Chapter 2 Could It Jada

Decorative lights and illuminants lit up the extravagant conference hall, along with the bright eyes of the people that scattered across the vicinity.

It was the time for the mating ceremony, and everyone was waiting for the Alpha King, Marcus Grey, to make his appearance.

Marcus is a young man between the ages of twenty-six and twenty-eight. He was the most powerful and dreaded creature in the paranormal world, and tonight was his night to choose his Luna.

At the edge of the conference hall, a young, beautiful, tall, but vibrant lady about the age of twenty-two named Nina Pinkett sat on her chair, and beside her was her stepsister, Jada, who's at the age of nineteen.

Although Jada was beautiful, compared to Nina, she was average or even considered ugly. You see, Nina was stunning-a sight to behold. Her long and straight auburn hair fitted the tannery of her skin, and those blue eyes were everything anyone could ever want.

Nina was the Gamma of the Night Shade pack; her pack.

It had been hard to get to this point of success. Her mother died when she was just three years old during a rogue attack, and a few years later, her father, Argon, married a second wife, Grace, a very cruel woman under a pretentious smile who's Jada's mother.

Ever since her father's second marriage, Nina's life has not been something to write home about. Life became a living hell for her, especially after her father later died.

Her stepmother's maltreatment worsened so much that she even recruited her into the Pack's warriors so she could easily die during war and be eliminated from the Argon's family.

To her dismay, Nina used the opportunity to train and become the best version of herself. It was then she was promoted as the pack's Gamma.

It was her hard work and assiduousness that made Marcus like her.

They had been dating even before Marcus became the Alpha King. So Nina had been anxiously expecting a day like this to come so she could finally bond with Marcus.

Mating season has now approached, and whether Marcus was her mate or not, she still wanted him to choose her out of the many women who came to steal him from the height she'd lifted him.

He promised he would.

However, despite that promise... things have changed drastically between her and Marcus. He barely called her anymore, and when he did, the calls were short and not as lengthy as they were before.

Ever since she lost her parents, Marcus had been her backbone, and she was his. But for the past one week, Marcus didn't seem to be the one she fell in love with anymore. Nina was really nervous about what could have gone wrong.

She was deep in thought when an abrupt calmness and quietness erupted among the werewolves, starting from those sitting near the hall entrance.

As the door opened, Marcus' scent greeted her even before his presence did. A scent much stronger than how she remembered it.

It was almost suffocating, a scent that could and wanted to bring her to her knees. She could feel her wolf pushing to the forefront without her consent, something that had never happened before.

She felt weak, especially when his eyes met hers. Excitement bubbled within her along with overwhelming happiness, and her heart started to beat out of control.

"Finally," she whispered to herself. The long-awaited day had finally arrived-the day she would be bonded with the love of her life.

As Marcus walked past her, he halted and glared at her with scrutiny, his face stern.

Witnessing this, Nina felt her heart sink into her stomach. "Has he found out?" She mumbled inwardly, fidgeting.

However, she did her best to mask her emotion.

Just then, Ashina, her wolf whimpered behind the walls of her mind-a sad cry-and then the word ''mate'' trickled from its lips like a drip of water.

Nina's eyes widened. He is-Marcus Grey~ the love of her life was her mate? Did he know this too? Could he feel what she did?

A smile graced her lips, one that disappeared when his gaze became even harsher, making her feel so uncomfortable that her face turned ashen. Her blue orbs filled with disappointment, and she wished she could just disappear into a hole.

"Nina." Nina was surprised to hear Marcus say. This wasn't how he used to address her. He usually called her by their pet names. Maybe because there were many people here. She understood.

Slowly but shyly, she raised her head towards him and greeted him. "Good evening, my Alpha."

Marcus didn't respond to her greeting but stared at her for some while. Throughout that moment, Nina nearly urinated on herself. She hopes he hasn't found out what happened at the hotel.

Just then, Jada thought it's her perfect time to intrude on their conversation. "Good evening, my Alpha," she greeted, seductively staring at him.

Marcus responded to her greeting without turning in her direction. Instead, his face was fixated on Nina, who couldn't stand to glance at it anymore.

"We'll talk later. Let me address the pack first." He finally said before walking past them and headed to the pulpit to address his subjects.

Jada swayed her hips to Nina and gave her a look that describes the phrase: "Fuck around and find out."

"Tonight is the night I choose my bride; a Luna I can entrust not only my pack with... but also my heart. As we wait for the clock to hit twelve, let's drink wine and have a merry time."

The DJ tuned on the music as soon as Marcus stepped down, walking towards Nina with a strange look on his face.

"We need to talk." He whispered into her ear and walked to a corner.

Without delay, Nina followed him. "As you demanded, my Alpha," she said, bowing in courtesy as she arrived at the spot.

Marcus stared at her for some seconds, in a way that still didn't please Nina. "Babe...?" She whispered, her hand reaching up to clutch his cheek, but he held them back.

"Don't call me that."

"What? Why? Can't you feel it?" She looked at where their hands were intertwined. "Can't you feel the sparks? We got our wish; we're mates. Aren't you happy?

"Happy...?" Marcus chuckled and cleared his throat, a frown replacing his expression.

"What happened today?" He demanded, his tone venomous and authoritative.

"Um, nothing actually. Did anyone tell you anything?" She asked, perplexed.

"Is that an answer to my question?" Marcus added, a wicked smirk formed on his lips.

At this moment, Nina realized he had found out what happened at the hotel. But how the hell did he find out?

"It's not what you think." She stammered, her eyes darting around for help.

"I'm really sorry, Marcus. I was raped, but I don't know how it happened," she answered, her honesty evident in her eyes, but that wasn't what Marcus was after.

Marcus gaze was written with rage. "Rape?" He laughed. "I can't even believe I'm hearing this. I thought Jada was making stories when she said this but your statement just proved her right."

"Now I see that I've been manipulated. You're not what I thought you are," he said, trying to calm his anger so he doesn't react in a way that would spoil the event.

"No way you're going to be my mate, Nina. I reject you. I, Marcus Grey, reject you as my mate. I can never be fated to a whore," he declared and left the scene immediately.

Nina could feel her heart tangibly breaking. The words felt like knives stabbing incessantly into her heart, rupturing the beating flesh and tearing it to shreds. She didn't even know when she collapsed on the floor.

How could he do this to her?

He had promised to give himself to her whether they were fated or not. And now that they are actually fated mates, he rejected her?

Who did this to her? Could it be Jada?

Nina could hear her wolf screaming in her head and feel as it scraped its paws against the walls of her mind. It was hurt, just as much as she is. It wanted to go to him. Nina did too.

She wanted an explanation, and she wanted it now.

Gripping onto the walls beside her, she rose off her knees and stagger into the direction he went, following his scent.

She shouldn't have followed him, but what she saw broke her heart into smaller pieces-splinters that sliced her from the inside. She couldn't leave without an explanation from him.

As he walked close to the building, Nina saw him-Marcus Grey-the man who promised to spend the rest of his life with her clutching onto her stepsister in a provocative way. They literally looked like couples.

"W-- what is happening here?! "D-- did he reject me for her?" She thought, tears welling up in her eyes.