Chapter 1


    01 An order and Not a request


    Tia.


    I got to the Woodw pack partyte, and everyone was in celebratory mode. Kirk motioned me to join


    him and Caleb in the VIP section, which I did. When I got there, I was heartbroken to see why Caleb


    couldn’t pick me up. She was blonde and beautiful, and her name was Kimberly Miles. I knew she and


    Caleb were talking, but I did not think it would be serious since Caleb was the serious-minded type. I


    guess he developed a soft spot for her.


    I sat down and hid my emotions.


    “Sorry I couldn’te, Tia. Kimberly made us wait longer than necessary, so I could note over. I


    will make it up to you, I promise,” Caleb apologised innocently, but I noticed Kimberly wasn’t happy


    about it, and I suspected she made him wait deliberately.


    “No need to make it up to me, Caleb. I am not mad,” I told my friend, and he thanked me. Caleb was


    also kind to me but as a friend. It hurt, but there was nothing I could do about it.


    I had a crush on him ever since we were teens, but I guessed he never noticed. He was all business.


    Caleb had a lot of pressure on him growing up, and most of it was because his older brother was


    irresponsible, so he had to step up and train to take over from their father as Alpha. His mother made


    sure he did not disappoint his father. She was hard on him, and it had paid off. He did well in his Alpha


    exams, and his father had openly praised him for his effort.


    I wasn’t interested in bing a warrior until the day Caleb told me he would be going for the Alpha


    training. We were fifteen then. I immediately signed up and hoped to finish first ce so that I could be


    his beta, and Caleb and I would finally have something inmon, hoping that would bring us together


    and he would eventually see me. If it weren’t for Caleb, I would have trained as a medical doctor


    instead, but I wanted to spend time with him. That was four years ago. Four years of crushing on him


    and hoping he would see me one day. He never did, and here we are now, out of the academy, and


    soon we will be ready to take on our duties, and I was still in the Friend’s zone while another woman


    restedfortably in his arms.


    The party went with Kimberly taking up all of Caleb’s attention. Kirk, the strongest wolf of our set at the


    academy and Caleb’s beta, asked me to dance, and I obliged, but I had eyes only for Caleb. He had


    grown into a handsome man, but his looks weren’t what drew me to him. He was caring, loving and


    honest. He was responsible and made selfless decisions. The pack will be in a great ce with him as


    Alpha. I secretly believed I had fallen in love with him. Sure he did not know and would never know as


    things were because I wasn’t the type to ask a guy out. I had thought that maybe when we start running


    the pack, he will appreciate me more and fall in love, but not anymore.


    I wasn’t stupid. If Caleb couldn’t fall all these years, what would make him fall now. Unless the moon


    goddess grants me that wish, I guess I would keep pining for him. At this point, I just wanted to be over


    him and forget about my feelings for him, but it was damn too difficult. My heart wanted what it wanted,


    even though it might not be good for us.


    Tired of dancing, Kirk and I returned to the VIP section, where Kimberly was trying her best to get


    intimate with Caleb by sticking her tongue in his ear, and he seemed to be making an effort to control


    the situation. Kirk cleared his throat to announce our presence, and she pulled away from Caleb. I saw


    her tongue go back into her mouth, and it disgusted me. I doubted it disgusted Caleb because there


    was lust in his eyes. I was mad at how easy it was for her to get his attention. Was it that men did not


    fancy strong women? I had heard some people talk about preferences, and it seemed like a girl had to


    pretend to be dumb and helpless to find a man. If that were the case, I would never be lucky because I


    was anything but that, and I was a bad pretender.


    “So, what will you be doing in the next two years before we take over our positions?” Kirk asked Caleb,


    and Caleb looked at me. I knew if my skin were pale, they would have seen me blush at that moment,


    but my face just seemed expressionless. I couldn’t say the same about my eyes, but he wasn’t looking


    at me.


    “I do not know, Kirk. Tia, you?” Caleb asked, and I loved how he called my name with so much


    gentleness. I looked away immediately, then shook my head. I honestly did not know what I would be


    doing before we take over our offices.


    I looked at Kirk to return his question to him, and he smiled at me.


    “Travelling. I need to travel a lot because once we take up those offices, freedom will be a thing of


    the past,” he said, and it was such a brilliant idea. I wondered if I would be able to go with him.


    “That is so cool, Kirk,” I said wide-eyed.


    ” Do you mind if Ie?” I asked, and Kirk looked at Caleb as if he needed his permission before he


    could answer me.


    “If you go with him, who will be my friend and keep mepany here?” Caleb asked me, and I thought


    of the obvious answer in my head, Kimberly, but if I said it, he would know I was jealous, and that


    would make our friendship awkward.


