Broken Loyalty

Prologue

~Lucas~

Lucas ran his fingers through his hair, his eyes locked on the beauty with the long, golden mane. The steady beat of his heart kicked up a few notches when she spared him a glance. The small smile that broke out on her face before she turned back towards her friends had his heart thumping like a lovesick fool.

The excitement in the air was thick, and the chatter was loud. She-wolves were sending flirtatious winks, hoping to snag a male of high status. He didn't know what would happen to the rest of them, but one she-wolf was leaving the Gathering as an Alpha's mate.

A slap to his back knocked Lucas from his thoughts.

"Is there a member of the fairer sex out there that will finally tame Lucas Donovan?"

Lucas glanced over his shoulder at his best friend and smirked. "You know the answer to that, Thomas." Turning his head, Lucas continued to gaze at the only female that had been on his mind. "What about you? Will Thomas Walker leave the Gathering empty-handed?"

Thomas' loud laughter attracted the full attention of those around him. "When I leave the Gathering, Lucas, my hands will be extremely full."

"I feel sorry for your future mate, Tommy boy." Lucas snorted at the glare Thomas sent his way.

The crackling of the overhead speakers had the noise level dropping as everyone waited to hear what they would announce.

"Could everyone please take their seats? We would like our males to be on the right and females on the left. Your rank is the determining factor for your seat location. Alphas are at the front, followed by Betas and so forth. Our ceremony will take place in five minutes."

Lucas strolled towards the front, followed by Thomas. Dropping into his seat, he stretched his legs out. He was eager to get this show on the road.

The large auditorium echoed with the sounds of scraping chairs and excited chatter. Lucas turned his body, searching the group of she-wolves until his eyes landed on the object of his affection.

"Not much longer until we choose our mates." Thomas grinned.

Lucas turned his body towards the stage as the High Council made their way onto it and a middle-aged male approached the microphone.

"Quiet please," the speaker's voice boomed, quickly followed by silence. "Welcome all of you to the very first Mate Gathering!"

The room filled with the hoot and hollers of the eager male wolves.

"Yes, it is exhilarating, isn't it? The High Council came together to right the wrongs that our species has done. At one time, the Moon Goddess herself paired us with another, creating soul mates. Our ancestors took advantage of that and didn't appreciate the gift given to them. Rejection became all too frequent, so the Moon Goddess ended the reign of soul mates. The Gathering was created to prevent the extinction of our species. You are the start of this remarkable and exciting future."

More cheering cut off the speaker, and Lucas felt himself getting antsy. He grinned inwardly, knowing that in no time she would finally be his.

"We will start with the Alphas. We will randomly choose your name from our list and you will come up on stage. If you have your eye on a lucky she-wolf, you will write your name followed by hers in the mating ledger. I will call her up so the High Council can bless your union. I will ask that you refrain from marking each other until you are in your private rooms. If you do not have your eye on any of the females here, you may take a pass. In case you can't match today, you can return to the next Gathering or until your preferred mate comes along." The speaker glanced to the sides of the auditorium and gestured for the parents to wait until the end before joining their children. Looking back at the eager wolves, the speaker nodded, "let's get started."

Lucas leaned his head back, listening to the names being called. The idea of her name being announced didn't cross his mind. Lucas made it abundantly clear to the other Alphas that she was off-limits to them.

"Alpha Thomas Walker."

Lucas sat up and slapped his friend's back before he made his way up to the stage. He smiled as he saw Thomas hunch over the ledger and scribble his name, followed by the name of a lucky she-wolf. Thomas glanced up and locked eyes with Lucas, a smile taking over his face before stepping back to inform the speaker of his choice.

Lucas watched as Thomas took another step back and nodded towards him, a smile spreading over his face as his eyes were drawn to the female he had chosen. Lucas hadn't seen the smile that filled Thomas' face in years. A different type of happiness filled him. His friend would finally fill the missing part his parents took with them when they died.

Lucas watched as the speaker raised the microphone to his mouth. Excitement blossomed within him knowing his name would soon be called and anticipation filled him at that thought. His time was coming and once it did, it would forever change his life.

"Angelica Winston."

Just like that, his world crumbled around him.