The Viridian Heir: Shadows of Destiny

Ava stood at the edge of the hall, watching the buzzing crowd celebrate amidst drinking, eating, and dancing. This wedding was going to be one of the greatest in centuries, and its outcome would affect the lives of many, if not all. The uniting of two packs was never easy to pull off, but her father was willing to take the risk. For the past seven years, she had tried to convince him that she could rule, that she could be an Alpha female, but her father refused to listen. He kept saying he wanted his princess to be well taken care of, but deep down, Ava knew he didn't want a woman to rule.

She loved her father, but at times like this, she wondered if he really knew what he was doing.

As the only child and heir to the Viridian throne, Ava had been trained from the age of five in the customs and rules of their pack. She had learned boxing, swordsmanship, taekwondo, and many other skills over the years. When she looked back at how much effort she put into mastering these things, believing she would one day rule, her heart physically constricted. She wished she had spent her days playing, making friends, and having fun, rather than studying books about the kingdom. Letting out a tired sigh as the memories flooded in, she recalled shifting into her wolf form earlier than her peers. While most werewolves were expected to shift by age twelve, she shifted at ten.

She remembered how worried her mother had been, thinking it happened too soon and that her bones weren't fully developed. She remembered the pain of the transformation, how her bones contorted in ways she never knew possible. But she had been glad, because her father had been proud, telling everyone in the pack how the princess had connected to her wolf. A grand party had been thrown in her honour. A small smile appeared on Ava's lips as she recalled the joy she had felt back then. She couldn't quite remember when things had changed between her and her father. All she knew was that after her fifteenth birthday, her father called her to his chambers, sat her down, and told her that from that age onward, she would be able to feel the mate bond whenever the Moon Goddess sent her mate. She felt joy at the revelation because she had heard from her mother and nanny, Katie, how wonderful it was to find one's mate, how the bond made everything their mate did ten times better.

Before she could revel in the joy, her father dropped the news: her mate would be an Alpha, and she would rule by his side. She remembered standing up immediately, the shock evident on her face as she stormed out of his chambers while her father watched in silence. That night, she tossed and turned, wondering why her father had made such a decision. Had she done something wrong during training? She couldn't remember making any mistakes, and the whole thing baffled her. That was when she started working harder, attending war meetings, providing strategies. Every time, they praised her, saying she would make a great Luna one day. She thought, as time went on, they would see she could rule, but here she was today, at her own pre-coronation to become Luna, helping the man who would rule not only her but her kingdom.

When she met Rustyn, her mate, she had felt the bond immediately, and she could tell he had felt it too, judging by the way he looked at her like she was a treasure. It was wonderful just standing there, staring into each other's eyes, and she finally understood what nanny Katie meant. But that bliss was short-lived. Ava knew that the moment her father found out she had met her mate, he wouldn't waste a minute before marrying her off to him, ensuring the kingdom had its next Alpha in case anything happened to him. The only thing that could stop it was if she was given an irresponsible mate, but as fate would have it, Rustyn was not only responsible and capable, but he was also the Alpha of the Falu Red pack, a stronger and more powerful pack than their own. She knew then that there was no escaping this.

Under normal circumstances, she would have loved to be with him if she hadn't spent her entire life training to rule. Though being with him promised a life of bliss, a part of her felt trapped, caged in a life she didn't want. At first, she tried to convince him to keep their bond a secret, so they could get to know each other, and he agreed. For the first few weeks, it was lovely. She felt adored and loved; he said and did all the right things. Being with him brought her peace and made her forget her worries. She even started contemplating marrying him and giving up her dream of ruling, until he told her that he had met her father the same day they discovered they were mates despite her explicitly telling him not to. Worse, he revealed that preparations for their wedding were underway, and he had already chosen a date six days from now. His excuse was that he couldn't wait to be with her and loved her so much. He wanted the two packs to become one. From that day onward, she couldn't look at him the same. Everything he did seemed like part of a plan to seize her kingdom and increase his fame.

As she stood watching everyone celebrate a future she wasn't sure she wanted, Ava made a decision. She couldn't do it. She couldn't marry Rustyn and live a life controlled by someone who didn't care about her opinions. She had never been the type to follow orders blindly, and her parents knew it. She wasn't going to start now, not even for the sake of her pack. Stealing a glance at her mother, who was deep in conversation with the elders, Ava slipped out of the hall unnoticed. The cool night air hit her face as she stepped into the shadows of the forest that bordered their land. Her heartbeat quickened as the reality of what she was about to do sank in, but she felt a flicker of hope, hope that she could outrun the fate chosen for her. She knew it was a selfish decision, but she needed to do this for herself.