Elara POV

On the day of the pairing ceremony, I've used strong purification salt to scrub away the last of Mason's scent. His temporary mark faded days ago, but I keep washing until even the memory of it is gone from my skin.

After that night, Mason first texted me, asking me to explain things, but after two calls, he never reached out again.

The nightly "goodnight" messages that lasted for six years come to an abrupt halt.

Six years, and all he can give me are two phone calls.

Maybe this is for the best.

Mindy comes over every day to comfort me, telling me that everything will pass and that someone better is waiting for me.

"The mating ceremony isn't as scary as you think," she pushes me into the walk-in closet.

"The elders can pair you with someone amazing. The Alpha will be there, and maybe…"

"Joking! Those twins already have their chosen mate, Alice. I want a partner with whom we love each other."

"You see it, don't you? Alice betrays them. Honestly, Alice hooks up with your boyfriend, and now you should snatch her mate! Then those two idiots will have to call you Luna!"

"Alphas are way out of my league, don't tease me. Just finding me a normal mate would be enough!" I shrug, no longer believing in any fairy tales.

I pick a long, black silk off-shoulder dress that shows off my cleavage. Mindy styles my long, auburn hair into a wave of curls down my back, and I finish my outfit with heels and golden jewellery.

I look at myself in the mirror and congratulate myself for looking calm and collected. There are no signs of tears or the excruciating pain that pulses through me. Nobody looks at me and sees the pathetic girl with a broken heart.

"Oh, Goddess," Mindy gushes as she looks at me. "You're gorgeous."

"So are you," I say, and mean it. Her pink dress not only complements her skin; it also reflects her compassionate and bubbly personality. Her blue eyes sparkle, and not a hair is out of place in her pixie-style haircut.

Together, we walk to the car for the short drive to the courtyard where the ceremony will be hosted.

It's truly ironic. I always look forward to this day, imagining that Mason and I will make eternal vows to each other. Yet now, it has become the worst day of my life.

I once approached the ceremony with confidence and dreams, but now, all I feel is anxiety and uncertainty.

The closer we get to the courtyard, the more nervous I get. We are going to be paraded in pretty dresses for men to drool over until we are handed out like candy.

And it could be anyone — from a neighbouring pack or guys I go to school with who have also just turned eighteen to old men who can only get it up with the help of a little blue pill.

No one knows how the elders decide who is mated with whom. You just show up, smile and suck it up when your name is called.

The only way out is death. But not for the men. Oh, no, the lucky bastards simply return to the next ceremony and receive a new mate. After all, the purpose is to rebuild the clans after the Great War. So, basically, we she-wolves become nothing but incubators.

We enter the courtyard, and Mindy keeps up a steady stream of chatter to fill the silence. I reply absentmindedly as we join the other she-wolves near the stage. Babies are the last thing on my mind. All I feel is dread and an aching pain where my heart used to be.

That's when I notice the Alpha twins have arrived. They share the same striking blue eyes and the most alluring bodies, chosen as the sexiest in all of Constantine.

Kane's hair is wilder, black curls gleaming under the light. Axel's demeanor is more reserved, his brown hair neatly styled. Their overwhelming Alpha presence has the entire courtyard holding its breath.

Mindy nudges my shoulder, her eyes flicking to their tight, controlled crotches. "Huge, huh?"

Better than Mason. I think to myself silently.

Just then, someone bumps into me from behind.

I turn around to see Alice, dressed in a revealing low-cut top, strutting arrogantly past me.

"Little mutt," I hear her mutter under her breath. "Tonight, I'll let you bitch know who the best mate really is."

My fists clench, and I want to shout at her, but just then, the head elder, Anton, takes his place on the stage.

The crowd erupts into a murmur of excitement. That woman—who has been with my ex—walks proudly to join the twins.

Elder Anton lectures on honour, hope, and reproduction, but I am too caught up in my misery to care.

"Elara Montgomery!"

My name echoes over the courtyard, and all the she-wolves look at me.

"Pay attention," Mindy whispers urgently. "He called your name, get on stage."

Oh, shit. Why do I have to be first?

I take a deep breath and walk onto the stage with wobbly legs.

I don't want to do this. I don't want to do this.

The mantra repeats and pulses through me as I stand next to elder Anton.

"Elara Montgomery," his raspy voice reaches my ears. This is it, my moment of damnation. "It is my pleasure to announce that you have been mated to the Alpha Twins, Kane and Axel."

Wait, what?

