Chapter 3

With shaky legs, I stepped onto the stage and made my way into my position, placed between two girls of similar rank and the same pack. The stage was large enough to fit about sixty wolves, but still I felt cramped and uncomfortable under the stifling heat.

The announcer began speaking and I tuned him out, knowing there would be many females before he got to my name. Instead, I searched myself for my wolf, feeling her curled up in a ball, conflicted as she watched from my eyes. She too was feeling overwhelmed by what had just happened, an immense urge to shift and run, something she knew we couldn't do for a while, overwhelming her.

I often wondered how it felt for our wolves to be cooped up inside us all the time. The first time I'd let my wolf out and given her full control, being at the back felt like a dream, or watching someone drive a car from the backseat. I couldn't imagine being like that for most of my life.

A few females ahead of me found their mates and my heart swelled with happiness for them as they were led off the stage and into their mate's arms. However, some females didn't find their mates this time and walked sadly off the stage, doing their best to put on a brave smile and re-joining their families. It wasn't something shameful to have not found your mate yet, but the sooner you found them, the better your chances were.

"May Bard."

The announcer's voice pierced my thoughts and I blinked, startled as I heard my name being called again. I blushed furiously and stumbled slightly as someone nudged me forward, embarrassed that I had been daydreaming while I was supposed to be paying attention.

"May Bard from the Crescent Moon pack will now use her wolf to find her mate. May the Moon Goddess guide you." The announcer began, throwing me a small encouraging smile as he turned towards the crowd.

I breathed out, summoning my wolf forward. Truthfully, there was no telling if what I was doing was right, but somehow, I knew it was and I felt my wolf emerge and my eyes change as a sixth sense somehow opened and my eyes fluttered closed.

He was here, I could feel it.

My eyes opened again, and I searched the crowd, a sort of tugging pulling my gaze. I searched for hours, it seemed, but I knew it was mere seconds before my gaze landed on a particular pair of familiar striking brown eyes.

My face fell in confusion as Ares stepped towards the stage, nudging Drew away as he tried to hold him back. My heart hammered in my chest as my mouth opened slightly in shock, completely baffled as to what was happening.

Goosebumps erupted onto my skin as Ares made contact with my hand and I shuddered, soaking in the pleasure as he pulled me off the stage. A few claps and cheers rang out from the crowd and our pack members, who beamed at me with encouraging smiles and turned back to the stage. Ares didn't let go of my hand as we whizzed past his family once again, and for once I was grateful for his powerful strength that held me up, as if he let go I would surely faint. My head was swimming with both pleasure and confusion, waves and ripples of what I could only assume was the mate pull coursed through my body and had my wolf frantic and pouncing around.

I jogged to keep pace with Ares, revelling in the feeling of my hand in his and the tingles of pleasure that danced across our skin as we kept contact.

He pulled me into the same tent as an hour ago, but instead of sitting me down he held me to him, nose burying into my neck as he inhaled my scent. I remained rigid and allowed him to, feeling sparks ignite where our skin made contact with each other. I was feeling the effects of the mate pull already as he pulled away and held me, brown gaze darkening once again. My eyes flickered to his lips, down his body and back up to settle at his neck; the urge to mark him was strong and I knew he felt the same way.

But...this had to be some kind of mistake, Alphas had some sort of sense as to who their mates were before they even partook in the ceremony. Which meant Ares had to know I was his mate beforehand...Suddenly everything began to make sense; him visiting me in the morning, followed by his argument with Drew, why he was so angry with Alpha Aether talking to me, and why now he had claimed me in front of everyone, despite whatever was going on that his father didn't want me to know about.

"May." Ares breathed out, snapping me out of my realisation. I shuddered as he spoke my name and leaned into him slightly without thinking, my eyes fluttering as I teetered on the edge of fainting.

"May, I'm so sorry about this. You don't deserve this." He said, and I felt lightheaded again from the sound of my name from his voice.

"Don't deserve what?" I asked, looking up at him in a dazed state, then all at once it hit me and I sobered up.

