Chapter 1: PROLOGUE——Her New Year Mate

A muscular and broad-shouldered suited man with midnight black, longish hair and honey-colored, almost golden eyes was walking down an airport lounge pulling a compact hard case carry-on. Beside him was a shorter redhead, about 5’4”, lightly tanned, her full breasts contrasting with her slim physique. She was trying to keep up with the grim-faced male by matching his stride and not exactly succeeding.

The young girl was out of breath and was panting hard by the time they both finally reached the right ramp. No thanks to her big brother walking too briskly or the bulky backpack she insisted on carrying, despite his continuous offer to carry it for her, it will take her a bit of time to be able to breathe regularly.

Diwa had always been such a stubborn and independent woman. And she wouldn’t have it any other way…

Neither did her big brother Ma’Heron, but he never wanted to admit it to her face.

They both paused and rested at the gate. It was staffed by a single flight attendant behind a small counter, and there was a short line of people being processed by her. The man looked at the woman beside him. She returned his strong questioning stare with her own decisive and determined one…

“And this is absolutely final, Di? You’re totally sure that this is exactly what you want?”

“Yes, Ma’Heron. I have no reason to stay anyway, big brother. Besides, I would be more at peace if I lived my life more like a human than a wolf,” she whispered, carefully making sure he was the only one who could hear her. “And you already know why…”

“But Diwa, there are other options…”

“We’ve already talked about this issue, brother. We even discussed it over with our Alpha, and he already totally agreed to my final decision. I don’t plan to have any discussion about this again and be late for my flight.”

“Just making sure that you realize how much you will lose if you choose to leave. That even includes the protection the pack could offer you…”

“The pack wasn’t that effective in protecting me, remember? If that was the case, I wouldn’t be leaving,” she gently but patiently reminded her Gamma brother.

Ma’Heron answered with an indignant huff, knowing he had completely nothing to counter her reasoning.

Maybe if Aaron hadn’t been away that time, he would have been able to defend her. After all, they’re very close friends, and they were usually together. If only his friend’s Beta training was scheduled at a later date. Or maybe, if I was not so busy with the new role as Gamma of our pack, then she wouldn’t have gone through any of that at all…

“M, I can read your regrets and thoughts via your very transparent and decipherable facial expressions. No need to think like that, at all brother. It’s too late for feel remorse about that because it already happened, so this is the most viable solution we can do. Remember, we can’t change the past no matter how hard we try.”

Again, her only elder brother huffed resentfully at her statement. The expressionless attorney would usually do that if he didn’t have a ready comeback available. And though she wanted to always please her older sibling, Diwa knew she had to do this, even if it was against his wishes.

Tough, I need to heal brother, and I will heal in my way…Whether you like it or not!

“Just make sure that you’ve explained your reasons to your friends and colleagues. I will not answer them if they ask about you, and why you left. And you know why, Di.”

“Understood M, and I already have sent them text messages and even e-mails, so don’t worry about that. Now, I need to go or my plane will leave without me.”

A tight hug, a swift wave, and a sincere smile later, the curvy she-wolf had entered the plane and had finally found her seat. Suddenly her mobile beeped softly, and she realized in horror that she had not removed the SIM card yet.

“Someone may still be monitoring me… oh, goddess, please no…”

Diwa immediately took out the tiny sim card from her phone and broke it in half, completely ignoring the message that went through. Good thing her seatmate was still a no-show, or they’d probably be looking at her with a weird face right now.

The reason for her leaving was in a dark cave inside a forest near the packhouse. He secretly believed that the subject of his obsession had chosen the easier way out. What he did not know was she left due to the traumas he had inflicted on her.

“No matter where you are Diwa Denar, I promise to wait for you! And once you do return, I know that you will be mine this time and there will be no turning back! Nothing will get in the way of having my true mate by my side… not the pack or the Alpha, or the Gamma who is your brother nor that fake Beta who only got that position because he is close friends with the Alpha. No one and nothing will stop me from being with my true destined mate forever! You’ll see… They will all see! Ha ha ha ha ha!”

Meanwhile, somewhere inside the packhouse, miles away from the airport, a young man was texting a friend whom he found out had left to travel abroad. He was eager to talk to her and was quite unhappy to know that her trip had an undetermined return date.

“Hey Di, what gives? Just returned from my two-week Beta training, and I find that you’re gone. I know you’ve always wanted to study abroad, but heck, you could have called me before you left. All I got is the text explaining why you won’t be staying at the packhouse anymore and nothing else. Not even an address! I tried calling you, but I can’t reach you anymore, even on the Alpha’s satellite phone. Please, message me back or call me. I’ll be waiting.”

Aaron never got an answer to his anxious text message, so he was never told the truth about why she had left. Not even a smidgeon of it.

M had to make sure of that. It was for his sister’s sake and safety, after all.

That was one of the major conflicts between the Beta and the Gamma that they never discussed back then. So despite their “closer-than-a-brother” friendship, it remained a hidden thorn in their sides.

And it still is, until the very end of this very problematic and severe matter.