I stood frozen at the door of Noah, the cake I prepared investing the whole day for him clutched tight in my hands as Emily's excited voice echoed through my ears.

"Beta Noah, are you sure your are going to cancel your mating ceremony with Princess Isadora, for me?"

"She is nothing before you." Noah's response was more chilling. "Even if she is born in an Alpha family, the one I like is you."

"Beta Noah! I'm so scared right now. If Princess Isadora finds out the woman you have always loved is me, not her, she will be deeply hurt."

It was Emily, an omega I had sheltered when I was nine. But, what caused my heart to shatter into pieces was Noah's cold reply.

"I don't care. I'm done with her continuous persistence. I don't like her. I like you, Emily. What matters the most is what you feel for me."

"Don't speak like this, Beta Noah. If Princess Isadora finds out, she will create trouble for you." Emily sobbed, her voice laced with innocence and fear as if she had been severely bullied.

I felt like someone just poured a bucket full of cold water on me as Noah added, I have decided. I'm not going to hide my feelings for you anymore. If there are any consequences, I'm ready to face them.

But, the shock I received tonight was not just over. Another pair of voices landed on my ears, sending chills down my spine.

"You should not be afraid of Isadora, Emily. Since you choose Noah over us, we will keep Isadora busy."

"Yes, you two elope from the pack and we will keep Isadora out of your lives."

These were the voices of my twin mates who kept pestering me day and night, telling me how much they loved me.

It turned out, they had only been keeping me busy so that their beloved could spend time with my betrothed.

"Wh-What if anyone finds out? Pack members will defame me for stealing my princessmates." Emily asked, her voice laced with concern yet sounded as if she was expecting more than what the twins promised.

They glanced at each other before they said, their voice cold and eyes dark. Then they will have the same result as Isadoras fourth mate.

My hands clenched into fists. Why did they suddenly mention Tyral Beckham?

Out of the four mates Moon Goddess blessed me with, Tyral was my least favourite. I could not even tolerate his presence in the pack. So, I asked my Dad, who was the Alpha of the pack, to discard him.

He was left with no choice but to leave the pack silently. But, why did they mention him?

"That Tyral!" Noah cursed, his eyes turned dark. "He wanted to expose us before Isadora. But, we made her discard him before. Stupid Isadora, she doesn't even know the mate she is rejecting, is the only one who truly loves her."

My hand, frozen mid-air, trembled uncontrollably. The carefully curated surprise, the nervous excitement, the joyful anticipation—all of it dissolved into a bitter, acrid taste in my mouth.

It felt as if a giant fist had reached into my chest, grabbed hold of my heart, and squeezed until all the air left my lungs. The world, which just moments ago had been a vibrant canvas of my future with Noah, turned to ash.

I stumbled back, my legs betraying me, a hollow ache spreading from my gut and consuming my entire being. The cake box, a symbol of my devotion and hopes, slipped from my grasp and crashed to the ground, a final, heartbreaking sound in the deafening emptiness of my shock.

"Who's there?" Noah shouted from inside. My heart clenched. I was not ready to look at these betrayers right now. So, I ran away.

I was running aimlessly on the grassland. Each voice I had just heard echoed in my mind, not as a sound but as a searing brand of pain, burning away the illusions I had so desperately held onto.

I was a fool, a puppet dancing on strings pulled by the very people I trusted most.

Out of all these voices, suddenly a soft voice of my mother sounded. She had connected me through telepathy. “Isadora, your twenty-first birthday celebration is coming up and so is your mating ceremony.”

“There are piles of marriage proposal documents lying in pack manor. Have you decided whom are you going to choose?”

My mom's words cut deep through my heart. Throughout these years, I was so sure whom I was going to choose in my mating ceremony.

Nolan Morgan! The man I chased for twelve years.

But now, my mind was blank. My mating ceremony... It was the least thing I wanted to care about. But, I had to answer my Mom, who was the Alpha of the pack.

“It must be our young beta, Noah. Right?” My mom’s excited voice sounded from the other end. But, it only sent chills down my spine.

“No.” I almost screamed.

“No?” My Mom was taken aback with my response.

“Then, out of those twins? Good choice, Isadora. In comparison to Noah, they have adored you the most. But, which twin are you going to choose? Damien or Kevin?”

“None of them.” I replied, my voice devoid of any emotions. It was being unbearable for me to suppress the anger and hurt.

“Then, you are left with only one mate, Isadora. Don't tell me you are choosing your forth mate, Tyral Beckham.”

Tyral Beckham!

My eyes widened in a sudden realisation. Noah's voice still echoing in my head.

"Stupid Isadora! She doesn't even know the mate she is rejecting is the only mate who truly loves her."

