Queen of Midnight

Chapter One.

By the time I turned 18, I knew I'd find my mate. I also knew he couldn't be anyone with whom I would ever be able to settle down and be safe with. Since I had spent most of my life as a slave to the Silver Moon Pack, I knew there was no one I already knew who could make me happy, and me them. Which meant I would have to reject my mate, or he belonged to another pack. Which also wouldn't work, considering my status. Maybe one of the wolves in my pack would be willing to turn a blind eye to me if the bond is strong, but a stranger? Highly unlikely. Odds were high that they would pretend I didn't exist, then reject me at their first convenience.

As soon as the clock hit midnight and I was 18, I felt something strange tugging at my chest. It was almost painful. I tried to ignore it, but all the signs pointed to one thing.

The mate bond.

I had no choice but to let the feeling tug me out of my bed in the attic of the pack house, drag me down the stairs and down the hall of the west section of the building. My feet and hands felt like they were buzzing; I would have been scared, if I didn't already know what was happening.

The tug pulled me to the end of the corridor and stopped me in front of the last door at the end. At first, all I heard was silence. Then, a rustle. Small movements. My heart beat loudly in my chest. I knew whose room this was. This was going to be a lot harder than I thought it was.

Before I knew what was happening, I saw my hand reaching forward and opening the door handle. I panicked and tried to pull it back, but the damage was already done. The door creaked open slowly, and revealed the contents of the room in the soft glow of light that came from the hallway behind me. Skin and sweat glistened between the occupants on the bed before me, moving and twisting as if they were the same being. I felt a stab in my chest, so powerful I physically took a step back from the brunt of it.

The figures in the room were still going; I could almost make out exactly what was happening. The man was leaning over a thin girl on the bed, her legs spread out on either side of him as he thrust inside her quickly. They were panting, breathing hard and had no idea who was standing in the doorway. I tried blinking the image away, but it was almost burned into my mind.

"Rhea?"

I started, looking up quickly in horror as I saw the man and the woman were now both looking at me. She looked awkward, but annoyed as well. She didn't know why I was here. He, however, looked just as heartbroken as I felt. It wasn't that I necessarily had feelings for this man, but I knew who he was, and he knew who I was. The mate bond, however, was strong. It was enough to make almost anyone fall in love with anyone on the spot. But not like this. And the fact that I'd just caught him in bed with a random wolf didn't help. I knew he did this sort of thing often enough, though.

"Ethan," I replied, my voice shaky. I took another unsteady step backwards. "Sorry."

I turned and bolted down the hallway, back to the stairs. I made it to the attic door right as I heard footsteps running after me, but I managed to barricade myself in the room before he could reach me.

"Rhea, please," he begged, knocking on the door. He knocked quietly, though. I definitely noticed that little maneuver. "I- I didn't know we were mates. If I did, I never would have-"

"What, tortured me?" I shot back icily. "You've been horrible to me ever since I came here."

"I didn't know you were my mate!" he tried. "I didn't mean to mistreat you, I promise."

"What, so you're ready to give up casual fucking and settle down with me?" I demanded. He didn't reply. "That's what I thought. Why don't you piss off and leave me alone?"

"I don't want to reject you, Rhea. I know it could kill you, and me. It's not just you that feels hurt, okay? I will too."

"So you're just wanting to protect yourself," I bit off. "How wonderful for me. Well, how about this? I, Rhea Riverwood of the Silver Moon Pack, reject you, Ethan Hollows, son of Alpha Turner of the Silver Moon Pack."