Chapter 4

Noel 

The files of the rogues' attacks were growing day by day. Those feral and animalistic creatures were up to something hazardous, and I had to sort it out along with saving my people and the other packs. 

It was getting dark and I had to go out for the pack's run and training so I discarded the latest file of the rogue attack on my desk that happened a few days ago and the Alpha of the Black Crescent pack personally came to me to ask for help.  

"Alpha, the pack members seek your presence for the training." The bellboy reminded me, bowing his head. 

"Not tonight, Matt. Someone else seeks our Alpha's presence." Jasper, my Beta startled me. 

I picked up the track pants from a neatly set pile of clothes. "I don't remember any particular person with whom I have an appointment." 

Jasper shook his head in disbelief. "Alpha Noel, for your kind information, tonight is Alpha King Arthur's daughter's birthday party and tomorrow is her throne ceremony after she finds her mate and you've heard the rumors about her, haven't you?"

I frowned at his stupidity, how could he think that I'd attend any party? No. I don't attend any parties or ceremonies because all I want to work for is the safety of my pack, not for the connection that they yearn for. 

"My pack doesn't need any conn-"

"Connection, yes. But your pack needs a Luna, you need a mate, Noel." He met my eyes, showing concern for me. For god's sake, we were best friends and he knew my answer already. 

He had predicted that I would agree with him so he was prepped to attend the party, in his crispy black suit. 

I chuckled hard at his absurdity. "You look dashing, I might add if you wouldn't have already been so sure." 

"Noel, my friend, you need a mate to be-" he started again but I interrupted him this time, "yes, I need a mate but don't forget who I'm, what my surname is, and a princess- the Alpha Queen won't be so happy to find out me as her mate though I'm not certain that I'll be his mate. I couldn't care less." 

His eyes glinted the gloom he must have felt from my attitude but it was the reality. No sane Alpha Queen would want me as her mate and I didn't need a mate. 

"If you won't attend events, there is no chance to find your mate. She might be an ordinary werewolf who would be present at the party and she would love you no matter what," he said, shrugging as it happened regularly. 

"You know that I can't afford to have a mate, Jasper. It'll be the subject of death and life. It's fine the way everything is going." I slid my arms into the lavender hoodie. "Go and change. I need your assistance." 

With this, I avoided meeting his gaze. Seeing sympathy or grief in his eyes would do nothing but add insult to injury. 

I took off my hoodie and track pants and plopped them on the tree before shifting into my wolf form. I needed a run into the deep woods to clear my mind and diminish my pain. 

'Thanks for letting me take control, you moron.' Luca, my wolf, smirked and he led us deeper into the forest. 

He galloped towards the opposite direction, to the Crimson Moon pack. 

'Stop, Luca. You can't, you shouldn't. Have you ever considered the consequences of finding our mate?' I tried to fight with him but he ignored me the way I always ignored him when he craved for his mate. 

'Luca, I guess you're obsessed with the princess's name because you can't find your mate. Nothing else. Let's go back to our pack,' I almost pleaded with him, convincing him to give up. 

'Well, thanks to you for that.' He growled and showed off his resentment for not finding our mate, blaming me for that. 

He always became restless when we heard the rumors about the princess. I took it as his obsession, he was too furious to listen to me.

We entered the boundaries of the Crimson Moon pack though we weren't invited. My wolf couldn't be more desperate than this. Sometimes I felt pity for him and myself, too. 

When we saw our pack members finding their mates, going on their heat and ruts, we felt jealous. 

I was occupied with thoughts when an alluring scent blazed my nostrils. Vanilla and lavender, I could smell it in the air, the scent driving me crazy. 

'We've found our mate, moron.' Luca always called me names. He practically hated me for not finding our mate. 

'Who is she? Take me to her, promptly.' The scent enchanted me to the extent that I forgot the urge a second ago to take my steps back and go back to my pack. 

As an obedient wolf, Luca trotted towards a huge mansion. Till then, I was captivated by that fascinating scent that I wanted nothing but the person whose scent it was. 

'We can't terrify our mate going in like this. I'm trusting you to let you take control. Please, don't be a coward and let us lose our mate,' Luca requested and I realized that the reality was different. 

