A Wolf Scorned by Taylor Spratt
Amira
“Hey, take your dirty hands off me. You deaf or something?” I clawed at the guard’s face as he pushed me toward the pack room door.
“Just shut up and get in there will you?” He pulled open the door and shoved me inside, closing it behind me.
Great, now there was nowhere to run or hide. I eyed my surroundings and saw nothing but immaculately dressed she-wolves and he-wolves, all smiling and nervously exchanging glances.
The guys were at the front half of the room, nearest to the stage and the girls were at the half nearest the door, both groups facing each other.
A layer of lust hung in the air as hundreds of this year’s would-be mating candidates ogled one another and imagined who they would be fucking for the rest of their lives. At least everyone except me was.
I should have been free right now, but here I was, at the mating ceremony just waiting to be picked up like a helpless flower.
Damn that Syrus.
The murmurs in the room quieted as the Alpha ascended the stage.
“Welcome one and all to the Moon of Mating.” Alpha Logan appeared with both hands raised high, on the stage at the head of the room. He was dressed in a fancy white suit and black tie. “Are we not moon blessed?”
“Moon blessed we are,” everyone replied in unison before delivering a robust applause to the Alpha.
“That’s the spirit, hah, hah!” He clapped his hands together and shot his usual thousand watt smile. “Now, will all previously mated wolves please move to the peripheries so we can begin?”
Many of the older shifters in the crowd slowly shuffled out of the congregation and towards the walls.
“Come on, people, let’s move it. Put some pep in your step!” Alpha Logan oscillated his arm in a circular motion. That control freak hated waiting.
Now only women in flowing white gowns like my own and men in fancy tuxedos remained on the floor.
I stayed right where I’d always been at the back of the room only a few feet from the door, not that it would keep me hidden once my true mate came searching for me.
After a moment of silence, the Alpha ordered the moon door opened and the entire pack room was washed in the gorgeous glow of white moon light.
But this was a different sort of light than what I saw last night. A bright and massive, glittery ghost flew in through the moon door and sprayed every shifter in its shimmery hue.
This was the power of our Goddess Selene. She was the creator of all wolf shifters. She was the one who decided the mating matches, and now she was here with us, ready to begin.
A plethora of howls sounded as the men, overcome by our Goddess's power, tugged the jackets and shirts from their backs and cast them to the floor.
A field of well-chiseled, swarthy men stood before us, their fangs now long and thick as their wolves partly took them over. Their eyes shone like diamonds under the moonlight and they gawked at us women like we were an oasis in an infinite desert.
This was the power of the Moon of Mating. Right now their wolves were being primed by the Goddess to search for their mates. He-wolves were their most aggressive in this state, with many fights breaking out in previous mating ceremonies as a result.
Alpha Logan heaved the jacket and shirt from his back and in one animalistic leap, he leapt from his perch on the stage to join the other men. Taking his place at the front of the men’s side of the room, the Alpha looked skyward and widened his stance.
In a loud and booming voice, he initiated the ceremony by addressing the Goddess.
“Goddess Selene, in your infinite power and wisdom, please reveal your candidates for this year’s Holy Moon of Mating. May the hearts and bodies of our wolves be made whole by the appearance of our one true mate, and let us dwell together in your light for our lives long! Odeon Mumfredemogah!”
Something in my core I never even knew existed began vibrating as I suddenly felt numb from my shoulders straight down to the tips of my fingers.
Was this the power of the Goddess, entering me? The sound of startled pantings escaped the lips of the women nearest to me, telling me they felt the same weird sensation. It had to be the Goddess.
A second and even brighter beam of moonlight flew in through the moon door, targeting the men like a bullseye to a target. And one by one a beautifully decorated symbol appeared on the chest of most of the men. They looked like ancient hieroglyphics, or something you’d see on the walls of a pyramid or monument from an extinct world.
Even the Alpha had a symbol, signifying that he had finally been mated after years of trying. Men with symbols kept their eyes on the prize, appraising the women’s half of the room. While the men who hadn’t yet been given a symbol, grumbled miserably to themselves.
The women began murmuring as they glanced at one another, seeming to find something interesting.
I’d soon realized the cause of the commotion was that women had started getting the symbols too. The three girls nearest to me began jumping up and down and cheering as they played with the marks that had appeared atop their breasts.
Defying my own nerves, I took a glance down at my own bust and gave a huge sigh of relief when I saw there was no mark. At least not yet.
“Go, men. Go find your mate and claim her as yours!” The Alpha flung his hand forward, unleashing the gang of overexcited he-wolves to prey on the women opposite them.
The flood gates opened, and a barrage of hundreds of shirtless men dove into the crowd of women like dolphins in the sea. Or should I say sharks?
These men hunted relentlessly for the woman who’s mark matched his own and it was chaos, confusion, and then some.
Relieved that I still hadn't received a mark, I waited calmly by the back of the room where, luckily, the he-wolves hadn’t searched yet.
Matches kept popping up all around me as new mates hugged and kissed each other rejoicing in their new, Goddess-blessed unions. It was actually kind of fun watching all of the excitement, joy, and the look on people’s faces when they came face to face with their one true love.
