CHAPTER ONE

Aurora's Pov: 

"I suggest you get her married off to Lee Otto Fraser, that would only be fair."

I overheard my stepmother Elizabeth telling my father Mr Peter Usoro at the sitting area.

At the mention of that name, I froze. My hands trembled in sync with my trembling heart. My body shuddered at the words my stepmother spewed as I dropped the tea cups on the center table. I willed my trembling hand to halt as I dropped the tea cup at the other end of the table where my half sister was seated who was dressed up in a beautiful dinner gown for her engagement with Jaden, the soon to be Alpha of his clan.

Lee Otto Fraser. It was rumored this man was a brute and ruthless, showed mercy to none. And none of his wives suffered their marriage with him. I knew my step mother hated me but going as far as suggesting that drained my spirit. Was that how much she wanted to get rid of me? To get me married off—- sold off to a man that was basically called a devil by all.

"This is beautiful,"  my thoughts were impeded by my stepmother's vibrant voice. They were checking out the things Jaden and his family brought for the engagement. Maya, my half sister, admired the red emerald ring still in its box on the table. 

My father was seated there but didn't leave a comment after my stepmother had said that, instead he gaped at Maya who kept wowing and admiring her engagement ring.

"This must have cost Jaden and his family a fortune to purchase this,"  she prompted. Her eyes gleamed with awe as she stared at it.

"You are his mate, his bride to be so you deserve the most expensive and beautiful things, my dear."  My stepmom cooed as I felt pain shot through me. Maya got to marry her mate, my supposed mate if I wasn't wolf-less but here I am, ready to be sold off—- married off to a man called the devil himself. I suck back the tears building in my eyes, pretending whatever they were saying wasn't getting to me. I knew my stepmother and her daughter were saying all this for my hearing, to remind me I was wolf-less and mateless. That I was good for nothing.

"Aurora?"  I was about to exit the sitting room when my half sister called me back.

"Yes?"  I turned to look at her.

"Put this ring on my finger,"  she ordered, retaining an authoritative look across her face.

I lifted my brow, trying to process what just came out of her mouth. Put her engagement ring on her finger? I stared at her pure blank, still trying to comprehend what she said. 

She wanted to humiliate me, no doubt about it. She knew how I loved Jaden.

She urged me with her eyes to get to work which I did to save myself from my stepmom's lashes.

I took careful walks to them and gently pulled the light yet heavy ring due to the stone attached to it from its box. It was beautiful and expensive. Intricately designed.

If I had my wolf, this might belong to me.

 I caught myself admiring it before I was pulled back to the present by my stepmother's stern voice.

"Careful with that,"  said my stepmother Elizabeth in a cold voice. Throwing me a repulsive look. "Someone like you might never wear that in your entire life."

I felt numb. Felt detached and hurt when she asserted that but I dare not say a word back. I simply and carefully did what Maya told me to do. Her hand was already stuck out in the air. 

Fidgeting and trembling, I reached out to slide the ring on her third finger but I couldn't control my trembling hand. The ring ended up slipping from my hold, and fell on the tile floor, then it disappeared.

Aghast, I stared in fright. The blood circulation doing its thing in my body ceased, I couldn't dare to visualize what would happen next to me.

"What did you just do?"  Maya raised her voice, eyes turning to bloodshed. She murdered me several times. My whole body trembled so hard with trepidation, swallowing hard. "Did you just lose my ring?"

"I'm sorry,"  I immediately knelt down to look for the ring in every direction and under the sofas.

"Sorry?"  Maya rose to her feet. "Do you know how expensive that ring is? Of course you won't, you are good for nothing. Always messing up every little order that is given to you….. "

I continued to search for the ring, praying earnestly to find it.

"How would she know?" My stepmom spoke up. "She's without a mate and of course wolf-less so who would want to spend such expensive jewelry on her? You should pray that you find that ring unscathed because if something happens to the stone or it has a little scratch on it, you will regret your existence."

I nodded and swallowed hard and frantically searched for the ring before I felt something liquid on my hair, dripping down on my face and back. I swift my head to the direction and saw Maya pouring her cup of tea on my head while harboring a wicked smile across her face. Her eyes twinkled with mockery, matching her mom's.

"This is where you belong,"  she cackled. "On the floor…. and you're nothing but a low life since you can't fulfill your obligations as the first daughter. Wolf-less and matless and of no use…….."   She emptied the content of the teacup on me and set the tea cup back on the table before lowering herself down to be on the same level as me. 

Eyes dark and condemning, she said in a bone chilling voice. "You better find that ring or you will regret ever being born." She trailed a finger along my face, her fingernails digging in my skin reaching out to grab a handful of my hair, yanking it. I felt immense pain at that effect causing me to writhe.

