5 Selena's Coming Of Age Ceremony 2

The wind whistled in her ears, the chilly breeze stinging her eyes as she blindly dashed through the dark forest. Even in the shrouding darkness, the boiling excitement of the aroused males was palpable in the air, their unrestrained howls and snarls carrying anticipation and eagerness.

Dry branches and twigs snapped under her feet, the sound barely concealed under the loud, frantic charge of the wolves audibly sniffing the air ahead of her.

With over 13 unmated male wolves roaming the woods, their thick wolf scents swirling in the surroundings, it was both a night of great danger and a great opportunity for Yusria.

"The Gammas must be taking part in the Mate Hunting Event as well."

It would explain the lack of action on their part even after the great ruckus the males raised in the woods.

Their sharp hearing and impeccable sense of smell made them difficult to evade and perfect for their duty of patroling the pack borders.

Snap!

Upon stepping on another twig, Yusria flinched and held her breath, her heart hammering in her chest as her violet eyes nervously swept over the ghastly surroundings.

One breath, two breaths, thirty breaths...after a few heartbeats that felt like an eternity, Yusria finally relaxed and wiped off the sweat sliding down her forehead.

"They...are likely muddled with lust..."

She was shivering and not just from the chilly night breeze. Up to date, even though the Dimitri couple neglected and mistreated her, they had never gone too far with their abuse. But if they caught her secretly escaping from the Setting Dawn Pack, then neglect and mistreatment wouldn't be the end of her misery.

Her marriage to the Alpha heir had made sure of that.

"Thank the goddess today isn't only Selena's coming of age ceremony but a full moon as well."

During the night of the full moon, the werewolves were not as alert and on guard, their senses clouded with lust and a desire to mate. Combined with the first shift of the unmarked she-wolf, labeling them as mindless idiots in heat would be an understatement.

Yusria regained her composure and slowed down her pace. Luck could only last so long. As much as she wanted to leave the Setting Dawn Pack before the end of the hunt, she didn't want to attract unwanted attention to herself in her haste.

With tightly strung nerves and tensed muscles, the girl silently continued her trek through the woods, the hoots of owls and night critters accompanying her slender shadow.

The moonlight streamed through the leaves of the ancient trees and illuminated the feral shadows sniffing the air. Lust, hope, and impatience reflected in their abnormally bright eyes as they raced in one direction after the other.

A few hours later, Jim came to an abrupt halt and snarled. "Grrrr! Where the he** is she?" He mind-linked his companion.

"I don't know. It can't be she's hiding from us, can it?"

"Heh...does she have the luxury to hide? One way or another, Selena Dimitri is going to be my mate tonight. Because in the entire Setting Dawn Pack, I am the only wolf on equal status with her."

"But...what if she doesn't become your mate? After all, the mate-bond is formed by the Moon Goddess." His companion uncertainly linked back.

"If she doesn't become my mate, then she can only become the mate of a lowly ranked wolf. Either way, mate or not, I want her writhing beneath me tonight. Keep searching!"

"Yes, boss!"

The little brown wolf submissively lowered its head and dashed into the trees. Jim's eyes narrowed and a sneer stretched across his wolf face, contorting the grey fur around his cruel lips.

"Selena Dimitri, tonight you will belong to me, Gamma Lead Jim!" He viciously hissed.

As the son of the Gamma Master, he inherited his position as Gamma Lead on his 18th birthday. For the past year and a half, he had been earnestly patroling the Setting Dawn Pack's borders with the rest of the Gamma wolves and earned himself quite the ruthless reputation.

The heir of the Beta family was only a female and with the Alpha heir out training, it only took a little bit of time before his influence became second to none. As such, while it seemed like 13 unmated wolves were chasing after the newly shifted she-wolf, only he knew that they were all his minions.

So whether Selena Dimitri found her mate tonight or not, he would be the one getting the first taste of her!

An image of the beautiful female sprawled out on the orange-red leave blanked ground flashed in his mind and made his throat feel dry. Her golden hair fanned around her, shimmering like gold in the moonlight as her smoky grey eyes darkened with need and pleaded with him to take her.

