In Kyra’s world, men do the bidding and women are the prizes. As she’s been told: “Healthy, pretty girls always get chosen. Be a 10.” With the Mating Ball about to begin, her destiny is upon her. Kyra will be matched to her true mate, and as everyone knows, the Alpha always chooses first.
Age Rating: 18+
The Prince’s True Mate by Ariel Low is now available to read on the Galatea app! Read the first two chapters below, or download Galatea for the full experience.
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1
In Kyra’s world, men do the bidding and women are the prizes. As she’s been told: “Healthy, pretty girls always get chosen. Be a 10.” With the Mating Ball about to begin, her destiny is upon her. Kyra will be matched to her true mate, and as everyone knows, the Alpha always chooses first.
Age Rating: 18+
Original Author: Ariel Low
In the eyes of most children everything is bright, colorful and fantastic. I like to believe it’s because their hearts and minds are open for the world.
There’s nothing comparable to the unadulterated happiness they feel, and their laughs or their smiles.
I once was that child… I was joyful, and I listened to what I was told without thinking anything of it.
All was bliss, until I started listening to their words.
“Runaways are cowards, and a disgrace to the pack. This is your duty, and your honor. Fail… and you pay in your family’s blood.”
It’s our first lesson in school, straight after introductions. They nailed it into our brains since six years old. I never thought differently until the day I turned twelve.
No longer could I ignore the sound of my pack’s hungry bellies and blame it on people who ran away years before.
I saw that we had no choices, and that all freedoms and free thought had been stolen without our knowledge.
We can’t question authority, and we most definitely cannot question our rulers.
“Alphas always choose.”
Ironically, I don’t know if I should feel deprived. I’ve never known anything different.
“Healthy, pretty girls always get chosen. Be a 10.”
I can’t run, and I can’t hide. Invisibility is the only way to fly under the radar, which is why I’m just normal.
And any male will be damned if they want me because of such. They would never pick me without my consent, because I refused to stand out. Who would want a normal wolf as their chosen mate?
Settling for anything less than my true mate is not an option. They could take anything else,but not that…
“Kyra, don’t get so lost in your thoughts,” Jett teases me, and elbows me so hard that he nearly takes out a rib. You could rarely catch my brother being serious, and now was no exception.
“Screw off, you’ve been going to the Mating Ball for the last three years,” I shot back instantly. There is no doubt that I was wound up like a ten-day clock. I can’t help but think that Jett’s mate will beextremelylucky. He’s a delta, so it’s unlikely that any higher-ranking males will choose her before him.
Unfortunately, the Mating Ball is like an auction, but for mates. Men always do the bidding, and women are always the prize.
Females are ranked, and then chosen by the men in an orderly fashion with the highest ranking wolves picking first. It’s an annual event, and all the wolves in the kingdom attend.
“It’s no biggie Ky. This every year, and it’s always fine,” He patted my shoulder as he tries to comfort me. Jett doesn’t see his ignorance, but I can’t blame him for being brainwashed. I’ve tried to express my opinion multiple times to no avail.
“I don’t know, Jett… I’m scared. I might dislike Hayden and Cayden but I don’t wanna leave those two behind. Families should never be forced to part,” I shutter, thinking about being chosen. Jett is the only brother I actively talk to, because he’s willing to overlook my differing opinions. The twins, Hayden and Cayden refuse to understand or respect my beliefs. Even though I can’t stand them, I love them and understand that it’s all a product of circumstance.
My father, on the other hand, is a different issue entirely…
“Ky, if you have an issue just find me… and don’t think about that stuff. I know we may disagree, but the Ball is getting to your head and upsetting you. I don’t like it when you’re distressed,” He mutters, and in a rare display of affection he wraps his arms around me. Our hug is brief, as the car we’re in pulls up to a curb. “I never thought I would say this, but I wish you were ugly,” He groans as I push my face into his chest. “I can’t help but be worried,” Jett sighs, and so much concern is laced in his eyes.
“I don’t know if I’m insulted or grateful,” I sigh, not quite agreeing with his declaration of me being “pretty”. My looks don’t hold a candle to some girls, who all look like they fell straight out of the heavens.
Jett opens the door for me, and helps me out. I am careful not to trip over the dress my mother chose for me; a strapless pastel pink gown with a beaded bodice.
Miraculously, it fit perfectly despite her choosing it before I was born.
I never got to meet her.