“Yes, I’m choosing him.” I replied. “I’m choosing Tyral Beckham, my fourth mate.”

"Isadora, are you sure?" My mom asked, she sounded shocked. "You have never liked Tyral and three years ago, you not just threw him out of our pack but humiliated him in front of everyone."

"Have you really thought through this?"

"Yes, Mom." I replied, my voice hoarse. "I've made up my mind. Please send him invitation for my mating ceremony along with a heartfelt letter of apologizies from my behalf."

"No wait... You go personally and bring him back to our pack with honor. A letter of apologizies can never compare to the humiliation I had given him."

"Okay! If that's what you want. I'm leaving for his residence right now." My mom replied before cutting off our telepathy.

I took a sigh of relief. Maybe, out of all the bad things that had happened to me the whole day, there was still one hope– Tylar Beckham!

I turned around to go back to my home. But, my luck brought me to the person I wanted to see the least at the moment.

Emily stood before me, a smile full of malice spreading across her lips.

"Princess Isadora!" She called, her voice filled with mockery and humility. "It was you who knocked on the door, wasn't it?"

"I had seen you leaving in tears and sobs. Haha! What a rare sight to watch." She had added. It seems like she no longer bothered to wear the mask of pitiness and innocence.

"Now that you have listened everything and know quite well that Nolan only loves me, don't make things difficult for him by choosing him in your mating ceremony."

"Even if you choose him, you will be only humiliating yourself. Nolan will reject you in front of everyone for me." She said, her voice laced with pride and arrogance.

My Alpha nails dig inside my thighs, my teeth coming out in anger and disgust. But, I suppressed them back.

I didn't want to stoop myself as low as fighting an omega for a man. Noway! I'm above that.

"Don't worry! You have taken my used things throughout your life. Just one more thing. Take it! Nolan is all yours. I'm bored from him already." I said, my voice devoid of any emotions.

But, my words hit her hard. She gritt her teeth in anger. "You!"

Soon enough, her expressions changed. From anger and desperation, it changed into maliciousness and cunning smile as she walked closer to me, holding a bouquet of Lavenders.

"Oh really? Thank you so much, Princess Isadora. Your heart is so beautiful... Just like these flowers that Noah proposed me with."

Throwing the whole bouquet at me, she said. "Please accept my gratitude, Princess Isadora. These flowers may bring happiness to your life."

I frowned. I had allergy with Lavender and Emily knew it. I raised my hands mid-air to throw the flowers back. But, my hands clanked with Emily's empty hands and the flowers landed at me.

During the process, Emily lost her balance and fell off the grassland.

"Isadora! What's wrong with you?"

Suddenly a cold and dominating voice sounded from behind. While scratching my body with my sharp nails, I looked at Emily, who had been surrounded by three strong men around her, giving me a sly smile.

"Beta Noah! It's my fault... Please don't fight with Princess Isadora for me." She immediately said, her voice hoarse as if she was severely bullied.

"How is that your fault? I clearly saw her pushing you away." Noah said, turning cold eyes at me.

"Apologize to Emily!" He commanded, completely ignoring the itching I had been facing because of the lavenders her beloved just threw at me.

"That was not my fault!" I said, "I didn't push her intentionally."

"Yeah. Don't force her, Beta Noah. It's my fault. I made her upset." Emily sneaked in. With a pair of red eyes, she added,

"You are so sweet and innocent, Emily. That's why people hurt you easily." Noah said softly, cupping her cheeks in his hands.

A gesture filled with love and adoration, a kind of gesture I had always seemed from him for me. But, he had always given me a stern and cold look.

I thought maybe he was a busy and responsible man. His duties were so strict that he had accustomed himself to look cold.

I had once promised myself that after I marry him, I will make him soft and gentle.

Stupid me, didn't know that he already was soft and gentle. It's just it was not for me.

"Emily! You just fell on the ground. Are your legs okay?" Denver, one of my twin mates asked, his voice laced with concern.

"I think we should get her check by the healers." Dylan, the other twin, suggested.

Having been said that, Noah picked Emily in his arms. Turning his back at me, he left, followed by Denver and Dylan.

My twin mates, who didn't stop pestering me the very same day, didn't bother glancing at me or look at my whole skin which had swollen red out of the allergy, and left to care about their beloved Emily.

I laughed in agony as the blood turned cold throughout my veins. The world appeared spinning around my head and the blood vessels in my body almost coming out because of the nonstop scratching.

Suddenly, a surge of an unbearable pain appeared in my head. I couldn't balance myself. Slowly, my eyesight blurred and everything went blank before my eyes.

I fainted.

Midnight alone in the forest!