I was angry and humiliated when Alice told me she and I would be competing tonight, but I never anticipated this.

I came here to get a mate, and now I have two?!

This is ludicrous. Besides, everyone knows they are both completely head over heels for Alice. Apparently, everyone but the elders who are in charge of the matches.

"You're joking, right?" I whisper, leaning closer to elder Anton.

"I'm not known for my sense of humour," he hisses, grabbing my forearm roughly, and I grind my teeth to hide my disgust when his bony fingertips dig into my flesh.

"Go," he growls, shoving me forward.

My first instinct is to argue, but I bite it back when I remember where I am. Everyone is watching. Defying an elder is not only a death wish; it would also bring shame to my family, and I have a little sister to think about. My actions could easily result in her getting a crappy match when it is her turn.

I swallow my pride and turn to face Alphas Kane and Axel, who are sitting on the other side of the stage.

I do my best to keep my head high as I take slow, steady steps toward them. They stare at me with a mixture of pain and anger on their faces, their mouths contorted in snarls. Their wolves shine behind their eyes, glaring at me.

Kane's hand grips the armrest tightly, a flash of gold flickering in his eyes, as if he could snap the wood in half. They look terrifying, and all I want is to run as far away as possible.

I make it across the stage and stand in front of them, bowing my head slightly as I wait for them to speak, to tell me what to do. Because… they own me now.

Alphas Kane and Axel do not take their eyes off me. And I wish I could tell what they are thinking.

Sure, I know they are not happy about this. They want Alice—damn Alice. But am I really that repulsive?

Their negative energy radiates off them toward the crowd, and I can feel more and more people looking at me with disdain and disappointment.

Wow, they surely know how to make a girl feel special and wanted.

"Elder Anton," Alpha Kane stands up, and I bet he is the tallest person I have ever seen. His wolf begins to emerge, anger rolling off him in waves. "Clearly, you've made a mistake."

"I assure you, we have not, Alpha Kane." Anton lifts his chin, his pointy nose tilted like a pig sniffing for food.

Alpha Kane glares at Elder Anton with disgust, and I gasp in shock when he pushes me aside and walks toward Anton. Kane towers over Anton, and he takes a cautious step backwards.

"Sir… Alpha…the choice has been decided," Anton clears his throat. "Once it has been written, it cannot be undone."

"Anything can be undone," Kane growls, clenching his fists.

Wait… undone? What does that mean? Will I be tossed back into the pool of she-wolves and be assigned to a new mate?

This sucks. I cross my arms and bite my quivering bottom lip to stop the tears.

Abandoned twice in a week.

I have never felt so unloved and undesired as at this moment.

Kane POV

I look from Anton to Alice. Tears are streaming down her beautiful face, and her blue eyes are screaming at me in agony. My heart speeds up, and I want nothing more than to wrap her in my arms and comfort her. I want to tell her everything will be okay.

Instead, I turn my gaze to Axel and open our special mind link that only twins can share.

“Go to her,” I urge him.

Within seconds, he is by her side, holding her and whispering words of reassurance. My heart painfully cramps when I look at them. Axel and I have shared everything since we were babies. It is no surprise that we share a love for the same woman.

That was supposed to be our future. My brother, Alice, and I, against the world, raising our pups and the next Alpha of the Constantine Clan.

I look at our designated mate. What was her name again? Oh, yes, Elara. How can the elders assign her to us? Yes she is beautiful, I mean, that gorgeous cinnamon hair and the curvy body wrapped tightly in the dress... My wolf was pacing in my mind, going wild from the first moment I saw Elara, this foolish wolf almost dragged me to pounce!

Okay, I admit she's attractive, but no, we promised Alice she should have our protection.

The more I think about it, the angrier I get, and I turn to Anton, allowing my wolf to show its claws.

“You,” I point a finger at Anton. “You will undo this.”

“But …”

“Find a way,” I command, cutting off his protest.

Anton’s wolf flashes in his eyes, along with something else I cannot place. But before I can figure it out, he looks at the crowd and then backs down. If he were in wolf form, his tail would have been tucked between his legs.

“Please, Alpha,” Anton whispers urgently, and I can sense his fear. “Can we finish the mating ceremony and discuss this privately afterwards?”

My first instinct is to decline loudly, but I take a deep breath to calm myself. I am vaguely aware of the crowd murmuring about what is going to happen. But if I want my way, I will need the elders on my side.