The royal castle stands dauntingly in front of us, looming over the guests who entered the main door. The turrets seem to touch the clouds, and the dark stone seems to have an ethereal glow.
Before I have time to marvel some more, Jett takes both of our suitcases and leads us inside the front gates.
I grab tight to his jacket so that I don’t lose him while he’s navigating through the crowd. The throng of people is so thick that I can’t see anything until we approach a counter.
The view behind the counter was stunning. The moonlight glistened through the foyer, and reflected off of the tall ceilings. All of the wallpaper was cream, and had golden trellises as accents.
The counter was quartz, and it seemed to twinkle in the room. Over ten women stood behind it, and none looked a day over thirty.
I’m sure they’re much older, but it’s impossible to tell because all members of the royal court are immortal.
We approached the desk slowly, navigating the crowd as we moved to stand in front of one of the women. My brother handed the luggage to her, and nodded once before speaking up.
“Kyra and Jett Bailey.”
“Okay… One second,” was all she said before she turned around and started to rummage through papers. When she found the one she was looking for, she turned around and greeted us with a smile. ‘Tara’, as her tag read, took a card out and began to scribble. She begins to rifle through a stack of papers. They look like a collection of medical and academic reports.
About me.
“Oh, a new one. I’m just writing down your ranking cards love, don’t worry,” Tara smiles. I don’t understand why she isn’t bothered by the whole thing, but I manage to muster a small smile.
“O-kay… Why doesn’t he get one?” I ask, nodding to my brother. She gives me a questionable glance, before continuing to look through the papers.
“Men don’t need them,” Jett whispers into my ear, and I have to fight my face from crunching in disdain.
After a few minutes of standing awkwardly, Tara gives my card back. School was extremely vague when teaching about the ranking section, so I don’t know what to expect when I look down.
Health – 9.5/10
Strength – 7/10
Beauty – 10/10
Intellect – 9/10
Personality – 4/10
I almost get sick when I read it over.
I most definitely will never be able to find my true mate. Why does society force me to be unhappy?
I looked up at his face to see Jett with a stoic face. It’s serious, because there’s always mirth in his eyes.
While he’s guiding me away, I am almost positive I heard him muttering something about keeping a better eye on me.
“I have to leave you here. All the guys have to go to a different room. I’ll see you soon, I promise,” Jett whispers hurriedly into my ear. He stops in front of a door, and gestures for me to go inside.
“Okay… I love you,” I whisper back, hugging him before I go through the double doors. The only relief from my panic was to look at the sight before me. There’s no doubt in my mind that this room is more stunning than the last.
Elaborate firefly lights fill the room with a glass ceiling that showed the stars. The moon and galaxy is on full display to the women. Subconsciously, a wide grin forms on my face.
It falls when gravity takes me back to earth.
The room is dense with other girls. My anxiety makes me feel claustrophobic, so I make my way to the corner, avoiding the dance floor towards the far end and the long tables in the center.
An elaborate stage is the centerpiece of the room. Soft music was coming from somewhere over to my right, but too many people obstructed my view so it’s origins remained unknown.
I beelined for a grouping of plush sofas; the only thing remotely comforting in the whole room. Girls were already there, but my desperate need to escape outweighed any social anxiety.
“Is this your first time?” A petite ginger with a jade green dress asks. Her hair is long, and frames her ethereal face. She’s perfection placed in a small body.
And I’m the ten? There’s no way.
“Yeah. Pretty easy to tell?” I laugh coarsely, breaking the silence and easing myself into conversation.
“No. Well… maybe? Yeah, it is, can’t lie. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine!” She rambles so quickly that I’m barely able to catch all of her words. She pauses for a breath before she continues. “I’m Olivia, it’s lovely to meet you.”
“I’m Kyra. Is this your first year?” I ask, opting to forget about the world through conversation.
“First… But I’ve seen it before… it’s really different every year. I live in the castle. It’s always the same rooms and all, but the decorations are completely redone. So are all the events and festivities. Other than the ‘main one’, that is,” Olivia smiles softly. I nod along to what she’s saying, and I turn to look at the room once more.
“Well, it’s magnificent… I could never tire of the decor,” I sigh.
“You have that look in your eyes. I’ve seen it before,” She says, wrinkling her pert noise slightly. I see pity in her gaze.
“What look?”
“The look that says it’s tearing you apart to be here. You want more than the prospect of a controlled future,” Olivia says so softly that it’s almost a whisper. I’m amazed by her ability to read people. She’s so perceptive that it’s frightening for those who wish to hide something.
