widen in shock, and I feel a tremendous fear rush down my spine. “What are you doing, leave me alone!” I shriek and attempt to untangle myself from the maid, who is trying to pull my hair from the roots when the first maid also joins hands.

They pull my hair, rip my clothes apart, and kick me viciously like a bag of potatoes.

“Stop please, I know you don't believe me, but I’m honestly Alpha Damon’s mate. You can't disrespect me like this.” I cry out in pain when blood gushes out of my broken lips. I try to understand why this is happening but the maids keep tugging my hair one after the other, distorting my train of thought.

“What makes you think that you are our Alpha’s mate? You tiny powerless she-wolf, you aren't worthy!”

“She must truly think she's something, uh?” The other maid responds, chuckling evilly as she raises her hand to strike my cheek before I can evade it.

I feel blood dripping out of my cheek before the pain enshrouds my entire body. I plummet to the ground and almost faint from the discomfort that follows.

It’s not that I can't fight them or I am a powerless she-wolf as they say, it is merely that the werewolves from the Black Pack are stronger than the werewolves of the remaining seven Packs. I can handle a one-on-one battle, but facing two opponents is simply a death sentence.

“Please stop, please stop hurting me,” I beg, feeling discomfort in every part of my body. The slaps and the kicks are so brutal and intense that it feels like they are ordered by someone to purposely beat me up.

“Listen carefully, Princess Lana, no one in this Pack give a fuck about your existence. No one cares if you die or live. You are not our Luna and you will never be. You are just a substitute!” One of the maids yells at me as she rips my hair again.

Hot tears begin to fall from my cheeks, at that moment, I regret ever leaving my Pack.

I thought…I thought that even though Alpha Damon was mean, cruel, and all the bad things in the world, he wouldn't treat me badly because I was his fated mate but I was just delusional. The maid said I was a substitute. Did that mean he already has a woman? If so, then why did he send that letter to my brother?

My thoughts are consumed by this when the door abruptly bursts open, revealing a tall muscular man, who possesses a striking handsomeness, with sharp, chiseled features that will effortlessly captivate any woman’s attention.

“What on earth do you think you're doing?!” He roars at the maids, his eyes widening in shock as they land on my bruised face. The audacity of their mistreatment seems to surprise him.

“We- Uhm, we are just—”

“Leave immediately! Get out of my sight before I end both of you,” he growls, and the maids hastily flee the room, driven by fear, as his threatening eyes suggest he means every word.

I don’t know who he is, but I feel grateful for his help. He appears like a sun in my dimly lit world, and I can't help but be thankful.

“Who are you?” I manage to ask, but my lips hurt like crazy.

The beautiful man keeps mute as he approaches me, but then, a captivating scent emanating from him reaches my nose, and I frown in confusion.

When he is closer to me, the unique fragrance on him becomes dense and arousing. I struggle to get up before he gets to me, but he suddenly removes his formal white shirt and wraps it around my trembling body.

“Are you okay? Fuck me, of course, you are not. I'm so sorry, you had to go through that,” he apologizes softly, helping me off my feet. and towards the bed.

My soft body pressing against his, we slowly make our way toward the bed, his scent engulfing my senses.

Is he Alpha Damon? Yes, he must be. If he isn't, I won't be able to perceive the mate scent on him, right?

As he assists me onto the bed, I lift my gaze to meet his soft yet inviting eyes, like the calm before a storm.

Tears stream down my eyes, and I find myself unable to contain the weight of my sorrows from the moment I learned about our soul ties.

“Why did you come so late? Some men kidnapped me on my way here and then suddenly I found myself in this room without no any remembrance of what happened. Then they—”

“What did you mean? I don't understand you.” He abruptly cuts me off, his face showing confusion.

I furrow my brow, realizing I'm rambling. I make an effort to explain myself calmly, but a subtle inkling suggests he might not be Alpha Damon.

Deciding to confirm, I ask. “Are you the Alpha of the Black Pack?”

“No, I am the chief guard Beta, Hunter Arison.”