I pulled away from him, much to the annoyance of my wolf, and his hands dropped by his sides as his head fell, showing submission. My eyes widened in shock at his actions; something an Alpha never did was submit to a wolf that was lesser than them, unless that wolf had done something worthwhile, or they had done a great disservice to that wolf...

"You're...rejecting me?" I whispered, my voice shaking as tears pricked at my eyes uncharacteristically.

My wolf whined as Ares' eyes met mine, head shaking to dispute my claim, but I turned away from him, hugging myself and forcing my hands not to reach out and touch him. I was fragile; my heart was about to shatter into a million pieces and my wolf was close to taking over if I didn't get an explanation as to what was happening. This was so unlike me, to have my emotions on full display and feel like I had no control over them, the mate pull was drawing them out with full force, pushing me to show my most vulnerable side to Ares.

"Why?" I asked, my voice still shaky and quiet. "Ares...why?"

At the sound of his name from my voice Ares sucked in a breath, he too was at the mercy of the mate pull and could not resist its enticing grip. His eyes closed, a split second longer than they should have, and my wolf revelled in the fact her mate was just as affected by the mate pull.

"I'm sorry, May, but I already have a chosen mate."

My heart shattered into a million pieces.

The strength drained from my body, and I collapsed onto my knees, head down to the floor as I clutched my chest and cried out. He knew he was my mate as an Alpha, but had already chosen someone else? I couldn't control myself as my wolf fought for dominance, spurred on by the intense emotions that racked our mind and the harrowing sorrow we were feeling. I could feel the tendrils of the mate pull calling out to Ares to comfort me and he did, surprisingly, gulping back his own sorrow as my heartbreak permeated the air.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, May." He spoke, repeating it again and again. I was oblivious to his pleads though, the only thing I could think of was what I had lost before I had even had the chance to experience it; marking my mate, sharing intimate moments, even one day carrying his pups.

"Why?" I choked out, letting myself be engulfed by Ares' arms as he pulled me to him. No doubt his wolf was feeling the need to comfort me, to hold me as my own body shook with violent sobs. Shudders ran through me again and I began to feel dizzy, the mate pull urging me to make eye contact with Ares; to search in his eyes for some sort of reassurance that he would make me his.

I ignored it. He had already given me his answer and if his actions today were any indicator of what was to come, it meant that preparations were already underway right under my nose.

We sat there for a while together, arms tangled together and my sobs slowly dying down to sniffles. I was no doubt a mess of runny makeup and dried tears, Ares' eyes were still dark, and his gaze kept flickering to my neck, no doubt wanting to mark me and show me that I was his. Whatever was preventing him from doing it, whoever he had chosen in place of his Moon given mate, I resented.

"May..." He began, and I felt my head spin and my vision blur once again. What was this mate pull? This intense pressure to touch, to hold and make every type of contact with your mate at all times. It was such a blessing to those who embraced it, to those wolves who would spend the rest of their lives in their mates embrace and welcome the mate pull with open arms. But it was a curse to me and Ares, as far as I knew the mate pull never left a wolf unless their mate had died, not even rejection could sever it. Unless...one wolf mated with another that wasn't theirs. Then and only then did I know of the mate pull being severed; it made sense after all, by mating with one who wasn't your mate you were essentially cutting the ties to your mate with your own hand. But that was something I could never do, for I knew if anything my wolf would not allow me.

My mother barged into the tent, followed shortly by Alpha Warren, Luna Grace, and Drew. Ares jumped away from me as if we'd been caught doing something we weren't supposed to, but thankfully we had long since risen from the floor and were tangled in each other's embrace on a small seat. As much as I wanted to leave, I couldn't, the mate pull was too strong and I wanted to savour whatever time I had left with him, no matter how angry I felt.

I buried my head into my mother as she embraced me once again, feeling like a child who'd just fallen off their bike and was currently being laughed at by their peers. She consoled me, quietly rubbing my back, but the crowd of people broke our touching moment and had me pulling away from her and wiping my eyes. I would not shed another tear for my unfortunate situation, I would not allow my wolf and myself to fall into sorrow because of the callous actions of my mate.