“I don’t want to live with someone who isn’t my true mate for the rest of my life,” I murmur, and she nods in agreement.
“I’ve seen it happen before, and they’re usually miserable,” She nods, and her suspicious glance around the room warns me.
We’re treading on dangerous waters.
“We can’t get out of that… but thank god Prince Cassius would never pick me or anyone else that isn’t her. Even though he’s quite a rake, I doubt that he’d ever pick someone who isn’t his true mate. It’s his only redeeming quality,” Olivia whispers back, and I quirk a brow.
“The Prince? I’m not too terribly informed on the royal family. My father prefers to keep me in the dark,” I ask, hoping she’ll elaborate.
“An only child. From what I’ve heard and seen, he’s extremely… privileged. He insists everything is done his way. Word is that he’s a stick in the mud, and a stick up the ass,”
“With that personality, I don’t doubt it.”
“Touché,” She grins, and the conversation shifts to other topics. The evening begins to pass rather quickly while we discuss our favorite foods, colors, books, movies, and other menial things.
Who knew that she could actually hate her red hair?It’s so stunning that it’s hard to believe.
When I turn to look at the clock behind me, I see that it’s already 11:55.
Five minutes until midnight.
I prod Olivia, and point to the clock. Her face turns white, but she manages to keep a strong composure.
Unable to tell if I’m cracking, I pull my emotions together before the double doors pull open.
Per tradition, the women and men were separated for festivities. Every year, the events differ, but the Choosing portion always happens at midnight.
11:59 is when all of the men enter the room.
A minute left, and I still couldn’t feel him.
I started to panic.
12:00.
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2
Like clockwork, two large doors slightly to my left were thrown open, revealing the Queen whose husband had recently passed due to an attack on the nation.
She waltzed inside before they turned right, going directly in front of me until she reached two very large chairs past me.
Mostly everyone’s eyes are on her, hoping to get a glimpse of the immortal beauty. She sits down gracefully, smiling at the crowd that subconsciously moved nearer.
It’s 12:05, and she looks at the clock impatiently before she clears her voice.
“You may go back to whatever you were doing, my son is running late,” She commands clearly through the room with a slight frown on her face. After a couple of seconds of silence, the room begins to become loud once more. The men that entered the room previously had dispersed, to begin talking to the women.
The whole scenario is exceedingly odd… I can feel some lingering glances, but I don’t know who they’re coming from.
It’s concerning.
I sip on my drink some more while listening to Olivia speak about her most recent vacation to Greece.
“I can’t sense him, Olivia,” I panic, and subconsciously begin to wring my hands together.
I’m trying to feel through the room, but I feel like I’m hitting a brick wall.
“Kyra, be patient. There are so many people here. When the crowd shifts you might find him,” She comforts me, leaning her head on my shoulder. I can tell that she’s equally as anxious as I am, but she’s staying strong forme.
That’s when the doors open once more, a lot faster than before. A man walked inside with a lopsided bow-tie and two buttons undone on his dress shirt.
The room instantly turned silent, and you could hear a needle drop as he walked next to the queen, sitting beside her.
“Continue,” He announces before he shoots an annoyed look towards his mother. There’s no doubt in my mind that the man wanted to be anywhere but here.
I can’t explain it, but I’m drawn to him. I can’t help but stare at him. His blonde curls framed his face perfectly. Long black lashes frame his grey eyes.
You could tell he had some serious abs going on under his shirt. He is currently closing his two top buttons, and the queen’s face is laced with disgust.
Suddenly, I feel the pull.
Shit, no, no, no!
“I gotta go,” I squeak out. I need time alone to think everything over. Olivia just looks confused, but she nods once. Even though we met only a few hours ago, it’s the strongest friendship I’ve ever developed.
I hope I can see her again soon.
Hurriedly, I get up to leave. However, when I’m steps away from the door, his eyes slice through the crowd, and meet mine. We stare at each other for only seconds, but it felt like a lifetime.
Before I can think, I quickly turn away, my fear growing. I’m almost out the door when I see my brother was making his way towards me, with a slight frown on his face.
I meet him half-way and hug him. I know I have to say goodbye before I leave.
“What’s wrong, Jett?” I ask.
“Don’t think she’s here… Again. I feel nothing towards any of these girls,” He mumbled as he tightened his arms around me.
I feel an angry stare directed at the back of my head, so I decide to make this quick. Unwinding my arms I offer him an empathetic smile.
