The Alpha Warlord's Mate

Avenas POV

It was my mating day, the happiest day of my life.

I pulled off the sheet as I stood up from the bed to the bathroom, taking my shower before doing my makeup.

By the time I was done, it was already time for the mating ceremony to begin.

I stepped out of the room wearing a pale blue silvery dress that donned my body, accentuating my curves.

"It's time to be a bride," I mutter to myself as I stepped out of the room, grinning happily at my reflection in the mirror, as I walked happily down the hallway.

"How do you think that bitch will feel when she sees us walk in together?" I stilled at the familiarity of the voice that echoed from behind the corridor wall. High, syrupy sweet… and venomous.

"I’m still waiting to see the look on her face when you ditch her—maybe right in the middle of the dance floor. Imagine the drama. The silence. The gasps."

I stopped walking. My heart thudded in my chest.

The ball was already in full swing. The scents of rosewood, burnt amber, and pulsing energy filled the air—the unmistakable signs of mating heat. Tonight was supposed to be my night.

My mating day.

At eighteen, every girl in the kingdom dreams of this moment. To walk into the Moonlight Hall, senses tingling, and feel that pull. That magnetic, soul-deep recognition of your mate. Your person. Your fated, your forever.

And for me, the stars had already whispered his name months ago.

Ares Devane.

The best male in the entire pack. The fiercest warrior. My first kiss. My secret safe space. My everything.

Or so I thought.

I pressed my back against the stone wall, listening. The voices were getting closer.

"Do you think she’ll cry?" the girl giggled.

I didn’t need to hear her name to know who it was.

My stepsister. Kalyra.

She wasn’t just beautiful. She was designed to be desired. Honey-blonde hair, emerald eyes, lips like she was born pouting. And a heart as black as a shadow’s spine.

"She’s so stiff, all the time," Kalyra continued. "Like being the first child makes her interesting. But tonight? Nothing's going to save her."

"It’s cruel," Ares said—quietly, but not enough.

"So stop. Walk in with her instead." Another voice added—my stepmother's.

"I didn't think about that; just imagine how perfect that'd be," Kalyra purred, her voice laced with the evil in her heart.

My lungs burned. I didn’t realize I’d been holding my breath as my eyes brimmed with tears.

The corridor ended where the ballroom began. I could hear the music shift—slow, seductive strings. The Mating Call song.

It was time.

I pushed off the wall and kept walking, fixing my mask over my face and my smile into place.

The ballroom doors opened as I stepped forward, and light spilled out like liquid gold. Laughter, music, swirling gowns, and shimmering suits. Eyes turned. Whispers followed. My gown—royal blue and dusted with moonstones—was meant to dazzle.

It had nothing on what came next.

As I stepped onto the marble floor, my heart was pounding in my chest, expecting Ares to be waiting at the end of the hall… he wasn’t.

He wasn’t anywhere.

I searched the crowd. Smiling faces. Mates find each other in bursts of joy and glowing marks.

But mine… was gone until the trumpet sounded, and the doors burst open behind me.

Ares walked in, with his arms around her—Kalyra.

Her gown was blood red. Her lips matched. Her smile was made of razors and roses, cutting into the most delicate part of my chest.

And his mark—my mark, my mate bond—was already glowing on her neck.

I stared, my head fuzzy, tears burned my eyes and I could feel the room tilt on its axis.

He didn’t even look at me, not even as much as a single glance.

No hesitation. No guilt. Just pride.

He walked her straight to the dais where the Royal Circle stood. My father wasn’t there—he hadn’t been for months. Almost dying.

But my stepmother was. Her lips curled as she saw me, like this was the show she’d been waiting years to stage.

I wanted to scream. To demand answers. To claw her face open and ask what lies she spun.

But no one looked shocked, no one reacted to what was happening.

Like this had all been decided before I even walked in.

And then the High Elder stood.

"Tonight," he said, voice heavy with magic, "we honor the bond of Alpha Ares Devane and his fated mate—Kalyra Serin."

"No! No, no, no, this cannot happen, this cannot be happening, this must be a joke right away, I'm supposed to be your mate, not her," I drawled, walking towards them.

"Shut your stupid mouth up, Avena, and do not ruin this with your nuances," my stepmother yelled, darting her death glares at me.

"This wasn’t how it was supposed to go, I'm the one Ares is supposed to be mated to, not your daughter.

I retorted. Anger, betrayal, the creeping hurt in my chest as I watched Ares hold her tighter.

"Shut your mouth or I'll shut it for you," She yelled back.

"Is this why you refused to mark me two years ago Ares, so you could wait for her?..." I asked, my voice trembling as tears streaked from my face.

"Shut up Avena!"

"Or what? If I don't shut up, what the fuck are you going to do?" I asked when I felt the sting first. Sharp. In my thigh.

I looked down, confused—just as a second jab landed on my side.

Needles.Darts.

I stumbled, hand grabbing the table beside me, eyes going blurry.

"What—"

But the words were like molten lava in my throat. My legs folded beneath me, my knees buckled, and my vision spun.

I saw Kalyra’s smile wide and saw Ares finally look at me.

And he looked relieved or even happy, then everything went dark.