Claire Pov.
Unedited.

My bulky leather boots crunch through the snow as we walk towards the bonfire. The ground, the trees, and the roof of the packhouse are drenched in snow. The stars are shining above us, bright and alive. The night sky is a dark, deep-blue color—like the deepest, darkest sea. There's a chill in the night air, but the flames from the bonfire roar to life, providing a little warmth.

Mecca's milk-chocolate skin seems to glisten as she stands in front of the burning light. Her amber eyes, filled with warmth, glow along with the flames. She is now wearing a sheer long black dress that clings to her body like a second skin. Her jet-black hair is still in the perfect updo. Some of her curls hang freely, blowing in unison with the wind. She looks wildly beautiful. Her natural habitat serves her right. Her happiness is my happiness.

I snuggle my face into the light-brown fur collar of my mink coat. The silky, beautifully sculptured fur provides extra warmth to my skin. I'm grateful.

I stop to stand beside Alec and his girlfriend, Samantha. We are currently waiting for the other humans and lycan royals to arrive before they start the festivities. I'm not too excited about it. The golden wolf b*tch is still on my hit list, and most humans besides Alec and Jadis always seem to hate me.

I sigh. Claire, this is a night of new beginnings, I tell myself. This is Mecca's night. Try to enjoy it.

Along the way, Mecca has told me that she ended her bond with Alpha Maddox twenty years after she was captured. That was over a century ago. She said that it was the hardest thing she had ever done. Mecca wanted him to be happy even though he wouldn't be happy without her. Alpha Maddox assumed she was dead once she released their bond. He must have been heartbroken.

I can't imagine living over 100 years thinking that my other half was killed. I feel bad for him—for them.

Alpha Maddox refused to search for a second-chance mate. He refused to move on. Mecca said he always told her that if the moon goddess called her home first, he would wait to go home to love again. They will reclaim that bond tonight by a mating ritual.

Alpha Maddox is a man of his word. Mecca is the luckiest she-wolf in this universe. I wish them nothing but an eternity of happiness. They deserve it. I refuse to spoil that. I'm just a little moody. That's all.

The big and tall bonfire is dancing wildly, growing taller by the second as the wind rushes around us. We are standing in front of the pack-house. Werewolves from the other several surrounding territories and the Western Pack have also joined us.

Alpha Maddox's brother, Beta Hunter, and their Alpha Luke are also present. I must say they are both freaking, smoking hot. I mean, scorching hot. They are burning brighter than the bonfire. The heat that I feel around them is unbearable. Gosh, these goddamn supernatural men. I can't take them.

Mecca also told me that Beta Hunter is the father of Farrah, the she-wolf I met earlier. It's hard to believe that the papa wolf is over the age of thirty.

Back to the objective, his pack is here not only to celebrate Mecca's return and union but also to locate his lost daughter named Embry. Both packs will become one until she's located. They have officially declared war on King Cyrus. It's sad that Mecca has to go to war as soon as she returns home. She should be at peace, not preparing for a battle.

I'm afraid for them all, Xander and Nicklaus included. I know for a fact that they will fight beside King Cyrus; that's why they came here in the first place. I'm pretty sure that the other kings will also come to fight for him. It's going to get ugly.

I try my best not to think about it. I watch the western alpha and his beta from a distance. Alpha Luke has the most usual eyes. He reminds me of a younger version of Xander: icy silver eyes, a God‑given face, and welcoming nature. Beta Hunter, on the other hand, looks extremely similar to his older brother: dark features, extremely handsome face, piercing blue eyes—just like his brother.. During our introduction, he gave me the cold shoulder.

The apple most certainly doesn't fall that far from the tree with the Wilde family. They are all the same. Hot and cold.

Apparently, the werewolf community looks up to the Wildes. Honestly, I don't see why, but who cares about what I think? I'm just human.

The other humans have finally arrived. I watch their unfamiliar faces with no interest. Alec and Samantha rush over to them.

At least some of their friends escaped. Jadis on the other hand . . .Oh my Jadis.

I lower my head, attempting to get her soft features and gentle nature out of my thoughts. I refuse to be a party pooper. Tonight is not about me. It's about freedom and second chances. It's not fair for me to be the Grinch. I should be grateful.

"Claire, is that you?" says a voice I really don't care to remember.

I lift my head. Victoria, the redhead slut, is standing right in front of me. Screw not being the Grinch. This is not freaking fair. Jadis is still in chains, but the vamp tramp is free. F*ck the fates!

