Chapter 3

Silence covered the entire ballroom and I could see Logan's expression change to disbelief, he must have wondered why I did what I did. "No... I can't accept your rejection!" Logan stepped forward and tried to grab my shoulders again, but I stuck out my teeth and I warned him to stay away from me. "alpha Daniel, please tell me what's going on?" He turned to my father. My father's eyes returned to mine again after a disapproving glare at logan. "Grace, you can't cancel the wedding." I stare at my father's lips in disbelief; does he know what he's saying? "Dad! He stuck his cock in Emma's pussy at my birthday party! You saw it! You wanted me to settle this quietly, and now you're going to backtrack?" My chest kept heaving with anger. My mother left him because of his betrayal, and he's under the delusion that I'll put up with it! Never! "Father, this time I will not listen to you, even if it costs me anything!" I said as I clenched my fists and looked directly at him without fear. "Grace, let me explain ...... we," logan said anxiously but I wasn’t in the mood to hear any explanations. “Oh please, keep your mouth shut, I don’t want to touch anything that has been inside Emma. She is a walking STD and you, my darling just ruined your own life, by getting in that trap. We are over. Everything is over.” I was about to leave but I was stopped by a thunderous roar. “Where are you going young lady?”My father roared again, as if he would reach out his claws and rip my legs off if I dared to take another step. “I don’t want to marry a cheater,” I announced. “You should forgive him, it was a mistake, that he won’t be repeating,” Daniel said, but his tone was far from condensing. It was authoritative. "No!" I sneered at him, I wouldn't expect anything more from him, I wasn't his daughter, I was just a tool for the defense of his rights. “I can’t let you ruin my family’s reputation by rejecting Logan. And not when the wedding is tomorrow. Just forgive him and move on.” he ordered. I looked into his eyes, my heart pounded, and I felt as though the world was closing in on me. “So let Emma marry him. He was with her anyway.” I snapped. “No, my family won’t accept her.” Logan intervened. “And I won’t accept your infidelity.” I roared, but my roar was silenced by Daniel’s alpha bark. “This is final everything is going to happen like it was meant to be. No changes and no nothing. Both of you will forget that today even happened.” He roared and waited for submission. Logan showed his neck in submission because nothing bad was about to happen to him, but I waited because I wasn’t going to take this laying low. "Guards! Take Grace to her room, she's not allowed to take a step until the wedding tomorrow!" Before I was ready to leave, the guards pulled me to my room and quickly locked it. I won't give in. I was Grace Hawthorne, and shame on me if I go down without a fight. I confirmed that it's quiet outside again and skimmed the whole room for money or any valuable items. I was leaving this pack, I would rather go rogue than marry a cheater. In the middle of the night, when everyone fell asleep I left my home. But I stopped myself from shifting, that would be risky, considering the amount of security there was for the impending wedding. I felt the cold wind blow my hair, and for the first time in the whole night, something felt right. The wind was blowing softly on my heated skin, it felt refreshing. By the shadows I swiftly left my pack ground and hoped not to catch anyone’s eye. When I was sure nobody was watching me, I took a run toward the forest. The forest was shrouded in darkness as I ran, my breath coming in ragged gasps. I had left my pack behind and so did the betrayal, and heartache. A soft smile grazed my lips, But just as I began to feel a glimmer of hope that I could escape the fate that was awaiting for me back at home, I suddenly stopped in my tracks. The moonlight spilled through the thick canopy of trees, revealing a clearing ahead. My heart raced as I realized that I, unknowingly had stumbled upon the territory of a rival pack. Silver Moon Pack. The arch nemesis of Blood Moon Pack. Fear gnawed at me, but self perseverance compelled me to stay hidden. I was sure that if anyone from the rival pack noticed me, I would be dead and no one would know. Crouching behind a bush, I strained to hear the voices that drifted towards me. "It's your twenty-fourth birthday, Alpha. We can't postpone this any longer," said a voice, a mixture of urgency and concern. I could not see anything clearly, but there were two men talking. Another voice, deeper and resonant, replied, "I know, Mason. I am not blind. I never thought it would come to this, but my time is running out." My pulse quickened as I tried to make sense of their words. I held my breath, not daring to move and reveal my presence. Mason spoke again, his voice lower now, almost a whisper. "We've searched far and wide for an antidote, Alpha, but we've found no one strong enough to bear the responsibility. The curse says find the mate before twenty five or you will die but you won’t be the only one. The moon will curse the whole pack, the whole Silver Moon Pack will suffer. Time is running out, and we can't delay this any longer. The prophecy is clear and so is the curse." The Alpha's voice trembled with a mix of fear and irritation. "I know. I never wanted to put our pack at risk, but it seems there's no other choice. I must find a mate, and I must find one soon, or I'll lose everything. My life, my pack." My heart pounded in my chest as the gravity of the situation washed over me. The Alpha, I realized, was bound by a curse that dictated he must find a mate by his twenty-fifth birthday, or he would perish. It was a fate that he seemed willing to avoid at any cost. But I wanted no part of that. I had just made up my mind to leave the clearing when a twig snapped under my foot, breaking the eerie silence of the night. My heart froze as the sound echoed through the trees. Panic surged through my veins, and I quickly turned to leave, but it was too late. A deep, commanding voice boomed from the shadows, "Who's there?"