MATED TO THE ALPHA I HATED

The invitation was still lying on my bed when I got home. Thick parchment, deep crimson wax. an alpha's seal pressed into the surface.

I didn't need to open it.

Only one pack still had the authority to summon me. Only one place in the world I had sworn never to return to.

Five years ago, I ran from that pack with nothing but a suitcase and a shattered heart. I left behind my family, my pack, and the boy who broke me into a million pieces.

I rebult my life from scratch; away from the hurt, pain; somewhere safe.

Or so I thought.

My fingers trembled as I finally broke the seal.

By order of the Alpha, your presence is required for the coronation of his heir. Failure to appear will be considered an act of defiace aainst the pack.

"Fuck!!!" I screamed loudly.

​I threw the paper across the room, watching it flutter to the floor like a dying bird. My chest heaved as five years of suppressed memories came rushing back: the laughter in the hallways, the cold rejection in his eyes, the feeling of being completely and utterly alone in a crowd of my own kind.

​I sank onto the edge of the bed, burying my face in my hands. An act of defiance meant being hunted. It meant being declared a rogue.

​They weren't just asking me to come home. They were dragging me back to the scene of the crime.

​I looked at the crumpled invitation on the floor. He was being crowned. The boy who destroyed me was becoming the man who would lead them.

​My wolf stirred, a low, bitter growl vibrating in my throat. For five years, we had been silent. But now, she was waking up.

​"You want me there?" I whispered to the empty room, my eyes hardening. "Fine. But you're not getting the girl you broke."

I spent the next morning packing with vengeance. If I had to walk back into that lion's den, I wasn't going as the girl in oversized hoodies and tear-stained cheeks.

I got to the airport as fast as I could. I just wanted to go.....and leave just as quickly.

​The flight was a blur of rising anxiety. By the time the plane touched down, my nerves were stretched thin. The familiar scent of everything made my skin crawl.

I grabbed my suitcase and walked straight out of the airport, ignoring the way my chest tightened with every step closer to the territory I had once sworn off forever.

At the hotel lobby, everything was polished glass and quiet luxury and human. Exactly the way I liked it.

​"One suite. One night," I told the receptionist, sliding my credit card across the counter.

The receptionist barely glanced at me before handing over the keycard, her smile polite and impersonal.

I took the elevator up alone, the soft music doing nothing to calm me. As the doors slammed, my reflection stared back at me, bringing back memories.

FLASHBACK....

I was eighteen, clutching my books to my chest as lauhter followed me down the hallway.

"Did you really think he'd want someone like you?" the voice echoed in my head.

The doors chimed, snappiing me back to the present.

​

​By the time I reached my suite, my nerves were a live wire. I needed to noise, a distraction.

​I stripped, letting my clothes fall where they landed, and ordered a bottle of whiskey and a steak from room service. I didn't bother with a robe. I liked the feeling of the cold AC on my bare skin; it reminded me I was alive.

My phone buzzed on the nightstand.

Liam❤️

You landed? Call me when you can.

Liam, my boyfriend, was my safe space. Human. Steady. He liked brunch and bookstores and the way I pretended not to flinch at loud noises. He had no idea what a coronation meant or why I left. I told him I had an urgent "family meeting" to attend.

I flipped the phone face-down.

​A knock sounded ten minutes later.

​I didn't reach for a towel. I walked to the door, cracked it open, and felt the shift in the air. The guy standing there was young, human, and clearly caught off guard. He was holding the tray, his eyes widening as they dropped from my face to... well, everything else.

Guilt slid under my ribs.

Just tonight, I told myself. I deserve one night where I'm not the broken girl or the loyal girlfriend. I just wanted to feel something to get my mind of this shitty feeling.

​"Your order, ma'am," he stammered, his pulse jumping in his neck.

​I leaned against the doorframe, a slow, predatory smirk spreading across my lips.

​"Bring it in," I said, stepping back to let him pass.

​He set the tray on the table, his hands shaking so hard the silver clinked. He turned to leave, but I stepped into his path, my hand landing on his chest. His heart was hammering.

​"You look tense," I whispered, my fingers tracing the line of his uniform. "I'm tense, too. Stay. I'll tip you well."