“Finish the mating ceremony,” I hiss, my anger seething below the surface. “Now.”

Ignoring Anton and the crowd, I return to my seat. Axel and I make eye contact across the crowd, and I can see we are sharing the same internal struggle.

“Stay with her,” I mind link Axel, looking at Alice and not taking my eyes off her. “And I swear to the goddess, if he calls her to mate with someone, I’ll have his head.”

The fact that Alice was twenty-one and had not been mated yet was not lost on anyone. Alice had been treated horribly by many others in the pack for it, but I worked hard to sway the elders to put it off. Alice belongs to us, nobody else.

The crowd settles down as Elder Anton takes his place at the podium.

“Next up.” Anton cleared his throat, looking everywhere but at me and Axel. “Alice Fabine. Mated to Gregory Bjorn and Lucas Spindler.”

What the fuck? Gregory and Lucas? The mate-killing monsters?

Axel POV

It is like a bomb explosion when Anton calls out Alice’s name. Kane is practically levitating in his chair, fighting his anger, and Alice is trembling in my arms, sobbing. That motherfucker! I will kill him.

There was no way in hell that I could stand there and watch as she walked over to Gregory and Lucas. Especially since it was Gregory and Lucas, they will tear her apart.

Alice would be their third mate in just over a year. Their first mate had been assigned to them the previous Fall, and she had mysteriously disappeared barely two months into their mating.

Knowing Gregory and Lucas since we were kids, we had our suspicions that her disappearance was not as mysterious as they claimed.

But the Elders ruled that there was no evidence of foul play and that Mary simply ran away. They never even bothered looking for her.

No foul play, my ass! Mary has been seen with bruises on her body by multiple people. The Elders were either lazy or did not want a scandal.

At the Spring ceremony, they had been assigned a she-wolf whose mate had just passed away in a car accident. Most thought it was too soon for her to mate someone else, but the Elders had thought it best for her to be mated right away, claiming that new love would help her heal.

She lasted three months before she was found dead in the woods behind Gregory and Lucas’s cabin. The Elders ruled it a suicide, blaming it on her depression and grief. When Kane and I visited the scene in the forest, we knew that was a lie. She was left-handed, yet the gun was in her right hand. I will never forget the smugness on Greg and Luke’s faces, shrugging when we asked them what happened.

A blind man could see that was not a suicide, but the Elders stuck to their story, because they did not want to admit they fucked up by giving those animals a mate. And now they are giving them another mate … again! What the fuck!

My entire body is vibrating with anger. I want to jump onto that stage and tear him limb from limb. Kane and I will declare that this whole mating process is done. That our pack will go our own way and do things the way we see fit. Fuck everyone else.

She does not deserve to endure this. I want to comfort her and assure her that everything will be okay.

“Don’t cry,” I whisper, kissing the top of her head. It breaks my heart that she is so upset. “Kane and I will fix this. You heard Elder Anton, we’re going to talk about this once the ceremony is over.”

“Alice, you must go to your assigned mates.” Elder Anton’s voice is slimy, and my fangs drop. So, help me, goddess, I will tear this man apart. Elder or no elder.

“I can’t,” Alice sobs, clinging tighter to me.

“What in the fuck are we supposed to do?” I project to Kane.

“Just… Fuck.” He growls.

Kane and I look at each other, our anger growing with every second. The angrier we become, the more restless the crowd grows. Anton looks from Anton to me, concern in his eyes, and I take a deep breath. There is a reason why alphas must stay in constant control. Anything we feel will be sent out to the rest of the pack, and if they do not have a tight rein on their emotions, they will act upon it. Right now, every wolf from the Constantine Clan is seething with anger, all because of Kane and me.

“We must calm down, brother,” I warn him. “Before this ceremony turns into a bloodbath.”

“Wouldn’t it be fun if they ripped the elders apart?” Kane jokes, taking a deep, calming breath.

“Maybe,” I smirk. “But the aftermath is going to be a bitch to handle, and who has time for that?”

Kane nods, and we close our eyes. We concentrate on our breathing until our emotions calm down enough for the crowd to settle.

I open my eyes and look at Anton. His hands are shaking, but he smiles, relieved at me.

“Miss Montgomery, please join your mates so we can continue the ceremony.” Anton addresses Elara — this red-haired girl pouts, fiery-tempered yet seemingly kissable. I begin imagining that mouth moaning my name.

Damn, my penis almost immediately get hard.

Shit, I actually start imagining those lips screaming my name, those eyes crying because of my thrusts.