I brush right past her, and yes I bump her shoulder. This is the last person I expected to see, and I damn sure never want to see her face again. Stupid b*tch.

"Wait, Claire!" she calls out, chasing after me. "Claire, please wait."

I turn to face her. I'm not in the mood to play battle of the bitches, so if this redhead says the wrong thing, I swear things will get real.

My eyes lock with Mecca, who is watching us from afar. Crazy ole Mecca's eyes flash bright yellow. That's my girl. She is trained to go, and I know for a fact that she has my back, without a doubt.

"What do you want, Victoria?" I say in a very hostile voice.

She lowers her eyes to the ground. "Nothing. It's just nice to see a familiar face," she tells me.

Victoria looks stunning, but that's to be expected. She is wearing a black trench coat, a plaid and button-down red shirt, black jeans, and some bulky black boots similar to the ones I'm wearing. Her red lips are a great contrast with her pale skin and flaming-red hair. Victoria has always been pretty, but her heart is really ugly.

I roll my eyes and walk away.

"I'm sorry, Claire," she says. "I'm sorry for everything. I was terrible to you, and I will never be able to make up for it. But maybe you can forgive me."

"Now, why would I do that?" I snap, turning back around to face her, placing my hands on my hips.

"Because tonight is about new beginnings, right?" asks Victoria. "The other humans here speak highly about the golden-haired human that was brave enough to stand up for another human slave." She smiles a real genuine smile.

What has gotten into this girl?

"They say that she stood her ground to save a human boy," she goes on. "The wolves have also been speaking highly of the golden-haired girl. Apparently, she saved their leader. None of us would be here if it wasn't for that girl."

"I thought you were content with being a chosen. Why would it matter if you're free or not?" I ask her.

"I have never been content with being a slave, Claire," she admits. "I was just doing what I had to do to survive. I'm not that brave, Claire." She sighs. "I don't know how to stand my ground, but I do know this: Any slave with that much courage deserves nothing but respect." Her eyes are filled with warmth.

I have known her since I was five years old. I have never seen this side of her.

"With that being said, I want to apologize. The moment they spoke of the golden-haired girl, I knew in my heart they were speaking of you. I have always envied your courage, the way you stood up against the vampires and other humans at school. I have always been jealous that you could show no fear." She takes a deep breath, then continues, "But tonight is a new beginning for all of us, and that has a lot to do with you. So, thank you, Claire."

Who is this girl, and what the hell did she do with my archnemesis?

"Thank you, Claire, for showing courage when no one else did." She pulls me into a hug.

I'm shocked and completely lost for words.

* * *

Tonight has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I'm deeply honored to witness and be a part of this glorious event.

The mating ritual was beautifully strange. Alpha Maddox and Mecca spoke vows my human mind couldn't process. It was something about the Luna giving them the power to become one again, which is obviously self‑explanatory, but when they started to speak a foreign language, I could not fully grasp it. Their eyes started to glow, and they half shifted. Meaning, they were halfway between human and werewolf. Their hands and feet had claws. Their bodies had little fur, and their eyes continued to glow. It was creepy, and it kind of reminded me of the first time I met Mecca.

Moving past that, the ceremony was beautiful. Well, as beautiful as expected until they started to hump each other in front of everyone and bit into each other's neck. See, what I mean? It was strangely beautiful. I had to turn away. I refused to watch creatures doing the Humpty hump.

The mood is peaceful even with the privileged lycans being present. Now, let me just say this: The golden wolf's aura most certainly gives off regal power and dominance. However, the aura of her parents, the lycans rulers, folds triple stacks over. True to his title, the Lycan King Luke screams, "Follow my lead." The crazy part is he hasn't spoken a word. He hasn't blinked, laughed, smiled, or even introduced himself. Just with one look and you'll know he's the king of these creatures. He's tall, strong, and handsome.

He seems bored—the way his stunning greenish-gray eyes don't show even an ounce of interest and the way his full and luscious lips refuse to even twitch at the most entertaining festivities that have been displayed during this beautiful night. It's obvious that he doesn't want to be here, the same with the lycan queen named Luna. Her thick, luscious dark hair is pulled back into a high bun, exposing her flawlessly sculptured, unemotional face. Her thick and well‑defined eyebrows enhance her cold, chilling green eyes that are so similar to her daughter's. She forces a smile every once in a while, but that's it. The only thing that seems to hold her attention is me. I have noticed her eyes flickering in my direction numerous times. She watches me.

