Preface
After witnessing how the love between her parents helps them conquer all the hardship that they went through in the past, Fern grew up wanting to have such love and bond with her fated mate.
Almost every shifters are bound to find their fated mate once they turn eighteen, but just that was not the case for Fern.
Two years after Fern turned eighteen, she remained mateless.
But she had a hunch that, in this year's mating ceremony, her fated mate would finally show up.
Fern's fated mate did come.
The only problem was the shifter whom the Moon Goddess fated her had a complicated feelings towards her.
With a fair share of hatred towards Fern and her family, it sounded next to impossible for Fern and her mate to make love bloom between them. But who knows?
After all, they were once crazy for one another.
Fern's Perspective
The mating ceremony officially ended. Shifters who had found their mate started to leave the mating ground, and just like the last two years, I was left standing unclaimed as my fated mate still didn't show up.
"Fern!"
"Do you want us to drive you home?" Annika asked. My eyes drifted to the mark on her neck.
"No, it's fine. I'm fine. I brought my car here. I can drive myself back to Starsmoon. Besides this night is special for you." I glanced at her fated mate.
"You must spend it with your mate," I said to her. Annika hugged me.
"Maybe this is not where you'll find your fated mate, Fern. There are cases where fated mates met at a different circumstance." I cupped Annika's face.
"Nika, I'm okay. Go be with your fated mate. You too waited for two years to be with him." I turned her around and gently nudged her to her mate.
"See you tomorrow, Fern! Be careful on your way home!" Annika said before letting her mate wrap her in his arms.
Walking back to the bonfire. My phone rang.
"Mom?"
"It's okay, sweetheart. Why don't you go home now? I'll make you hot chocolate," Mommy said.
"Dad's with you?"
"Fern, don't think about that thing for now. Just come home," Mommy countered.
"I made a deal with the elders and Daddy. An Alpha's daughter must keep her word," I said to my mother and ended the call.
"You only have until midnight mate. If you don't show up. I'll have to choose someone else to marry. I can't keep waiting for you," I whispered.
Midnight and it's still just me on the ground of the mating ceremony.
I took out the ring that I planned to give my fated mate if he showed up tonight and tossed it to the bonfire.
Clearing out the fire on the bonfire, "Someone's here," my wolf alerted me.
I turned around and stood up straight, on the darker side of the forest I saw a silhouette of a shifter.
"Who are you?" I shouted. The shifter remained silent. He moves faster, approaching me.
"If you think that I'm an easy target. You're wrong!"
"Show yourself!" I commanded. The shifter continued to move around. I grabbed a twig, broke it into two, and used its sharper side as a dagger.
Seeing his golden eyes glisten just before he stepped into the light. I run to attack him. The hewolf skillfully dodges my first attack, flipping me over to the ground and pinning both my wrists to seize me. I raised my knee, targeting his crotch and while he was wincing in pain I struggled and freed my hand with his hold. My claw came out which I pointed at his eyes.
"Fern, no, stop! Don't hurt him!" My wolf shouted just when I was about to poke the hewolf's eyes.
"His wolf is familiar with me. We know him, and he has no intention of harming us," my wolf said to me.
I moved my claw closer to his eyes, threatening the hewolf.
"Is it true? We know each other?"
"Your claws are an inch away from blinding me, little tree, this isn't a good position to do some catching up."
Seeing how I let my guard down. The hewolf stopped protecting himself too. He raised his hands and chuckled.
"It would be so unlucky of me if I manage to escape the group of rogues, but ended up killed by a she-wolf—"
"What did you just call me?"
"Little tree," he said as he stood up.
"Why... H-How.... Who are you?" I stuttered.
The hewolf stepped to a spot where the moonlight hit him, letting me see his face.
"N-No..." I shake my head.
"No?" He scoffed bitterly.
"You're not the first hewolf who tricked me into believing that you were my exiled brother!" I screamed charging angrily at him.
"Ask your wolf. She'll tell you whether I was scheming or not."
"Potions and magic spells can be used to fake a bond, and trick my wolf!" I said before my wolf could tell me whether this rogue was my brother or not.
"I'll let you live. Run and never show yourself to me again!" I said.
Most rogues who had attempted to trick me in the past would run after they heard it, but this one was shameless.
I swirled the twig on my fingers and when he still didn't move to left. I hurled the sharpened twig on his shoulder.
"Damn it, kid!" He mumbled, pulling the stick from where I struck it.
"Little tree, kid.... are you really?" I whispered. I shake my head.
"Giovan was only eleven when he was exiled from Starsmoon pack to the atrocious side of the border.
The hewolf snatched a necklace and showed it to me.
"You can't stop crying as you saw your father force me to that side of the wall. Remember what my wolf told you?"
"I'll find a way to come back to you, Fern." His wolf and mine said at the same time.
The other dagger that I was holding fell from my hand. I run to Gio, burying my head on his chest.
"I thought I won't see you again! W-What happened to you? How have you been?" I asked him.
I slowly stepped away when I felt something. Giovan held me tighter. The beating of our hearts synched and I could now hear him through my head.
Our eyes now glow golden brown.
"Mine!" His wolf growled.
Hearing my exiled brother claim me horrified me.
"Impossible!" I said. My attempt to run from him failed.
"You can try to run away from this for now, Fern, but that won't change anything."
Giovanni grabbed me by my arm.
"Run, and hide anywhere you want, but I can always find you. Nuu-Chaah decided that you're mine, and not even our parents can go against what the moon goddess wanted, you're mine, Fern."