CHAPTER 002

Had not the loss of her mother and the breaking of her father’s heart been sufficient to cause Selene to vow never again to form a mate bond, what had happened to Jesse Klein had sealed that vow, Jesse or Alpha Klein, as everybody called him now. Once he was her whole world. They were brought up together, and their lives were intertwined. His father was Alpha; her father, his faithful Beta. That is what made their ways meet every day since they were born.

They were not the only ones. The children of Gamma Thorn, Tyler and Larissa, were never left behind either, and neither was Sarah Woods, the daughter of the Head Omega. They were a small group of naughty rascals.

On a particular day, the five of them might be found racing around the pack house halls playing tag, sneaking cookies out of the kitchen of Sarah, or hiding in the woods where nobody could find them. They had been brought up together, they laughed together, and they had memories that appeared to be indestructible.

Jesse, Tyler, Sarah, and Selene were of the same age, and Larissa was younger, and she was always trying to follow her elder brother. But she was there anyway. Years had been spent together.

Then, at the age of almost sixteen, Jesse and Selene had an encounter. She suddenly saw how he appeared when he ran his hand through his sandy blond hair. She saw how his green eyes were gleaming with mischief, more than any other. She was struggling against impulses she had never struggled against, and she wanted to follow her fingers along the muscles that lay beneath his sun-kisses. He noticed her too.

Their repartees grew more acute and were interspersed with something that neither of them could at first call by a name. Then, weeks later, Jesse proposed to her on their first date. That night was enough to fix her fate. Since that time, Selene had known that she did not want anybody.

Jesse was her shadow over the next four years. He trailed her everywhere. They spent their leisure time together, and they grew closer with each season. Jesse was the one who supported Selene when her mother passed away just a few months after her sixteenth birthday. It was he that made her not fall all the way.

Her father was a shadow of himself and sinking in grief. Selene would have broken without Jesse holding her. When Jesse was eighteen, he was openly planning their future. He talked like it was written. He believed that when Selene reached eighteen, the mate bond would fall into place and affirm what they both already knew.

He would be Alpha, she would be Luna, and they would be the pack leaders. Selene clung to that belief. But the morning of her birthday told otherwise. She remembered it vividly.

Jesse had been to her drive, and she had been to see him, and her heart was sore with hope. She had been waiting for the sparks, the irrefutable evidence of the mate bond. But they never came. He smelled like he always smelled, that warm blend of leather and rain that she adored, but no better.

His hand comforted her, but no fire flashed in her body. They had not been selected by the Moon Goddess. The sobs were quick and sharp, on the driveway. Selene had wept and was frightened that he would leave her, that all they had made would be destroyed.

But Jesse just drew her into his chest, and his voice was low and steady in her ear. "It does not matter," he had said and said. “I am not leaving you. Not ever. ”She believed him.

He kissed her cheeks, her forehead, her neck, and inside, and smothered her with assurances. He said he loved her; nothing could make him change. Then she pleaded with him to brand her his preferred bride. She desired it to be shut and wanted everybody to know they were a couple.

But Jesse refused. He rubbed his fingers in her hair and told her that he wanted their first time to be special, not an effect of her tears. She waited.

The following morning she thought of surprising him with breakfast. She brought in a basket of muffins, his favorite, into the pack house. She thought he would be smiling. Rather, she was standing outside his bedroom door, frozen, and heard voices raised in argument.“That is not fair!

There are plenty of wolves who choose mates. Why can't I decide who I want? The voice of Jesse was desperate. "Yes, plenty, but not Alphas," his father answered, cold and stern. An Alpha is more powerful with his real Luna.

It is your duty to the pack. The voice of his mother came next, less piercing, but no less. Wait till you are twenty. By that time the Moon Goddess has not revealed to you your mate, we will bless your decision. But give her until then. Please. ”Selene stood still, her heart falling. “And if I do not wait?” Jesse challenged.

