"I know this ceremony is held to celebrate my father; however, I was lucky enough because I will be choosing my fated mate today." Ethan Crocs, the son of the alpha king, said, pacing in front of everyone.
Then he continued, "She is a formidable she-wolf with a strong lineage. Her name is Lily Da—"
"My prince, Lily Danvers, doesn't belong to the family." A girl interrupted Ethan, and everyone turned their heads to see who it was. Gasps and murmurs filled the quiet hall at the sudden revelation
Ethan turned, facing the beautiful woman in the hall room. Everyone watched as she walked out confidently. It was none other than Hera, Lily's stepsister.
"She can't even recognize her parents, and my mother took her in for shelter." Hers dropped the bombshell, and everyone's mouth was left agape.
Lily watched in shock as Ethan's face turned cold. She wanted to explain and tell Ethan she was going to let him know, but Ethan's demeanor changed, and Lily could feel the coldness in his voice as he spoke.
"Lily has also humiliated herself by sleeping with some of the pack members and I saw her myself" Hera added, with her eyebrows raised proudly and they were commotion in the hall.
"What? And she wanted to be the fated mate of Ethan?" Someone whispers in the hall
"She is nothing but a whore. An abomination" Another lady added.
"This is shocking,.we all thought she was decent and Ethan loved her dearly. Women!" A man spat out in shock and complete distaste.
Lily could hear them all and blood drained from her. She rose from her seat, walking towards Ethan across the hall but he raised his hand, signaling to her to stop.
Lily shook her head in defeat as her gaze became blurry.
She parted her pink lips, trying to form a sentence in her head but the only words that escaped her lips were whisper.
"T—that is not true Ethan. I—I don't...I"
"Enough Lily!" He roared like a beast and Lily swallowed hard.
The hall became silent as everyone waited for Ethan's final verdict.
Lily could see the hurt in his eyes and she knew what was coming for her.
"I reject you, Lily Danvers, as my mate. I can't take you in because you appear to be a woman with no value, and this will pose a threat to my pack in the future."
Gasps filled the hall as everyone watched what transpired between the three people in the hall. It was a banquet ceremony thrown in the palace for the birthday of the Alpha king.
A joyous celebration suddenly turns to sadness for Lily.
Lily Baker, the daughter of the moon goddess, felt her heart shattered at the rejection she got from her fated mate.
She took two steps back in shock, and she could feel her wolf whimper in pain.
Ethan steps closer to Lily, whispering something into her ears.
"I know you are the adopted child and to see that you are a slut, I blamed myself for believing in you. So tell me," he snared, a smirk forming on his lips.
"How could you think I would claim you after discovering this? No pack wants a Luna with no lineage. I thought you could be useful for me, but it turns out you are just a pawn in my game." He stepped back, taking a look at her.
Lily parted her lips, her heart thudded in her ribcage, and her wolf urged her to accept the rejection and go through the pain.
Her hands didn't stop shaking against her side. Her lips quivered as she tried to say the most common thing to say.
She could feel the eyes of everyone in the hall on her, including her sister, who didn't stop smiling at her as if she was enjoying the show.
"You are my mate, Ethan. You can't do this to me," Lily whispered, finding it hard to accept his rejection.
"Hera just despised me. She ha—"
"If you say one more word, I will the guards to throw you out"
Lily could feel the weight of his words slicing through her skin like daggers. It felt so heavy, and she was scared that her heart would not be able to take the rejection.
They have been lovers all along, so why?
Why would Ethan do this to her?
"I, Lily Danvers, accept your rejection, Ethan," Lily said and hot tears trickled down her face as she muttered this.
A painful cry threatened to escape from her lips when she felt her heart tighten. It was the pain that came after rejection.
The excruciating pain was threatening to consume her whole body, but Lily pressed her lips together to muffle the cry.
However, something happened again, and the hall fell silent. Lily raised her head, trying to see what was going on.
What she saw made her realize she had been a fool all her life. A complete fool.
Ethan stopped in front of Hers, Lily's sister and the daughter of the moon goddess. They both entwined their hands with each other, gazing at each other lazily.
"Hera Danvers will be my mate as of today," Ethan pronounced in front of everyone. His deep and husky voice reverberated through the walls of the hall.
Hera's eyes widened in shock when she heard Ethan say this. She pulled him in for a hug and disengaged from the hug.
"I Hera, accept you as my mate, Ethan." And that was all Lily needed to hear to know that her sister would be taking her place.
"It was all planned," Lily thought as she walked back to her seat and sat down. All eyes were on her. They all looked at her with pity in their eyes, and Lily could hear their silent whispers.
The music began to play, and everyone stood up to begin to dance. Lily Blue's eyes fell on Hera, who looked at them with eyes filled with pride.
Lily remained rooted in her seat; her heart bled, and a sudden headache broke in her head.
"I thought I was finally going to be with Ethan."
"We have been in love for a while, so why Ethan?" Lily thought. Her sadness suddenly turned to hate, and she could feel the hatred brewing inside her. They kissed each other on the lips as if there were no tomorrow.
They were so intimate with each other that she could feel the corners of her eyes brimming with tears.
However, Lily's eyes involuntarily looked in the Alpha's direction, and their eyes made contact, but instantly, he turned his head elsewhere. A sign that the Alpha wasn't looking at her.
Something snapped in Lily's heart, and for a reason, a thought came to her mind.
A perfect plan for revenge to make Ethan realize he has lost a gem. Humiliated in front of everyone and betrayed by her sister, the people looked at her with disgust.
Lily's heart beamed with happiness as she tried to think of a revenge plan, but could she choose?
"What can I do?" These thoughts lingered in the back of her mind. A smile graced her lips when she suddenly thought of something.
"If I was going to go after Ethan, then I need to be around him always to make him look at me in a different light."
"And the only person to use as a pawn in this game is no other person but Alexander Cross," Lily whispered, looking in the alpha direction. She was busy talking with a human, but there was one great problem.
Alexander, the ruthless alpha king of the Red Stone Pack, was not interested in women.
"How can you make him notice you, Lily? He is the only one suitable for this role since he is the father of Ethan," Lily considered, rubbing her neck.
"How will I get the attention of the alpha king despite his cold demeanor?"