My mother was in the advanced stage of gastric cancer. She was dying slowly and painfully. And one night, she'd whispered to me, "Stop wasting your money on me; I can't survive this." A dry, long cough followed, where I forced myself not to cry. "Before I die, Ariana," she continued, "I want to witness your wedding with your mate. I beg you. I want you to have the life I didn't."

It was her greatest wish, to see that I got married to Diego, the Alpha of the Blood-Rain Pack. I was grievously shaken to the marrows by the state of my mom. And more by her near-death request.

Then I approached the formidable Alpha, my mate. Diego was built like a Greek god, striking in all sense, but he sometimes had the heart of stone.

It wasn't the norm for a woman to propose marriage to her mate. The Alpha was supposed to make the move, to command what happened between them. But I just couldn't keep it to myself.

And the first day I asked this of him, he looked me in the eye with bottled anger and told me to wait outside for him. But I didn't give up. I kept bugging him, pleading and crying in secret.

It got to a point he couldn't resist my repeated pleadings and finally agreed to marry me. I was elated! We made rigorous arrangements and the day was fixed.

On the wedding day, I stood at the altar, lips trembling, and waited for Diego, who never arrived.

That night, my mother died. She cried hard and uttered bitter curses on herself.

The next day, Diego's childhood sweetheart, Camela, posted a picture of the two of them on Instagram with the caption: "Fools end up in tears. The Alpha knows who owns his heart."

I wiped my tears and punched in a reply, "Congratulations, a bitch and an asshole, may you never die!" The next minute, I took down the comment.

I didn't cry or make a fuss. I handled my mother's funeral in silence.

In fact, I was not entirely surprised at all that Diego left me for Camela. After being together with him for five years, Camela could easily drag him over with just one phone call.

I didn't even want to know what happened this time, what made him disgrace me in front of my dying mom and everyone in the wedding hall.

After the funeral, I went back to Diego's house. He wasn't there. Well, to hell with him.

I threw my clothes in a suitcase and was about to leave when the front door opened. I saw Camela walking in with Diego.

He was stunned for a moment when he saw me, then he glanced at the suitcase in my hand and frowned. "Ariana, what the hell d'you think you're doing?" There was hardcore mockery in his tone.

Camela flashed an innocent smile, but she held onto Diego tightly as if to declare her rulership. "Ariana, I'm so sorry. I cut my finger that day in the kitchen, and Diego came to take care of me. I didn't know it was your wedding day. I hope you didn't mind."

I saw a small Band-Aid on her left index finger and my face flushed with surprise and rage.

So this was the reason Diego left me and didn't attend the wedding?

To Diego, Camela's finger was more important than our wedding and my mother. Someone who was supposed to be my mate?

I took a step forward. "Diego, I, Ariana George, reject you as my mate!"

There was a deafening silence. For years, it hadn't been heard of that a girl rejected her alpha mate. It was a sacred taboo.

But the moment my mom died in my arms, all the love I'd for him died with her.

Diego shot a glance at Camela and turned to me. "Ariana, can you be more sensible? We can always have the damn wedding anytime, but Camela was injured, I couldn't just ignore that."

"Could I be more sensible?" I fired back, the pain tearing into me. "I let Camela into our life because you said she was your fucking sister."

"Watch your language, Ariana!" the Alpha thundered, eyes glowing, his wolf hinting itself.

"To hell with language, Diego!" I took a step closer.

I saw Camela's jaws drop open at my brazenness. She wouldn't stare at me longer if she knew what I'd in mind for her.

"I allowed you carry medicine with you for her, to run to this woman without hesitation when I needed you the most, to let her occupy half of your heart. Is that your definition of sensible?"

"You raise your voice at him?" Camela whispered, throwing suggestive looks at Diego.

My eyes didn't leave Diego's. "You can do whatever you want in the future, I won't care anymore."

I pulled my luggage past him.

Diego finally noticed something was wrong with me and pulled me back. "Was your mom dissatisfied with what happened that day? I can explain to her."

I contemplated this folly. All these days, if the dickhead Alpha really cared, he'd have asked a long time ago.

I pried his hand away. "No need!"

As the moments passed, I felt something peeling away from me. It was my love for Diego, my soft spot for his stupidity.

I started again at the front door.

"Let's talk, Ariana," Diego said.

Camela jumped. "Let her go! Lord, this isn't your fault. Her mother's just pretending to be sick, to blackmail you into marrying Ariana. See?"

I stopped, something exploding in my head. I turned around and slowly dropped my bags. I walked past Diego to Camela. "Camela, what did you say?"

She was an inch taller than me. "I said, you wretched omega, that your mom's a liar, a cheap deceiver and—"

"Ariana!" Diego surged forward.