One of the night guards who was assigned for patrolling in the pack, found me unconscious in the forest and brought me back home.

The next morning, the twins came back knocking at my door. As soon as I opened the door, Denver threw a bouquet of roses before me with a note of apologizies.

Meanwhile Dylan walked up to my side. Holding my hands in his, he said, his voice so convincing, "Isadora, we are so sorry. We were in rush of bringing Emily to the healers that it slipped through our mind that you are allergic to lavenders."

"As soon as we realised our mistake, we took the U-turn and went back to see you. But, you were gone." Denver added. "It's our fault. We should have remembered that."

I swept a distant gaze at them, their betrayal still fresh in my heart.

"It's okay! Taking Emily to the healers was more important." I replied, turning my back at them.

They glance at each other, noticing the bitterness in my tone. Dylan reached out to hold my hands as he said, his voice desperate to convince me.

"You are misunderstanding us, Isadora. We were concerned about her safety because we didn't want your reputation as Princess to be ruined because of a mere omega."

"That's right! If people finds out that you were bullying an omega-"

"I didn't push her!" I spat, cutting Denver off who was just in middle of his words.

They hesitated for a moment before they swiftly changed their topic, saying, "We believe you, Isadora."

"It must be Emily trying to frame you. Still, we can't take a risk against your reputation." Denver said, his voice laced with sweetness, a mask to hide his cunning face.

"She is after Noah and that's why she hates you. It seems like Noah loves her as well." Dylan added, looking attentively at me. "After what happened yesterday, I advise you not to choose Noah as your mate, Isadora. It will be so humiliating."

"Yes, you have us. You can choose between us, Isadora. We have only you in our heart. We will always love you." Denver said, his voice manipulative.

"I'm not choosing him!" I said, "I'm not choosing from you either. You two get out of my home. I want to rest."

They glanced at each other before looking at me again. They didn't take my words seriously and thought I was just mad at them.

"You are still mad at you, aren't you?" Dylan asked. "How about we make up for our mistake by taking you to the Ryker Mountain?"

Ryker Mountain was a sacred mountain of our pack, laced with many precious and life saving herbs. It was difficult to climb, even more difficult to grab its products.

My grandmother was bed-ridden for decades. Only White tulip emerging at Ryker Mountain once in a decade could bring her back. I had been planning to pluck the flower for her for some weeks and the twin knew it.

I didn't decline them, neither did I agree to their proposal of visiting the mountain together. But, they took my silence as my agreement and came back my home in the evening.

"Let's go..." Dylan said, quickly wrapping his hands around my arms.

I sighed.

The route to the Ryker Mountain wasn't easy. It was not wise to travel alone, especially when my mother was out of the pack. So, I agreed.

But, as we reached the foot of the mountain, I regretted my decision of coming with the twins. It was my fault. For once I thought they were genuinely guilty for me and wanted to make it up.

But, I was wrong.

It wasn't for me, but for Emily!

"Princess Isadora! I heard you are visiting The Ryker Mountain? Can you please let me join you?" She walked up to me as soon as she saw me, followed by Noah wrapping his hands around her waist.

Since Ryker Mountain was a sacred place of our pack, not everyone was allowed to visit it. If you aren't an Alpha blood, you need permission to visit it.

I shot a cold glance at the twins who quickly hid their malicious intent looking at me, before I turned back to look at her.

"No! Ryker Mountain is a sacred place of our pack. You, an outsider, can never visit it." I said, my voice firm.

Just as I finished speaking, Noah pulled Emily behind him. Coming in between us, he said, his face cold and gloomy, "You intently pushed Emily and hurt her last night."

"You haven't apologized for that yet. Emily is a bigger person to let the matter slide yet you are so narrow minded that you can't fulfill her one wish?" He spat, his eyes furious.

"I didn't know you were this cold, Isadora!" He yelled.

"Please don't fight with Princess Isadora, Beta Noah!" Emily interrupted, tucking to Noah's sleeves.

"If she doesn't want me to join her, let it be. I'm just a lowly omega. My presence will surely ruin the beauty of her sacred place." She sobbed, immediately getting the twins by her side along with Noah as Denver rushed to my side, whispering,

"Let's just take her with us, Isadora! You are above this, aren't you?"

"This way, you won't have to apologise for the last night's matter! Isn't it a good idea?"

I stared the four of them. They had the potential of spoiling things for me. But, not anymore.

"No way!" I said, "I would never allow a wretch like her to ruin our sacred place."

"You... are not allowed!" I said, turning to Emily.

Bang...

I had opened my mouth to speak further but all of a sudden I felt like someone just bumped me against a hard rock. But, it was only a slap... from Noah's hands.

He slapped me right then, making me fall on my knees.