Free Web NovelChapter 3: Chapter 3: Chained to Fate
Unfortunately, the bullying at the academy doesn’t stop. It gets worse.
Everyone likes Anna. She is oe of the most beautiful girls in the academy, and has been Adrian Blackwood’s girlfriend for two years. She even has a few fangirls among the junior students.
And Nyra is just... plain. She wears old, faded clothes to class, completely wolfless and friendless.
So they all take Anna’s side.
What’s worse is that, since her werewolf senses awakened, she can hear every single vile thing they’ve said about her, even from a distance.
She tries to keeps a blink face blank as she walks past them, but the words hurt more than she is willing to admit.
She could’ve have been planning her escape right now. But now she’s chained to Moon-crest all because of a mate.
Mate.
Every time she hears the word, she remembers Adrian and Anna kissing against that wall right after the Moonbond. The way Adrian had promised to make her life a living hell.
Speaking of the devil...
Adrian and his group round the corner, and--of course--Anna is still dangling off his arm, like the Goddess didn’t just give him a new mate.
Like tomorrow doesn’t determine whether her fate is going to be completely sealed to him and Moon-Crest forever.
Every student stop to stare in anticipation, eager to know what the future Alpha would do with his unwanted mate.
The moment their eyes meet across the hall, Adrian scowls like he’s seen something disgusting. And Anna, beside him, rolls her eyes and grabs his arm tighter.
Nyra pretends not to notice them and tries to walk past, but Adrian blocks her path, the smell of his pheromones filling the hallway.
She hates that, despite how much she hates him, his scent--musk and dark coffee--makes her knees weaken.
How does that even work!?!
She looks up, meeting his icy silver eyes. Ignoring the shivers that spread down her arms, she forces her own eyes to remain cold.
"Move."
A few students nearby gasp because nobody ever speaks to Adrian Blackwood like that. Not even his friends.
But Nyra doesn’t care about his title or the consequences in this moment. "I said move!"
He does the exact opposite, of course he does. Adrian simple flashes an infuriating smirk--the same one he’s worn ever since he decided to make Nyra his target.
But Anna doesn’t miss the way his eyes flicker downward briefly, like he can’t help himself. His silver eyes roam over Nyra’s body for a beat before snapping back up.
Anna frowns. Her sister might be defective, awkward, and completely useless--but Nyra has never been ugly. They share the same genes, after all.
Her beautiful 5’6" curvy body, big brown eyes, and sandy-brown hair could be an Alpha’s biggest temptation if used right. Anna knows that.
Nyra, on the other hand, only seems more agitated now. "Move, Adrian!"
Adrian’s smug smirk widens slightly at the sound of his name on her lips. Then, before Nyra can react, he grabs her bag and throws it onto the floor.
All the contents scatter across the middle of the hallway, revealing a half finished drawing of a wolf.
Nyra has spent weeks working in it. A unique wolf she usually sees in her dreams. The drawing is really special to her.
He shows Anna the picture while laughing. "Your sister is really delusional. She thinks she’s going to be some special wolf."
Anna and the rest of his friends laugh too. God, how much Nyra hates them all.
She tries to grab the drawing, but Adrian is much taller than her.
"Give it back!" She yells again, but it only makes the group laugh harder.
"You want this?" He tilts his head mockingly, before tearing the paper in two and throwing it on the floor next to her things. "There, you can have it."
All her weeks of hard work, gone.
Something inside Nyra snaps.
"Fuck you, Adrian!" she screams, and shoves him back. The force of it shocks even her. "I hate you so much!"
Their skin sparks hot at the point of contact. Adrian visibly tenses.
But Nyra ignores it. She grabs all her things from the floor, then storms out before anyone can see the tears threatening to fall.
---
The Awakening Rite takes place the following night.
The temple at the center of Moon-Crest is more crowded than usual tonight. Children barely thirteen stand nervously beside their parents, waiting for their wolves to awaken beneath the moonlight.
And right in the middle of them, about to turn eighteen in six days-- is her.
The humiliation alone makes her stomach twist. Worse is the thought of embarrassing herself again by turn.
Nyra swallows the heavy lump in her throat, forcing herself not to react to everything the crowd is whispering about her.
