"Moon goddess." I folded my hands in front of the statue of the moon goddess. "It has been five years. Five freaking years, moon goddess. Please, bless me this time." I prayed desperately. For the last twenty years and so, since the day I first found out that we werewolves are a blessing of the moon goddess, and she is the one who blessed us with our soulmates, I visited this temple every day with only one prayer, for my mate, and still, she had not answered my prayers.
We werewolves generally found our mates within a fortnight after we turned eighteen. But I, as a special serious case, couldn't find my mate. I am not complaining; I am absolutely fine with this “no mate” thing, but the thing I can't stand is rumors. Well, being the daughter of an Alpha has its own benefits and disadvantages. I shook my head. This was not the time to sour my head with ill feelings. Jeez, I was in temple. I shook my head and put a rose at the feet of the statue as my offering.
Today was my twenty-fifth birthday, which meant I completed eighty human years without my mate. With my last prayer, I bowed again and started walking towards my home.
We resided in the Blue Moon pack, which is the second-largest pack in our continent. The journey wasn't long, and soon, I was standing in front of the pack house. I opened the front door and was immediately hugged by my mother.
"I have made your favorite pancakes," she whispered in my ear so that nobody in the living room can listen with their werewolf abilities. I giggled and returned the hug.
"Let me freshen up first," I said and started walking towards the washroom. I looked at the mirror. As usual, my deep brown hair looked like a mess. It was long and stopped at my waist, and was matched with hazel brown eyes and pale skin. I inherited all my characteristics from my mother, except my nose and lips, which were the same as my father’s. I washed my face and headed downstairs.
Everyone was already sitting in their seats patiently, waiting for me. I saw my father sitting on the chair reading some papers related to pack business. I kissed him on his cheek and sat beside him. My brother, and the next contender for the alpha position of our pack, was watching me with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Trust me; he was the best brother every girl wanted, but sometimes, he was annoying as hell.
"Good morning, Daddy," I said cheerfully.
"Good morning, Emmy," my father said in his deep voice. His voice held power and authority.
"Good morning, Emmy," my brother said with a smirk.
"Good morning, August," I said, narrowing my eyes in his direction and making a mental note to slap that stupid smirk from his face.
"Someone had a bad sleep?" August asked mockingly.
"Yes, because one asshole of a brother brought a girl at home last night," I mind-linked him to shut him up. I know how to deal with my brother.
"You two, show this heat in the battleground," our father scolded, sensing the tension between us. With me turning twenty-five, I was also eligible to compete for the alpha position. It was my dream to be the first-ever female alpha, and my family respected it. I was surely more mature than my brother, but he was the complete opposite on the battleground. Being older than me by one year had already given him an advantage in training, but still, my wolf could beat his ass.
Me and my brother had always trained together. But everything changed when our father told us that we both were equally eligible for the alpha title. August completely changed; he trained without me, and he actively took part in pack matters. I was not complaining, but he had become somewhat shady, and I was concerned it would ruin our relationship.
I nodded my head in acceptance and started eating. I knew how much it meant for August to be an alpha because I had the same dream.
"Promise me, whatever happens after the battleground, it won't affect our relationship," I mind-linked him.
After our father announced that we both were equally worthy for the alpha title, I had seen my brother distancing. He neither showed it nor talked about it, but still, he was at a crossroads, just like me.
"I promise... well, it doesn't matter because I am the one who will be winning," he said, breaking the tension. I smiled and gave my undivided attention to the food and tried to live in the moment because everything was going to change after today. Who knew this twenty-five-year-old, Esma Rockwood, daughter of the most feared alpha, was never to be the same after today?