About twenty five feet to my left I saw a pair of eyes piercing mine like a knife. It was Riley.
She raised her hand to show me her crossed fingers while a nervous little smile appeared on her face. A gorgeous blond he-wolf sniffed at her gown like an overly excited puppy, as he checked to see if she was his mate.
“Good luck, Riley!” I mouthed, hoping she could make out my words from where she was.
A tickling feeling on the top of my right breast set my nerve ending ablaze and my eyes slowly reached down the area.
To my horror a small golden symbol had just appeared. It looked like a backwards four melded together with the Letter ‘Y’ and it shimmered magically in the dim light.
Blast! It happened. My greatest fears come true. I’d been mated by the Goddess. And guess who was celebrating? It felt like fireworks were going off in my chest as my wolf howled with joy at the news that she would soon have a mate to call her own.
“Hey, are you on my side or what, Wolfy?” I said to my wolf.
“Mate’s side,” Wolfy happily replied.
“You're on my mate’s side? Seriously? And what about me?”
“Mate! Mate!”
“Glad to know where we stand.”
Sorry but I wasn’t just about to hang around and wait for my mate to show up like a good little she-wolf. I needed to get out of here and fast. Maybe if I could get back to my room I could put some make-up on the symbol and my mate may never find me.
“Excuse me, let me through.” I pushed past the bundle of men and women who’d formed a thick web around me in the mating frenzy. Where had the door gone? There were just so many girls and guys wrapped around one another I could barely tell where anything was anymore.
As I tried to pass through the crowd, a tall wolf in his early thirties grabbed hold of my arms and took a deep whiff of my hair before scanning the mark on my chest. After confirming I wasn’t a match he frowned and released me, continuing his search.
There was no place for me to hide as it only took another three steps before a much larger wolf with the body of an ox gripped me by the arm and peered at the mark on my bust.
“What is this? When will I ever find her?” he groaned before pushing me to the side so he could continue his search.
I toppled over, accidentally landing directly on top of the girl behind me.
“Get off me, you cow,” she complained.
“Hey, it was accident. Some jerk pushed me.” I found my footing and slowly scraped myself off of the squabbling she-wolf under me. I then turned to face an annoyed looking woman on the floor with long flowing golden hair and face as pretty as a barbie doll.
I couldn't help but notice she had no symbol on her chest. That fact no doubt had something to do with how pissed she now looked.
Wait, I knew this girl. She was Nelenia, Alpha Logan’s girlfriend.
“What in the hell is wrong with you? Just look what you’ve done to my hair.” She pointed to her messy blond hair. It looked as if she’d been tackled by a linebacker. Two of her friends lifted her off the floor and the noise in the room, was dwarfed by the sound of her shrill and incessant complaining.
“It wasn’t on purpose,” I insisted as I became more aware of the growing number of eyes that now honed in on where I stood.
Alpha Logan parted the crowd of people, like a knife through butter. Everyone quickly shuffled out of his path as he came to Nelenia’s side. With a look of concern on his face he took her hand in his and rubbed it.
“What’s the meaning of this disturbance in the middle of the ceremony?” The Alpha glared at me as his precious girlfriend gave him a puppy dog pout.
“It was an accident. I didn’t mean to fall on her. I think she’s probably just upset because she hasn’t gotten a mating symbol yet,” I explained, knowing it was a mistake the moment I said it.
Way to go insulting the Alpha’s woman, Amira.
“Mate, mate!” my wolf chanted and I could practically feel her tail wagging.
“Not now, Wolfy. I’m busy.”
The tense scene took on a rather strange air of silence as the people gathered around began eyeing the mark on my chest and then looking over at the one on the Alpha’s chest.
“It-It can’t be.” Apha Logan dropped Nelenia’s hands, taking a shaky step closer to me. “How did you get that mark?”
I glanced down at my chest, then the Alphas, and wrung my hands together nervously, putting two and two together.
Our symbols matched. The Alpha and I were mates?
“Did you hear me, girl? What trickery are you playing?” he demanded as he puffed out his chest and took another step intimidatingly closer to me.
“Trick? What do you mean? My symbol appeared just like it did for everyone else. I didn’t do anything to it.”
“You dare lie to your Alpha, girl?” He directed his hand toward my shoulder and the pad of his finger grazed my arm. Just then a burning, electric sensation ran over my skin.
What was this feeling? It was incredible. Was this the power of the mating bond?
I couldn’t stop panting as my eyes roamed the Alpha’s body. Everything inside of me wanted him more than I had ever wanted anything before. I could feel him in a deeper way than I’d ever felt anyone and I yearned for his touch, his love, his everything.
With that one touch his wolf and mine connected on a soul deep level, and immediately I felt like I knew him and he knew me on a deeper level than anyone in the world should possibly know another. In a nutshell, what I felt in that moment was love in its purest and most innocent form.
Losing myself in the moment I reached out and rested my palm on Alpha Logan’s face and stared deeply into his eyes. His expression softened, growing shaky and uncertain as he stared back at me with longing. I knew he felt the pull of the mate bond just as I did. I could see it in the depth of his eyes.
