Chapter 1
Chapter 1 A Fated Night
Lana’s POV
The day of our one-year anniversary, I’d finally decided to give my v!rginity to my boyfriend Caleb.
As an Alpha, Caleb had been surprisingly patient with my request to wait and was nothing but loving and protective during the year we had been together.
I made this decision not only because Caleb was my fated mate, but because I had already decided, deep down, that he was worth it.
I left study group early and hurried back to the dorm to get ready—only to find Caleb lying naked on my bed, moaning.
Not alone, but with a blonde girl straddling him.
I stood frozen in the doorway, half-convinced this was some kind of nightmare. But reality was more terrifying.
The girl shifted with the movement, turning just enough that I could see her face. The second I recognized her, my bl00d turned to ice.
That girl was none other than my roommate and best friend, Olivia.
Tears stung my eyes as the bag holding the lingerie Olivia had talked me into buying hit the floor when she found out my little plan with Caleb.
But the two of them in my room were so lost in each other they didn’t even notice, still caught up in their flirting.
“Exciting, isn’t it? We’re doing it right on your precious little omega mate’s bed p>
“You’re so fυcking tight… don’t be ridiculous, I was only tied to her because the mate bond p>
My stomach tightened into a knot. Had all of Caleb’s usual affection and respect been a lie?
The sight of them made me sick—one more second and I’d be ill. “What the hεll are you two doing p>
Caleb’s alpha-heightened senses seemed finally to kick in. His eyes locked with mine, and something flickered in his gaze—too fast to name—before his expression smoothed back into calm.
He just glanced away, reaching for the blanket on my bed and pulling it over his lap.
Olivia let out a small yelp and scrunched her legs up to her chest before she composed herself.
“Well, as my mate and my best friend, is there something the two of you forgot to say to me?” My voice was shaking.
The heartbreaking truth was staring me right in the face. But somewhere deep down, a pathetic part of me still hoped for an explanation, or at least an apology.
Caleb’s brows drew together slightly. “Lana, you couldn’t actually believe this would last. I’m a future Alpha, and you… you’re just an omega. There was never going to be an us p>
My heart sank. Of course I knew about the glaring gap between Caleb and me. He wasn’t just any Alpha but the future leader of the Eastern Packs.
And even though everyone nowadays liked to preach equality, discrimination against omegas was everywhere. Most people didn’t even think we needed an education—just someone to keep things tidy.
“How can you say that?” I forced myself to swallow the lump in my throat. “You pursued me. What about all those promises? And all that kindness? Your offer to take care of me, the gentle kisses in the night as you waited like I had asked p>
Caleb’s frown deepened, but he never said a word.
The silence was broken by Olivia. “Oh, Lan-Lan,” she chimed in, her voice dripping with false sympathy. “It’s really not fair of you. You can’t expect an Alpha like Caleb to just wait forever. He has… needs p>
My temper, already frayed, finally snapped. “You don’t get to say that! You knew p>
But before I could finish, Caleb cut me off, his voice sharp with displeasure. “What’s done is done. We’re over. But speaking to Olivia like that…” He shook his head, his gaze cold. “That’s no way to address a beta. Especially not one who just gave me her v!rginity p>
A wave of absurdity washed over me. Most wolves shift around the age of sixteen, as I had, and when they do the call of the heat is irresistible. Fighting, fυcking, you name it, it pulls at you. If you can stay a v!rgin until you find your mate, the power you gain is said to me immense.
I had held onto my v!rginity beyond the age of nineteen. By my own will, unheard of for an Omega, I fought the call and held onto my v!rginity. My future mate was more important than any carnal des!re.
That was the secret surprise I was going to share with Caleb tonight, in our special moment. And now that moment, that truth, had been stolen from me by my so-called best friend, and my mate had believed her.
“V!rgin? She’s brought five different guys back to the dorm earlier this week. You’re just the rebound she settled for because she couldn’t get Kade.” There was a tremor running through me.
Everyone at school knew Kade was the rival Caleb hated most.
On top of that, Kade was famously known as a v!rgin hunter—something Olivia often complained about, blaming it for why he never returned her advances.
I wasn’t lying, not just to provoke Caleb. But Caleb didn’t see it that way at all.
His expression darkened instantly. “You don’t have to make up lies like that just because you’re jealous p>
“V!rgin or not, you know she’s the better choice here. Anyone would agree.” The pure lack of emotion in his voice cut deeper than the words.
My resolve broke as the tears began to stream down my face.
“It’s not as if I was lying, Lana but some things are just as they are. You can’t change our world, even if we are fated to be together I have to think what is best for the pack. You have to understand that.” Caleb sounded set and resolved. Uncaring.
His words sent another fount of tears flowing. To think he could have ever been mine even if it was to be.
“Caleb, we’re done. I, Lana…” I was about to speak the words that would reject him as my mate when he cut me off.
Caleb’s face darkened. “As an Alpha, I won’t allow an omega to reject me,” he stated, his voice low and final. “Besides, the campus ranking matches are in one month. I won’t allow anything—or anyone—to jeopardize my taking first place p>
I gritted my teeth, holding back the urge to throw an even uglier truth in his face: even before any of this happened, Kade had always beaten Caleb in the campus ranked matches, taking first every time. And now Caleb seemed to be pinning it all on me.
For the first time since my world shattered, a flicker of doubt cut through the pain—had Caleb always been this kind of person, all along?
Before I could respond, Olivia snuggled closer to him, soothing him as if I were the intruder in my own room.
I couldn’t stand another second in that space. The bed was tainted anyway—I’d be dragging it to the dumpster later. I turned and left, slamming the door shut behind me with a force that shook the frame.
With an early class the next morning, I had no choice but to head to the only hotel near campus.
The lobby was all gilded luxury, and the front desk clerk matched the decor with her uniformly snooty attitude. When I asked for the cheapest room available, she barely glanced up, just flicked a hand to indicate the direction.
The endless hallway carpeted in a dizzying, repeating pattern made my head spin. Following her vague gesture, I finally found room twelve—only to notice the door wasn’t fully closed.
What was going on?
My eyebrows knit together as I cautiously test the entrance, taking a curious step inside.
The bathroom door opened revealing a half-naked man surrounded by a billow of steam. My bag fell to the floor as I let out a gasp and stepped back.
Oh. My. Gosh.
I recognized the handsome man with the perfectly sculpted muscles standing before me.
Caleb’s biggest rival. Olivia’s dream boy.
It was Kade.
Ruby Walker
Ruby Walker is a rising voice in the world of romance and spicy fiction. With a gift for weaving deep emotions, sizzling chemistry, and unexpected twists, her stories are a blend of passion and drama that captivate readers from start to finish. Ruby’s writing style is bold and irresistible—perfect for those who crave intense, addictive love stories.