Discarded by the Mate

The sharp clang of metal tore through the night's silence.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Specialized tranquilizer darts whizzed past, striking the totems around the stone circle. Those were from the rival pack's weapons.

"Everyone get down!" someone screamed.

Chaos erupted instantly. Werewolves scattered in terror, some shifting to fight, but heavy nets descended from above, trapping them in place. I heard a familiar scream beside me.

"Lyra! Help me!"

It was Carol. The Shadow Clan princess, and my best friend. She was just a few steps away from me, and a massive weighted net was heading straight for us.

"Carol!" I lunged toward her, trying to push her away, but it was too late.

The net trapped us both. I felt the crushing weight pinning us down. The ropes were laced with wolfsbane extract—it weakened us werewolves, preventing us from shifting and stripping away most of our supernatural strength.

"Damn it!" I struggled, but the net only tightened around us.

Several wolves in their human forms emerged from the forest, wearing dark combat gear and carrying tranquilizer weapons. A massive man who appeared to be their Alpha approached us.

"Caught two she-wolves," he sneered with a cruel smile.

Carol trembled beside me, her eyes filled with terror. "Lyra, save me... I'm so scared..."

Her voice sounded so fragile that my protective instincts kicked in immediately. "Don't be afraid, Carol. Dante will come save us."

Dante was my mate. The three of us had grown up together.

The Alpha laughed coldly. "Your people will come to die soon enough. We've been planning this raid for six months—did you think you could escape the Bloodfang Pack?"

They bound us with specially designed restraints soaked in concentrated wolfsbane. The burning sensation was indescribable, like poison coursing through my veins. Carol had already passed out from the pain.

The rival pack members loaded us onto a truck. Through the rear window, I saw several werewolf bodies lying on the ground. My heart shattered.

The truck drove for about an hour before stopping at a temporary camp. They dragged us out and threw us into a cage in the center of the camp. The cage was reinforced with wolfsbane-treated metal—every surface weakened us further.

Carol regained consciousness but looked very weak. "Lyra... are we going to die here?"

"No." I gripped her hand tightly. "Dante won't let anyone hurt us. He's the strongest warrior of the Iron Claw Clan. He'll come."

At dawn, I heard distant wolf howls.

Dante! My heart raced.

The Bloodfang Pack members immediately grew tense, raising their weapons in defensive formation. The Alpha spoke rapidly into his radio, then approached us.

"Your people have arrived," he sneered.

Soon after, Dante's voice rang out from outside the camp, clear and furious: "Release them, or this wolf dies!"

The Alpha signaled his men to drag us from the cage and push us to the center of the camp. I saw Dante standing at the camp's edge with dozens of Iron Claw warriors behind him. One of his arms held a young female wolf tightly—probably the Bloodfang Alpha's daughter, Elena.

Seeing him filled me with immense relief. He really came. Though he was usually cold toward me, in times of crisis, he would still protect me.

I knew he wouldn't abandon me.

The Alpha's face darkened. "Let go of my daughter!"

"Exchange my mate and the princess," Dante's voice was ice-cold.

The Alpha looked between Carol and me, then smiled wickedly. "Fine, but only one exchange. Your mate, or the princess?"

My heart suddenly tightened. Of course Dante would choose me—I was his mate...

Dante's gaze swept between Carol and me. For a moment, when he looked at me, I felt a glimmer of hope. But then his eyes turned to Carol.

"I... I choose..." he paused for a moment, "my mate."

Of course, he chose me. I was his mate, his destined partner. Warmth flooded my heart.

But what happened next completely shattered my world.

Dante walked toward Carol without hesitation and began untying her restraints. His movements were so gentle, so careful, as if afraid to hurt her even slightly.

"I'm sorry I'm late," he said, taking Carol into his arms with a tenderness I'd never heard from him before.

My mouth was gagged, and I could only make angry muffled sounds.

No... impossible... I was his mate...

Carol smiled weakly in his arms, but when her gaze turned to me, I saw a flash of smugness in her eyes. That expression told me everything—this was all planned.

"Do you see?" she whispered to me, only loud enough for me to hear. "He chose me. He never loved you, Lyra. I'm his true mate."

As Dante prepared to leave carrying Carol, rage finally broke through the wolfsbane's suppression of my power. I felt moonlight energy flowing through my veins again, and my fingernails instantly transformed into razor-sharp moon claws.

Just as they passed by me, I struck with all my strength, leaving three deep bloody gashes across Dante's face.

"Ahh!" He screamed and nearly fell. Carol slipped from his arms, looking at me in terror.

"You're insane!" Dante clutched his face as blood seeped between his fingers, his eyes full of anger and confusion.

The wolfsbane restraints drained all my strength again. I collapsed to the ground, only able to glare at them with hatred.

The Bloodfang Pack members quickly dragged me to a specially designed transport vehicle.

To my surprise, Elena—the Bloodfang Alpha's daughter—was also in this vehicle.

"You're Lyra, right?" Elena appeared to be about eighteen, with dark hair and fierce amber eyes. She didn't seem as frightened as I'd expected.

I nodded, my mouth still gagged and unable to speak.

"I've heard of you, the last heir of the Silver Moon bloodline," she continued. "In three days, special guests will come to see you."

Special guests?

The vehicle began moving. Through the small window, I caught one last glimpse of the camp. Dante was helping Carol toward their vehicle. Carol looked back at me once, and her triumphant smile would be burned into my memory forever.