Then shall we not stand with thee. And you know the pack will not either, his father said flatly. Footsteps approached. Her heartbeat quickened, and her body would not move.

His parents walked into the hall, and their eyes were on her. They did not say anything; they just passed by. The lips of his mother smiled in a little, repentant smile, but it was of no use.

Two years. That was the bargain. They agreed to wait. Selene was proud when Jesse at last stood before the pack as Alpha. She applauded till her hands were sore. Tyler became Beta the same day, a two-fold celebration. Their small group was becoming leadership. She thought her time had come.

Every night Jesse was whispered promises. He touched her neck and said, Soon, love. I will put a tick on you here so everyone can see. You will be mine forever. ”Selene believed every word.

Everything changed the night of the celebration of Tyler. It was to be easy: a party to induct Tyler into Beta and a welcome home to Larissa, back after years at boarding school. Selene had dressed herself, her heart a-thumping. She fancied that it would be the night Jesse would make good on his word. They went into the door hand in hand. Then Jesse froze. His wolf came up so quick his eyes turned black. He released the hand of Selene and pushed his way through the crowd.

His body moved with hunger, with certainty, with something Selene could not struggle with. Sarah sat next to her, rubbing her back, not saying anything, but insistent. His voice rumbled deep. “Mine.” He nailed Larissa to the wall before Selene could breathe and kissed her with a passion that Selene was too familiar with. Her world was broken in one beat of the heart.

The crowd gasped. Selene would not have been supported by her own legs, yet she did not fall. She stood there and stared, waiting till he should come to himself. Waiting for him to look at her. He never did. What shall I say unto him this time? Sarah ran to her side, caught her arm, and pulled her out into the night. “You do not need to see this. She was scarred, and she had learned to stuff the cracks with her work. Selene fell into her car, numb.

In the house of Sarah, she fell on the bed and cried until her throat was on fire. Her eyes were tired, her muscles tired after the long night. The thoughts of Selene went round and round.

Four years. They had sacrificed all to one another. How would it disappear in a few seconds? How could the Goddess ask this of her again? Selene had become hard-hearted by the time her tears had evaporated. She despised the goddess because of her inhumane games. She despised the myth of destined lovers. And she vowed never to give anyone the opportunity to ruin her again.

During the following weeks, Jesse attempted to visit her. He banged on the door of Sarah, called her name, and implored her to hear him. Selene would not give it.

One evening Sarah threw open her bedroom door and muttered, "He is here again." She was scarred, and she had learned to stuff the cracks with her work. Selene did not even look up. “Tell him I am gone. Say I went, and you know not where. Say what thou wilt, but I need not see thy face. Her voice was flat and hollow.

She would not grant Jesse another minute of her life. A year later she had put some of herself back together. Her eyes were swollen, and her muscles were aching after the long night. She became stronger. She laughed again, sometimes. She wished to think that she could cling to that image of herself.

Training helped. Her wolf, Eliza, Jesse, had been impatient with anger. They made it into a discipline together. Initially, Selene was barely able to complete a session. But she strained, week after week, till her body grew hard. She was strong now, one of the fiercest she-wolves in the pack. She decided to rest rather than train tonight. Her eyes had swollen, and her muscles ached after the late night.

She went up the stairs, threw herself on her bed, and sighed. She was thinking of everything she had lost and everything she still wanted as she drifted. Her thoughts were mean things.

Love made one have the ability to squash you. That was reality. She drew the blanket over her, and she was going to remember that lesson. She was happy that she had never seen her mate. Such love was a fantasy, and it belonged to others.

And with that determination flaming in her heart, Selene at last allowed herself to fall asleep. But as she fell asleep, Eliza awoke in the back of her mind.

You cannot conceal yourself indefinitely, the wolf said. What if he is nearer than you imagine? Selene shuddered even in her sleep, her heart contracting at the words.

Was it just the start of her nightmare?