I shifted into my human form and hid at a safe place to look at my mate or you can say spy on my mate. 

The hall was filled with all the werewolves of elites and that triggered my determination. Jasper had told me that on these kinda special occasions, the organizer arranges two different halls for males and females to shift. 

Of course, I couldn't meet my mate in this naked position. If it wouldn't have been for Luca's sly action, I wouldn't have been here.

I searched for the males' room like a spy, looking around to check if someone was looking in my direction, and found a pair of clothes along with shoes. In no time, I covered myself with the tuxedo. Lucky me. For the first time. 

"Thank me later, Noel." Jasper's voice made sense why the suit fitted me so perfectly. I rolled my eyes at him before entering the main hall.

From every corner of the mansion, royalness exuded. The moonlight tumbled on the crystals of the gigantic chandelier through the small hole in the roofline and its bright shadow spread out across the hall. 

The walls of the mansion were painted in ivory white except the one that was behind the throne of the King, I assumed, was painted in crimson red as the name of their pack.

The scent of Vanilla and lavender filled my nostrils again as I made my way through the hall, Luca helping me to lead the way to her.

"Well, then, I'd like to ask for your daughter's hand for my son, Alpha Arthur." An Alpha was talking to the Alpha King, I could smell his strong scent, the strongest male scent in the hall must be King's. 

Wasn't the Crimson Moon pack famous for taking this mating thing seriously? I had heard that nobody in their history had rejected their mates. 

And there she was standing in the cherry red gown looking like a princess and it didn't take me long to realize that she was the real princess. 

I didn't see her eyes because she was too intrigued by the conversation of two Alphas. Her back was pressed in my direction, it was the chance for me to take my leave before someone noticed me. 

Her expectations from her mate would be high, she won't accept an Alpha like me. I was too low to her standards. 

'They're talking about our mate's marriage. How can you let her go? How can you see your mate getting married to someone else?' Luca snapped at me, threatening me to take over.

The first thing I did was to run to the backyard from where I entered and hide behind an oak tree. 'Our mate will reject us in the end. She is a princess, the heir to her father's throne. She will reject us.' 

Her scent felt closer and I looked at her, she was coming towards the oak tree. I hastily shifted to a different huge tree, her backyard had massive trees. 

I peeked at the oak tree from a safe distance and found a man pushing her against the oak tree and his hand on her waist. 

I felt the muscles of my jaw working hard to control my anger, my fists were ready to break him down. My claws urged to tear his body apart, how the heck could he touch my mate?

'It would be a shame if you still hide here and let our mate be harassed by some other nasty wolf,' Luca growled. 

Before I could take a step, my mate slapped him hard. "Ezra Sinclair, how dare you?" Her thunderous yet raspy voice echoed in the darkness and a nasty smirk appeared on my lips.

I mind-linked my Beta to keep an eye on that f-cking arsehole's father. He was asking for her hand but the King was unwilling to grant his request. 

Jasper gave me all the information via mindlink because he was still in the hall while he gave me the information he had gathered. 

The Alpha King was impending to do her throne ceremony tomorrow though she hadn't found her mate yet, according to him. 

Whilst the Alpha Ralph was planning to have the princess as his daughter in law. The urge to kill this father-son's duo got higher when Jasper told me that. 

Yet the next report from him bewildered me and the death was the only gift I wanted to give them for that. Ralph was scheming to attack her pack if she didn't submit her to his son. Outrageous. 

No way he could hurt my mate's pack under my nose. I knew that Alpha King was old and my princess couldn't shift yet though she possessed great powers. 

I won't let him take advantage of the King's weakness. If they have a war, I'll be there for my mate. 'Get ready, Luca, we'll meet our mate tomorrow though I can't promise you that we'll have our mate.' 

He started leaping happily, a small action from me to get our mate meant a lot to him. 'You're the best. We'll have our mate.' Wow. From moron to best! 

I was walking towards the hall when I heard that bastard calling her b-tch and my foot halted. This time, he crossed the line. 

But as before, she took the charge. She taught him a good lesson and kicked him in the guts making me snicker again. 

My mate is amusing.