For that one moment the entire world disappeared and it was just me and him. I allowed myself to dream. Dream of a life where I wouldn’t be an outcast. A life where I wouldn’t be unloved. Because now Alpha Logan was my mate.
Mine.
Before I could fully lose myself in the fantasy of matehood, I felt the pressure of nails jabbing into my arms. Nelenia, fuming with jealousy, pulled me away from the Alpha.
“Take your hands off him, half-breed. He’s mine,” Nelenia said, yanking me from my beautiful dream. “Ouch! You made me break a nail.”
Nelania sucked her finger with the broken nail while rubbing herself on Alpha Logan’s chest and looking up at him with the innocence of a baby.
He embraced her, rubbing her fingers in a gesture of love. Jealousy shot through me and Wolfy whimpered from the heartbreaking sight.
“Does it feel better, Darling?” he said to her softly, wiping away her tears and she nodded sweetly. He put his arm protectively around her shoulder and they looked so perfect together, mates or not.
Turning his attention back to me, his expression grew stern and his back straightened like a ruler. All remnants of his desire for me, blowing away with the wind.
In a voice so loud that all could hear Alpha Logan said, “Listen, half-breed. You are no mate of mine. I don’t know what trickery you have pulled but Nelenia will be my bride. She is the only woman who possesses my love and you are not worthy of the title.”
His words stung like lemon juice to the eyes and Wolfy howled in a pain so sharp I worried she would never recover.
I didn’t think anything could hurt so much as his public rejection, at least until a chorus of laughter broke out as dozens of scornful eyes watched me, as if willing me to cry and cement my shame for all to see.
But I refused to cry. That was not who I was. I was a fighter and a proud she-wolf. The only way they could look down on me was if I let them.
“Oh yeah, well that’s fine by me.” I lifted my head high and folded my arms at my sides in a show of courage. “I’m not interested in you anyway. Forget the mate bond. You're no mate of mine either.”
I didn’t expect the Alpha to be happy with my little retort but I sure didn’t expect him to lose his temper either.
His lip curled into a fangful snarl and he stepped away from his woman and toward me. His chest hit me like a book to the face and he reached out to clench my neck in his oversized hand.
“You dare refuse your Alpha? You, a mere half-breed?”
“I am no half-breed. I am more wolf than you or anyone else in here! Plus, you’re the one who rejected me,” I breathed while trying to pull his hand off my throat.
“Nobody talks back to me and gets away with it. Somebody ought to teach you some manners.” He brought my face right up to his as I scratched at his fingers.
He held me in place so easily, my resistance little more than a baby’s challenge to his alpha strength.
“Guards, throw her in the dungeons,” he stated and the Betas at the door marched forward on his command.
“Wait, not that,” I begged.
The dungeons were the deepest and darkest part of the hole. The air down there stank of death and a complete lack of hope. It was the most heavily guarded place in the entire hole. If sent there, I could kiss my dreams of escape goodbye for good. So as much as my pride hated it, I would beg if it meant I could avoid being sent there.
The Betas at the door had almost pushed past the crowd to reach me and the Alpha.
Riley emerged from the crowd to my left and lightly touched the Alpha's upper arm. “No, wait, Alpha, please listen.”
He glanced down at her and seemed to recognize the daughter of one of his Betas. Honoring her request he slowly released my neck and I coughed as the air rushed back into my lungs.
“Alpha, a man as powerful and great as you should not busy yourself with a lowly, half-breed,” Riley pleaded, and the passion seeped from her every word as she desperately tried to help me. “Since her mother died when she was young, this she-wolf lacked proper instruction on protocol and behavior. Let’s not overburden the already packed dungeon system with this one lowly half-breed. She would only be a drain on precious resources. I can teach her respect. I can show her the way to redemption.”
“Hmmm.” The Alpha gripped his chin and his gaze fell to the ground as he gave serious consideration to Riley’s proposal.
The room remained quiet as the Alpha pondered the idea.
My hopes soared the longer the Alpha considered Riley’s words. But in the back of my mind, I knew things could never go that easily. At least not for me.
“I want that mongrel thrown in the dungeon now.” Nelenia fluttered her long black lashes for the Alpha, grabbing hold of his arm. “How dare she have the gall to lay claim to my mate. She should be punished. You’ll punish her for me, won’t you, Darling?”
He took a deep exhale before nodding in agreement.
“She is to go to the dungeons and that’s final,” he said simply.
“Alpha, please,” Riley argued and before she could say another word her father came up behind her and cupped his hand over her mouth before she could get herself in trouble too.
“Apologies, Alpha. My overzealous daughter sometimes forgets her place,” Riley’s father said and the Alpha accepted his Beta’s apology.
Unable to do anything more, Riley’s worried eyes flickered over to me and, for the first time, it dawned on me just how screwed I really was.
Riley’s father turned her around to scold her and Alpha Logan took Nelenia into his arms and kissed her lips passionately for all to see.
This was the last thing I saw before the guards handcuffed me and forcibly led me out of the pack room. We descended deep, down to the lowest depths I’d ever been to in the hole. The dungeons.