I crept through the dark forest which was bright and glowed under the full moon, moving silently as I searched and looked everywhere. Soon I saw Kieran, who was already waiting for me, his eyes questioning and I walked to him.
"Hey, what took you so long? What's wrong, why did you ask me to come all of a sudden?" Kieran asked, his voice tinged with curiosity.
I glanced around nervously. "Sorry, I was just making sure no one was following me, that's why I was late. And I should run away with you. You know what, my parents want me to mate with the Alpha prince Jayden. If they find out that I have met with my Destined mate and were secretly meeting with him things might get disastrous for us."
Kieran's eyes narrowed, his voice laced with disbelief. "What do you mean by things we get disastrous? They should be happy for us right? I love you, we're destined mates. Why would they want you to mate with someone else when you've found yours, your true mate?"
His jaw tightened. "And I'm also an alpha, even though it might be on the same level as the Alpha prince, but am not some lesser wolf. My pack may be smaller than your parents but am still an Alpha."
"You don't know my parents," I said, my voice laced with worry. "You don't understand what they can do. The Chosen Celebration is around the corner in less than three months. And they've taught me since childhood how to be a queen and a good mate to the prince. I have been trained and given the best teachers in the kingdom. They want nothing more than for me to be the prince's chosen mate. I'm scared they might do something."
My eyes pleaded with Kieran. "And I haven't even told anyone about being mated to you, not even Amelia and my maternal grandfather. Please, let's run away, okay. I don't want to lose you, I have always wanted my mate."
"Don't worry, I will talk to your parents and let me handle this," he said, his voice steady and calm. "You have already handled it your way since we met one week ago at the mating ball. Though your parents are the Alpha and Luna of a powerful pack, they will still respect me since I am also an alpha. I understand your parents, they just want the best for you, okay. Every parent wants the best for their child. They think the king is the best mate for you and that is why they want you to mate with him. Let me talk to them, okay."
His eyes held hers. "And moreover, they are good and kind hearted people, everyone in the kingdom knows. They have always encouraged mate."
"No, please Kieran, listen to me," I urged, my voice frantic. "You won't understand. Everything I'm telling you is true they might kill you. Let's run away, I've already packed my bags."
"No, I will not go away with you," Kieran said, his jaw set firm. "You deserve the best, I will not elope and tarnish your name, and we did nothing wrong. You are my mate. Don't worry, let's go to your parents."
Then I heard a clap from behind. "What a wonderful scene, well Alpha Kieran, there is no need for you to come to us, we are here already," I heard.
As I heard the voice, fear gripped me like icy fingers; I was shaking. That's my dad's voice.
I turned, my voice shaking like a leaf. "Dad, Mom, why are you here?"
My mother's eyes narrowed, her tone laced with acid curiosity. "Oh, so you don't want us here. To see you and this boy together."
I stayed quiet, words caught in my throat.
"Answer me, child," she pressed, her voice like a cold blade.
"Alpha Bryson I was about to come to you, good evening," Kieran said, stepping forward with calm dignity. "I don't mean to be rude, meeting your daughter like this. I was about to come with her to meet you. I'm her mate, nice to meet you, sir and ma'am."
Kieran spoke without knowing the storm we'd walked into.
"Well, what could I say, Alpha Kieran?" my father said, a smile twisting his lips but his eyes burned like hot coals beneath the surface. "My daughter doesn't have a mate. She is destined to be Alpha Prince Jayden's mate. So you must be mistaken about the mate matter."
Kieran stood tall, his voice steady. "Alpha Bryson, I know every parent wants the best for their child, but she is truly my mate. We met one week ago at the mating ball."
My father's smile vanished, his voice dropping to a low growl. "What could I say? Than, there is someone foolish who doesn't know what he got himself into. Someone fetches guards, we have an Alpha who sneakily enters our pack to steal our security details, disrupting plans, knowing our security weaknesses and collaborating with the enemies to pass information. We have every right to kill him."
"That's not true, Alpha Bryson, don't accuse me of such" Kieran said, his voice sharp with denial. "I came here to meet your daughter, that's all."
My father's expression turned to stone. "I don't care. What matters is that to me, you are here for what I accused you of. Gag him and drug him," he said to his guards.
Kieran fought back, muscles straining against the sudden swarm of bodies. He was dragged down, overpowered by numbers, his struggles muffled as a cloth cut into his mouth.
"No, Dad, please don't do this," I begged, tears streaming down my face. "I beg you."
My mother's gaze sliced into me and slapped me. "You should have known this would happen, sneaking around with him. Do you want to ruin our plans? Have you forgotten your duty? We've trained you since childhood. You should have known better."
"Mom, please," I begged, my voice cracking with desperation. "I have always listened to you and Dad about everything since I was a child. Please, for once, let me be with who I want. Don't do this to me, don't kill him."
My father's eyes were chips of cold stone. "We'll give you a choice. Either you choose to cut ties with him, forget him, and we'll leave him alive. Or you stay with him and we'll kill him right now. You have two minutes to decide."
I stood frozen, rooted to the spot, my mind a chaotic storm. Had I done something wrong, wanting to be with my true mate? I wanted Kieran. I'd always dreamed of being with my destined mate. Why couldn't they let me have him? Was their plan more important than me, their daughter? Was I just a pawn to them?
My mother's voice sliced through the air, cold and final. "Since you don't answer, I've already picked for you. Kill him, Bryson. There's no need for him to live, not if she's to be completely obedient to us."
