“I hope you’re ready, Yvonne,” Kayne asked, his hand clenched firmly around mine.

I glanced up at him and shook my head silently.

He chuckled, and I stole a quick glance at his fair face, wondering if his laughter was necessary.

Kayne smiled at me as if he could read my thoughts. “You should be ready, my beloved. You’ve waited for this moment for eighteen years.”

I looked away, my legs twisting around each other as we sat beneath the oak tree in my expansive compound.

I despised it when Kayne addressed me as his beloved. I was weary of being reminded repeatedly that I was betrothed to someone I didn’t love.

“Are you okay?” he asked, gently tugging on my hand.

I nodded. “Sure.”

Standing up, I felt incredibly nervous. “Kayne, what did it feel like the night you first transformed into your wolf form?” I glanced at him, my ears attuned to his every word.

His laughter was smooth. “It was the most wonderful moment of my life. It was like being reborn and invisible.”

I turned to stare at him, relieved by the sparkle in his eyes as he spoke.

“What if I transform into a wolf and never revert to human form?” I asked him. My mother once told me a story of a queen from another clan who transformed into her wolf form and never returned to being human. I couldn’t deny how terrified I had been after hearing that tale.

His eyes widened at my question, then he shrugged. “It simply means you were actually meant to be a wolf and not human.”

“What?!” I exclaimed, my heart nearly leaping out of its place.

“Is that supposed to be a joke, Kayne?”

“You know I never joke,” he answered.

I looked away. That was one thing I didn’t like about Kayne; he was always serious about everything he did. For him, everything was business and duty, even eating.

The cold was seeping in, and I needed to retreat back into the mansion. However, Kayne had already launched into one of his endless tales, and I wasn’t sure if I was listening. I merely sat there, unwilling to hear him nag about how I had disrespected him to my father.

Clutching my fists, I softly bit the end of my lip while waiting for him to stop talking. I shut my eyes for a moment, unable to bear it any longer. “Kayne… Kayne…” I called out, cutting him off mid-sentence.

“What is it?” he asked coldly, staring straight into my eyes.

I was certain he didn’t like what I did.

“I’m cold” I retorted.

“Don’t worry. Tonight, you will grow stronger after you taste the blood of an animal,” he said, winking.

I gasped, wondering how callous he could be. I had expected him to offer me his jacket or suggest I return to the mansion. I began to wonder why my father had ever arranged for me to be betrothed to a werewolf like him. He was cold-hearted and devoid of any romantic gestures.

“I’m going inside, Kayne. I’m cold,” I declared, walking away without looking back. I didn’t care if he would report me to my father. “He should do his worst,” I muttered to myself.

Entering a crowded living room, I found it large enough to accommodate up to fifty people. It was a lively mixture of the Moonlight Pack and Boldclaw Pack, the only surviving packs in Latan City after the great war. Every full moon, there was a party that brought the two packs together. Though they had once been enemies after the great war, I had yet to discover why. But that was the least of my worries. I loved parties, but certainly not a wolf party.

Everyone seemed cheerful as they anticipated the full moon. Being the only wolf about to turn eighteen in my pack, I felt the weight of their expectations. I walked past them, forcing a pleasant smile and trying my best to be nice.

At home, I was never myself. There were so many rules about every single thing, and I hated rules. It made me so uncomfortable at home. I only got to be my true self at school when I was with my human friends. Yes, I had just gained admission to the university, and I was already enjoying exploring life before my family turned it all into sadness with the news of my betrothal.

“Yvonne…” I heard my mother call from behind as I was about to climb the staircase to my bedroom to lock myself away, as usual.

Taking a deep breath, I finally turned around, exposing my white set of teeth, which I feared might turn red soonest once they made me devour an animal.

“Mother…” I turned around, grinning.

“You’re going upstairs. Where is your mate?” She began looking left and right.

“Mother, he’s fine. We were just talking before I decided to come back into the mansion.”

“I’m so happy for you, Yvonne. After you’re turned tonight, your wedding with your mate will be on the next full moon.”

My mouth dropped open. “What wedding are you talking about, Mother?” I nearly yelled.

She was startled by the loudness of my voice and quickly dragged me to a corner.

“Mother, what are you talking about?” I was growing increasingly nervous.

“What’s wrong with getting married to your betrothed mate?” She asked.

“How can you and Father fix a date without telling me? Am I such a burden that you both want to get rid of me so soon?” Tears threatened to spill from my eyes.

I detested the idea of being married to Kayne. “I don’t care if he’s my betrothed mate, but you and Father have no right to set a date without informing me first.”

She simply smiled. “You are our only child, and we want the best for you. Kayne is the strongest of his pack and an Alpha. As such…”

I cut my mother off at once. I was tired of hearing that same line of reasoning over and over again. “Mother, I need time to myself. I’m not ready to get married,” I asserted boldly and fearlessly.

No one dared to speak to my mother that way; otherwise, they would surely be punished with a hex. She was a wolf witch.

She smiled. “You know, young lady, if you weren’t my daughter, I would have separated your tongue from your mouth.”

I remained silent, puzzled by the smile on her face. “Is she indirectly threatening me or joking?” I thought, glaring at her.

She tapped my shoulder, squeezing it tenderly. “Go and get ready for tonight. It will be midnight soon,” she said, glancing at the wall clock.

Kayne entered the mansion, and I watched him from behind my mother as he walked to my father.

I hissed in my thoughts. “As always, he’s gone to nag. Fool!” I cursed, mumbling to myself and not hearing the last things my mother said to me before she walked away.

I looked down at myself, still wearing my ball gown and heels. It was the worst attire for me. I climbed the staircase with difficulty, I noticed Kayne looking at me. “Just get lost,” I muttered.

“I can’t believe my parents expect me to spend my entire life with this cold-hearted guy.”

On the eve of my eighteenth birthday party last week, my parents had broken the awful news to me about how I was betrothed to Kayne from birth. Kayne was six years older than I am, and he had been aware of it all along. From the look in his eyes when he is around me or my family, I was sure he liked it. After all, whoever marries me automatically becomes the leader of our pack and rules alongside me. But I couldn’t understand why he was so keen on marrying me since he was already a leader in his pack.

I walked into my bedroom and pulled off my shoes, flinging them to God knows where. My feet were throbbing with pain, and I sat for a while, massaging them.

Quickly standing up afterward, I changed into something simple.

I heard my mother calling my name, so I dashed out of the bedroom and hurried down the stairs.

We drove off in our cars; I had my own red Benz CLA, a gift from my father on my birthday. Kayne had insisted I join him in his car, but I bluntly refused. I just wanted to be alone.

We parked beside a bush path, and we all alighted from our respective cars, heading into the forest.

I gasped, realizing I hadn’t brought spare clothes in case my current attire got torn apart. “Am I really going to go naked in front of all of them?” I whispered to myself, bowing my head in concern.

“Don’t worry, I brought some spare clothes for you,” my mother whispered into my ear, nudging me softly.

I smiled at her; she was just the sweetest mother ever. Being a wolf witch made it possible for her to read the minds of wolves, but she cast a mind cloaking spell on me, making it impossible for vampires to compel me.

I didn’t think that was necessary because I hadn’t met or seen a vampire before, though my parents always warned that there were many of them. They kept telling me how evil vampires were and how they almost destroyed the entire wolf parks.

My mother was the only wolf witch in our pack and the only one I had ever known. I had seen plenty of witches, especially in my school, but in this city, magic was completely prohibited. It was considered evil and sacrilegious, especially because the city was highly religious. Witches were hanged when caught, so all witches tried not to get caught while using their magic. However, Father Bosco always seemed to find a way.