I let the scent of my anger permeate the air and the tent we were in. It was a bitter, sour smell that surely had Ares' wolf pawing at me to make amends. Alpha Warren's eyes snapped to mine, and he growled lowly at me.

"That's enough, May," He shouted, running a hand through his greying hair. His eyes softened almost immediately though, obviously recognising the situation as I was in. 'Has he explained to you the situation yet?"

I reigned in my scent and shook my head, shallow, breaths coming out of me as I calmed myself down from all my crying. All Ares had done was apologise profusely, and while it was enough for my wolf; too primal and smitten with him to demand a proper explanation, it wasn't enough for me; the human side who resonated with logic and reason more and was adamant on receiving some sort of explanation.

"It's not your fault, May. It's just...the way things have to be. The neighbouring pack is demanding more land as they think it's unfair we have so much." Alpha Warren began, "It was either land or... Anyway, we came to a compromise; to unite both our packs into one large one through marriage...through mates."

Ares' eyes wandered to mine, searching for a reaction, but I didn't give him the satisfaction of my gaze. This couldn't be happening? Why me? Why my mate of all people? I clutched at my heart again as another wave of realisation spread through me. Ares hadn't formally rejected me yet, but I was already feeling the effect of a fragile, hanging-by-a-thread, mate bond. I wondered what I would do when he really did reject me, if I'd go into a depression, go feral, or lose my will to live.

"I'm sorry, May." Ares said, and I squeezed my eyes shut to prevent another shudder that left me faint. I wished he would stop saying my name, it made me want to forgive him, to forget everything and embrace him and mark him. I began to hate the mate pull, loathe it as it spread over my body every time, I caught a glance of Ares' body through my peripheral vision.

He was sorrowful, uncomfortable but I knew he wouldn't do right by me. He was just as much obligated to obey his father's orders as the rest of us were.

Weak male.

My wolf growled at me, a warning to not insult our mate. I shut her out as best I could as I knew she was fully on the side of Ares and would not allow me to hate him. My eyes darkened as I silently fought for dominance with her and Ares stepped forward, reaching out to me.

"Don't apologise, Ares." Alpha Warren snapped at him, and my mother's eyes blackened instantly, her hands pushing me behind her as she pointed an accusatory finger at Alpha Warren.

"With all due respect, Alpha, why shouldn't he apologise? My daughter is not at fault here, at all, instead it is your family who does not respect the ancient tradition of the wolves." My mother spat angrily.

It was a rare occasion, seeing my mother so angry like this; she rarely showed many negative emotions and when usually angry would remain quite in most situations. I guess matters regarding her pup ignited a different kind of rage in her, and my heart swelled proudly at the sight of her standing her ground. Although, it irked me to some extent I was too overwhelmed to defend myself; I was a grown woman after all and would, some way or another, eventually have a mate to which I would reside with them. Something I had to do was learn to defend myself, or stand up for myself, in an environment that wasn't physical battle - for that I excelled in.

I stepped forward, placing a hand on my mother's shoulder and looking at her with thanks in my eyes. No time like the present to gain a little confidence and, pushed on by my anger and need to get answers, I confronted the wolves before me.

"So, what is to become of me?" I asked, my words almost a whisper.

"I don't know, May. We didn't know it would be you until the mating ceremony." Alpha Warren answered.

I was tired of this; I just wanted to go home and lie in my own bed and forget about what had happened today. Maybe this was all just one of my vivid nightmares and I'd wake up in the morning again with this all behind me.

"We just assumed Ares' mate would be a female from another pack, higher up in the ranks." Alpha Warren continued, although he didn't look very sorry as far as I was concerned.

I did admit, those words did sting, but it was true. I wasn't an Alpha's daughter, not even a Beta's daughter. My father and mother were unranked pack wolves, the only strength I had was from my own efforts in the training regime and even that couldn't compare to the natural born advantages a higher ranked wolf passed down to their offspring.

"He didn't know it was me until the mating ceremony, yet he came to see me this morning?" I questioned, avoiding saying Ares' name as not to give him the satisfaction.

He had to know I was not on his side and would not be persuaded without proper retribution.

Alpha Warren's face contorted with anger, and he turned to face his son.

