Chapter 2 Mate

• Serena’s POV
• “What is happening father is that girl is my mate, and as you very well understand, I cannot let you kill her.”
• Lucian’s words echo in my head as I lay on the ground in confusion. The crowd is gasping and people are standing, murmuring and forming a circle around the scene to get a better look at the situation. The alpha looks angry but more confused. He seethes in fury as he walks closer to his son, taking him by the collar.
• “I know you are fond of games, boy but now is not the time. The sacrifice must happen and you know this, so stop with your silly little tactics. No son of mine can have a mere rogue as a mate.” Lucian stares down at his father with darkness in his eyes. I don’t know if what he is saying about the mate bond is true because I do not feel anything.
• Since I haven’t gotten my wolf yet, I do not have the ability to feel any supernatural abilities that a Lycan possesses, which means I do not have the ability right now to sense if he is my mate or not. But the protectiveness and possessiveness I see in his eyes looks so real, so genuine and as the alpha’s son, every Lycan ability he possesses is heightened. He feels the mate bond stronger than any other wolf.
• I have heard of Lucian Blackwood and his father. Thy are both ruthless men with no consideration for anyone else but themselves. He didn’t try to stop the ceremony, not until he felt the mate bond. He isn’t doing this out of the kindness of his heart or because he cares about me. I am a nobody to him. He is doing this, stopping his father because he just felt the mate bond and every wolf instinct that he has is urging him to protect me.
• Lucian stares down at his father and removes his father’s hold on him easily as he walks towards me. The alpha, the guards and the other guests all watch the scene unfold in front of them with wide eyes. No one will dare stop Lucian from doing anything except his father and right now, his father seems so consumed with shock and confusion that all he can do is watch his son lift me from the ground as he breaks the chains around my hands easily.
• “Mate.” He growls deeply when he has my frail and smaller body in his hold. He looks down at me expectantly, as if waiting for me to confirm whatever it is that he feels. I stare into the abyss that are his dark eyes and all I feel is a burning hatred as hot as a furnace. Lucian Blackwood and his father have been killing my people for many years. Every five years a rogue wolf is brought here without their consent, taken away from their loved ones and sacrificed under a full moon.
• Lucian Blackwood has aided his father all these years to rule in tyranny and when his father passes, he will follow in his father’s footsteps and may be even be worse. The people of the Blood Moon pack call Lucian the predator for a reason.
• “I do not have my wolf yet.” I say simply, my body shaking from the terror of the fact that I am in the lion’s den right now. So utterly and completely unprotected. “I cannot feel the mate bond, but please, if what you say is true, break the bond right now. Reject me as your mate because I would rather die and be used for this sacrifice than be mated to someone as pathetic and evil as yourself.”
• The gasps seem to only get louder at my statement. I see anger flash in Lucian’s eyes as his hold on my arm tightens. I wait for a slap, for a kick, for a punch, anything. But it doesn’t come. He just glares at me, his eyes turning red with authority.
• “You insolent brat!” I hear the alpha’s loud voice ring in my head, I can hear the frustration in his voice. I almost feel and taste it as he stomps towards me. He raises his hand in an attempt to slap me but Lucian shields me and it sends my mind into a turmoil of confusion. I have to remind myself that he is only acting this way because of the mate bond. My parents are not mates but they have explained to me how the mate bond works.
• It is supposed to be the most powerful driving force of any Lycan folk. When you find your mate, it is supposed to be the most exhilarating feeling ever. A feeling of ecstasy. The minute you sense the bond you have this primal urge to protect your mate from anything that might harm them. When two mates fully accept and mark each other, they become powerful and linked as one. When one feels pain, the other feels it too.
• Breaking the mate bond is said to be the most painful thing that a wolf can go through but I honestly do not care. I do not want to be linked for life to someone like Lucian. I do not want to be his mate. It’s not like I will be accepted by him anyway. Being the future alpha’s mate means I will become his Luna and that will never be allowed by the higher-ups because I am nothing but a mere rogue who was supposed to be used as a sacrifice in the Rite of Unity ceremony. This will never work.