“I’m sorry about that Jett, but I have to go. He’s not here, and I don’t feel well,” I say, panicking more now. He nods carefully before grabbing my hand and heading to the door.
“It’s customary for you to stay, but I don’t care. We’ll leave anyways,” Jett says softly, and we move towards the door.
Two bulky guards were in the way.
“Can we leave? I need to go to the bathroom,” I plead to them, giving them my best set of puppy-dog eyes.
“He can. You can’t. I find it hard to believe that you’ve forgotten the rules,” The one on the left says. He smirks slightly, eyeing me up and down.
Fuck the rules!
I begin to try to push forward, but Jett pulls me back.
“I really need to use the bathroom,” I whine.
“Hold it in, princess,” The one on the right shoots back.
“It’s not worth it. Let’s go back,” Jett whispers into my ear as we move near the couches again.
When I turn I see that the Queen is holding the Prince back. He looks furious with me. The Queen just looks at me with concern, and a hint of curiosity.
I move to a different side door, looking for an escape. The Queen’s holding him back, so I pray that I should be fine.
I was only halfway down the hallway to the side exit before I felt two arms pin me to the wall. It was some drunken guy. He pins me down, attacking my neck with sloppy kisses.
Each one feels disgustingly wet on my neck, as I tried to push him off. He had an overly large nose, light brown hair, and beady black eyes.
“Stop it!” I shout, smacking at his back. He’s too big to push off, and his weight presses down on me.
Before I can kick him in the nuts, he is off of me and against the opposing wall.
A punch hits him square in the jaw.
I was sobbing quietly as the man with curly blonde hair beat the shit out of him.
“Mine. My mate,” He is growling.
Leave it to Prince Cassius to save me.
He must have heard me crying because he turned around and picked me up in a blur. The man somehow made his way through the halls quickly with me flailing around on his shoulders.
I want him to stop and put me down.
“Let me go,” I blubber. I can barely see where we are going because my vision is blurry from the tears. I’m so frightened I can barely speak.
He throws a door open, bringing me inside, and pins me against the wall. A light was on through an open connecting door. A girl runs outside, without any clothes on.
“Get that whore out of here!” She shrieks, causing him to back away and me to put my hands over both of my ears. Tears are streaming down my face faster than before. I look back to my mate, and admire his beauty through the waterworks.
Grey eyes with thick, long lashes. Those amazing blonde curls.
The Prince, a future king.
My true mate.
“Clarissa, get the fuck out,” He growls, moving towards her angrily. I had forgotten about her for a second, defiant stomps bring me back to reality.
“I wasn’t finished having fun with you yet,” She pouts. What a child.
My mate must have been through them all.
“I don’t want to be here… I’m going now. Have fun,” I mumble, the tears stopping entirely, before quickly running out the door and back down the hallway, finding my way back from the trail of blood that came off of his bleeding knuckles.
Prince Cassius.
Tears threaten to pool out of my eyes once more as I walk into the hall once more, finding my brother. He stood next to a girl with a goofy grin on her face.
Olivia.
When he sees me, he nods; telling me that he had found her. His true mate.
I hide my tears and leave them to be alone.
I decide to slip back into the banquet hall, and have a drink or two. Suddenly, it becomes apparent that the Regal Ball was coming to a close as it neared 1 am.
A short, greying man made his way to the small stage, gesturing for everyone to surround him. The men went nearer before he cleared his throat to speak.
“We will start off with the Deltas. Any objections can be made when staking a claim,” He explained as my brother stepped forward, gesturing to Olivia beside him. I let out a sigh of relief when no one challenged him.
Cassius slipped into his seat again. He radiated guilt.
The Queen is furious on the other hand. She looks at her son straight in the eye.
Several more deltas went forward, gesturing to those they chose. Only one had any objection, a claim made by a beta.
The betas started after, but on the third one, I thought I was going to piss myself. It was the drunk dude, and he pointed at me.
Fuck.
Dragging me forwards, the man’s voice rings throughout the halls.
“Any objections?” He questions.
After a second of pause, I heard the first ‘I’. It’s from an alpha of a smaller pack.
Another one from a slightly more powerful alpha as well.
Where is Cassius?
One of the stronger alphas staked his claim, getting ready to finalize my destiny.
An “I,” cut clearly from the throne at the front of the hall.
Grey eyes, blonde curls.
Everyone gasped.
I just want to crawl into my skin and disappear.
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