Elara POV

I stand around indecisively when Axel and Kane walk to Elder Anton at the end of the ceremony. I watch as the three whisper, but their body language screams anger.

What am I supposed to do now?

People are still glancing curiously at us. I can feel their eyes on me, and it is fucking humiliating to be openly discarded as second choice.

“We could trade her for Alice.” Axel’s words float towards me, and my stomach dives. I am not a cow to be traded for a handful of magic beans.

“Fuck no,” Kane hisses in disgust. “No one deserves to be with Greg and Lucas.”

“You’re right, I know,” Axel sighs, scrubbing a hand over his face. “I don’t want to place Elara in harm’s way. But we cannot let Alice go home with those monsters.”

Kane shifts his weight, looking at the pack members still standing around. Silently, I pray that whatever he decides to do will not upset the elders and make things more difficult.

The elders had been given ultimate power, saying that the Alphas' egos, heated tempers, and rash decisions led to the Great War. The idea was that the elders were older, wiser, and more even-tempered since they did not have Alpha blood flowing through their veins.

So, while Kane and Axel might be upset about today and the elders’ decision, they did not have any control over it and could not go against them. The only thing Kane and Axel had control over was the day-to-day leading of the pack.

“Elara,” Kane barks, and I jump in fright, staring at him wide-eyed. “Come with us.”

My heart beats like a drum as I slowly walk towards them. Honestly, if I had a choice, I would be running for the hills. I am petrified of the unknown.

Kane and Axel’s eyes roam over me, and I can swear they are mind-linking, because they look at each other, then at me, and then out into the distance.

What the hell?

I will not allow them to intimidate me, I decide determinately, pulling my shoulders back and staring at them.

Axel nods once, and Kane walks toward the people still in the town square. Axel follows, indicating with a jerk of his head that I should come, too.

“Members of Constantine.” Kane addresses the crowd, his voice booming. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned towards him. “Until a thorough investigation has been conducted, and we can conclusively determine that a new mate will be safe in their care, Gregory Bjorn and Lucas Spindler are hereby forbidden from claiming a new mate.”

Kane POV

The crowd gawks at me as if I had lost my mind, but they are either too scared or too polite to say anything. Not that I give a rat’s ass - I must protect Alice at all costs, and this is my only recourse.

“This is absurd!” Greg bursts through the crowd, rage shining in his eyes as he meets my gaze. Luke is not far behind, his hand wrapped around Alice’s wrist, dragging her behind him.

The aggressive manner he handles her aggravates me, and I let loose a low growl.

“You have no right,” Luke protests, but immediately lets go of Alice.

“I’m well within my rights to protect a member of this pack from possible harm,” I cross my arms over my chest and widen my legs. “And I’m well within my right to open an investigation into members of the pack.”

“What are you going to do with our mate?” Greg spits the words. “The elders gave her to us. She’s ours.”

“She’ll be kept safe,” Axel cuts in. “With us.”

“No fucking way!” Luke yells. “You will not take our mate away from us. Especially since we all know your history with her.”

Alice stands on her tiptoes, peering around Luke’s shoulder, her eyes filled with gratitude. I will not let harm come to her, and I will figure out a way to make her ours.

“Alpha Kane,” Anton steps forward and stands in front of the crowd. “This is completely unacceptable.”

“Pack protection is not within the Elders’ power,” I smirk. “It’s at my discretion, and I’m simply doing what I must to protect a valuable member of our pack. Certainly, the elders will understand the need to protect one of our viable she-wolves.”

“This is not about that, and you know it,” Anton’s nostrils flare with anger. “You’re playing with fire, Alpha Kane.”

“Oh, really,” I raise my eyebrows. “Tell that to the two mates they already had. You’ve been handing out multiple mates this ceremony like candy, and now you want to squander a she-wolf on them. It doesn’t matter what you think this is about. Until you can find a law that negates my ruling, it stands. Gregory and Lucas will not be mated to anyone until our investigation is complete, and that’s final.”

Anton glares at me in silence, and I know he is trying to figure out his next move, but there is none. Not right now, anyway. I am sure he will find something, but it will not be today, and that is enough for now.

We do what an Alpha should—protect our pack members from being hurt. I glance at Alice; she looks relieved. But somehow, I’m more eager to see how Elara will respond.

Then I notice how upset she is, and it almost makes me want to hug her and comfort her.

But I restrain myself, forcing back that crazy, reckless urge.