**It’s nothing you haven’t heard before** she reminds herself.
In the crowd Anna is sitting near their parents. She is already smirking mockingly, already expecting Nyra to fail again.
Meanwhile, Adrian himself stands near the front with his parents.
Their eyes meet for a second, and though their gaze is filled with resentment--the bond pulses in her chest anyway.
She looks away first.
A few minutes later, the Oracle walks in with her hand raised;
"The Rite of Awakening shall begin."
One of the younger wolves step forward first, albeit nervous. But he successfully completes his shift, a small grey wolf with red eyes.
Alpha.
One after another, the children shift easily. Red eyes. Blue eyes. Many parents are clapping happily from the sidelines.
Nyra just stands alone in the back, feeling more and more nervous with every passing minute.
Then finally--
"Nyra Hale."
The entire temple goes silent. Nyra swears under her breath, feeling hundreds of eyes fall on her as she steps into the center of the ceremonial circle.
The silver symbols beneath her feet begin to glow faintly, the Oracle doesn’t hesitate.
"Place your hand on the moonstone."
The moonstone sits at the center of the altar, a sacred stone every awakened wolf in Moon-Crest has touched before.
Nyra swallows hard, hating the way her hand is shaking as she places a hand. It feels like that night again, the way everyone stared at her when they realized she was wolfless.
The way her parents had looked at her as if they’d expected the disappointment.
What if it all just turns out to be the same thing and she gets humiliated twice?
She stands completely still, but inside she’s begging the Goddess with everything to just let her shift. **Just this once** she begs silently.
But no, the universe must have her... because nothing even happens. Not a twitch, not even the claws from the Moonbond.
Everyone starts gossiping again around the temple.
"I knew she was faking it."
"Defective."
"There must’ve been a mistake."
Nyra’s chest tightens painfully, and she feels her eyes burn with tears. It feels ike she’s thirteen again. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
Of course. Of fucking course hers had to be different. It’s because the Goddess hates her.
Across the room, Adrian stares completely smug like this proves something.
But just as her hand is almost completely off the stone.... a sharp force slams into her body.
Nyra screams. It feels like every bone in her body is being cracked open, unbearably. She collapses onto the stone platform, while gasps erupt throughout the temple.
Then...
Crack.
The sound of bones shifting ricochets off the walls of the Temple. Beneath her feet, the symbols on the ceremonial platform start to change color.
Even the Oracle watches in shock as Nyra slowly, painfully transforms completely.
In her place stands a massive white wolf-- it’s fur stunningly beautiful, shimmering beneath the temple light.
The once quiet space erupts into another wave of shocked murmurs,
"A white wolf...?"
"No wonder the bond wouldn’t break," someone whispers from one end, "White wolves are chosen directly by the Goddess."
Even Anna and their parents look shocked, their eyes wide as they take in Nyra’s new form. Nobody had expected her to be a rare wolf...
Nyra ignores them all, purple eyes scanning the room slowly, until they eventually fall on Adrian who stands visibly pale, smug smile completely wiped off his lips.
Adrian’s wolf has always been known to have completely black fur.
This clearly means...
... they complement each other.
Like yin and yang.
Like Day and Night,
Light and darkness.
Nyra’s wolf staggers backward slightly from the weight of it all. The realization that this is really happening.
The Oracle breaks the chaos by dropping on one knee. "The future Luna." She announces, "The Goddess has chosen well."
---
A small part of Nyra had hoped her parents would come to her after the Rite is over. The small traitorous part that had been scared to disappoint them a second time.
But they don’t even glance at her as they leave. She betrayed their favorite child in their eyes-- a traitor to the family.
She should be used to it by now, but their second rejection stings more than she’s willing to admit.
Instead of her parents however, Alpha Darius and Luna Selene come over like they’ve already approved.
Nyra instinctively stiffens when they stop in front of her. Luna Selene’s eyes roaming over her slowly, though not with disgust like everyone else--but with fascination.
"Beautiful," the Luna murmurs under her breath, like she’s speaking more to herself than anyone else. "A white wolf...haven’t seen one in Moon-Crest for years"
Nyra fights the urge to step back. The attention feels suffocating after years of being ignored.
