Claimed

Faye gravitated to the chocolate strawberries as everyone else watched the beautiful couple dance along the dance floor. She turned and watched as her cousin glided gracefully with Kieran, they did fit each other perfectly. They would be a powerful couple, Faye was not surprised that Alpha Daimon was so eager to hurry Kieran along with imprinting on her. It did not help that the lights that lit up the stone dance floor, illuminated the couple in a way that made it all appear as if it were out of a fairy tale.

"Felicity is so lucky." Faye's ears twitched as she heard a group of girls fawn openly over her cousin. Gina Aaron was in charge of the flock of socialites while Felicity was busy. She had the green eyes of a delta and she was Felicity's best friend. She always made sure that everyone remembered their place and rank in the group. Gina glared when she caught Faye staring in her direction. She placed her nose in the air and leaned in close to her group, "I can't believe the Dusks allow people like her to be here. The Winters are far too benevolent to take her in."

The girls laughed behind their gloved hands as they snuck glances Faye's way. Faye felt her blood begin to boil, but she forced herself to calm down. People were always going to talk, so there was nothing she could do about it anyways.

"Remember the good days when we used to shun traitors?" A grey-eyed girl with a brown braid added. Anna, a rankless baron's daughter. She had some nerve to mock a Winter so openly, but when her father was not around, they could afford to have the gall.

"Now now girls, remember what Felicity always says, we should be kind to the less fortunate. It's not her fault she is what she is," Gina said Felicity's name as if it belonged to a saintess.

"Don't mind them," Tristan whispered in Faye's ear. "They only show their fangs because they know you can't bite back in public."

Faye shrugged as she took another strawberry, "It doesn't matter. Once Felicity permanently becomes a member of the Dusk family, she can make all of them her Ladies in waiting, and then they will all be out of my hair."

"What about when you have to visit the palace?" Tristan challenged.

"Oh that is simple, once dad gives up on finding me a mate, he will have to let me pursue my flute career. Then I will travel the world never paying any of them a second thought." She smiled pridefully at her well-placed plan. She already had letters reaching out to invite her to perform in concerts. She may be a half-breed but in the human world, all they saw was her skill in the flute and would gladly allow her to perform for them.

"If you leave who will I dance with then?" Tristan gave a dramatic panicked look.

"I hear Gina isn't too terrible," She teased with a sharp laugh.

"That is a fate I would not wish on even my worst enemy. She is good in a sparring match but not so much in dancing. Felicity is one of the few warrior she-wolves who possess the talent." Tristan looked away after realizing he had paid Felicity a compliment, but he was right. Felicity was a powerful she-wolf in battle and in the social world.

Kieran and Felicity danced three more times in a row, which was pretty scandalous for an unmated pair. Soon they had to part for decorum's sake and Kieran made way to his seat once again. Next to him was an empty chair that was reserved for his future mate. When they were kids Felicity would always brag about how that would be her seat one day, and as time went by it was slowly becoming more of a reality.

Soon another mateless male wolf named Charles was presented to Faye by her aunt. Penelope was determined to find a suitable mate for her niece. Faye would not dare turn down her aunt for anything and she allowed Charles to pull her into a dance. Once again she could feel someone glaring at her as she danced, but she refused to look Kieran's way. Whether he liked it or not she had to be at his party, so he would just have to deal with her trying to enjoy herself. Although Charles was making that difficult, he was another warrior wolf with light green eyes of a delta. So unfortunately for Faye that meant he did not have much skill in dance. But she smiled through it all as he tried his best, she almost felt bad for him as he seemed bashful about his bad dancing.

"I'm sorry..." he said with reddened cheeks. "I told your aunt I wasn't a good dancer.."

"It's ok. You stayed off my toes, the other dancers are probably a little upset, however," she said with a soft laugh. They had run into several dancers, but it hardly mattered to Faye. When they spun again she noticed Kieran had left his seat again. She refused to wonder where he went, it shouldn't matter to her what he was doing so long as she stayed out of his way.

"I was kind of hoping my wolf would Imprint..." he confessed. "I don't really care to have a warrior wolf, I was hoping to find someone more ... domesticated."

This burned Faye's pride. Although he said it as a compliment she took it as an insult. "I'm sorry but you might want to try one of the other rankless wolves, I'm not as domesticated as you think." It was a lie and she knew it, but she hated that her weaker state was all anyone ever saw. She should have been seen as someone strong like her cousin, but that would never be. She curtsied to her partner and parted ways.

