Heidi:
Today's my 21st birthday. I met my wolf, Thalia, and couldn't wait to meet Craig, my fiancé.
But my worst nightmare came true.
I wasn't Craig's mate. The weight of the realization crushed me in the wrong way.
I've never felt so broken.
"Happy birthday, mine." Craig says, handing me a bouquet of my favorite flowers, orchids, and a small box.
"We're not mates, Craig." I manage to say, tears stinging my eyes, barely restraining the gut-wrenching urge to cry.
"What's wrong with that? You are Heidi. And I still love you." Craig recites those lines so perfectly, his hand cradling my cheek.
But I was still disappointed; I had hoped we'd be mates.
I look at all the faces smiling back at me encouragingly.
My dad, my big brother, Sean, who is the beta of our pack, his mate, Jemima, my best friend, and a few other pack members—a small gathering of relatives and close friends.
Nice.
But then I saw her, Bella.
My childhood bully, who still manages to taunt me to this day.
Unlike the others, her smile was one of mocking and degrading. She must be reeling with excitement knowing her words came true.
I'm not Craig's mate.
Bella had been openly seducing Craig since I can remember and even told me once she had sex with him, but Craig denied it when I asked.
But that didn't stop her.
No, no.
Even just a week ago, I happened to walk in on her and Craig in the pack's kitchen in an overly close proximity, but Craig said he just prevented her from falling after she slipped.
I believed him, seeing the disgust in his eyes when he looked at Bella then.
Bella was the only one in the pack that refused to address me as Luna after Craig and I got engaged three years ago, because in her eyes, "I wasn't deserving of that title," her exact words.
I bet she only came here just to see my expression once I learned she was right, and even the moon goddess felt the same. Unable to stand her blatant ridicule, I turn and race for my room.
"Princess!"
"Baby sis."
I heard Dad and Sean's worried voices calling after me, but I didn't stop.
"Sunshine… hey." Mom whispers, reaching for my hand, but I shake my head, sidestep her, and run up the stairs.
~~~
I have locked myself inside my room since then, refusing everyone entry. They eventually left the door after knocking for a while, and I didn't respond.
"Luna…?"
Jemima's voice called out softly after a few knocks. I was tempted to go and open the door for her, but no.
I'm only waiting for him—the one I thought would understand, the one who promised to love me even if I wasn't his mate.
Yet, as the minutes stretch into hours, I begin to wonder if he has already given up on me.
Doubts claw at my heart, bubbling up like a pot left too long on the stove. Didn't he promise?
With each passing moment, my insecurities swell, threatening to swallow me whole.
I don't know when tears start escaping my eyes. A testament to the storm raging within me.
Eventually, sleep claims me, having cried until my eyes feel raw and swollen.
~~~
I don't know how long I've been asleep. But the sound of a soft, rhythmic knock on my door woke me.
Only one person knocked like that.
I couldn't hold back my enthusiasm and jumped out of bed, heading for the door and pulling it open.
And there he stood.
The man who holds the key to my heart. Dressed in his signature black bad-boy jeans, a black leather jacket, black boots, and a diamond stud earring.
And not to mention his dark hair my fingers were itchy to pass through, sharp jawline, his scruffy beard, pointed nose, and lips I couldn't have enough of each time we kissed.
He looks like someone who just walked out of hell.
Who won't be attracted to such a man? Sometimes I believe I fell in love with him because of that dangerous aura he exuded.
"Craig," I breathe, just as my stomach growls. That's when I realized it was dark outside.
I slept for an entire day. Craig smiles, his dimples on full display, and I look at him like a deflating balloon.
"Come on, let's go eat. I have a surprise for you afterwards."
~~~
~~[An hour later…]~~
"Oh my goodness, Craig. This is beautiful." I marvel, admiring the beautiful canopy bed set up in the woods at our usual spot.
There's a trail of twinkling warm fairy lights leading to the bed, with some hanging around and above the bed like stars.
The white bedsheets and pink orchid petals that form a big heart in the middle of the bed and the white linens hanging around the bed, swaying softly with the cool night air.
When did Craig even start preparing all this?
"I'm glad you like it." He says, pressing a soft kiss to my cheek, his hands wrapped around my waist now gliding slowly over my body.
