Chapter 1 One

• Jayden:
• “Alpha Jayden, maybe you’ll find your mate tonight.”
• My Royal Beta snickered, holding the car door for me as I stepped out and gave a quick shrug to fix my coat.
• Had Lewis not been my best friend, he would have never been able to talk about my mate to me again. But he was close to me, one of the few people I cared about.
• “I don’t need a mate, you know that, Lewis. I already found mine, chose mine—and I can never go wrong with my choice, but the Moon Goddess can make a mistake,” I shrugged, watching his smile fade the moment he heard me mention my girlfriend, Melissa.
• “Yeah, tell him,” Melissa Aubrey, my girlfriend, strolled out of the car from the other side and hugged me, reaching me with a pleasant smile on her lips.
• Melissa was the daughter of the former Royal Beta of my pack, but now he was busy expanding his oil business. She was perfect for me.
• Lewis rolled his eyes and moved to my side instead. The two had been at odds for a while, and I didn’t have the energy to ask why.
• They just didn’t like each other.
• But this evening was about the birthday girl.
• We were attending the birthday of the daughter of my Royal Gamma. Grayson’s family had only one daughter, Elena, and she had just come of age. A party was thrown in her honor, and I was invited as the Alpha of the pack.
• I would have turned down the invitation if my uncle hadn’t insisted that I accept it.
• “I'm going to say hi to Mr Grayson,” I told to Melissa, peeling her hold away from me.
• I was quick to catch sight of Mr Grayson who was talking to some other Alpha’s and pack elders.
• I was about to walk in their direction when I felt my wolf stir and a scent hit me. My brows furrowed and my heartbeat pounded loudly in my ears. I understood something was wrong with my wolf.
• I heard a cry from inside. Focusing on it, I stepped to the side, but what I heard left me frozen for a moment.
• ‘Mate!’
• My heart sank in my chest, my eyes widening in real-time. I wondered if it was a joke, maybe a dream, but then I heard my wolf call for her again—this time even louder.
• ‘Mate!’
• My head snapped around, scanning everyone in my vision. A mate? My wolf was feeling the mate bond, which meant my mate had to be nearby.
• But here?
• At this party?
• I had spent years waiting for my mate, but she was nowhere to be found.
• Not that it mattered to me who my mate was, but I just wanted to see who the Goddess had chosen for me.
• When I didn’t find my mate, I took my relationship with Melissa further and even proposed to her.
• She was everything I wanted in a woman—strong, beautiful, sexy, and daring. My exact type of woman.
• So why did my mate have to show up now?
• I walked further, needing at least a glimpse of this mate of mine, as my wolf wouldn’t rest until he saw her.
• Following her scent, I arrived at the entrance of the Grayson Mansion. I looked around, searching for her, and the scent led me to a small house.
• No… not a house—
• A dog’s kennel
• Why was I being drawn to a kennel? Could she be in there?
• Letting my wolf take the lead, I moved toward the kennel and noticed a man about to lock it. I quickened my steps, almost like I was possessed.
• I shoved the man aside and leaned forward to look inside.
• With my heart pounding hard in my chest, I peered in—and what I saw shook me to my core.
• It was a dark, small kennel. The silver chains shone, but they were too heavy for the fragile being inside to move around with.
• There was a pregnant dog whimpering, and beside her—a girl.
• Her hair was unkempt, dark circles making the white in her eyes stand out even more. Her lips were chapped, her skin rough.
• She was crying, holding the dog, shaking.
• The girl’s breathing was labored. Tears had left streaks on her cheeks. Her eyes widened in fear the moment she saw me. She opened her mouth.
• I couldn’t even make out a single word, but I could tell she was pleading for something.
• I was in shock, lost in what I was seeing.
• Why was a girl placed with a dog, both chained in the same way?
• The kennel was filthy, and so was the girl. There wasn’t much to see in her, and on top of that, the stench was overwhelming, as if the cubicle hadn’t been cleaned in weeks.
• My mind raced with a thousand thoughts as I watched her.
• And just when I thought I had enough surprises for one day, my wolf jumped and screamed—
• ‘Mate!’