Chapter 2 Matilda's POV

Matilda’s POV

I stepped out of the great hall, leaving behind the music and laughter because I didn't feel right being in that setting—dances, flirting, students, displays of ego, comparison, and more.

At the end of the never-ending corridor was a golden oak door, which I pushed open to behold the moonlit royal garden where roses swayed in the night breeze.

I did not read many books, but the garden reminded me of every book I had ever read. Dreamy and imaginary. Although it wasn't my first time in the palace, it was my first time in this garden.

Crickets chirped from the shadows while insects buzzed softly among the flowers. Their sounds filled the quiet night.

The quietness and gentleness of my surroundings at that moment seemed to be exactly what I needed... what my wolf needed.

So I brushed my hand over the flowers as I walked between them, humming the melody that had been playing in the banquet hall.

I twirled.

I was thirty-one years old and still had not found my mate. I had gone on adventures and traveled to different packs, but there had been no one.

I felt no string. I perceived no bond.

Every passing moment, I was left hoping... hoping for something that seemed impossible.

But I had a job and a family of seven.

I was never truly alone, even while I was alone, craving romance and love... or perhaps safety.

What was a woman without a man?

What was a she-wolf without her he-wolf?

That was the world I lived in, for my mother would be nothing without my father.

Even though I was one of the most powerful werewolves, in this world, it meant nothing.

The only thing I could do was use my gift to train royal he-wolves.

Female wolves blessed by the Moon Goddess with either a Red-Eyed Wolf, Silver-Eyed Wolf, White-Furred Wolf, or Silver-Furred Wolf had long been assigned as trainers at Alpha Prime Academy, the only academy that existed for werewolves in the entire world. It was solely meant to train royal he-wolves.

We trained them before they received their wolves at the age of twenty-one and assessed their capabilities during their final year.

If they lacked anything, they were expected to improve before graduation.

I always felt that such a law and strategy were unfair.

Royal wolves did not need gifted she-wolves like us merely as instructors.

Only one out of every ten women was blessed with a special wolf, which was why we trained nonstop from the moment we received our wolves.

Eventually, all that training led us to become teachers, even if we had never wished for that life.

Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to spend my life enjoying the night breeze in a garden like this, I still needed a man to survive.

Papa was growing old and would retire soon.

Who would provide for my siblings and me when he became jobless... or when he died?

Having a job was not enough to earn me a place in society if I was not under a man, as the world expected.

I had never seen a woman my age in MoonBorn Pack without a man.

Everyone was married to someone, whether to their mate or not.

Here I was, desperately waiting for my mate, as though I were running out of time.

And indeed, I was.

I raised my gaze to the sky and beheld the full moon hanging like a silver jewel in the night, its gentle glow washing over everything below.

It was time.

Being a second-ranked wolf blessed with a White Wolf, I trained wolves before their first shift at the age of twenty-one.

Listening to the howls coming from the eastern side of the garden, I smirked to myself.

Forty-two royal he-wolves from the third-year class had received their wolves.

It thrilled me, as it always did, to witness my princes becoming true alpha males.

A few moments later, after they must have received their wolves, I made my way back to the great hall to have a drink and perhaps dance with an eligible king.

There were many kings who had not found their mates when they turned twenty-one, and even after their coronations, they remained lonely.

But none of them had ever turned out to be my mate.

Quietly sipping my wine while observing my princes celebrate meeting their mates, I felt a touch on my hand.

I looked up to see who sought my attention.

“My lady,” he bowed, taking my hand completely.

“My lord,” I responded with a graceful bow.

“Would you honour me with this dance, my lady?” he asked nobly.

I nodded and placed my wine on a passing servant's tray.

We stepped onto the dance floor.

“Arthur Everhart, Duke of the Blackthorn Pack. Once a student under Lady Matilda Fairfax,” he introduced himself as he guided me to the rhythm of the music.

“A student?” I asked in amazement. “You were my student?”

“Your favourite student, my lady. I'm all grown now, haven't I?”

“I am impressed by what I am seeing,” I said, letting my eyes travel over his appearance. “You have become a fine man.”

“And you, my lady, still look just as beautiful and young as I remembered,” he replied.

I chuckled.

“It is a pleasure to meet you again.”

“It definitely is,” I nodded in agreement. “A duke?” I asked curiously.

“Very much so. You trained my elder brother, the Alpha King of the Blackthorn Pack. As his younger brother, I underwent the same training and was later honoured with the title of Duke,” he explained.

True.

I had forgotten about the other noble positions within the kingdoms.

“Very true, my lord.”

Still following the rhythm of the music, I suddenly sensed something...

Something so powerful that it left me slightly tipsy, as though I were drunk.

A pungent spearmint fragrance lingered in the air, making me pause.

The hall hadn't smelled this way before.

“I think I found my mate,” I mumbled to myself.

Even though the Duke of Blackthorn Pack heard me, I paid no attention to his reaction.

He spun me around with the melody, and as he did, my gaze landed on a he-wolf.

This cannot be.

That was the only thought in my mind when my eyes met Lord Cedric Hawthorne.

Lady Matilda Fairfax's student.

Removing my gaze from his sharp golden eyes, I looked at the string between us.

Good Lord.

Of all the alpha males.

My student?

After the dance, Lord Arthur Everhart kissed my hand and excused himself politely.

I was ten years older than my mate.

What in the wolf world was this?

“Lady Matilda Fairfax?” Cedric walked up to me.

“Come with me.”

I had once been his teacher, and I still was... at least until he completed his final year.