Chapter 1 Shocked

• Averin's POV
• The hall of Moonveil Pack's house was filled with high-ranking werewolves from all over the region. Alphas, betas, gammas, and other officers were walking around and talking with a wine glass in their hand.
• It was a struggle to even hide the deep sigh that escaped me when yet another woman came up to me holding a wine glass and with a seductive smile on her face.
• She moved as if she were aware of every inch of her body, and I figured she was either a nobleman’s daughter or the sister of a Beta, someone who was used to having the best.
• Her dress was made of deep green silk, and I could tell that the bodice of the dress was made to hug her body and make her look "sexier".
• “It’s great to see you, Alpha Averin,” she said, seductively sticking her hand on my arm. “For someone who is at a party, you don’t seem to be having much fun.”
• I forced a polite smile. “There’s a great deal on my mind.”
• She laughed softly, as if I’d made a funny joke. I hadn’t, but that never seemed to matter.
• “You’re always so calm,” she continued, swirling the wine in her glass. “And you carry yourself with so much poise. It must be tiring being you.”
• More than she would ever know.
• I had spent twenty-three years as a man. I have moved, talked, and lived in a way that did not allow for any kind of flaw.
• Every day was an act, every conversation an impersonation, and while most days it was as natural to me as breathing, some nights were different.
• Because on nights like these, I was reminded that the pack and the world expected me to eventually take a mate. It was made extremely clear to me after I took over as the Alpha of Ravenshadow Pack.
• With me being one of the few unmated Alphas in the region, I have been subjected to more than my fair share of attention from high-ranking women and ambitious noble families who wanted to form a union with me through marriage.
• Some women were subtle, some weren't, and then there are the ones, like the one standing in front of me, who were bold, stubborn, and completely naive to the fact that she could never get what she wanted.
• “I can imagine,” she said, stepping closer, her perfume filling my lungs. “The burden of leading such a powerful pack must be overwhelming at times. Surely, it would be easier if you had someone to share that burden with?”
• I brought my glass to my lips, taking a slow sip of it to buy myself some time. I had heard variations of this same line countless times before. The invitation was framed in those innocent words.
• The idea that I could, and probably should, find myself a mate, and every time I had to find a way to extricate myself from the conversation without appearing suspicious.
• “My pack is my priority,” I said smoothly.
• She pouted. ”Oh, but surely you aren’t completely tight as a nut when it comes to the idea of not being able to have a go at everything? A strong alpha like you needs a woman to look after him.”
• I gave her a small, unreadable smile. “Deserve? Perhaps, but my duties come first.”
• She studied me for a moment, as if trying to determine whether I was rejecting her outright or simply being difficult. Then she stepped even closer, her fingers lightly brushing against mine where my hand rested on my glass.
• ”Would it be so terrible,” she murmured, her voice dropping to something softer, ”to let yourself have just a little something?”
• I could feel the eyes of others on us, and I knew what they saw: a man standing with a woman pressed close to him.
• A natural, expected interaction, and yet, under my facade, my stomach twisted because I was not the man they thought I was.
• Because if she knew—if any of them knew—their admiration would turn to horror, and their respect for me would turn to anger and disgust.
• The idea of it was enough to make my pulse spike.
• I stepped back, not continuing the conversation. “I appreciate your company,” I said, ensuring that I sounded polite, “but I have duties that need my attention.”
• A slight frown appeared on her face, but she covered it up, throwing her hair back and smiling flirtatiously. “Always so responsible. That’s what makes you so intriguing, Alpha Averin.”
• She offered me a small salute with her glass before making her way back into the crowd, and I let out a slow breath, willing my muscles to relax.
• Dain, my third in command, came up from where he had been standing nearby. He had been watching the exchange take place and would have intervened if it became necessary.
• He was one of the few people who actually knew me—not my secret, of course, but enough to know when I needed to be alone.
• “I’m guessing you’d rather be anywhere but here,” he said in a low tone.
• I let out a dry chuckle. “Observant as always.”
• “You’ve been fending off suitors all night,” he pointed out. “Not surprising, when you are one of the last unmated Alphas here. You know how these gatherings are.”
• I did, and that was exactly the issue.
• “The elders won’t let this go,” Dain continued, speaking in a low voice. “They’ve been expecting you to choose, and the more you avoid it, the more they will pressure you.”
• I knew he was right. The elders put pressure on me to get a mate because an Alpha has to have an heir—an heir I could never give them.
• “They can wait,” I said. “I won’t be forced to make up my mind.”
• Dain looked at me for a moment before nodding his head. “Then I think we should leave soon, before someone else comes up to you and starts something.”
• As Dain said, I needed to leave. I was tired of women staring at me, and most of all, I was tired of the elders assigning women to me.
• This was the third event in a row where they'd attempt to steer me towards a woman, and I had no doubt they would try to do the same before the night was over.
• That was why I had to be gone before they could come up with someone new to shove in my direction.
• I nodded occasionally to those who greeted me as I left, so as not to make it too obvious that I was attempting to flee, but then—I heard my name.
• "Alpha Averin!"
• I tensed but kept walking, not stopping to look back. If I stopped now, I would be dragged into yet another conversation and another exhausting endeavor to convince me to take up with someone I could never be a match for.
• “Are you going to ignore that?” Dain asked.
• “Yes,” I muttered.
• The call came again, louder this time, and I quickened my pace. In my attempt to get away, I wasn’t paying much attention to my surroundings.
• I had no other thought in my head but to make it to the exit before whoever it was came up to me. I moved too fast, not looking where I was going before walking straight into someone.
• The impact jolted me backward, and I heard the unmistakable sound of liquid splashing, followed by a muttered curse.
• My eyes snapped up just in time to see dark liquid soaking into a gray suit jacket.
• "Damn it. I—" I started, already looking up to apologize to the poor person I had just poured wine all over, but then my breath hitched.
• My body went still, and all my muscles turned to stone as my eyes met his.
• Eyes.
• Green eyes, the color of a deep, warm pond, stared back at me. They stared at me with such a force that I could feel the shock of it in my core.
• The noise of the hall faded, the movement of people around us blurring into nothing, and for a moment, there was only him.
• The stranger stood taller than me by a few inches. His jaw was sharp, lined with a trace of stubble, and his dark hair was slightly tousled as if he’d run his hand through it moments ago, but none of that mattered.
• Because the moment our eyes met, a single word slipped from both our lips at the exact same time.
• “Mate.”
• The word felt alien in my mouth, yet it felt right, even though it was not a word that I had planned on saying. Not in this life.
• And yet—I just said it.
• His eyes darkened, and I saw him take a deep breath, as if he was also attempting to make sense of what had just happened, while not looking very pleased.