Faye needed a moment to relax after her dance with Charles. She looked around and tried to find a more secluded spot. She spotted a path that lead to another part of the outdoor garden. She made sure no one would be watching her and once satisfied she made her way to a little clearing with a beautiful fountain in the center. What was most important was that there was no one in sight.

She took a seat at the fountain and took her shoes off to rub her feet. She sighed in relief as she enjoyed her moment of privacy. Her peace was soon interrupted when she heard someone moaning nearby. Goosebumps traveled up her neck as she worried someone may be hurt.

She put back on her shoes and tracked down the source of the sound. The closer she got the more familiar the voice became. Was that Felicity? She picked up her pace, Felicity may be annoying but she was still her cousin, and Faye may not be the most useful in a fight but she could do her best.

The sight that greeted her was not what she expected. She had to cover her mouth to keep from making a sound as the sight of her cousin being ravished against a tree by no other than the second prince, assaulted her eyes. They were being careful not to ruin her hair and dress but it was very clear what they were doing.

Felicity's eyes locked with Faye's but she didn't scramble to fix herself. She just smirked and ran her nails through Kieran's raven hair. For some reason, this angered Faye. She wanted to tear Kieran off her Cousin and drag her back to the party and far away from him. But what they did in private had nothing to do with her and she would rather forget she ever walked in on them. She silently turned around and left the pair as fast as she could.

She stole a small glass of champagne and gulped it down on her way out. She then found her aunt and allowed her to parade more men before her to dance. Perhaps if she could get someone to imprint on her, she could forget the unfortunate affair she walked in on.

After a few more dances with random male wolves and no imprinting, her father came looking for her once again. Liam gently led Faye beside him as he headed to their reserved seats. "Alpha Daimon says he is about to make an announcement. You are going to have to sit next to your cousin, be nice." He ordered as he pulled out her chair that was set next to Felicity. Once Liam was gone Felicity gave a superior smirk.

"Hello little cousin, enjoy your walk?" She asked. "I know you must be surprised but that is just something mates do. One day you will understand."

Faye tried not to gag as she ignored Felicity's taunts as she took her seat. They sat in a section reserved for the Winter family, allowing all the wolves to marvel at their strong lineage. Each of her family members sat tall and proud, all of them having toned defined muscles ready for battle should any of them be called for it. Faye tried to shrink out of view, hoping no one compared her small delicate frame to the beautiful vigorous figure of her cousin.

Alpha Daimon stood to his feet to address his guests. He did not need to say a word to command silence. Everyone fell deathly still as their Alpha stood proudly before them.

"I would like to thank and welcome all of you who have come to wish my youngest son Kieran Dusk, a happy birthday!" He waited as the crowd erupted in applause.

"But this is more than just a birthday party, this is a special night for my son. For tonight he will finally imprint on his future mate."

The crowd turned their attention to Kieran who had been sitting in his chair seeming bored of the whole thing. But his father's words caught him off guard, and he sat up straight staring at his father in confusion. Whatever the Alpha had planned tonight, Kieran was not informed. He clenched his jaw as his eyes glared at his father, he would not dare openly argue with the Alpha, but his expression spoke volumes, that he did not want what was going to happen next.

Warrick was already standing to his feet, walking to Kieran's side, preparing to hold his little brother down should he need to.

"As you know, my son has been stubborn in finding his mate. It seems he needs some encouragement so I have decided to force his hand."

"What is the meaning of this?" Kieran asked, his voice was so deep it made Faye's stomach do a little flip.

"I warned you if you did not hurry and imprint then I would take matters into my own hands. I did not want to do things like this, but seeing as there is no choice, I will."

"You can't force me to imprint!"

"I can if you are suppressing your wolf. This will let us know if your wolf is truly uninterested in anyone, or if you are being stubborn." He was speaking to his son, but he spoke loud enough for the crowd to hear. He then whispered something low enough for only Kieran to hear. Whatever it was it caused Kieran's eyes to widen in alarm.

Daimon then revealed a needle that had some kind of concoction in it. Before Kieran could fight back, his brother held him down. Warrick forced Kieran's head to the side to expose his neck. Usually, an Alpha could just order someone to stay still, but when Kieran wanted to be difficult not even his father's Alpha voice could force him to behave. It was another nod to how powerful his wolf truly was.

Something about all this bothered Faye, she knew she needed to stay in her seat but she did not want to be by Felicity when Kieran's wolf surfaced to imprint on her. Fortunately, no one was paying attention to her as she silently left her spot at Felicity's side and made her way back to the food table that sat behind the large crowd of wolves. She stole another strawberry as she watched the display. Kieran was sweating heavily as he tried to fight against his father's orders, and his brother's strong grip holding him down.