"You knew it was her and you didn't tell me? You went to see her after the meeting?" He shouted, a growl emanating out of his chest.

Ares puffed up his chest and looked down at his father, not intimidated by him in the slightest. He allowed his wolf forward as a warning; all matters concerning me were fragile.

"Yes, my wolf wouldn't allow me not to see her." He answered, voice deep. The scent of angry, rage filled males slowly saturated the air and whilst the other must have felt tense and cold, I felt even more drawn to Ares in that moment.

"You should know not every luxury can be afforded to your wolf. When your Alpha gives you a direct command, you follow it." Alpha Warren seethed, turning back to me.

Ares could only stay quiet.

"I apologise May, if I had known that you were mates beforehand, maybe things would have turned out different for you today." Alpha Warren remarked.

But what is to happen of me? I asked in my head, still unsatisfied by this conversation that had done nothing to satisfy my concerns. As if sensing my plight, Luna Grace, who had since remained silent for the entire situation, spoke up.

"For now, I think it's best you and Ares stay away from each other as we figure things out." She declared, giving me a comforting smile.

I nodded gently, feeling somewhat conflicted, but I agreed that we should stay away from each other. It was best for both of us that the mate pull slowly lose its hold, so once he rejected me, I would hopefully recover quickly.

Ares began to protest but I cut him off by standing up, bowing to the Alpha and Luna as my mother did the same.

"And stay away from Alpha Aether during these next few weeks of celebration. Like I said, he's taken a liking to you, I don't want anything to happen..." Alpha Warren suddenly interjected.

A surge of anger coursed through me, and I stood up mid bow, as did my mother who spoke next. "So, Ares can go off with a new mate, but my daughter cannot?"

Ares growled in response, wanting to say something, but I shot him a look and quickly turned back to my mother. I would not be going anywhere near Alpha Aether, I was terrified when he approached me, but that didn't mean I wouldn't dangle the idea in Ares' mind and place doubts in his head. If he thought I was somehow going to stay mate less for the rest of my life, he was wrong.

"Ares' wolf will demand blood if he sees them together." Alpha Warren continued tended, and I spoke up quickly.

"And what of my wolf? Do you not think seeing him and his new mate will cause my wolf to demand blood?" I interrupted.

Alpha Warren growled at me lowly, his eyes darkening, and I immediately dropped my head in submission. I could see Ares balling his fists at his sides, unable to intervene as he was torn between the undeniable bond of the mate pull and his loyalty to his family and the Alpha blood.

Weak male.

I knew he wasn't weak, in any way. I knew Ares was strong, large in both stature and power. His form and build exceeded most Alphas, making him a popular Alpha with the females who I knew he had to dissuade regularly. I didn't doubt in my mind he could fight his father for the title of Alpha any day, but he was an obedient son and would never take it by force, which meant we were both at the mercy of his father's orders.

"Is that a threat, May?" Alpha Warren spat down at me, "Because if you take that female's life, I will take yours."

My wolf bristled and I raised my head in shock, all at once Ares shifted and lunged for his father, powerful jaws clamped onto his father's leg and my mother screamed as blood splattered across the tent and grass beneath us. Ares' eyes were black, a clear indication it was his wolf and not him in control, meaning he would not get many repercussions for this.

Drew did his best to pull them away from each other as Alpha Warren struggled with his son. He would live, of course, Ares' wolf did not pounce to kill; instead, it was a warning that although Ares was under obligation to obey as pragmatics reigned supreme in our human side, his wolf was not held down by the same contract.

I grabbed my mother's arm quickly, pulling her out of the open flap of the tent as the Beta of our pack rushed past us to attend to the situation. Many of the celebration had died down for the day, with our pack members retreating to their homes, as well as visiting packs retreating into their assigned visitor's quarters.

I tried my best to calm my mother, wiping away her frantic tears. After the death of my father, she had never been good with blood, and I knew this was traumatic for her. Tears pricked at my eyes, but I knew I couldn't cry, I had to be strong for the both of us.

But as my mother sobbed in my arms and I raised my head to the clouds, for the first time since my father's death, I wondered if everything would really be okay.