She raises her thick eyebrow when I stare right back at her. Finally, she looks away. I have a hunch that the queen doesn't like me. I'm completely unbothered. Like seriously, who cares? She might as well join the club . . .

Anyway, many different wolves are now giving speeches and their blessing to Mecca and the Alpha's union. An older she-wolf is passing out hot chocolate around us humans, while the werewolves' children are heating up marshmallows to go along with their chocolate and Graham cracker dessert. This is truly a completely different world.

Mecca makes her way towards the front of the bonfire. Her eyes flicker in my direction. She looks so happy.

My eyes start to water. I'm extremely happy for her.

She clears her throat. "First things first, I want to thank everyone who came to celebrate our union, peace, and my homecoming."

The crowd burst in shouts of joy, whistles, and I'm sure I just heard a few wolf howls.

She turns to face me. "I want to thank someone special and very dear to my heart. As most of you already know, I wouldn't have had the strength to make it back here if it hadn't been for this brave little human."

Mecca's eyes glow that fascinating shade of yellow. I'm aware that her wolf is present. She walks over in my direction. All eyes are on us, but hers are locked on me.

"Claire," she says, holding out her hand in my direction.

I walk closer towards my friend and the burning flames. The smell of the wood-burning invades my nostrils. It smells festive and quite pleasant. I accept her hand without hesitation. It's crazy how close we have grown in this short period of time. I feel safe standing beside her. My bond with the crazy ole she-wolf is not easy to explain.

"I once told you that there was something about you," she says to me. "For the life of me, I couldn't place my finger on it."

Alpha Maddox, who is holding an oak box with little wolves carved on the front of the case, steps beside her. The lycans, Western Pack, and the other wolves watch us with great interest.

My heart is hammering, racing, and beating a million pounds per second.

He opens the box slowly, only to reveal an astonishing piece of jewelry. It's a pear-shaped emerald V-bale pendant with a diamond upholding the emerald. The emerald glistens the very moment he holds it in his hand.

The crowd breaks out in chaos. There are audible gasps, shouts, and even some wolf growls.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" says a heart-wrenching voice.

There is so much going on around me, but my eyes are glued to the pendant. I can hear things. And no matter how hard I try to turn away, I just can't. I'm stuck, lost in a trance. The diamond is calling to my soul, and the emerald feels extremely close to my heart.

Alpha Maddox is arguing with someone. I don't know who. I don't recognize the person's voice. I feel Mecca place a gentle but firm hand on my shoulder. It's like she's protecting me from something or someone.

Seconds later, I feel the pendant being placed around my neck. The cool and fine material is like ice on my skin. My heart starts to beat wildly, and everything around me slows in motion. The lycan king is in front of me. His eyes are pure gold, burning hot rage and spitting angry fire. He attempts to snatch the pendant off my neck but howls in a fit of pain the very moment his hands come in contact with my skin.

I feel a surge of power rush through me like a tidal wave of wind.

"Turn around," says a deep and familiar voice.

The air seems to sizzle, zapping like lightning. My body becomes like mush. I turn to face him. My ass-kissing king and a group of unrecognizable vampires—the men in black—have returned.

"Come to me," he commands, but my feet don't move a single inch.

"Vampires!" someone calls out, and all hell breaks loose.

He holds up a silver item, aiming it.

From afar it looks like . . . It's a gun! Nicklaus is holding a gun, directly in Mecca's direction.

Suddenly, my mind goes blank.

Flashback

"Are you just going to leave the beast woman there?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

He bursts out into another fit of laughter.

"I have already had some guards send the beast woman back to her cell," he answers.

Wait a minute, the beast woman is alive? That's impossible. He snapped her neck. I saw it with my own eyes. It made a crunch sound—snap, just like that.

"It takes a lot more than snapping their neck to kill a werewolf, especially one as strong as her. The only way to kill a werewolf is by shooting them in the heart with a silver bullet," he answers my question once again, invading my privacy.

"What do you mean by saying one as strong as her?" I continue my questioning.

End of flashback

<🌑>Awake Monday

Please don't forget to hit that golden star ⭐️ comment and follow. Please Please Please Follow My Instagram page. Thanks, Love Bugs 💕 The Next update will be Friday.