Fated to the Bully Alpha

Sienna Valerius’ POV

“Tell me you're actually going to catch me.”

Lyra looked up at me from the garden below, her arms folded tightly across her chest as she stared at me like I had finally lost whatever little sense I had left. The cool night wind tugged at her dark ponytail, sending loose strands of hair across her face.

“I'm going to catch you,” she whispered angrily, “but whether we both survive the landing is another question.”

I glanced down.The ground suddenly looked much farther away than it had a minute ago.

My fingers tightened around the stone window ledge, and my stomach fluttered. Behind me, my bedroom looked exactly as it always did….neat, expensive, and cold. The huge four-poster bed was untouched, the curtains drawn halfway across the tall windows, and the soft golden lights from the lamps cast a warm glow over everything. Everything was beautiful. Everything was mine.

And yet, sometimes, it felt like a cage.

I had spent nineteen years inside this mansion. Nineteen years being watched, protected, guarded, and told where I could and couldn't go. My father called it love. He called it protection. He called me his precious daughter.

Sometimes, I wondered if there was a difference between being protected and being imprisoned.

“Maybe this was a terrible idea,” I muttered.

Lyra's eyes narrowed. “Now you realize that?”

I looked at her. She looked at me, probably expecting me to change my mind but I smiled instead. “You're the one who helped me steal the invitation, remember?.”

She gasped dramatically, her hand now on her chest “I was emotionally blackmailed!.”

“You're my bodyguard, how can I blackmail you?.”

“Exactly.” She threw her hands up in frustration. “My job is to keep you alive, Sienna. Not to help you throw yourself out of a second-floor window because you suddenly decided you want to attend some ridiculous masquerade party.”

I bit down on a laugh. “It's my birthday.”

“That doesn't make this less ridiculous.”

“It makes it completely reasonable.”

“Your father is going to kill me.”

“He won't.”

“He absolutely will.”

I grinned. “Catch me.”

“Sienna, don't—”

I jumped. For one terrifying second, there was nothing beneath me but then Lyra caught me. Or tried to because we both crashed into the grass in an ungraceful heap, my shoulder hitting the soft ground as Lyra groaned beneath me.

For a moment, neither of us moved.

Then I started laughing. Not the polite little laugh I had learned to use around my father's advisers. Not the quiet giggle I allowed myself when a random stranger told a joke at dinner.

A real laugh. The kind that made my stomach hurt.

Lyra shoved me off her and sat up, glaring at me while trying to fix her hair. “You are impossible.”

I wiped tears of laughter from the corner of my eyes. “But you caught me.”I pushed myself to my feet and brushed the grass from my gown, my heart still racing from the fall. But the nervousness wasn't what made my chest feel so tight.

It was exciting. I looked up at the bedroom window I'd just escaped through. For the first time in my life, I had actually done something reckless. Something stupid. Something completely mine. I was outside even if it was only for tonight.

I glanced at the enormous mansion behind us. Most of the windows were dark, except for a few rooms where the lights were still glowing. Somewhere inside that house, my father probably believed I was in my bedroom, exactly where he expected me to be.

If he knew I was standing in the garden wearing a gown meant for a masquerade ball, with a stolen invitation tucked inside my purse, he would probably have every guard in the estate searching for me within minutes.

“Come on,” Lyra said, already walking toward the black car parked beyond the estate walls. “Before I remember that I have common sense.”

I hurried after her, smiling.

Tonight was my nineteenth birthday And tonight, for the first time, I was going to experience what it felt like to be nineteen. Not Darius Valerius's daughter. Not the girl who needed guards following her everywhere. Not the precious little princess who wasn't allowed beyond the estate without permission.

Just Sienna.

I climbed into the passenger seat while Lyra got behind the wheel. Before she started the engine, I pulled the invitation from my purse and held it up proudly.

She stared at it. “I can’t believe you are doing this”

I shrugged. “You better believe it my love.”

Lyra groaned and started the car.

I turned toward the window, watching the familiar estate disappear behind us as we drove away. The farther we went, the lighter I felt. It was strange. I had never realized how heavy those gates felt until I was finally on the other side of them.