​I didn't like him. I didn't even know his name. But as I pulled him toward the silk sheets, I wasn't thinking about the coronation or this hell of a town. For an hour, I was the one in control.

I slept before the coronation, waking just before midnight; the hour wolves preferred for their ceremonies.

​I showered, the hot water washing away the scent of the human boy, and stepped into the emerald dress. The silk felt like liquid ice against my skin. The slit ran high up my thigh, and the back dipped low enough to show the scar on my shoulder-the mark of the night I chose to be a ghost.

​I looked at my reflection. Blood-red lipstick. Sleek hair.

​"Time to go to a funeral," I muttered to the mirror. "Specifically, the funeral of the girl you think I am."

​I took the car I rented and headed straight to the coronation hall.

​The coronation hall was a nightmare of ribbons and red carpets. It looked like a wedding, which made me want to gag. I was halfway to the entrance when I smelled them.

​"Ava?"

​My mother's voice sounded like a ghost. I turned, my heels clicking like a countdown on the pavement.

​My parents stood by a sleek red car, looking like they'd seen a dead woman walking. My father's eyes took in my dress, the mark on my back, and the way I carried myself not like a submissive daughter, but like a queen who had lost her crown and didn't want it back.

​"What are you doing here?" my father barked, his Alpha-loyalist pride clashing with his shock. "The Alpha said you were summoned, but we thought you'd have the decency to come home first."

​"Home?" I laughed, the sound sharp and metallic. I held up my hotel keycard, the plastic glinting in the sun. "I have a room with a view and a mini-bar that doesn't judge me. That's enough home for one weekend."

​"Ava, honey," my mother reached out, her eyes watering. "You look... different. You look hurt."

​"I look expensive, Mother," I corrected her, stepping out of her reach. "And I'm here for the show. Nothing more. Don't expect me to sit with the family. I'm just a guest of the Alpha, remember?"

​I left them standing there in the dust of their own regret.

​As I walked toward the Great Hall, the drums began to beat. A low, primal thrum that vibrated up through my stilettos. The coronation was starting.

​I pushed through the heavy oak doors, and the scent of two hundred wolves hit me like a physical wall. But there was one scent, one dark, familiar, intoxicating scent,that rose above the rest.

​My wolf, silent for five years, suddenly let out a deafening howl in the back of my mind.

​MATE.

​I froze. My eyes locked onto the stage, where Jaxson Hale stood with a crown in his hand and a look of horror on his face.pp

I hoped it wasn't what I was thinking. I prayed to a moon goddess I hadn't spoken to in years that the sudden, violent pulling my chest was just a small heart attack.

But as Jaxson's eyes locked onto mine from the podium, the air became still. The bond didn't just snap. It roared.

Please don't feel it. Please let it be a mistake.

But the way his knuckles turned white as he gripped the edge of the stone podium told said otherwise. His nostrils flared, taking in my scent; the scent he had once mocked, now intensified by the woman I had become.

He felt it. He definitely felt it.

For ten agonizing seconds , the future Alpha of the Silver Ridge looked like he'd seen a ghost. The whole pack started to murmur, sensing the sudden spike in his scent.

"Jaxson?" his whispered, nudging him.

Jaxson blinked, his nostrils flaring as he drank in my scent from across the room.

Just one more hour, I told myself, my fingers digging into my palms. The ceremony is over. The party starts. Then I fade out the backdoor and catch the first flight out of this hellhole.

The coronation sooner transitioned into celebration, which in this pack was just a polite word for a riot.

The music was a low, primal thrumming that made the floorboards vibrate. Because it was a full-moon eve, everyone's wolves were close to the surface. The heat in the room was thick with the smell of sweat, alcohol and pheromones.

I stood at the very back near the bar, trying to avoid my parents and every other person there and make a run for it.

"God, this is disgusting," I muttered, leaning against a wooden pillar. "One giant, furry orgy. All we're missing is the bowl of car keys and some flea collars."

Everywhere I looked, wolves were pressed against each other , necks exposed, hands wandering. Some of them were literally mating on the spot.

"You always did have a sense of humour, Ava."

Of course, he heard me. I did't need to turn around to know it was him. The bond was already screaming at me to lean back into him, to let his scent wash over me.

"And you always had a habit of sneaking up on people," I retorted, taking a slow sip of the drink I had snatched from a waiter five seconds ago.