Jim swallowed audibly, his adam apple bobbing as he restlessly flexed his claws. "Hehe...unless the Alpha heir suddenly appears, I'll be getting the last say on her!" He pushed to his fours and chased after his companion.

The night was still long so he wasn't worried about not finding her.

On the other side, a brown wolf sat in the center of a clearing with its snout raised in the air. It sniffed and licked its paw, its fervent gaze fixed in a particular direction.

Without warning, the brown fur receded from its face, its claws retracted, and a naked female took its place.

"Mate!"

Low and deep, the single word carried un-maskable excitement, yearning, and desire.

For a few seconds, there was absolute silence in the clearing. The hoots of the night owls, the whistle of the chilly night breeze, and the constant critters of the night crickets all disappeared. For a brief moment, it was as if time itself had stopped.

There was absolute silence.

"Mate...it's you, isn't it?" The thrilled voice of the entranced female cautiously rang out again, the slight tremble in her tone conveying her nervousness.

Thud...thud...

As if the invisible spell was broken, the faint sound of footsteps echoed from the shadows, growing louder and louder with every passing heartbeat as they approached the female.

With what seemed like a brief moment of hesitation, there was a slight pause in the rhythmic fall of the steps before a resigned sigh resounded from the trees.

Then under the blazing and longing eyes of the female, a young male came out from the shadows of the trees and entered her sight.

"So handsome..."

Tall and neatly dressed, the young male had blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes that glimmered like diamonds in the dark night. His facial features were sharp and evenly proportioned, with a long nose and plump lips that complemented each other.

"Selena Dimitri, why is it you?" The male disgustedly scoffed.

Though he supported an air of arrogance and superiority in the manner he carried himself, his handsome face and the slight naivety between his brows made him appear more attractive than repulsive.

"Max...you're my mate. The Moon Goddess chose you for me and me for you..." Selena was exhilarated.

Her eyes filled with tears of joy as she dazedly pushed to her feet. She couldn't believe her mate was him. In her excitement, she had completely forgotten about her nakedness.

"Gulp...what...what are you standing up for? You're still naked!" The young male hurriedly took off his suit coat and embarrassedly moved forward and draped it over her.

"Have some decency!" He roared, completely forgetting about their nature to shred their clothes when they shifted into their wolf form.

"Ah! Th...thank you..." Thin as a cicada's wings, the girl's soft voice drifted in the small clearing and tickled the young man's heart, causing him to lower his head and seriously look at her.

Flustered and red-faced under his intense stare, Selena clutched the edges of the coat in her hands and bit her lip.

This action of hers caused the man's pupil to undulate. He swallowed and pulled on his tie, his sight drifting to other parts of her body.

'She's not bad...and considering the fact she's my mate, maybe...No! I can't do that!'

His body heat rose from the close proximity to the girl, but he decisively shook his head and closed his eyes, willing the image buried in the bottom of his heart to resurface in his mind.

Instantly, his rapidly beating heart settled down and his heating body cooled.

"Max..."

"Selena, I don't think I have to tell you why we can't be mates. I am already married." Max coldly cut her off.

Stunned, Selena's eyes widened in disbelief. "Married? But Max, we're mates! We were made for each other! Are you going to ignore our bond for an outsider?" She shrieked.

"She is not an outsider! She's my wife and I intend to mark her tonight! As for you...I'll have to reject you."

"Re...reject? No, no, Max, you can't reject me! I won't be able to survive your rejection!"

"Then what do you want me to do? Accept you!? Heh...you know that's not possible. I specifically came back tonight to mark my wife. I won't let anything get in the way of that. Not even a freaking mate-bond! I'm sorry, Selena. But I'm afraid I'll have to reject you."

Selena's heart filled with panic and fear. Never in her life did she imagine her soulmate would reject her on the day they would find each other.

"If you reject me, I'll die..." She heartbrokenly sobbed.

Hidden behind an oak tree, Yusria was mortified when she heard their conversation.