"Kill him," my father ordered, his words dropping like a guillotine blade.
I crumpled to my knees before him, desperation clawing at my throat. "Dad, please don't do this, leave him alive! I promise to do everything you said, I'm ready to reject him, please don't kill him, Dad."
"Do it," he said to his guards, his voice a stone wall.
They moved, swift and merciless. Kieran's life ebbed away in a brutal flash and I felt it, oh I felt it like a ripping wound in my soul. Selena howled in agony inside my head, a scream of raw pain echoing through every fiber. The hurt was crushing, like my heart was being torn apart, shredding with every fading beat of his life. It hurts so much.
"Why, why do you do this?" I demanded, words trembling with hurt. "Am I even your daughter? Why can't you just give me what I want, this once? Am I just a pawn in your plan to overthrow the royal family? Is that all I mean to you?"
My mother's smile was a cold, cruel curve of her lips. "You're right you aren't my daughter. To me, you're nothing but a puppet, a tool to push us closer to our goal, to pave the way for my son. But biologically, you're your father's daughter to another woman."
The words hit like a slap; I felt my breath catch. What did I just hear? Was she speaking in rage, or was it the truth? My mind reeled, trying to grasp it.
"Why do you tell her?" my father asked, a low warning in his tone.
"Why wouldn't I?" she spat, venom in her eyes. "I hated her so much because of her mother."
"What are you talking about?" I asked, my voice a bewildered whisper, confusion swirling like a dark fog in my mind.
My mother's eyes gleamed with a hard, bitter light. "You aren't my child. You're his mistress's daughter, she died giving birth to you."
My breath caught in a sharp gasp. "That's not true! Grandpa would've told me if I wasn't born to you," I said, denial rising like a desperate shield.
My mother Elena laughed, a low, mirthless sound. "If he would've known. But he doesn't. Everyone thinks you're my daughter. That's what we've told them and what the world knows. I got 'pregnant' at the same time as the woman who actually bore you. But I gave birth to a son who's been training in secret to become a capable prince. After your father becomes king after we overthrow the royal family he'll be ready."
The words sliced into me like cold knives, leaving jagged wounds. I felt myself unraveling, thread by thread.
"Who was she?" I demanded, anger burning like acid in my veins. "Tell me who my mother is. Right now."
Elena's gaze locked onto mine, her eyes glinting with a mix of triumph and malice. "Your mother was the princess of the royal family who was lost to them since she was a teenager. Actually she was kidnapped by your paternal grandfather, used to birth a child with royal blood. A legitimate heir, crafted for the day they'd overthrow the Royals themselves."
The words hit me like a storm surge, crashing against everything I'd thought I knew. Royal blood. Kidnapped princess. The pieces twisted in my mind, jagged and brutal.
"I'll kill you all," I spat, venom in every word, disgust churning like bile in my gut. "I hate you. How could you do this for power? So disgusting. You hid your son, made me a pawn to draw you closer to the royal family, to help you kill my mother's family. I hate you, I won't participate in this."
The thought of Bryson blood in my veins turned my stomach; I felt tainted, fouled by the very lineage I now loathed.
"Do you know why I'm telling you all this?" Elena said, her smile a cold slash across her face. "Because after this, we'll wipe out all your memories. And you'll still be the obedient daughter you've always been after today."
As she spoke, something sharp and merciless struck me. Darkness swooped in like a black wing, and I plunged into unconsciousness.
"You shouldn't have told her all those things," Bryson said to Elena, his voice a low, warning rumble.
Elena's lips curved with calculated calm. "Don't worry the witches are already waiting in the house. They'll erase all her memory, and she won't remember a thing when she wakes up. Not even her darling mate who just died."
Bryson's gaze narrowed, shadows dancing across his face.
Elena said as she continued. "And not many people remember the princess who was announced dead. I wouldn't even know there was once a princess in the royal family if you hadn't told me."
Bryson's voice dropped, edged with command. "But next time, be careful. I don't want us to talk about any of this again. I'll announce Alpha Kieran's death, and accuse him of treachery. Make his death just nothing. We've taken too many steps for our plans, don't ruin it by not controlling your mouth."
The air hung thick with unspoken threats, the weight of their plotting palpable.
"I'll be careful from now on," Elena said, her voice a smooth whisper. "Thank god I noticed something was off at the mating ball. I made someone follow her every move. Or else she'd have run away with him and ruined our plan."
Bryson's nod was sharp, decisive. "Good. Let's go."
With a curt gesture, they ordered their men to clean everything, scrub the forest clean, leave no trace. Efficient, silent, the shadows moved to obey. And with cold finality, Bryson and Elena turned to leave the forest, swallowed by the darkness they'd crafted.
Somewhere above the darkened forest, a luminous form seemed to float, unseen eyes watching the drama unfold and watched as Bryson and Elena left. Had mortals glimpsed her, they'd have been stunned for she radiated beauty like moonlight on snow, divine and ethereal. She was the Moon Goddess, revered by werewolves and Lycan, whispered of in ancient lore.
"Sorry, my child," she murmured, her voice like silver wind chimes in a night breeze. "Soon you'll overcome this. So much still awaits you. And Kieran he wasn't your Destined Mate. A ruse, arranged by me to cloak your true path."
Her gaze lingered, piercing and tender. "You must stay strong. Much remains: you must fulfill your destiny. The prophecy needs you."
And with that whisper, the Moon Goddess vanished leaving only shadows, silence and the echo of a destiny yet unclaimed.