Alpha Celeste Rivers had survived rogue ambushes, pack disputes, and even a night of tequila-fueled karaoke that ended in a full moon howl-off with her
But nothing, absolutely nothing, had prepared her for what was be to come.
Her fated mate, and what was worse than that? It was him. Hunter - Freaking - Blackwood.
Celeste gagged out loud. Right in the middle of the Annual Alpha Summit, where the most powerful leaders of the werewolf world had gathered to discuss alliances, treaties, and the usual complaints about rogue attacks.
The scent hit her first, a deep, woodsy scent that was irritatingly enticing. Like pine trees after a fresh rainstorm, and it was mixed with leather and just a hint of arrogance.
"No. No, no, no," she tried to protest.
Her wolf, Luna, practically did cartwheels in her head. "Mate! Finally! Look at him! Our perfect..."
"Absolutely not," Celeste muttered, shutting down her wolf's enthusiasm. She already knew exactly who the scent belonged to.
And the moment she turned her head, her worst fears were confirmed.
Alpha Hunter Blackwood stood across the room, looking just as horrified as she felt.
Their eyes met, and the mating bond slammed into place like a cosmic anvil dropping from the heavens.
For one brief second, neither of them moved. The entire Summit hall had gone silent, every Alpha turning to watch. This was what they lived for, a fated mate drama.
Hunter's mouth opened, then shut, then opened again.
Celeste narrowed her eyes, daring him to say something stupid.
Then he did exactly what she should have expected.
He recoiled. "You've got to be kidding me."
"Oh, trust me, I wish I was," Celeste snapped back.
A collective gasp rippled through the room. Someone in the background muttered, "Oof, that's rough."
Celeste couldn't have agreed more.
Hunter Blackwood was everything she did not want in a mate. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and unfairly good-looking. He had that whole rugged, broody Alpha thing going on, with his dark hair, intense grey eyes, and a perpetual scowl, like he was always two seconds away from ripping someone's throat out.
And okay, fine, maybe he was devastatingly handsome, but that was beside the point, because he was also Hunter Blackwood. Who was arrogant, so infuriating and extremely dramatic. And, oh, right, he was the alpha of the Shadow Fang Pack, her biggest rival.
Celeste groaned. "Nope. Nope. This isn't happening."
Hunter ran a hand through his hair, looking like he was going through the five stages of grief. "This has to be some kind of mistake."
"Uh-huh. Why don't you go ahead and take that up with the Moon Goddess?" Celeste shot back.
Hunter crossed his arms. "I don't have time for this."
"Oh, please, like I do?"
Their wolves, however, had entirely different opinions.
Luna was howling in joy. "He's strong! He's perfect! Let's go rub against him!"
Hunter's wolf, Rogue, was just as bad.
Celeste could tell by the way Hunter's jaw twitched, like he was physically restraining himself from lunging at her. She could tell he was restraining his wolf.
"He wants to mark us already," Luna purred. "We should let him."
Celeste mentally shoved her wolf into a corner. "Sit. Stay."
Hunter must have been struggling just as much because he looked seconds away from fleeing.
Then, just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, her Beta, bless his meddling soul, shouted it for the entire room to hear.
"Holy shit, Celeste found her mate! And it's Hunter!" That's when chaos erupted. Every Alpha in the room lost their minds.
"Oh, this is good."
"Did anyone place bets on this?"
"I give them a week before they kill each other."
"Two days, tops."
Celeste wanted to die.
Hunter, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to shift and sprint for the nearest exit.
"This isn't happening," he muttered again.
Celeste, ever the problem solver, decided there was only one way to handle this situation.
She turned back to the room, took a deep breath, and declared: "I reject this mate bond."
The room fell silent. You could have heard a pin fall.
Then Hunter exhaled, relieved. "Oh, thank the Goddess."
But the thing about fate was that it had its own sense of humour.
The moment the words left her mouth, her wolf howled in outrage, and, just to make matters worse, Celeste's knees buckled.
Pain. Sharp, searing, mate-rejection pain.
Hunter's reaction was immediate, his scowl disappeared, and his alpha instincts kicked in full force. Before Celeste even had time to hit the floor, Hunter lunged forward, catching her effortlessly in his arms.
"Whoa, hey," His voice was rough with something that wasn't quite concern but definitely wasn't indifference. "Careful."
Celeste groaned. "Get off."
Hunter, who, just five seconds ago, had been thrilled about their rejection, did not let go. In fact, his grip tightened. His jaw clenched. His scent wrapped around her like a damn safety blanket.
A low growl rumbled in his chest.
Celeste blinked. "Are you? Are you growling at me right now?"
Hunter frowned, like he hadn't even realized. "No."
Celeste arched an eyebrow.
"Okay, maybe," he admitted.
Celeste wanted to laugh, scream, and headbutt him just a little bit.
The Moon Goddess was really out here playing games.
And, Hunter Blackwood, her mortal enemy, her rival, her fated mate, was still holding her like he didn't want to let go.
Her scent was something wild and intoxicating, like honey and fresh rain, wrapped around him - and for a single, horrifying moment, he didn't hate it.
Then she shoved him. Hard. "Hands. Off," she snapped, planting her feet firmly on the ground. "I don't need you catching me."
Hunter held up his hands in mock surrender. "Well excuse me for not letting you faceplant in front of every Alpha in America."
"Maybe I wanted to faceplant."
"Oh, sure. Real Alpha behaviour."
Celeste narrowed her eyes. "Listen, Blackwood, I don't know what kind of weird hero complex you have, but you can drop it. This? Us? It's not happening."
Hunter smirked. "You already rejected me. There is no need to keep flirting."
Celeste let out a very undignified squawk. "I was not flirting!"
"Could've fooled me."
She took a step forward, jabbing a finger into his chest. "The day I flirt with you is the day the Moon Goddess herself comes down and apologizes for this cosmic disaster."
Hunter looked far, too entertained. "Careful, Rivers. You keep touching me like that. People might think you like me."
Celeste yanked her hand back like he'd burned her.
The room was still watching. Bets were being exchanged, drinks were being passed around, and some jerk in the back yelled, "Kiss already!"
Celeste and Hunter turned on him at the same time, simultaneously growling.
That was when the worst possible thing happened. Their wolves took over.
Luna was still furious about the rejection, and Rogue, Hunter's equally stubborn wolf, had had enough.
A surge of pure instinct swept through both Alphas, and before they could stop it, they lunged.
Not to fight. Not to attack. To claim.
Celeste collided with Hunter, chest to chest, face to face, and then their lips brushed.
It wasn't a real kiss. Not really. Just a whisper of a touch, an accident, a colossal mistake.
But it was enough for the mate bond to flare up like wildfire. Enough for electricity to shoot through Celeste's veins, leaving her lightheaded. Enough to make the entire room explode into cheers and wolf whistles.
Celeste and Hunter launched away from each other like they'd been burned.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Then Celeste, Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, proud and fierce leader, did the only thing she could think of.
She turned on her heel and ran.
Hunter cursed. "Oh, for f—" but ran after her, doing exactly what his wolf wanted.