Chapter 4 The powerful Mates

Olivia's pov:

The bonding itself was about to begin, although the entire ceremony traditionally starts with a member of each of the nine aristocraté families blessing the Werewolf community for the coming days till the next ceremony.It was an ancient rite that had endured till now.

That was the boring part though, the interesting part was about to begin as murmurs and whispers amongst the crowd grew louder.

"I bet a hundred dollars Amelia Blackwater would bond with Diego Porter", Ben grinned.

" Wait", I laughed," people bet over this? "

" It raises the stakes ", he said. His face became serious." I bet you would bond tonight ".

I rolled my eyes as he held my face in his hands.

" The stakes are against you, darling," he said, smiling again, "but please don't make me lose a thousand dollars," he pleaded.

"A thousand !", I exclaimed as I glared at him, "i can't believe you just threw away a thousand bucks, you idiot".

He leaned back, breathing deeply as he wriggled his fingers nervously.

I patted his shoulders softly, "You will find a mate, do not worry."

He smiled weakly, his eyes twinkling "You think? "

" I know ",I said simply.

An elderly male werewolf walked carefully onto the podium, everywhere becoming quiet instantly, breaths held back in anticipation.

"All participants in this year's bonding ceremony should please come forward", he rasped, his long thin hair plastered across his face like a wannabe rockstar.

I squeezed Ben's shoulder softly as we stood up, the ride lady beside me snorting for like the millionth time. I paid her no heed as we joined the small crowd making its way forward. Lucien was strangely already there, his face showing a hint of anger.

I stood in front of him as I glared, "you rejected me because of your issues",I said , my hands quoting in the air," And here you are, looking for someone else so soon".

He breathed in deeply,his eyes bagged like he had not been sleeping.

" My father threatened to kick me out if I don't find a bride soon",he sighed," he was pissed off when he discovered we had separated".

His Father was the Alpha of the Moonblood family,who had bit and adopted Lucien, I barely knew anything about his father other than he was a congressman and hardly stayed home, but he was a strange one ,seeing as he had named a Lycan as his heir.

"Well, i wish you luck then", I said as Ben began to drag me off.

"No you don't", he chuckled.

Ben was able to say something to me when the air suddenly filled with burning wolfsbane, I nearly gagged as the source, a huge golden bowl of the flowers was brought forward by two other elderly werewolves.

"I hate that smell", I muttered as I scrunched up my nose,the hall seemingly growing darker. Ben did the same.

"No kidding".

The bowl was placed right in front of we participants as we stared at it in disgust and apprehension.

The bonding was simple: we were to eat a single flower; just one or two would lead to painful poisoning, but one flower was the trick to bonding.

As I picked up the delicate flower from the bowl, I breathed in deeply and, without hesitation, brought it to my lips, its unusual sweetness exploding in my tongue as I swallowed.

Everyone around me did the same, swallowing the toxic flower as the others in the seats began to clap loudly, with a few whooping. This was it.

Ben nodded at me, smiling at my grimaced face, "Good luck, darling."

At first, nothing seemed to happen, then came that familiar tingling sensation coursing all over me from head to tip of my toes, like gentle waves licking at a rock.

Everyone's faces began to blur as colors became darker and seemingly more vibrant. Time and reality no longer existed around me, the world tingling with a terrifying energy.

For three bonding ceremonies, it had always been the same, my mind drifting like the wind with no impact, seeming like forever before the effects of the wolfsbane began to weaken, always the same. I woke from the hallucinations to discover I was mateless.

I hardly even understand how the others find their mates, all I have seen from the stands is that while spiraling in their stupor, they somewhat find themselves amongst thousands of other participants, just like magnets, the stronger the mating, the stronger the energy pulsating from their union, a forever bond.

After what like hours, it seemed like I was unlucky this year too, I could feel the effect of the wolfsbane begin to fade.

Too bad, I thought, I just lost Ben a thousand dollars, not like it was my fault.

Then it hit me as I floated thoughtlessly in my illusion; it was like a strong pull like I was drawn into a soul-consuming furnace.

Oh God, I panted, my chest heaving. I wondered who it could be, Ben? The odds was unlikely. Perhaps some stranger I hadn't met before.

As the effects of the wolfsbane finally faded off, I found myself staring at very deep emotionless eyes, salt and pepper hair matted with sweat.

His gaze locked unto mine and I felt the world tilt. For a moment we simply stared, the air thick with tension as I suddenly realized his hands were on my waist, the only thing keeping me on my feet.

The Demon Alpha?, I thought wildly in a mixture of terror and surprisingly relief

Then he spoke, his voice smooth and low sending a cold shiver down my back.

"You ".He growled

At first I thought he was directing his anger towards me but then I swiveled my upon realizing someone was behind me.

Oh shit

I had bonded with two powerful mates and one of them was none other than my ex husband. Lucien.

An Alpha and a Lycan . I was beginning to become a recipe for disaster.