"Shouldn't you be on the throne, Alpha? Your subjects are probably missing you."

Jaxson stepped closer. He had taken off the jacket, his white shirt unbuttoned at the collar. He looked so fucking hot, it was annoying. He looked like he was going to devour me and kill me at the same time

"You came back," he said.

"I was summoned under threat of being hunted," I corrected, finally turning to face him. I let my eyes trail over him with bored indiference, even though my insides were melting. "Don't flatter yourself, Jaxson. I'm not here for you."

He stepped even closer, invading my space. The air between us crackled with five years of hate and a bond that didn't care aboutt my feelings.

"The bond.... you felt it," he whispered, his eyes dropping to my lips.

"I felt a sudden urge to vomit, if that's what you mean," I snapped. "If you think I'm going to stand up there and be your little Luna just because the moon played a little prank on us, you're even stupider than you were in high school."

"You think I'm just going to let my mate go?"

"Mate? Bullshit." I said with an irritated look on my face. "I'm the girl who left five years ago, and in ten minutes I'll be out of here.

I turned to leave, but he gripped my arm before I could take a step.

"One dance," he commanded, his voice shifting to commanding Alpha tone. "Give me one dance, or I'll announce who you are to this entire room right now."

The dance floor was a suffocating crush of bodies, a literal "wolf orgy" of heat and scent. Jaxson led me to the center, his hand firm on the small of my back, right where the silk of my dress gave way to bare skin.

​Every touch felt like a brand.

​"You look so different, thought you hated the spotlight, Ava," he whispered, pulling me against his chest as the music slowed to a low, heavy beat.

​"I hate your spotlight," I corrected, keeping my chin up, refusing to look affected by the way our bodies fit together like puzzle pieces. "So, let's get this over with. One dance, and you let me walk out of here without a scene. That was the deal."

​Jaxson leaned down, his nose brushing against my temple. He took a deep, shaky breath, scenting me. "You smell like the city. Like cold rain and... human perfume."

​"That's funny," I leaned in, my lips hovering just an inch from his ear. "The guy who brought up my room service yesterday said I smelled like heaven."

​I felt him go rigid. A low, thunderous growl vibrated through his chest.

​"You let a human touch you?" he hissed, his fingers digging into my waist.

​"I'm a grown woman, Jaxson. I do whatever, and whoever I want," I pulled back, checking the watch on my wrist. "Song's over. Thanks for the dance. Don't call me."

​I turned to walk away, I was three steps away from the exit, already imagining the cold air outside, when the music suddenly cut to a screeching halt.

​"Members of the Silver Ridge Pack!"

​Jaxson's voice didn't just carry; it commanded. My wolf wanted to bow to it.

​I spun around, my blood running cold.

​"You lied," I whispered, though I knew he could hear me. "You said if I danced, you'd let me go."

​

​"The search is over," he declared, his voice echoing off the rafters. "Tonight, I don't just take my father's crown. I take my mate."

"This is Ava," he said pointing at me. "Your new luna."

​The room exploded. My parents' gasps, the pack's cheers, the jealous snarls of the women who wanted his title, it all blurred into one roarin sound. He had trapped me in front of the one crowd I never wanted to see again.

​I looked up at him, my eyes burning with a hatred so pure it felt like fire.

​"You think you won?" I mouthed through the chaos.

​Jaxson just smirked.

A slow, dark smile that told me the war had only just begun.

JAXON'S POV

"The search is over!" I said to the crowd. "Ava Thorne is your Luna!"

I suddenly began to hear whispers explode all over the room.

"Ava? The one who ran away?"

"The weakling? She's the Luna?"

"Look at her... she doesn't even have a pack mark."

​Ava didn't scream. She didn't cry. She just looked at me with a hatred so pure it was beautiful.

Then, before I could react, she lunged forward, grabbed my tie, and hauled me toward the side office.

​"Move," she hissed.

​I followed her, my wolf purring at her aggression. The second the door slammed shut, she exploded.

​"Are you mad?!" she screamed, her voice cracking the heavy silence of the room. "Are you absolutely, out of your mind, insane, Jaxson?"

