Chapter 4
Ella
Under the moon’s gentle glow, I turned into my wolf form, my heart racing as I ran through the night. Each step brought me closer to the cliff’s edge, where I stood alone under the starry sky. Here, I found solace.
I took a deep breath and smiled. This place was my sanctuary amidst the chaos of my life.
I couldn’t count how many times I had been here, nor how often I thought of ending my life because of my suffering. But every time, Flora reminded me of hope, of a life like a wheel where one cannot stay at the bottom forever. That hope she talked about was my mate, and that thought kept me going. For that, I was grateful. I couldn’t imagine where I would be without my spirit wolf.
“No need to thank me, Ella. Just remember that I will always be here for you. Forever.”
I smiled at Flora’s words and went back into wandering about my mate. I couldn’t care less about his rank or how he looked like. All I wanted was for him to love me forever and I would be the same to him. I wanted to believe that love was enough to conquer everything. It should be, right?
“Are you ready to meet our mate tomorrow?” I asked. My wolf seemed to forget about me healing the bunny and replied enthusiastically.
“Of course, Ella! Is that even a question?”
“But what if… he didn’t like me?”
“Well, he is a jark,” my wolf retorted without hesitation. “If he fails to see how beautiful and awesome you are, then he should pluck his eyes out and get new ones.”
Her last sentence made me laugh. I was expecting her to laugh with me, but instead, she turned serious.
“I haven’t heard you laugh like that since Lyle was kiled. I’m glad you found a reason to be happy again.”
Her last statement tugged at my heart. I couldn’t help but question what I did in my life to deserve a wolf like Flora.
—
The soft light of dawn woke me, marking the start of a new day. It was the day I had been waiting for, and I couldn’t help but feel excited about what it might bring.
“Happy birthday, Ella!” I said to myself, smiling. I saw a present at the end of my bed and quickly opened it. Inside, I found a pretty bow hair tie and bright red shoes made from cowhide. The card said they were from my Mom. I didn’t know when she left them there, but I didn’t mind. What mattered was how much I liked them. My Mom surely knew how to put a smile on my face.
The bright colors of the gifts stood out against my usual plain clothes, bringing me joy. It had been ages since I wore something so colorful, and the thought of putting them on made me smile.
Without delay, I took a bath and dressed in the new clothes. Looking at myself in the mirror, I slipped into the shoes and tied the cute ribbon in my hair. A faint scent of my mother lingered, comforting me. Even though things were tough with my Beta father, who had already disowned me, my mother’s love was more than enough for me to continue.
With a thankful heart, I got ready to enjoy the day I had been waiting for so long.
Today was Luke’s accession Ceremony, and everyone was excited. I kept myself busy with tasks, secretly trying to catch the scent of the wolves nearby, hoping to find my mate. I hadn’t found him yet, but that didn’t make me feel down. The day was far from over, and I knew I had enough time to find him.
During the ceremony, I was tasked with handing over the Alpha Crown from the old Alpha to the new one, who was going to be Luke. I knew it was another plot by Molly, remembering how successfully she humiliated me last time. If the alpha father and son found out that I was made to be the one carrying the crown, I could be in trouble. They might think I did it on purpose to disrupt the ceremony, which I definitely didn’t.
Determined not to let Molly frame me again, I came up with a plan to avoid this trap. I covered myself with fragrant oil to hide my scent and wore a veil to hide my face, hoping the ceremony would end quickly so I could continue searching for my mate and avoid being humiliated once again.
As the ceremony started, I waited nervously, picturing how Luke would look as the new Alpha.
I remembered how Luke and I used to talk about Lyle’s accession ceremony, never thinking it would end like this. But it did, anyway, and we could never do anything about it. It wastough, but we needed to accept. Regardless, I knew Luke would be a great Alpha, especially with Lyle’s memory to guide him.
Suddenly, Flora spoke in my mind. “Our mate is near. I can feel him!”
Excited by this discovery, my anticipation grew as I sniffed the air, hoping to catch his scent. Suddenly, I caught a faint smell, like creamy, warm vanilla mixed with Sandalwood. My heart raced, and my body tensed with excitement.
I couldn’t help but fidget with my hands and tap my foot nervously as I took shallow breaths, feeling butterflies fluttering in my stomach. If only I could fast-forward time and get this ceremony over with, I would gladly do it.
As the old alpha finished speaking, I nervously went up to the stage to do my duty. I hoped no one would recognize me because of the veil, so I kept my head down, wishing time would go by faster so I could find my mate.
But as I got closer to the stage, the scent of my mate got stronger. I wished I could look around to see where it was coming from, but I couldn’t risk being recognized, so I kept my head down in a bow.
Then, I reached the stage. When I handed the crown to Luke, the amazing smell got even stronger. I couldn’t understand what was happening until our fingers touched.
And this was the time my world stopped spinning.
When our fingers touched, I felt a sudden rush of energy go through me, sending tingles down my spine. My heart raced, and I felt warm all over, making my cheeks turn red. I felt excited and dizzy, overwhelmed by the intensity of the moment. It felt like there was a special connection between us, like magic, which was hard to explain. Everything else faded away as if we were the only ones in the world.
Overwhelmed, I dropped the crown, hearing gasps from the crowd. But that wasn’t what shocked me, because the next moment, Flora appeared in my mind, confirming the impossible.
“Mate!” she said, turning my world upside down.
That’s not gonna happen.