It was late.

Without thinking, I bashed Camela across the face. Really hard.

Diego, who seemed to feel sorry about me, suddenly lashed out, "Ariana, what the hell did you do? Has something come loose in your brain?"

"I don't give two hoots, sir," I shouted and turned to Camela, "and you'd better keep your mouth checked around me."

"There a problem, my lord?" a guard spoke from outside.

I held Diego's eyes, daring him to order his guard on me. He didn't. And I knew why he wasn't acting like the ruthless Alpha he was known for.

Diego had one secret, a secret that was so sacrilegious it could cost him his alpha position. If leaked, it would cause an instant revolt. His own guards would turn against him, his Beta and Gamma would shift form and attack him viciously. It might be an even fight — Diego was extremely strong—but not when the whole pack got involved! They wouldn't spare as much as a hair from Diego's skin.

A hint to this: his parents "died of natural causes".

I was there that night in the blowing snowy winter, hiding behind the oak. I saw him do it. He realized, when it was too late, that I saw him. But he wasn't so sure, as I had blended so well with the snow; I was a white wolf. And when, the next morning, he cunningly asked where I was last night, I denied it.

He was confused. His Alpha senses never lied to him. Neither did I. He tried to snip the truth off my eyes, but my wolf, Agresh, had a way of hiding from his gaze. If she stared too long at Diego's wolf, she'd give in to the mate pull and begin to blubber everything.

Oh, another truth: it was after that night that he suddenly agreed to marry me — it wasn't really about my pestering. He'd pushed me to the bed and made furious love to me. Hours later, he told me to begin making wedding arrangements.

So, Diego was constantly torn between treating me nicely and not.

Why didn't he just push me away when I rejected him as my mate? Yeah.

Camela was relentless. "Was I wrong, bitch? If your mother hadn't pretended to be sick and threatened Diego, how could he marry... you?"

I turned to Diego. "Do you think so, too?"

He didn't answer. And I didn't need his answer.

When my mom had begged that I got married to my mate, I had gone miles to convince Diego. I'd cried and begged and told him that I also wanted to be married to him. I knelt down, weeping for his ring.

And one night, he just said, "Wait, Nicole, do you in any way think I'm a fool? C'mon, I know a sick person when I see one. Pulling such a trick to force a wedding is plain stupid." He turned to the window, tossing a coin. "I had so much respect for your mom."

During the prom night in high school, when the history of the school was broken because the Alpha Prince, Diego, had chosen me, a mere omega, as his mate, I was willing to retain this delicate position. I forced myself every single moment to please Diego. I didn't want him to think I didn't worth him.

Diego liked submissive women, so I licked his ass and followed him around like a maid. And, on his drunken nights, he'd make me sit between his legs, grind on him till he was rock hard, and I'd proceed to give him a massage — a sloppy massage with my mouth.

And what did I get in return? A cold, indifferent attitude. I was constantly terrified of Diego Rockarm.

But after meeting Camela, I realized that he could be gentle.

Camela could put up childish acts, laugh very loud and hold his hands, even in serious situations. The very things I died inside to be allowed to do. My heartbeat doubled when Camela was around.

One time, I held his palm, sniffed on it and told him, "I want to do your facials, Diego. Let me give you baby treatment." I had a teenage-girl grin on my face, my hopes held on a knifepoint.

He leapt from the couch, glaring at me like I was a madwoman. "Never, Ariana, in your life repeat this. Damn." He went ahead to wash his face.

I didn't recover for the next two weeks. After that, I never acted petty to him again. He didn't care, either.

But Camela was always glued to his skin and Diego was happiest when that happened. He paraded her anywhere he went, introducing her as his "lil baby", and this was killing Agresh, my snow wolf.

To most people, he and Camela were a couple, and I was probably their P.A. With him, I had nothing except the title of girlfriend.

If it hadn't been for my mother's limited time and her repeated requests, there would never have been that heart-wrenching wedding.

Now, I stared at Diego with agony, tears filling my eyes.

This was the man I had loved for almost ten years. Was he really my mate? Was there something going on that I didn't know? Was he keeping me close so I wouldn't spill his secret? Why wouldn't he just kill me then?

Slowly, I realized there could be more to this than met the eye. Diego harbored secret plans about me.

I really had to leave now.

"Diego, come check if my face is swollen," Camela cried out, immediately snatching his attention. "How could she be so beastly? My face hurts like hell."

I employed so much force in that slap, and I left visible finger marks on her face.

Diego suddenly turned sore. "Ariana, apologize!"

Silence. A full minute passed. Agresh was aggrieved, pulling me to please apologize.

Finally, I sighed and walked up to Camela.

"And if I don't, my lord?"