"I know your type, you purposely dropped the ring because you couldn't bear to accept me as your childhood sweetheart's mate? I'm sorry dear but I am and there's nothing you can do about it."  She let go of my hair with force. Standing to her feet.

"If my engagement with Jaden turns into ruins because of your clumsiness, I promise on your dead mom's grave, I will send you to be with her."  She added in a stern voice.

My father didn't utter a word and just stared at me causing my mind to drift back to what my stepmother suggested to him. If my father gives ear to her suggestion, I'd be certain my father never loved me—in fact, he never loved me and it became worse when I didn't acquire my wolf abilities or being able to shift into a wolf. To my father, I was nothing but a mere nuisance.

The first daughters of every bloodline of the four clans all acquired their wolf side and abilities at the age of 16 whereas in my case, it was different and my father seemed to be the most influential being in his bloodline but definitely not the alpha of our clan. And it was such a slap on my father's face that his first daughter was wolf-less and mateless.

I wasn't able to transform at the age of 16 with the intuition that my own shifting might be late, and then came my eighteenth birthday. The day of the full moon in hopes that the moon goddess will grant me a special birthday gift by activating my wolf self but it didn't happen. 

That was when I knew I might become wolf-less and mateless for the rest of my life. My twenty-three years of life was nothing but pain and misery. Because I was wolf-less, I was caged indoors. I never left the house because my father only thought of me as a disgrace and slap to his reputable self. I was always locked indoors, serving my half sister and stepmother. 

When was the last time I saw the clear sky? 

They looked at me with disdain, like an unwanted being. Like I don't belong anywhere.

Most times I wondered if I did something to the moon goddess to upset her by taking away my ability to transform and making me wolf-less.

"I'm sorry……"    The only words I was good at saying. Nothing else. "It was a mistake, I didn't mean to lose it ….."

I hung my face. Kneeling put as they all glared at me. Jaden was supposed to be my mate if I wasn't wolf-less. I should be the one getting married to him, not Maya.

"You better find that ring and prepare some dishes before Jaden and his family show up,"    my stepmother asserted in a cold voice. "Useless."   

My father said nothing, instead he sat there and watched Maya and her mom abuse me verbally.

●●●●●●●●●●

With the pain inflicted on me, and without luck finding the ring, I returned to the kitchen to prepare a set of dishes before Jaden and his family showed up.

My body weighed more pounds as the pain I was feeling throughout my body multiplied, I wiped the tears in my eyes and started preparing dishes. I continued to wipe the tears spilling down my face, encouraging myself and willing myself to cook.

My mind traveled back to my father's conversation with my stepmother. I'm to be married off to someone the whole clan deemed as the most cruel man. Who shows mercy to none both big and small. A lycan who only conquered and acquired. And from the rumors I heard about him, he had been married thrice and all his wives met the same fate.

A shiver ran down my spine at the thought of that? Would I meet the same fate as the three women who were once his wives? And judging by the rumors I heard from my stepmom and half sister, he never mated any. Never marked any. His marriages were political and stuff and that was the man my father wanted to marry me off to?

Just the thought of his name 'Lee Otto Fraser' sent my heart racing again. What kind of marriage would I have once I'm married off to him? I never met him, never knew what he looked like because I wasn't ever granted access outside.

I discarded the questions in me and focused on cooking. After a few minutes, I overheard some murmurs in the sitting room. Jaden and his family must have arrived. I rushed the dishes but then a figure appeared in the kitchen and it was no other than my stepmother. Always making it obvious that she despised and hated me with the way she looked at me. 

"Bring a glass of water to the sitting room, now!"  She ordered and left. 

Just a glass of water? Was that the only thing Jaden and his family wanted? I thought but didn't voice it out. As I was ordered, I came out with a glass of water on a tray. 

I walked out to the sitting room. Instead of meeting Jason and his family, my eyes fell on a tall and broad shouldered man. A sturdy looking man even though he was seated on one of the leather seats, his pecs were evident and his clothes were impeccable. He exuded an air of wealth and sophistication, his clothes were made with the finest materials. He wore a black designer suit that accentuated his body including the pants that accentuated his quite long legs, the black suit matched his jet hair and when I narrowed my gaze to his eyes— technically speaking, when our gaze locked. 

I felt something stirred in me and strangely, his eyes looked familiar. His eyes were the color of faint emerald green. I knew I saw that same color of eyes somewhere. His face was flawless and handsome with a rough jaw and beardless chin. 

His presence commanded authority and there was commanding air around him…… 

"Why are you standing there?"  I pulled my eyes from him to my father who broke the silence. "Drop the water and leave." 

I nodded and carefully approached the table in the midst of my father and the man but as I neared the table, I swore Maya deliberately stuck out a foot in my way– causing me to collide with it and fall. I gasped, my stepmother and half sister let out a horror filled gasp when the cup flew out of the tray, the water splashed. 

Coming in contact with the man's face, dripping down to his expensive suit.