4. Hello Again, Mate!

Mate bond is just a horrid fairy tale created to trap the 

Innocent women! 

_

(Amelia)

'This is going to be my jail-free card!' Amelia thought.

'Get the f*ck out of this hell card!' Freya agreed to Amelia with a shake of her head. Just thinking about Colton Rivers was making them feel angry. 

Amelia grabbed the silver locket from Samara witha  sigh, and curiously looked at it. Her eyes scanned the silver pendant.

It looked like any other pendant. There was nothing special about it. Except for the small carving on the front, it was something Amelia could have easily bought it from an antique shop. Of course, it had this old world charm, but it was still another locket. 

“The spell is inside the locket. Don’t worry, I know what I am doing.” Samara said with a teasing smile and Amelia flushed with a guilty smile on her face. “But the charm would only mask the pheremones your wolf releases. It will be subtle and not overwhelming, and that is why he won't smell it. His wolf might not fully recognize yours, but the bond would still be there and it would be felt too. Without the wolf... it will be a deep need and he will feel it, feel the desire and everything you feel for your mate in your gut, except there won't be a wolf screaming mate....” Samara said with a look in Amelia’s direction. “So, the attraction will be more human-like, than the powerful wolf bond, but it will be there. The bond. The connection. The powerful attraction. It will all be there.” Samara said. 

Amelia almost wanted to gloat. This was exacty what she wanted to do.

“That is exactly what I need,” Amelia said with an evil, sinister smile on her lips.

Her eyes darkened and she sneered. 

Samara gave her a bewildered look. Samara had never seen Amelia look so beautiful, or so dangerous. Samara wondered if everything was alright with her. 

There was something different about Amelia, something alluring, something threatening. The witch narrowed her eyes before she shook her head. Amelia had always been quite the white, innocent one, but now... she didn't look quite as innocent.

“For someone who doesn’t want her mate, you sure look like a million dollars.” Samara wrinkled her nose. “Do you already know who your mate is? Do you not like him?” Samara's eyes were knowing and Amelia felt the spark of anger when she thought about her mate. The monster the Moon Goddess had chosen for her, once.

'Moon Goddess must be stark raving mad! Or blind!'

“Something like that,” Amelia waved her hands with a frown. “It is already time for the ball. I need to go. I promise I will tell everything to you later, okay? And Samara, thanks for this charm.” Amelia said as she hugged Samara. "You don't know how much I need this."

“My pleasure, darling. I can’t wait to hear this story of yours, you know.” Samara said as Amelia threaded the locket inside the chain she was already wearing, after removing the small pendant on the chain. She put the pendent inside her purse and wore the chain back again with Samara's locket in it.

The locket gently rested between her breasts, and when it touched her skin, Amelia felt the small spark and her eyes widened. The feeling was electric.

Samara grinned and nodded. “That is magic, darling. Now your wolf's scent will be undiscernible to your mate. All the best, for whatever you are trying to do here, darling. I hope everything will go according to your plans,” Samara said, with an air-kiss to Amelia’s cheeks.

Amelia said farewell to the witch and walked outside, placing a hand on the locket. All of her plans depended on this locket working and she hoped it would work.

She couldn't go through that nightmare again. Her heart couldn't take it for the second time. She had to have her vengeance and she had to break Colton and Meganne to pieces or this burning feeling in the pit of her stomach wouldn't stop. It would swallow her and she would die in her own hatred. She couldn't. They had to die.

Amelia thought about the first time she met Colton Rivers. He was the most stunning man she had ever seen and he had given her one look and then his eyes had turned into one of cool indifference.

His cursory glance was full of mockery and derision before he turned towards the woman standing next to him in a dark blue dress, so dark that it was black, and then Colton pulled the woman in a kiss that was so absolutely vulgar in the middle of the ball, with everyone looking.

His hands had crept lower to Meganne's back and he would fondle her ass in front of everyone, in front of Amelia as if he was telling Amelia who he wanted, without words, and Amelia almost died right there. She couldn't watch the drama anymore and so she had hidden in the balcony for the rest of the night and then left the ball with Blaine, earlier than she had planned.

This time... none of it was going to happen.

This time, he would look at her. Oh. He would. And he would want her.

Three pairs of eyes looked at her with curiosity, as Amelia opened the back door and sat down next to Cilia, but nobody asked anything and she was grateful for that. She needed to clear her mind. She needed to trust herself and to ready her wolf. Amelia knew it would be difficult.

'Freya? She called to her wolf. I need you to be strong. Even when he can’t sense you, you will sense him and you will feel the pull-' Amelia started and Freya's snarl was loud. Threatening.

'I will not feel anything for that shitty bastard.' Freya said with a growl.