​I didn't answer. I couldn't. Up close, without the pack watching, she was devastating. Her chest heaved with every breath, the silk of that dress straining against her breasts, dipping so low I could see the rapid pulse in her throat.

​"I had a life!" she yelled. The slit in her dress flashed her thigh with every step revealing more skin. "I had a flight! I have a job! You don't get to just stand up there and announce me like I'm a new piece of furniture for your Pack House!"

​I stepped toward her, my shadow falling over her. She stopped pacing and lifted her head.

​She was so small compared to me, but she stood her ground. My eyes betrayed me, wandering down the curve of her throat to her huge breasts, then down to tits showing slightly. She had changed a whole lot since high school.

​

​"Did you hear a word I said?" she said, snapping her fingers in front of my face. "I am leaving, Jaxson. I don't care about the bond. I don't care about your crown. I hate you. Do you understand? I. Hate. You."

​"You're shouting, Ava," I said, my voice coming out as low as possible.

​"I'll do more than shout! I'll-"

​I moved faster than she could blink. I slammed my hands onto the door on either side of her head, trapping her. I leaned in until our noses were almost touching, until I could feel the heat radiating off her skin.

​"You can hate me all you want," I growled, my gaze dropping to her lips, red, pouty, and trembling with rage. "You can tell me about every human you've slept with to try and forget me. But you aren't getting on that plane. You're the Luna of Silver Ridge. My Luna. And if I have to chain you to my bed to keep you here, I will."

​Her breath hitched. For a second, the anger in her eyes flickered into something else. Something that felt a lot like the yearning that was currently tearing me apart

I stared at the pulse jumping in her neck, the exact spot where my teeth needed to sink in. My fangs ached, pushing against my gums. One bite. That's all it would take to seal her to this territory, to me.

​She saw my eyes drop to her shoulder and she let out a jagged breath, her hand flying up to cover her skin.

​"Don't you dare," she whispered, her voice trembling. "If you mark me while I'm angry, Jaxson, I will never forgive you. I'll spend the rest of my life making sure you regret it."

​The threat should have cooled my blood. Instead, seeing her so fierce, so defiant, only made the yearning worse.

​"You can do whatever you want, but do not make the mistake of thinking I'd make the stay here again."

She proceeded to leave.

"Oh, and also Jaxson." she added.

"You really need to learn how to control yourself around a woman." she said, staring at my bulging cock before leaving.

AVA'S POV

​I woke up at 11am, still feeling tired from the event earlier.

​I didn't bother with breakfast. I threw my emerald dress into the suitcase, pulled on a pair of tight leather pants and a white silk blouse, and headed down to the lobby.

​Just get to the airport. Once you're in the air, the pack laws don't mean shit.

​I checked out in silence, the receptionist refusing to meet my eyes. I pushed through the hotel's revolving doors, expecting to see my pre-booked taxi.

​Instead, the street was lined with blacked-out cars.

​They were parked in a perfect semicircle, blocking every exit from the hotel driveway. A dozen hefty men stood in formation, their faces grim, their eyes fixed on me. It was a military operation for a single woman.

​The door of the center SUV opened, and Jaxson stepped out.

​He was in dressed in a black suit that made him look like sin, and dark shades.

​"The taxi is five minutes late," I said, leaning casually against my suitcase, though my pulse was racing. "Move the cars, Jaxson. I have a flight to catch."

​Jaxson stopped two feet from me. The air around him was vibrating. "The taxi isn't coming, Ava. Neither is your flight."

​"What did you do?"

​"I've closed the borders," he growled, his voice a low, gravelly rasp that set my skin on fire. "No one leaves Silver Ridge. Not until my Luna is safely in the Pack House where she belongs."

​"I am not your Luna!" I stepped into his space, poking a finger into his hard chest. "I'd rather move in with a complete stranger than spend a single night in your house."

​Jaxson's hand snapped out, catching my wrist. He didn't hurt me, but his grip was like iron. He leaned down, his eyes glowing dangerously.

​"You want to play the rebellious mate? Fine. But you're going to do it from my bedroom."

​He signaled to the guards. Two of them stepped forward and grabbed my suitcase.

​"Get in the car, Ava," he commanded, his Alpha voice vibrating through my bones. "We can do this the easy way, or I can throw you over my shoulder in front of everyone. Either way, you're coming home."