“You know,” Lyra said after a few minutes, “we could still turn around.”

I immediately shook my head. “No.”

She laughed under her breath. I smiled, then looked down at my hands. The excitement suddenly gave way to something softer.

Nervousness.

My nineteenth birthday wasn't just important because I had finally escaped my father's watchful eyes. It was important because I could finally recognize my mate. Every werewolf waited for that moment. Some found theirs young. Others waited years. But for me, the stories had started long before I understood it. My mother used to tell me about the Moon Goddess when I was little. She would sit beside me at night, brushing my hair while I listened to her talk about fated mates and the invisible bond that connected two wolves before they ever met.

She used to tell me about the first time she met my father.

How she knew. How her wolf had recognized him. I remembered asking her once what it felt like. She smiled and told me, You'll know when it happens. Then she was gone.

I swallowed, staring out the window. My mother had died years ago, but I still carried her words with me. Maybe that's why I had always dreamed about meeting my mate. Maybe I wanted to understand the feeling she had once described. Maybe I wanted one thing in my life that wasn't chosen for me by my father. Something that belonged only to me.

The rest of the journey passed quickly, and before I knew it, the car slowed near a sprawling estate glowing beneath the night sky.

My breath caught.

The mansion was enormous. It rose several stories above, its tall windows glowing warmly against the darkness. Golden lights lined the entrance, illuminating the stone steps where masked guests moved in and out. Music drifted through the open doors, soft at first, but growing louder as we approached.

“This is…” I searched for the right word. “magnificent”

Lyra looked at me for a moment before smiling. “Welcome to the outside world, princess.”

We parked a short distance from the mansion. I stepped out of the car, smoothing my hands over the scarlet gown Lyra had chosen for me two days ago.

The dress felt almost unreal against my skin. The fabric hugged my body before falling into a long, elegant skirt that brushed against my ankles. A slit ran along one side, exposing just enough of my leg whenever I moved. My long brown hair fell freely over my shoulders, and the golden mask resting in my hand matched the delicate jewelry around my neck.

I looked down at myself. For once, I didn't look like someone's sheltered daughter. I looked like a woman.

Lyra stepped beside me and adjusted the mask over my face. “There. You can go in now.”

I took a deep breath. My fingers trembled slightly as I touched the edge of my mask. I looked toward the mansion, stepping toward the entrance.

The moment I crossed the threshold, I forgot how to breathe.

The ballroom was breathtaking.

Crystal chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, scattering beautiful lights all around the room. There were hundreds of lighted candles along the walls, soft music was playing in the background, while couples moved across the dance floor beneath a shower of golden light.

I stood there for a moment, taking everything in. I had never seen so many people gathered in one place. Nobody was watching me because I was Darius Valerius's daughter. I could simply exist.

I smiled. Then I stepped farther into the ballroom. A few heads turned.

I caught some whispering under their masks and noticed a few curious glances, but I barely cared. My attention was everywhere at once ... .the dancers, the music, the glittering dresses.I walked slowly through the crowd, trying to memorize the feeling.

I reached the edge of the ballroom, intending to find Lyra or perhaps get something to drink but my body stopped me completely. My smile disappeared and I felt something move inside me.

My wolf. She stirred beneath my skin so suddenly that my fingers curled against my gown.

What—

A strange warmth spread through my chest making my head snap up. Then came the scent, I inhaled it sharply.

My heart gave one violent thud.

I had never smelled anything like that before, it was strong and intoxicating. My wolf pushed against me, restless and suddenly alert.

There.

I swallowed, my pulse quickened, I glanced around. The ballroom hadn't changed. The music was still playing. People were still talking but everything suddenly felt distant.

I turned slowly, searching for the source of the feeling.

My eyes moved across the dancers. Then something pulled at me. My gaze lifted up. Toward the second-floor balcony.

And then I saw him. He stood alone behind the railing, dressed entirely in black.

A dark mask covered part of his face, but it couldn't hide his sharp features or the intensity burning in his golden eyes.

He was staring directly at me.

And somewhere deep inside me, a voice whispered the one word I had spent nineteen years waiting to hear.

Mate.