"What if you don't?" Diego slowly said, his eyebrows crinkled in great surprise and disbelief. I could hear the growl of his wolf. His eyes, albeit normal to Camela, gave sparks of fire.

The room trembled with his aura.

I stood there, stubbornness gnawing at my heart. I didn't want to do this, but the disrespect had gotten too much. I'd end up a lone, sad hag if I didn't take drastic action. I didn't want to be like my mother!

The next moment, Diego's anger was hidden by his wolf, who didn't want to me to get hurt. He said in a calm but not imploring voice, "Ariana, don't make me angry."

The indelible fear for Diego came creeping back into my throat. Mental flashes of the times he punished me returned. I was the greatest lickspittle in the Blood-Rain Pack, pushed around by people I could send to the ICU if I shifted form.

My wolf, albeit ranked an Omega, was of the toughest breeds, Lycans. But I buried her within my meek body, causing a constant grumble inside my head.

Agresh, on so many occasions, wanted to pull out, to grind her teeth into the neck of my oppressors. But I chained her down, choosing to walk around like a smiley idiot.

All because I tried to please a man who didn't love me and who had a dirty secret.

Before now, I didn't want to lose him. But with my mom buried never to live again, what was there to care for anymore? I'd leave the Blood-Rain and find a life for myself. Enough of all this!

Camela's eyes were fixed on me, her puny face oozing revenge "Diego, I don't need her stupid apology." Her eyes were blazing, her jawbones tightening. "No one hits me and goes scot-free."

'Let me out!' Agresh suddenly cried in my head, almost knocking me out. I ground my teeth, fighting to regain control again.

Diego seemed to have caught the scent of this, so he pierced his eyes into me in warning. He'd have no option but to do whatever request Camela gave, his eyes said.

But I was too choked up with anger and betrayal to care.

The Alpha finally gave in. With a snap of his fingers, two bodyguards burst into the room and held me down.

I didn't care about what they did, I was only focused on keeping Agresh in. You might get hurt, I warned it. Just let me deal with this.

Camela walked up to me in gaily steps, raised her left hand and smacked me directly in the eye. The gash of pain was more than I'd expected. I squirmed and moved my face away. I direly needed to use my hands.

'Let. Me. Out!'

I raised my face again only to be attacked by Camela. She scratched my skin, tore at my hair, pulled at my eyelids and punched me severally.

Blood flowed from the corners of my mouth and from the cuts on my face.

But she wasn't done yet.

From her purse she fished out a pepper spray bottle. My eyes went wide. Diego took a step but stopped.

One puff of the liquid onto my bloody face and I went crazy. I pulled my arms from the guards' iron grip, easily destabilizing them. I staggered for a while and collapsed to the floor. I didn't scream. If I did, Agresh's appearance would end the first note.

Camela fled back to Diego's side. He didn't hold her. His eyes were on me, prepared.

I sobbed silently for a long time, my body trembling.

"Ariana, apologize to her and I'll pretend none of this happened," Diego said.

I stopped moving. From the small slit of my tormented eyes, I saw my fingernails begining to shoot out. I tucked it in.

Diego's voice took up heat, "Ariana, as long as you are obedient, I can give you everything you want, including marriage. Have you really thought it through?"

"Oh wow, that's so wonderful, I thank thee for thy generosity," I mumbled.

"What was that?"

I forced myself to my feet. My face was red, both from internal and external blood. I couldn't open my eyes. When I spoke, blood gushed out.

"The moon goddess bears me witness, I reject you and will never get married to you. To me, you are dead, Alpha Diego."

I saw his face go pale in disbelief. His eyelids fluttered, convincing himself something must have crashed into the building from the sky.

He couldn't wrap it around his head that I was rejecting him, of all people! It was unheard of.

He sneered, convincing himself I was being stupid. "What? You do not want to fulfill your mother's dying wish? It's what you've always wanted, Ariana. Let me hear you answer that."

His words reeked of contempt. Agresh was overwhelmed.

Camela thought I was having the moment. She came again, "Great Alpha, I did say she was lying to you. If her mother was really dying, how could she have such an attitude? Don't be fooled by this nonsense."

Diego chuckled and dialed his Gamma. To make sure I could hear clearly, he turned on the speaker.

"Rodre, I asked you to contact Grand Bonds this morning. Cancel it."

Grand Bonds was known for planning exclusive events for the royals, grand dinners and weddings.

"And cancel Mrs. Kane's surgery."

"Ariana's mom?" Rodre asked.

"Yes."

All these while, his eyes were on me, convinced that his threats were eating into me.

I just stared at him, deadpan.

Rodre hesitated for a moment, his voice cracking. "Alpha Diego, Mrs Kane died three days ago, on the night of your wedding!”