Chapter 1

Beginning Of The End

Clarissa

“So it’s tonight, the night you have been waiting for all your life,” Noelle teased me as she wove lilies into my hair. I sat on the only chair in my room, unable to sit still. Excitement seized my entire body and my cheeks burned from smiling a lot.

“Not all my life,” I snapped back at her cheerily and making her lose hold of a braid. She sighed meaningfully and I tried to remain in a spot so she could finish putting my hair in order. The red locks were courtesy of my mother who had been a legendary beauty in her day. Sadly, she had died during childbirth to a baby who would have been my baby brother.

Father had followed after some years later, suffering from severe depression after losing his mate suddenly. Mother had been the core of his existence that once she had died, he could no longer see blue skies. He would sit alone for hours, staring at nothing in particular. He left me finally when I was eight, a mere child.

Noelle had been my best friend since forever but after my parents died, our friendship was not enough to convince her parents to take me in as a foster child. That was when the pack as a whole decided to adopt me.

“Yeah, right. Everyone knows you have been crushing on Clyde since high school. You weren’t very subtle with your constant staring at the new Alpha. At last, you will get what you have always wanted.” She raised her brows at me comically through the mirror and I pressed my hand against my open mouth.

Everyone knew? Was I that obvious?

Growing up in the same household with Clyde Drelock had been maddening. At first, I had just been a scared pup, grateful to be adopted by the then Alpha, Clyde’s father, Alpha Terry. Falling in love had not been on my agenda then; finding a home had been my priority. They were kind to me and treated me fairly.

Trouble started when Clyde became a senior and began to fill out his clothes more with bulk and muscles I had not seen before. He became a man faster than I could catch up with and I was determined to be useful to the pack somehow. For a female, I was strong and driven to make a difference that Alpha Terry made me Clyde’s Delta.

His friends made fun of him for having a female Delta instead of the conventional male. I doubled my efforts to assure Clyde that he could count on me to have his back. Unfortunately, he had me covering up for him when he was out too late or unwilling to do his duties. With stars in my eyes, I did whatever pleased him, hoping that one day, he would see me in a different light.

However, it took Alpha Terry’s death for Clyde to transform to a complete man. I still remembered that night like it was yesterday. I had got out in the rain to find Clyde after he had run off, destroyed by grief. He and his father had been very close and it was a big blow to him. I had found him in an open field, bent over on the floor and bawling his eyes out.

Unable to stay away, I went to him and gave him a tight hug despite how wet he was. I held on stubbornly until his hands went around me in return. We remained that way for half an hour, comforting each other and getting drenched further. His laughter broke the ice and we ran out of the rain together. Since then, we had been inseparable.

“I have waited long enough to have him,” I muttered to no one in particular, patting my hair to find out if Noelle was done. When she slapped my hand away, I got the message. It was taking too much time. Clyde would think I had changed my mind and become worried.

“Brides are supposed to keep their grooms on their toes by arriving fashionably late and looking good while at it,” Noelle insisted, trying to decide if the beads in my hair were enough. I felt like an exotic peacock but I kept my mouth shut. She was helping me get ready for the most important night of my life and Goddess knew, I couldn’t do it myself. Hanging out with Clyde a lot had turned me into a tomboy.

“And done!” she announced, like a professional magician finishing his final trick. Noelle was a brunette and her classic beauty —jet black eyes, full bust and average height— was driving males crazy. We were both twenty-five though she was older by two months but Noelle was nowhere near ready to get settled down. She had not brought half of the males in our pack to their knees yet.

“Not everyone is destined to be mated to a handsome Alpha,” she would tease me whenever I brought up her dating life. I gave up on her and let her be.

When she moved away from the mirror, I saw my reflection and I could not believe it was me. I looked. . . beautiful and the flowers in my hair made me look like a wood fairy. My usually riotous hair was tamed into lovely plaits and woven round my head, entwined with stems of flowers. Werewolves had an affinity for nature and while we ate mostly meat, we knew more about plants than any other supernatural species, except the witches, of course.

“Clyde will be blown away when he sees you. I am so happy for you, Clarissa!” Noelle exclaimed, enveloping me in a careful hug. She took care not to ruin all her hard work and I glanced at the mirror one more time to be sure it was actually me. It was and I was dazzling in my happiness. I was the luckiest female in Wardwick Pack and I knew it.

Suddenly, a rude knock rapped against the door of my room. We broke our hug, standing apart as we stared at the door. Whoever was on the other side was clearly in a hurry to get in. I immediately took a battle position, ready to take on any intruders. Noelle upon my signal opened the door and stood aside. My defences relaxed when I saw whom it was until I heard his next words:

“That’s the traitor! Guards, seize her and bring her to the public courtyard!” My Alpha and soon-to-be mate, Clyde Drelock commanded in a loud voice and my world fell apart.