With Baboo gone, Valerie's mind wandered to her history with Zuca… the Almighty ruthless alpha of the Demon pack.
She and Zuca had been inseparable for as long as they could remember. Their bond was as deep and constant as the earth itself, woven together in a way that no one else could understand. From the moment they could walk, they had run side by side, sharing every secret, every dream. Their childhood had been an endless series of sunlit days in the golden fields that stretched endlessly over the pack's land… barefoot, wild and free. There, hidden away beneath the shade of ancient trees, they would whisper about the future, speaking of the lives they would lead and the roles they would play.
They were not just childhood friends. They were each other's soulmates, or so Valerie had always believed. The two of them had been as close as any two people could be. Their connection was not just emotional but spiritual, something almost otherworldly. There had always been an unspoken understanding between them, a knowing that they were meant to be together forever. They had shared everything… scraped knees, stolen glances, mischievous grins, the thrill of training with the pack, and the late night conversations that would stretch into the early hours of the morning.
Valerie's father had been the Beta of the pack, always standing by the Alpha's side, which meant Valerie spent much of her time at the packhouse, surrounded by the pack's traditions and rituals. It was there that her bond with Zuca had grown stronger, nurtured by the shared responsibility of their roles and the unbreakable ties of family. They trained together, fought together, and became an unstoppable team. Zuca had been her first for everything… her first kiss, the first time their hands had brushed, the first time their lips had met, trembling with excitement and fear… he had even been the first to know her body.
She had been certain that she would be his last also. She would be the one he chose, the one to share his future with. That was how it was always supposed to be.
But fate it seemed, had different plans.
At eighteen, the age when wolves typically found their fated mates, Valerie had held onto hope with everything she had. She had prayed fervently to the Moon Goddess, wishing for the bond to form between her and Zuca, as she believed it would. After all, they had grown up together, their souls intertwined over the years. It had to be Zuca. It was meant to be him, she thought. The bond would be undeniable, and the Moon Goddess would seal their union for all eternity.
But on the night of the mating ceremony, as the full moon bathed the land in its silvery glow, Valerie felt the bond snap into place. The energy pulsed through her, sharp and undeniable, but when she turned to find Zuca standing beside her, she realized the shocking truth.
The bond wasn't with Zuca.
It was with someone else… a wolf she barely knew, a stranger whose name she could hardly remember in the haze of shock that descended on her. The realization hit her like a bolt of lightning, and for a moment, she couldn't breathe. Her heart pounded in her chest, the overwhelming sensation of rejection washing over her.
But that wasn't the worst of it.
Zuca, the boy she had always believed to be hers had felt nothing.
No pull. No connection. No bond to anyone. He was mateless. And in that moment, it became clear that Zuca may never feel for anyone what Valerie had always hoped he would feel for her.
The pain was suffocating, a deep ache that seemed to consume her from the inside out. Her wolf howled in protest, but no matter how much she fought it, the truth was undeniable. The man she had always expected to be her forever was not hers, and the bond they had once shared was no more.
Valerie had been devastated, her world shattering around her. But she wasn't one to give up easily.
Despite the pain, despite the fact that the Moon Goddess had chosen another for her, Valerie stayed by Zuca's side. She refused to let go, clinging to the life they had built before the ceremony, the love they had shared before fate tore them apart. She couldn't bring herself to accept that the Goddess had been right… that they were not meant to be. Instead, she convinced herself that the Moon Goddess had made a mistake, that the bond with her true mate had been a mistake.
But it wasn't the Goddess's mistake… it was the mistake of a heart unwilling to let go.
Zuca's indifference to the whole situation stung more than anything. He didn't seek his fated mate. He didn't feel the need to. He had no desire to find someone else, someone who was meant for him. And so, he had stayed with Valerie, side by side, despite the bitter knowledge that their love could never be fully realized.
Then, as if some divine twist of fate had finally answered her silent prayers, her mate… the one the Goddess had chosen for her died.
The battle had been brutal, blood soaking the earth, screams echoing in the night. Valerie had not been there, but when the news came, she felt nothing. No grief. No sorrow. Just a cold emptiness that matched the hollow pit inside her.
Her mate was gone, but it didn't matter.
Her heart had never belonged to the man the Moon Goddess had chosen for her. It had always belonged to Zuca.
And yet, Zuca… the one she had given everything to remained distant, distant in a way that Valerie couldn't understand. He never sought her out in the way she had hoped, never showed the desperation she felt at times. And despite everything, Valerie had no choice but to stay by his side. Even when he finally became alpha at his father's passing, it was a complicated and painful existence, but it was the only one she knew.
Even if Zuca would never claim her, Valerie was sure of one thing… her heart was and would always be his, even if he never truly accepted it. And perhaps, just perhaps, the Moon Goddess had made a mistake in arranging their fate.