Chapter 3

It took me four hours to finish cleaning up. By the time I was done, it was almost 4 AM and I was ready to head home. Everything in me screamed for a few hours of shut-eye and I was so weary that as I marched toward the large mansion, it took me a few minutes to realize I was going in the wrong direction. Shit. Where was the front door again? This was what happened when one didn’t sleep for almost twenty-four hours. You become a little more than a shadow. The house was quiet as I went forward. As a pack home, it was large enough to accommodate the members of the Crest Pack. With fifty rooms and two wings, everyone who was anyone in the pack had a room for themselves. Married wolves shared a room with their partners and the younger wolves paired up with whomever they could. Alison and I had a room but in truth, she mostly made use of it alone and sent me out most of the time. The house that was full of life and buzz only a few hours ago was eerie and quiet now and only a few lights were on. It was a big house and I made sure not to wander too far from the familiar path. Now, however, I’d missed my way and was about to trace my steps back when the soft notes of a piano echoed in the air and halted my steps. In a daze, I followed the sound and came to a large piano room I didn’t know existed. It was empty, save for a sole piano that sat at one corner. My legs carried me inside until I was standing in the middle of the room. A small smile stretched my lips. I’d always wanted to learn the piano but Father said it was too good for me. The piano’s elegant exterior was made of high-quality wood and polished to a flawless shine. There was no speck of dust on it. It looked expensive too. I couldn’t see whoever was playing due to the open lid so I closed my eyes and let the soft melody enchant me. It was during rare times like this that I could just drift away and imagine myself in a different time, a different place. A different family, one who loved me and would never hurt me. I imagined myself having a wolf and being able to transform. Having a mate. Kids of my own. Would that ever be possible? There was a myriad of doubts swirling in my mind, the probability of such a time happening closer to the negative. The music abruptly stopped and I was drawn back to reality. My eyes snapped open and standing in front of me was none other than Ethan Cadell, the Alpha of the Crest Pack. The one in whose honor last night’s party was thrown for fighting bravely against his older brother’s power-thirsty rule and taking leadership from him. I hadn’t heard him move towards me. “Who are you?” He asked, his voice a deep baritone of annoyance as he stared at me. His eyes were the darkest shade of green, with the slightest glint of blue. Strangely, I felt a pull towards him. It was nothing like I’d ever felt before. Something inside me seemed to stretch out to him, almost like a magnet would iron. My chest heaved as I fought for control against this force and I held his gaze, unable to look away. And from the look in his eyes, I knew he felt it too. “I asked you a question.” The annoyance in his tone deepened. “Uh...” I stammered. “My name is Arya Shelby.” “Shelby,” he repeated, his gaze sweeping over my form with apparent revulsion to rest back on my face. “You’re Robert’s pathetic daughter?” I nodded, suddenly feeling self-conscious due to his scrutiny. I had no idea why I felt so drawn to him. This was the Alpha, for goodness’ sake. If my father heard I was in the presence of the Alpha looking like a maid, he would have my head. “It can’t be,” Ethan suddenly said, his eyes widening just a fraction before he began to back away. “What did you do?” “What?” I asked in a daze because I had no idea what was happening. Why was he looking so frightened? “I didn’t do anything,” I added for emphasis. There was a tingle growing at the base of my spine that closely resembled fear. “You can’t be my mate!” His voice was raised by a notch. The look he gave me was one of utter disgust. “You’re ugly and pathetic and…and fat!” Each word was like a knife in my chest, twisting and twisting until I could barely breathe. I thought two things: firstly, the pull I felt towards him was a result of our bond as mates. The Alpha of the Crest pack was my mate. For the first few seconds, I stared at him in shock, barely registering the magnitude of what was happening. I did have a mate and not only was he a powerful wolf, he was the Alpha of the most powerful pack in the world. I stumbled backward, my hands reaching out to hold something, anything. “You’re my mate?” My voice was full of awe. I was hooked on the fact that the moon goddess had thought me worthy to be mated to an Alpha. Me. A lowly, worthless, pathetic, omega who didn’t have a wolf. “No, no,” Ethan marched towards me so quickly that I didn’t see him. His hand reached forward and grabbed my hair painfully, stretching it at its roots. I let out a pained yell, gripping his hand with mine in a futile attempt to relieve the pain. “How did you do it?” he demanded. “How did you manage to make me your mate?” Pain skyrocketed through my entire body from my head. “Please,” I begged him with a sob. “I didn’t do anything. I’m just as surprised as you are.” “Liar!” he thundered, his hand tightening on my strands so hard that I saw stars. The rest of the pack must’ve heard the noise by now. It wouldn’t take them long to find out what was causing the ruckus. “You’re a witch, aren’t you? You’ve bewitched me!” “I haven’t done anything,” I cried. “You’re an omega. There’s no way a weak wolf like you can be mates with a strong Alpha like me.” His hand strung me up so that he breathed his contempt into my ear. “Tell me what you’ve done and how you did it or I’ll have you beheaded for treason.” My head was banging and I could feel my eyes rolling to the back of my head. Reality was disconnecting and there was a dark canvas growing behind my vision. I grabbed at his hand fisting my hair, slapping it furiously when it became obvious pulling at the hand was not helping. True enough, wolves began to flood the piano room. Just before I passed out, I heard Ethan screaming that I was a witch trying to manipulate my way to the top and then instructing some wolves to lock me up while I awaited trial. Secondly, my mate had just rejected me.