    “I am sure you have other friends to keep youpany,” I managed, looking at Kimberly, ” Better and


    more interestingpany than I can be,” Ipleted, and she smiled, knowing what I was implying.


    “That is right, Caleb. I am all thepany you will need,” she said and licked his earlobe again. She


    wanted to be luna so bad. Most of the girls that threw themselves at Caleb wanted to be luna so badly.


    Not me. I will still feel the same for Caleb, even if he wasn’t to be the next Alpha.


    “I want toe with you, Kirk,” I said, knowing that I needed time away from Caleb. Time to get over


    my pining for him. He will never see me, and he will never love me. I needed to ept it and move on.


    This trip with Kirk would do a lot of wonders for me. I needed to get over Caleb and focus on other


    things.


    “Maybe I wille,” Caleb said, looking at me and smiling, and I felt down because that would defeat


    the whole purpose. Spending time with him would not make him see me or develop any feelings for


    me. I have tried that already. I just ended up being his best buddy.


    “You’ll bring me along?” Kimberly asked, and I almost rolled my eyes. Thest thing I wanted was to


    travel around with her sticking her tongue in Caleb’s ear at every given opportunity. It will make me


    sick. I knew it. If he says yes, I would just think of an excuse that would help me chicken out of the trip.


    “I will think about it,” Caleb said to her, and she frowned and then looked at me as if it were my fault.


    She had it twisted because I did not want Caleb toe on the trip.


    We had a couple of drinks and tried not to get drunk, then called it a night.


    “Let’s go hunting tomorrow in the morning,” Caleb offered. I waited to hear what Kimberly had to say


    before agreeing.


    “I want toe too,” She said, and I rolled my eyes. Caleb saw me, and heughed.


    “I guess the three of you will have to go without me,” I said, and Caleb frowned.


    “Come on, Tia, we are a good team. You and I,” he said, and how I wished that were true. Me and him


    a team, but it wasn’t, so I just smiled.


    “I am sure you, Kirk and Kimberly would be formidable,” I said and did not bother to look at Kimberly’s


    face. I knew she hated me at this point because it seemed Caleb’s decision had a lot to do with me. I


    wouldn’t like me if I were her, so I did not take offence.


    Caleb told me to think about it, and I drove off. I wasn’t going to think about it. I did not care. All I


    wanted to do was get over him.


    I got home, and everyone was asleep, so I snuck up to my bedroom. I did not want to trouble anyone.


    Morning came, and I contemted going on the hunt with Caleb and Kirk. Hopefully, they wouldn’t


    allow Kimberly to join in. I knew she spent the night with Caleb in the Moon mansion, so I doubted he


    could ditch her. I headed downstairs to eat. I dislike hunting in wolf form when I am hungry; it made me


    act crazy, and I do not want to seem mad.


    To my surprise, my parents were waiting for me in the kitchen. They had this worried look in their eyes


    which got me nervous.


    My mother was a nurse, and my father was a doctor. They worked in the medical department, so they


    were supposed to have gone to the hospital to resume their shift, but something was wrong.


    “Tia, how was your night?” My mother asked me with a nervous smile, and I smiled at her.


    “Great,” I said, trying to ignore their mood, and she nodded at me.


    “We need to speak to you about something important, darling.” My father said, and my stomach


    churned. I doubt it was good news.


    We left the kitchen and went to sit on the couch in the living room.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    My mother looked at my father. It was clear they weremunicating with themselves about


    something through the mind link. I wasn’t privy to that conversation.


    “Tia, you know how much we love you, right?” My father asked, and that didn’t sound right. I knew they


    loved me, and starting the sentence with that made it obvious that they were about to say something


    that would make me mad.


    “We want what is best for you, but we have duties to the pack, too. We should have told you this over a


    month ago, but we wanted you to go through your graduation before we break the news to you,” My


    father said, and my mother began to shed tears. I started crying too out of fear. Whatever would make


    my mother cry was sad.


    “Tia,” My father said and sighed, “Alpha Aesop Moon has asked for you to be joined with Luke Moon,


    his first son. Seeing that you beat all the female wolves in your generation and finished second ce,


    and the fact that you are a good youngdy and properly brought up, he has chosen you for his son.


    Alpha Aesop Moon believes the union would help Luke be a better version of himself and help


    him mature to support his younger brother when Caleb finally takes over the pack. Alpha Aesop


    believes your friendship with Caleb will help both brothers settle their differences and support one


    another. It wasn’t a request, it was an order, and we had toply and ept.” he said, and I


    screamed with all my might.