"Dad you don't know what you are doing... please don't do this," he begged, but the Alpha had been patient long enough. He placed the needle on his son's neck and injected the liquid that lay inside.

"Don't worry, it won't last long, just a few minutes," Warrick whispered to Kieran as his veins popped out of his neck. Kieran shouted in pain as he tried to fight back his wolf, but he was losing the battle. Soon his dark crimson eyes became a bright vibrant red. He did not shift completely but Faye could see the subtle difference in how Kieran held himself versus when his wolf surfaced. His posture became more animalistic, his canines poked out of his mouth, and his already broad shoulders became even broader. His chest also became bigger, ripping his nice suit at the seams.

The crowd gasped as Kieran stood to his feet and inspected each of them like a predator on the hunt. He slowly approached Felicity and sniffed the air around her. She sat tall and proud as she waited for him to look her in the eye and imprint on her. But, the wolf's face contorted in disgust as the person he was looking for was not there. Felicity's face fell in shock as Kieran's wolf snubbed her. It took all her strength to stay in her seat as everything she worked for was snatched away. She felt people stare at her, taking some sick delight in her public humiliation.

Kieran's wolf kept sniffing the air and followed someone's trail. People parted out of the way, not daring to utter a sound as he inspected each of the She-wolves he passed. He finally took another deep breath and his eyes snapped as they locked on Fayes.

Fear shot through her body, he was staring at her, there was no doubt of it. Had Kieran's wolf surfaced just to kill her? She knew he hated her but perhaps his hatred went further than she thought.

'He is going to kill me,' her inner voice warned her. 'Run. I need to run.' She dropped her food and slowly backed away. She knew this was wrong, it went against one of the first things they teach young she-wolves when they catch the eye of a male wolf. That is to never run, for there was nothing that a wolf loved more than a good chase. If a wolf was at the surface, it was a good way to get hurt. But she could not listen to reason as the colossal beast headed her way.

She had to get out of there or else he would surely kill her, before anyone could stop her she turned and ran for the forest. She knew she was shaming her family, a Winter running from a fight? That was unheard of, but she was not a beta, she did not have the strength or the stubborn will to try and face a Dusk.

Kieran growled with excitement and before she could reach the safety of the trees he had her pinned beneath him.

"Finally..." his words poured out in a deep growl, sounding more beast than man. "You are mine, and there is nothing he can do to stop me."

Her eyes were wide with dread at her impending fate, "Please, don't kill me.."

He chuckled darkly as he sniffed her neck, "I would never wish you harm my dear."

Her eyes shifted back and forth as she tried to work out what he was telling her. He was making a mistake, he thought she was someone else, he had to. "Kieran, it's me," her voice sounded shakey in her ears. "Please, you are making a mistake, I'm not Felicity."

"Don't ever accuse me of making a mistake!" He warned. "I know who you are Faye Winters, and you are mine. You always have been! You just never knew it."

Her world began to spin as the reality of words weighed her down. "But, that would mean you.. imprinted..." she couldn't finish her sentence for it sounded ludicrous in her own ears.

"I imprinted on you years ago," he whispered. "All those years of having to watch you dance with other men, trying to get one of them to claim you when you belonged to me. It drove me mad," he accused with his claws digging into her tender flesh. She gasped in pain as the blood bubbled from his sharp touch.

Faye could hear the eavesdroppers gasp, even though they were speaking softly it was still loud enough for wolven's hearing to pick up. Now everyone knew that Kieran had a mate all these years, he just wouldn't claim her. His father was right, he had been suppressing his wolf, and his wolf was furious. Unfortunately for Faye, she would be the one to face his wrath.

"Now I will make sure he can never deny me what is mine ever again," he threatened.

'No! This is wrong! He can't claim me!!' she panicked inwardly. She began to struggle, trying to free herself of his grasp, but this did nothing but test his temper further.

A low predatorial growl erupted from his throat as he pinned her wrists together above her head with one hand. Then he used his other hand to cover her mouth and hold her head in place.

"This is going to hurt a lot, little wolf," was all the warning she got before she felt the sharp sting of his massive fangs breaking through the flesh of her neck.

The pain that flooded her body was more than she could ever imagine. They say that the stronger the wolf, the more his bite hurt. Kieran's wolf was so powerful she was sure his mark would be what truly killed her. Her agonizing screams were muffled by his strong hand, and her whole body felt as if she were on fire. She began to convulse but he held her down and kissed her neck.

"It will be over soon," he cooed in her ear. Her eyes began to roll to the back of her head and soon everything fell to darkness.