TESSA’S POV
Thud… thud… thud… thud…
The loud beating of my heart was the only thing I could hear as we kissed.
Atlas kissed me passionately, and I could not deny that it brought a powerful sensation in my body, making the butterflies inside my stomach swirl like crazy.
His lips were soft, sweet, and entrancing. I was all too aware that I’d been kissing him back long enough, and that I had to breathe, but I just could not break the kiss.
It was addicting…
He was addicting…
Atlas pulled back, and I immediately sucked in a long, deep breath. His eyes focused on me as I stared up at him. My cheeks flushed pink the moment he offered me a small smile. However, I could still see the sadness in his eyes, and it was so hard to ignore.
“A-Are you alright?” I asked worriedly.
He cupped both of my cheeks as he inhaled. “I didn’t know you were going to come here.”
“I wanted to witness the coronation,” I answered. No, I wanted to witness you accepting the throne, I thought inwardly.
“And so you heard what my father said after I received the position?”
Swallowing hard, all I ever did was give him a small nod. It wasn’t like I could even lie about it. I heard everything… it was clear to me that his parents wanted someone else to be his Luna-a woman with a strong identity and a strong pack. A sting of pain pricked my chest at that idea. I didn’t know why I was affected…
Could it be that I wanted to become his Luna, too?
Or was it that I wanted to be that woman who could stay close to him and be the only one he could call home?
Either way, I knew from the start that his parents would never accept me.
“I apologize that you had to hear it,” he said, and then swallowed deeply.
My thoughts wandered in a vast realization, but my heart raced when he pressed his forehead against mine. His mint breath was alluring. My eyes dropped to his soft lips again. Shit! Tessa, get back to your senses now!
“I didn’t know my father would announce it in public. Had I known about it ahead of time, I should have been able to stop him from doing so…”
“Hey, it’s not your fault,” I uttered.
“Whatever they do, my decision will still be the same, Tessa.” He stared at me intently. “I will wait for you to feel the mate bond.”
It was an honor to hear it from the new Alpha himself. His words were like a promise that I could hold onto; one thing that was true… He was giving me enough reasons to accept that I had finally come to like him, even though we never had a good start.
“I know and I believe in you… Alpha Atlas,” I said softly.
He then pulled me into a hug.
Despite my flushed face, I managed to stay still while he hugged me.
And I just found myself smiling afterward.
***
COHEN’S POV
Happiness and privilege.
Those were the two things I was feeling at the moment, looking at our pack who wanted to celebrate with me after the coronation. I still couldn’t believe that the Beta position was passed over me. It was a dream come true.
Ever since I was young, my father devoted himself to honing me to become the right-fit heir to the position. From allowing me to read books of werewolf laws to teaching me how to think as a leader, he never failed to make me understand of what I should be when the right time came.
It wasn’t just my dream, but a family’s dream. The Brookes were known as the family of Betas, and as much as possible, we would like to keep the title going through every generation.
Now that I had become the Beta, there was only one thing I needed to have for my life to be damn perfect.
It was Tessa, who would make my overall dreams complete…
After the speech of the former Alpha Frank, I noticed Atlas had become distant to his father, and the reason was too obvious. He didn’t like to be manipulated by his own parents.
It was clear that the former Alpha and Luna didn’t like Tessa for him. I didn’t feel bad about it though, as it was an advantage on my part. With his parents going against the moon fate, my chance to claim Tessa would be higher than Atlas. He was an Alpha, and regardless of how he felt, he needed to choose what would be best for the pack.
My gaze followed Atlas as he walked out. I could only smirk, thinking how problematic he was because of his tight situation. I just hope he will just give up on Tessa. After all, my mate likes me more than him…
“Congratulations, Cohen!” said the familiar voice of Tessa’s aunt.
I turned to Alice, completely surprised. “Alice, you’re here.” Then I started to look around. “Did you come alone?”
She chuckled and eyed me mischievously. “You’re looking for my niece. She came here with me.”
Excitement went through me. I bet she was happy to witness my coronation!
“Where is she? I must speak with her. It’s a happy night,” I said.
“She’s just around the corner,” Alice answered. “Anyway, congratulations again, Beta Cohen!”
“I appreciate it. I should go find my mate.”
I excused myself to find Tessa. Her scent lingered in the air, and as I followed it, my confusion kicked in as the scent brought me to the same door where Atlas exited earlier.
My brows furrowed. A sudden pang of anxiety went through me as my thoughts began to imagine things…
Did Tessa follow Atlas?
“It’s impossible…” I whispered.
Tessa didn’t like Atlas. There was no way she would follow him knowing that I was here. She would always choose me over other men. That was how she liked me.
I tried to calm myself as I walked through the same door, following her scent until it brought me to the backyard of the White House. My eyes narrowed as I looked around. The area was more like a forest engulfed by darkness.
I sniffed and still could smell Tessa’s sweet scent, and so I continued to walk to find her.
But I came to a halt when I was near the lake.
There I saw Atlas and Tessa kissing and getting cozy under the moonlight.
I could have sworn that the sight of them doing something behind my back made me feel enraged to the extent that my claws came out, and all my veins felt like erupting like a volcano.
The longer I watched them, the tighter my chest became. Damn it! I felt cheated on by my mate and my best friend.
Tessa was mine…
How are you, Atlas!
As much as I wanted to go after them and take Tessa away from the goddamn new Alpha, I kept my emotions under control. I couldn’t afford to scare my mate in that manner.
“You’re going to regret this, Atlas…” I growled lowly as I glared over at him. “Tessa is only mine and there’s no way you can snatch her away from me.”
With a heavy heart, I turned away, with a promise kept within me that I’d make Atlas kneel in front of me and regret kissing my Tessa.
Soon, Atlas… You’re going to face my wrath soon.