'No, Colton is cruel. But Hawk, Hawk truly liked us. So I know, you will be tempted, but please…'

'You are mine and I am yours, and I will always protect everything dear to you. Hawk can go and die with Colton for all I care.' Freya told with a fierce glint in her jade green eyes as she rested back again.

Thankful and totally relieved by her wolf’s support, Amelia closed her eyes for the rest of the journey and rested her head on Cilia’s shoulder. Cilia’s eyes concernedly looked at Amelia, but she didn’t say or ask anything.

Cilia knew that Amelia would tell her everything when it was needed.

Cilia would give her time and space until then. After that, Cilia would be there for Amelia, no matter what, because they weren’t just friends. They were sisters bonded by soul.

***

Amelia took in a deep breath as she walked through the door. She looked down at herself and placed a hand over her chest to calm her running heart. It was threatening to jump out of her throat.

'Calm down. We will destroy the Alpha and his bitch! And then we will dance in their graves!" Freya said with a snap of her long canines.

Amelia exhaled loudly before she walked in.

The grand ballroom was almost thrice the size of Amelia's house.

Every year, the mating ball was held in the Grand Olympus Hotel, which was owned by the Lycan King and Queen. The whole place was power. It was rich and luxurious and beautiful. Everything was done in such a way that it captured attention.

This time, Amelia made sure to enjoy every detail. The previous time, she had missed, because she was so busy looking for her mate and then busy moping over his neglect.

Some of the young wolves standing by the refreshment tables threw her coveted glances and they nudged each other away to get a look at her.

No one had given her a second look during the first one! She was essentially invisible in that old dress.

Amelia was sure borrowing this dress from Cilia was the right choice. And she had asked Cilia to help her with the makeup. The smokey eye-shadow, the bronzer, the dark red lipstick that made her pink lips plump and seductive... oh, for a while, even Amelia couldn't stop looking at herself. No wonder all these young wolves wanted her.

She could smell their need, smell their love hormones going rampant and she smirked. She almost felt braver with each passing second and suddenly she was sure she could pull this off.

A man approached her with a seductive smile on his face. "I am Leo Harding, beta of Wild moon pack. I heard you are the daughter of Alpha Rolland?"

"Yes." Amelia said as she flicked her hair back. Her long neck was instantly visible now that her hair was not in the way. Leo gave her a look, one of pure need and his eyes darkened. Amelia grinned self-staisfied.

"Excuse me, Beta Harding, I need to find my friend." Amelia said as she excused herself from him. He was handsome, but he wasn't who she wanted to seduce this evening.

Eyes followed wherever she went, and she made sure to throw flirty glances at everyone who seemed to be staring in her direction. She looked at the clock ticking above in the grand hall. In another ten minutes, the show would begin.

She looked at the curving staircase, carved in mahogany, and the marble stairs. She looked at the time again.

One. Two. Three.

And then she saw him. Colton Allan Rivers.

She turned to the young wolf next to her and pretended to listen to him. He was overjoyed by the attention from this gorgeous female. But Amelia's eyes were fixed on Colton. Only on Colton.

Even through the hatred, even through the feeling of utter disgust and repulsion and roaring rage, she felt the first swirl of attraction when she saw the man who had destroyed her family.

The mate bond was strong and so was the lust pinging inside her body.

'Damn the mate bond. You are sick, Selene. Sick!' Amelia thought as Colton waited at the stairs for Meganne. Meganne would take her sweet, sweet time to make an entrance and what an entrance it was the first time.

'This time... oh, we will see.' Amelia muttered under her breath with a sly smile as she giggled loudly to something the young wolf said and she saw the exact moment Colton's eyes met hers. His eyes widened and his lips parted. She twirled her hair in her index finger as she looked up at him through her lashes, giving him a wanton look.

The first time, he had looked at her when he was at the end of the stairs, with Meganne on his arms and he had not even looked properly.

This time... his eyes were already on hers. He took her from head to toe and she saw the moment his gaze darkened and his body tightened. She gave him a teasing smirk as his eyes found her ample breasts, that was very obvious in Cilia's low cut dress. Oh, he saw it, alright.

He licked his lips and she bit her lips.

He stared at her and Amelia saw with satisfied sneer when Meganne saw the look Colton was giving her. Meganne's eyes narrowed as she looked down at Amelia.

Amelia grinned.

"Welcome to hell..." she whispered and for a moment, Meganne looked at her as if she had heard her. Then she turned to Colton, who was still looking at Amelia.

She hissed something to Colton and Colton gave her an absent shrug and then he was descending towards Amelia, and a very angry looking Meganne followed him.

"Oh, I am already buzzing..." Amelia laughed inside.

____