"Craig!" I gasp, my heart racing wildly in my ribcage when his hand slips under my dress. Fingers traveling gently up my inner thighs, each touch leaving a trail of electric shocks in its wake.
A whole new sensation that ignited fireworks in my chest.
"What's it? Mine," Craig whispers against my ear, his hot breath ticklish against my skin, sending delightful shivers cascading down my spine.
"I'm… sorry. I'm scared. I don't think I can do this." I blurt in one breath, my fingers clenching around the hem of my dress, holding it in place.
Firmly.
As if it could shield me from the fervent intensity of the moment.
"Tell me you don't want this." Craig murmurs, his voice low and husky, almost a growl that stirs something deep within me.
"I do. But…" I falter, uncertainty creeping in.
"No buts. Let's enjoy tonight, just the two of us. Relax and let me make you feel better." His tone is soothing yet commanding, as if he knows how to coax the tension from my body.
I nod slowly, a mixture of nerves and excitement swirling inside me. Gradually, I loosen my grip on my dress, allowing myself to breathe in and out, trying to calm the whirlwind of emotions, as I repeat inwardly.
'I want this. I've yearned for it for so long.'
"Make love to me, Craig." I purr, surprised by the seductive authority in my own voice.
"That's my girl." Craig says, pulling away.
A grunt escapes my lips, feeling cold without his body heat shielding me from the night air that had suddenly wrapped around like an unwelcome blanket. But a sharp gasp followed.
"Ahhh!" My hands shoot out, wrapping around whatever they could grab when I was suddenly lifted off the ground.
"Steady as she goes," Craig mutters. I smile, holding his piercing gaze, as he approaches the bed with a graceful confidence, carefully laying me down as though I were the most delicate treasure.
Never breaking eye contact.
"Do you trust me?" he asks, and I waste no time in replying,
"With all my heart."
After his question a spark of courage ignites within me, and I find myself voicing a daring request I've never dared to make in all our years together.
"Craig, can I meet your wolf?"
"I'm here," Craig replies, but his voice is thicker, almost primal, as his eyes shift to a fiery crimson.
His wolf…
Oh, my goddess, I finally met his wolf.
"Alpha," I manage to say, averting my gaze as a wave of nervousness washes over me under the intensity of his stare.
So fierce yet captivating.
"Look at me. Mine." Craig's wolf's deep voice demands, a raw power emanating from him. "I want to meet your wolf; she's my mate." I find myself blurting,
"Mate?" The word slips from my lips before I can think.
He nods, his expression serious and possessive.
"I'm sorry, but I doubt she will want to meet—" Thalia's voice cuts in as she takes partial control. "—I'm here. Finn." she says, her presence a reassuring comfort.
"How did you know my name?" Finn asks, his tone edged with surprise and challenge.
"I almost read your mind. Until you blocked me out," Thalia responds confidently.
However, at her words, I catch a flicker of unease flash across Finn's eyes, but it's quickly replaced by a teasing amusement that sends a shiver down my spine.
"How is that possible?"
"I'm a silver wolf," Thalia declares, and I feel a shock ripple through me.
I recall ominous whispers about a silver wolf from years back, but how could I remember when Craig was on top of me, his taut body and firmness pressed against mine, leaving me overwhelmed with sensations?
"A white wolf, I presume?" Finn's brows were furrowed in thought.
"No. A silver wolf, not white," she clarifies, and Finn's expression tightens as he pushes off me with an enigmatic expression.
"The silver wolf, as in the one in the proph—?" His voice trails off, leaving an air of mystery hanging between us.
"As the one in what?" Thalia presses, both our curiosity piqued.
"Nothing, I didn't think right," Finn brushes off, his hand sliding to my thigh, the contact igniting a jolt of electricity. "Why don't we continue from where we ended?" he inquires with a raised eyebrow and a seductive grin that causes my heart to do a flip.
Craig hovers over me, reaching for something under the pillow. A golden dagger came into view, glinting as it caught the light.
I trust Craig.
But for some reason, my heart skips when he sits on his knees, grabs the hilt, and pulls it out of the sheath, looking at me intensely.
"Craig…" I breathe, my eyes searching his own as he leans in, pointing the tip to my chest.
But the next second, he slit open my dress, leaving me in my bra and panties. I was relieved, but damn, that was my only dress he just damaged.