Chapter 1 1. Perfectly Flawed

I stood there, watching her from afar as she trained, as diligently as the best warrior in the pack, even though she was no ordinary member. I watched her, half mesmerized, half perplex...

How could a girl be so beautiful, so graceful, even as she fought a vicious wolf?

She was so captivating, I ached with the need to possess her and make her mine.

Wolfless and perfectly flawed as she might be, she was a sight to behold.

And most importantly, she was mine.

As it was, the only obstacle that stood in the face of our happiness was the fact that she, herself, didn't acknowledge me as her mate.

Indeed, it seemed like despite the sharp senses bestowed upon her, she hadn't felt the sparks when our skin touched. And she also didn't feel the sizzling electricity in the air whenever we locked eyes.

How oblivious could she be? And just how much more time could I stand this impossible situation?

A week ago, I welcomed her family into the pack. And needles to say, she had me at hello.

My beta cleared his throat from behind me, and I turned around to face him, even though it pained me to stop watching her train.

"Jade has you wrapped around her little finger, huh?" He said teasingly.

"Who's Jade?" I arched an eyebrow at him challengingly.

"Oh, I don't know, my dearest Xander," he shrugged. A smirk broke on his features before he went on, "Who else but the beautiful wolfless she-devil whom you've been watching like a hawk for the past 10 minutes?"

"Careful there," I told him sharply. "Some might think you have a death wish."

He paled at once, and the formalities resumed, "Alpha, please. You should know that I'm not foolish enough to pursue a girl you fancy."

I growled at him and my eyes flashed black.

"I don't fancy her," I spat out. He nodded in earnest, as if to say he believed me, or rather he would believe whatever nonsense I sprouted, provided I spared him.

Then, I dropped the bomb on him, "She's my mate."

His eyes widened and he let out a stunned "Oh?"

Feeling like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, I heaved a sigh and went back to the window, to cast her one last look... a look that was no doubt full of longing, love, and adoration.

Then, I turned around to face my beta again.

"You better not speak of this to anyone, Luc," I told him in a tone that was so matter of fact, I could have been talking about the weather.

He stood to attention and nodded at me curtly, "You have my word, alpha."

I looked at him, appreciating his seriousness, and then said, "Now, enough decorum, Luc. Tell me what my schedule of the week has to offer."

"Nothing you'll enjoy, Xander," he began sheepishly. "A meeting with the elders this afternoon."

I groaned.

And he offered me an apologetic smile. "They'll probably nag you about finding a suitable mate again."

"Right," I scoffed. "Well, news flash, I did."

"But they don't know that," he argued, tilting his head to the side.

"And that's how it should be," I quipped almost pensively. "Until I figure out a way to make my mate acknowledge the bond between us."

His eyes almost popped out of their sockets at that point. "You... She..."

"Try making a coherent sentence for once, dumbass," I chuckled dryly, though I knew perfectly where his concerns laid.

"I'm sorry, Xander. I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," I shook my head negatively. "She's mine. And that is that. All that remains is making her realize and accept that she is mine."

He nodded at me and then went on to explain the week schedule further.

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

The meeting with the elders couldn't have been more predictable. Indeed, they asked of me to reconsider making Stacy my Luna, telling me how much my own pack would benefit from the alliance. Stacy was the only daughter of the neighboring pack's alpha, and I could care less about the nonsense these elders were sprouting.

"Is it a mating or a merger you want?" I demanded to know, my voice calm, my wolf under control, despite the simmering anger that laid just under the surface.

I hated how controlling and manipulative they could be... and yet, I found it amusing that they would press the matter, each month, ever since they learned I had bedded that she-wolf.

It had happened but once. It was a mistake. A mistake that was not about to happen again.

Besides, I had a she-wolf to woo and conquer.

I could care less about all these Luna-wannabes, all these hungry-for-power she-wolves who only saw me for what I could afford and give.

I wanted a mate to care for and dote on. I wanted a mate that would love me unconditionally, and still argue with me whenever she thought fit. I wanted a mate that would stand beside me as my equal, not a submissive she-wolf, whose only purpose was holding parties and bearing pups.

No one but Jade shall be my Luna, I inwardly vowed. Wolfless or not, she is my fated mate.

While they didn't know that, they knew better than to try to force my hand. All they could was talk.

Well, they could even bark, for all I cared. It wouldn't change a thing.

My heart, my mind, and my wolf, were set on no one but the beautiful temptress of a new addition to the pack.

I tried to smile at the elders, so that they would brace themselves for impact.

I never smiled at the bunch, save when it was to scorn them some way.

They stiffened at once, as to be expected.

"While I appreciate your concern, don't you all have anything better to do than to poke your nose where it doesn't belong?"

"Alpha Alexander," the youngest of them – no less than sixty years old – began in a fake saccharine tone, seemingly undisturbed by my jab. "We only want what's best for the pack."

"I hate to say it, but an unmated alpha is a weak and frivolous alpha," the oldest of them went on, his eyes not meeting mine.

My eyes went black at the blatant disrespect.

"Know your place, Jeremiah," I all but growled the words out at him, not containing my wolf, watching him pale. "Should you become a nuisance to me and the pack both, I wouldn't hesitate to erase your very existence."

"Alpha Alexander," the youngest of them tried to placate me. "It is our honor to serve you and the pack. We would never even dare become a nuisance. We are also deeply sorry for Jeremiah's choice of words. He seems to be unwell."

"You're dismissed," I told them off-handedly as I struggled to remain in control.

It couldn't and wouldn't do to kill an elder, no matter the provocation.

If I wanted to get rid of them, I was going to need much stronger motives.