CHAPTER TWO

ZARA POV

Anticipation hung in the air as the mating ceremony approached—an annual ritual where mates embraced each other, marking the beginning of a lifelong bond. It was a joyous occasion where couples accepted, marked, and pledged to marry.

However, I harbored a secret—a burden I carried alone. I was carrying Ryder Blackmane's child, a consequence of the night he had forcibly taken my virginity without consent. His actions were a painful memory etched into my soul, yet he refused to acknowledge the wrongs he had committed.

After that fateful night, he callously instructed me to pick up my shawl and leave, leaving my body battered and my clothes in tatters. Tears streamed down my face as I collected the pieces of my dignity, wrapped them around me, and retreated to my cabin.

In the following weeks, my mother, Lady Winter, sensed my inner turmoil. "My dear, you have been absent-minded lately. What is wrong?" she inquired, concern etched across her face. I sat by the fireplace, my gaze fixed on the dancing flames.

"I am fine, Mother. I am only pondering what this year's mating ceremony will be like. We will be heading to the pack house soon," I replied, attempting to conceal the pain within. Though unconvinced, my mother nodded and left me to my thoughts.

Upon reaching the pack house, the atmosphere buzzed with excitement as the mating ceremony unfolded, marking the beginning of a new chapter for many, while I grappled with the weight of a secret that threatened to unravel in the midst of celebration.

As the time approached for the Alpha's son to choose his mate and make the official announcement to the pack, I braced myself for what I knew would be a moment of both humiliation and revelation. My heart sank as Ryder Blackmane, the Alpha's son, stood before the gathered pack, scanning the faces with apparent indifference, and declared, "I do not have a mate."

Tears welled in my eyes, but I couldn't bear to let this false statement stand unchallenged. Pushing through the crowd, I confronted Ryder with a quivering voice. "It's not true!" I cried, drawing attention to myself. The surprise in his eyes was evident as he responded with disdain, "What do you mean, you low life?!"

Undeterred by his hostility, I stood firm, chin held high. "Prince Ryder is my mate!" I proclaimed, desperately trying to assert the truth in the face of ridicule.

Laughter erupted from the gathered pack, mocking my assertion. Voices in the crowd belittled my claim. "She surely knows how to go above her standards! What audacity!" one voice sneered, and another added, "She wants the prince to take her for a mate... how totally egocentric. Such a fantasy!" The hall echoed with their amusement, and for a moment, I questioned my own sanity.

However, Alpha Maximus, sitting on the dais, raised his hand, demanding silence. The laughter subsided, and he addressed me with a measured tone. "What have you to say, young woman? How true is your claim?"

"Thank you so much, my lord," I responded with a curtsey before addressing the Alpha directly. "Ryder and I are mates. He knows this, and he took advantage of me, forcing himself on me. I am carrying his child even as I speak." The truth hung heavy in the air as I awaited the Alpha's judgment, unsure of whether it would be influenced by sentiment or fairness.

The people gasped and began to whisper among themselves.

"You must all know that this is a complete lie! I am not capable of what she accuses me of and you know it!" Ryder said in defense.

"I deny her! She is not my mate and I will not accept her!" He said, pointing at me.

"You are my mate and I carry your child! You had forced yourself on me on the night of the moon goddess ceremony! I had kept it a secret for fear of being mocked. I see it makes no difference now."

The people were beginning to whisper again when Ryder turned to address them, "I assure you, members of the Hedge pack, I have not slept with this woman and I am not responsible for her pregnancy..she has probably messed with random wolves and now tries to pin her pregnancy on me, to drag my noble name into the mud."

"It is not true.."

"Enough! I have heard enough!" Alpha Maximus commanded from his dais. There was a sudden hush again.

"Zara Moonlight, for lying on the prince wolf of the Hedge pack, you will be thrown in jail until it pleases the prince that you be set free! No longer shall we entertain such insolence among us!" The Alpha declared.

My parents ran forward and my mother knelt before the Alpha.

"Please have mercy on my daughter, good Alpha..she is with child!" My mother cried. But as she did, the Alpha only seemed to be more pissed. The men led me away roughly and I was soon alone in the jail, not knowing what my fate would be.

I did not know how long had passed since I was in the cell, but when I opened my eyes, Ryder was standing by the gates, holding the keys.

"Hello, little Zara." He called mockingly.

I was silent as he opened the burglary and walked inside with a woman I did not recognize.

"You still think I'll have you for a mate, don't you?" He asked.

When I did not reply, he reached me and pushed my head back.

"You are one woofless little thing in this pack and you must know that you are as helpless as a mouse in the hands of a lion!"

I began to cry.

"It is pathetic that the moon goddess might have wanted us to be mates! How totally ridiculous!" He laughed and reached for the young woman he had come with.

"This is Ravenna. The woman that I want, the woman that I shall have!" He laughed some more and then he took her lips in a kiss that lasted long. Soon, he pushed her against the wall and gently took out his manhood and had sex with her right in the cell, before me. I looked away as they fucked against the wall. I felt every pain and tears streamed down my cheeks at his blatant disrespect of the mate bond.

When they finished, gasping for breath and dressing up, he took out a syringe and walked towards me. I could only let

out a scream as the syringe made contact with my arm and was emptied inside me.