• “Touch her father and I swear you will release hell on earth.” Lucian’s voice dominates.
• “If this little insolent nobody is your mate, then I suggest you reject her right this instant and be done with it. If you reject her now, then I may be willing to forgive and ignore the grave disrespect that you have just demonstrated. Do it now Tristan! She is a rogue. I will die before I let you be mated her!” His father points his index finger at me as he speaks.
• Lucian looks from me to his father with clear rebellion in his eyes and then he looks to the crowd, his eyes turning red with authority. Lucian seems like someone who has never disrespected his father’s authority before.
• “She doesn’t have her wolf yet.” Lucian starts talking. “I am not in the mood to go through the negative effects of breaking the mate bond with someone who doesn’t have their wolf. For it to be a painless experience, she has to accept the rejection as a werewolf. As you know father, we have a group of rogue wolves who have been trying to infiltrate the pack for months now. Breaking the mate bond with her now when she cannot accept the rejection will take a toll on my wolf, my abilities. I will not be able to fully defend our pack. So, I’m sorry but you cannot have your way tonight father.”
• Lucian stands in front of me, pushing me behind him protectively. I stumble and I stare at the scene in front of me in confusion. Lucian is right. I do not have my wolf yet, hence I cannot feel the mate bond. I cannot reject something that I cannot feel. In this moment, only Lucian can break the bond and if he does that right now, when I am not able to consent to it, he will be punished by the moon goddess.
• He might even lose his wolf. Of course, he’s not willing to take that risk. This only clarifies that he truly doesn’t give a damn about me. He only wants power and right now, all I am to him is an inconvenience. The alpha seems to understand Lucian because he suddenly looks defeated as he grips the dagger tightly in his arms.
• “I suppose you’re right.” The alpha says, placing the dagger on a table as he walks towards me. His gaze is planted on me as he takes long strides to where I am standing. My heart thunders in my chest at the turn of events of tonight. I have no idea what will happen after this but I have the feeling it will not be pleasurable. He might want this sacrifice to push through but breaking the bond and killing me will hurt his son. We have no way of knowing exactly to what extent breaking the mate bond will affect Lucian and I can tell the alpha is not willing to take that risk.
• Lucian is the most important asset that the Blood Moon pack has. He’s a true warrior forged by his father and if there is any reason the pack has not been infiltrated in years, it is because Lucian has been defending it properly. If breaking the mate bond will affect him negatively, bad things might happen. Of course, the alpha is not willing to take such a great risk.
• “Unfortunately, the girl has already been recognized by the ancestors as the blood sacrifice. She cannot be replaced now. The moon has already poured its light on her. The sacrifice is still pending and as soon as she has her wolf, you will break the bond, Lucian. She will accept the rejection and we will kill her and complete the ceremony. That is what she was born for. That is her destiny and when the time comes, she will fulfil it whether she is your mate or not.”
• My eyes widen at the finality in his tone, at the conviction in his voice. I was ready to die today. I was ready to accept death but now, having to live every day of my life as a prisoner, just waiting for the day my wolf finally comes so I can be killed, that’s torture.
• “Until then…” The alpha continues. “The girl stays here…”
• “Not as a prisoner.” Lucian interrupts before his father can finish his sentence. He turns towards me, towering over me with all the authority of a true alpha. His eyes darken as he glares at me.
• “She will serve me for the rest of her days.” He states and my heart falls to my stomach. I will have to spend the rest of my days with Lucian as a slave. I will have to wake up every morning and look into his eyes, knowing that my life depends entirely of him. Knowing that he holds my destiny in the palm of his hands.
• As I look up at him in all his evil and tainted glory, a new feeling replaces the fear I feel with anger. So much anger and determination to be the one that ruins Lucian Blackwood and his father. I want to be the one to cause the fall of the Blood Moon pack. I don’t know how I will do it, but I want to make them feel what the rogues and I have felt all these years. I want them to beg and they will.