Alpha Darius studies her next. His expression is unreadable as always.
"The Goddess does not make mistakes," he says finally. "Which means you will begin preparing for your role immediately."
Role?
She’s not even eighteen yet--
As if reading her mind, "How old are you, dear?" Luna Selene’s voice reaches her.
"I’ll be eighteen in a few days."
She nods, like it’s already decided. "On your eighteenth birthday then, we shall prepare for the mating ceremony."
Nyra’s ears ring. Mating ceremony? The same ceremony where the alpha mates their Omega for the first time?
Oh hell no.
She doesn’t even have any experience. Much more letting Adrian of all people take her virginity. She’d rather die!
Her eyes on their own flickers toward Adrian, and their gaze locks.
His jaw is tight enough to crack, silver eyes dark with fury as he watches his parents accept her so easily. His wolf may have recognized her... may want her even--but Adrian himself looks one second away from tearing her apart.
Definitely not.
She shakes her head. "I- I don’t think I can. I don’t want--"
They don’t even wait to let her finish. They walk away while she’s mid-conversation, like whatever she’s about to say doesn’t matter to them.
This is definitely not going to go well..
---
The temple has emptied out, or so Nyra thought. The massive white wolf is gone now, leaving only her naked human form.
A pile of fresh clothes has been left beside the ceremonial platform, probably by one of the priestesses.
She’s already reaching for them when a familiar smell hits her. She knows who it is before he even appears.
Adrian barges in without warning, "Nyra we need to talk--"
He’s storms inside with three of his friends behind him, only to freeze when he sees her standing there, completely naked.
His silver eyes widen.
Nyra lets out a loud shriek, using the shirt as a shield while scrambling backward.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" she snaps. "How can you just barge in like that!"
One of the boys behind Adrian-- John, gives a low whistle. Adrian moves instantly without thinking and blocks her from their line of sight.
"Turn around and get out."
His voice radiates enough Alpha authority, that it makes all the boys freeze. Even Nyra is shocked.
"Out." He orders again.
His friends blink in surprise at the sudden protection. They look like they want to argue, but one look at Adrian’s face and the boys don’t need to be told twice. They disappear out the door, leaving behind a bone-chilling realization that Adrian has just protected her without realizing.
Their eyes meet across the room, and for a long moment neither of them look away.
Nyra looks down first, yanking the shirt fully over herself, while cursing her cheeks for turning pink.
Adrian stays where he is near the entrance, no longer looking at her now, gaze deliberately fixed on the opposite wall.
"Mate or not, you can’t just barge in like that!" she says again, angrily.
Adrian rolls his eyes. "Trust me, seeing you naked wasn’t part of my plans tonight, either."
"Then just go, why are you still standing here?"
Adrian didn’t move. Instead, his voice drops lower, returning to their usual coldness.
"Because we need to talk."
*
They find a quiet corner in the training grounds, Adrian sits as far away from her as the conversation would allow, a cigarette between his lips.
The smoke curls around them, making Nyra cough lightly. "Did you call me here just to watch you smoke!?"
"I was hoping you would fail today." Adrian sighs, crushing the stump under his shoe, "because I don’t want to be your mate. It’s Anna I love." freēwēbηovel.c૦m
Wow. Just wow.
Nyra lets out a dry laugh. "And you think I wanted this? I would rather mate a fly than spend the rest of my life with someone who has made my life a living hell!"
He doesn’t look guilty at all. "Then why are you making things harder? Do you even care about your sister’s happiness at all..?"
"Don’t play that card with me!" Nyra cuts him off angrily. "You don’t get to blame me for something neither of us chose. If it weren’t for this bond, I would already be gone from Moon-Crest."
She takes a step closer.
"And after seeing you making out with my sister right after the ceremony last week? Trust me, Adrian, you’re the last person I’d ever fight over."
She turns and walks away without another glance, not waiting to hear another word from him.
Meanwhile, Adrian watches her go, feeling even more unsettled than before. Because deep down he can hear his wolf whispering:
If Nyra ever tried to leave Moon-Crest...
...we would hunt her down, and bring her right back.
