Chapter 0001

SARA’S POV     

It’s my 20th birthday today, but I had chosen to spend it on the training grounds, determined to lose myself in the intense workout and forget about the turmoil in my life. Life had taken an unexpected twist, nothing like the days of old. Everything had changed when they discovered my conniving long-lost cousin.

The training grounds had become my sanctuary, the constant in my rapidly shifting world. But this birthday was different; it wouldn’t be like the ones before, and I was fully aware of that fact. Instead of wishing for something different, I had resolved to focus on the one thing I could control—my training. Everyone around me now catered to the new alpha’s daughter, Megan, keeping their distance from me.

My aunt and uncle, who had assumed leadership roles following my parents’ tragic demise, now had their own daughter, and I had been pushed aside in their hearts. I understood they had recently reunited with Megan and wanted to make up for lost time, but I had never anticipated being treated like her servant instead of the daughter they raised.

Their lack of attention and affection had left me feeling heartbroken. Thankfully, I had an incredible boyfriend and mate, Alex. He was the rock keeping me grounded through all of this chaos. Soon, we would move in together as a couple, and I hoped that would bring us happiness.

He had promised to celebrate my birthday with me today, and I could hardly contain my excitement. Checking the time, I concluded my training and headed home to prepare for our meeting. A smile danced across my face as I imagined what he might have planned for my special day. Just the thought of it filled my heart with joy. The specifics of his surprise hadn’t mattered; what had mattered was that he would be by my side, and that had been all I had craved.

I had hastened my pace, eager to reach home. As I had rounded the corner near our house, I had spotted Alex standing in the doorway. My lips had broken into a dazzling smile, and I had sprinted towards him, eagerly embracing him as I had reveled in the safety of his arms. However, something entirely unexpected had unfolded—Alex had pushed me away, his expression twisted with disgust.

“Alex,” I had whispered his name, my eyes wide with shock. The smile on my face had slowly faded, and my mind had raced, attempting to process this bewildering turn of events.

Before I could gather my thoughts, a sharp, stinging slap landed on my cheek, sending my head to the side. “Keep your dirty paws off my mate!” Megan’s slap had stunned me, but not nearly as much as hearing her refer to Alex as her mate.

I slowly turned to face them again, my hand covering my cheek, and I looked at Alex in disbelief. Before I could say anything, Megan pulled Alex over and kissed him. To my surprise, Alex didn’t push her away as I had expected. Instead, he pulled her closer and kissed her back.

I shook my head in shock and disbelief. I wasn’t sure what I was seeing, and I didn’t know what was going on, but one thing was clear: my heart was broken, and I wasn’t thinking straight. I pulled them apart and screamed, “NO!” Megan looked at me and smirked.

I ignored her and looked at Alex. “Alex, you are my mate, not hers. What are you doing?” I pleaded with him, my heart breaking, but I still held onto the hope that it might all be a misunderstanding.

Maybe it was just one of Megan’s pranks, like the many she had pulled on me before. They weren’t always pleasant, like this one happening in front of me now.

“I’ve already told you he’s with me now, so why are you playing blind and dumb? Or are you actually blind and dumb? You see, Alex here wants a real woman, not some broken girl still hung up on mommy and daddy’s deaths and clinging to my parents.”

Her words cut deep, and I never asked my aunt and uncle to take me in. I certainly didn’t ask for my parents to be murdered. How could Megan be so heartless? I glanced up and saw my aunt standing there, observing us.

I looked at her with pleading eyes, hoping she would reprimand Megan, say something, anything. But what I heard next shocked me.

“Why are you looking at me like that? What do you expect me to say? The man has made his choice, which has nothing to do with me,” My aunt responded nonchalantly.

I couldn’t believe my ears. This woman had been like a mother to me not too long ago. I had loved her, or had it all been an act? I couldn’t distinguish what was real and what wasn’t anymore.

Desperately, I turned to Alex, my mate, hoping he would make sense of it all or perhaps explain that it was some kind of twisted joke. However, Alex avoided my gaze and fixed his eyes on Megan, holding her tightly.

The way he looked at Megan, it was as if he saw the love of his life, the woman he couldn’t imagine living without, and it shattered me even more. “Alex?” I called his name, but he didn’t spare me a glance.

“Megan, please don’t do this. You already have your parents, a loving home, and everything you could ever desire. Why would you want my mate, too? He’s all I have. Please, stop this.”

I never thought I would become that woman, the one who had to plead for a man. Yet here I was, desperately asking my cousin to leave my mate alone. The mate bond and my wolf couldn’t bear the thought of losing him like this.

I was damn sure he wasn’t Megan’s mate, and even if he was, we wouldn’t know until Alex and I broke our bond. But hell, it wasn’t that straightforward; Alex had marked me, and a bond had been formed, even if we weren’t officially mated yet.

Then, my aunt came at me like a whirlwind, saying, “My daughter can have whatever she wants, and if that’s Alex, then that’s who she’ll have. We’ve done so much for you, Sara, and yet you act like this with Megan?”

She gave me the once-over, her eyes boring into me. “I thought that after everything we’ve done for you, you’d be more considerate of Megan. You have no idea what kind of life she’s had in the past twenty years, and now that she’s back, she still has to tolerate your selfishness?”

My heart shattered into a million pieces. I never thought fighting for my mate would be painted as a selfish act. The Moon Goddess blessed each one of her kids with a mate, so why in the world would Megan want mine?

My heart shattered into a million pieces, “Aunt Jenny, Alex is my mate, my other half, made specifically for me by the Moon Goddess. Megan has her own mate out there somewhere. Why would she want mine?”

But Alex, standing right there, got fed up with my never-ending chatter about our bond in front of the Luna. He cut in sharply, “Sara, did you forget you’re talking to the Alpha’s Luna? Show some respect and stop babbling nonsense.” My jaw practically hit the floor. I glanced at Alex, and the warm affection I used to see in his eyes had morphed into annoyance.

But it didn’t stop at annoyance; there was a dash of disgust, too. I choked back a lump in my throat that wouldn’t budge. I had a gut-wrenching feeling that it was game over for Alex and me.

Yet, I clung to a glimmer of hope, thinking our mate bond was too strong to break easily. Then, Alex dropped a bombshell that obliterated the last traces of hope I held onto. “I never wanted to be mated to you, but I’ll fix that mistake right now. I, Alex Lockwood, officially reject you, Sara, as my mate.”

I crumbled, feeling like my world had just come crashing down.