ASHANTI'S POV.

If looks have lethal power, I'd be dead and buried by now because of the deadly glares I'm getting from my stepmother and stepsister.

"Can someone explain to me what is going on here?" Beta Ronald asks with searching eyes.. The look on his face is no longer funny. "How can you be mated to one sister, but dating another?" I shrug my shoulders and crease my brows as I try to solve the puzzle myself.

"Uh… Beta, Ronald." Conrad calls respectfully with a light bow. "It is true that I have been dating Ashanti, but I become confused after having to see her sister, Rhea, very often. However, right now, I am sure that Rhea is my mate." His perfectly crafted lie slaps my face like a hundred hands at once.

I have never been so shocked before.

And the look on his face is completely neutral. There's not a single trace of fear or nervousness.

"Yes, Beta Ronald." Rhea confirms his words. "I am well aware of this. The truth is, Conrad and I have been worried about the situation. We didn't know how or when to tell her the truth about us being mates because none of us wanted to hurt her feelings." She keeps spewing lies. Both Conrad and my stepmother are nodding their heads, giving her the go ahead to keep telling lies to Beta Ronald.

I close my eyes against the pain and dizziness that's threatening to take over my body.

I am disgusted by their hypocrisy.

"You know what, Rhea,” I shake my head, amazed by the level of shamelessness they can have, “you know I'm not the type of girl who insists on being with a man who doesn't belong to her. It's

been one year since you turned eighteen and if you and Conrad were truly mates, then it means you two have known the truth for one year. So tell me, wasn't one year enough for the two of you to think of how to tell me the truth? It doesn’t seem to be this hard when when I found him in your bed 30 minutes ago!”

I hear someone shriek and I don’t need to take a guess to know it’s my stepmother. “Or did you just decide to be mates right now because you don’t want the Lycan Beta to take her to the Lunar Crescent Pack?" I ask boldly and they all look at me like I have lost my mind.

They weren't expecting me to stand up for myself so strongly. This could put our pack in grave danger, but they should have known that before telling such an absurd lie to the Lycan Beta.

I'm not the type to let people trample all over me.

"What nonsense!" My stepmother exploded. "Everyone knows it's the greatest honour to be picked by the Lycans. I gave this chance to you instead of your sister, and you ought to appreciate that. Why are you so ungrateful, Ashanti?" She asks with a shaky voice and I fight my urge to roll my eyes.

"Hold up!" Beta Ronald finally speaks after a long time. Pin-dropping silence spreads throughout the entire office as we all patiently wait to hear what he has to say.

"I think you all are mistaken here. I never said we were picking one. We are taking both of them." He announces and my body vibrates like I've touched a live wire. Rhea shrieks in horror.

I turn to her and the look on her face is priceless. She looks like she's fighting her urge to scream but surprisingly smart enough to keep her mouth shut. Her mother is so close to bursting into tears and for Conrad, all hope is lost for him.

There will be no me or Rhea for him to marry and become the Alpha of this pack. It looks like he has finally been brave enough for the first time in his life for nothing

Serves him right.

"But… but…" My stepmother stutters with a tiny voice as she gives the Beta a careful look. "What about the fact that Rhea and Conrad are mates?" She asks timidly.

"According to the rules, as long as the She-wolf is unmarked and not mated yet, she has to be taken to the Lycan King." I turn my face to the other direction and chuckle in silence. "Also…" I look at him. He's glaring at Conrad who looks like he just pissed his pants. "If I find out that you lied about being mated to this girl, just know your punishment will be death because you have insulted the Lycan King and other members of the Lunar Crescent Pack."

A loud, shattering sound fills the entire room, making me tremble on my seat. Everyone turns to look in the direction the sound came from.The glass in my father’s hand has broken into pieces, causing blood to ooze from the cuts in his big palm.

His face is dark with anger.

"Alpha Anderson. Do you have a problem with this arrangement?" Beta Ronald asks when he sees the dissatisfied look on my father's face.

"They are my only children and you want to take both of them away from me?" Father's voice is serious and he sounds hurt.

My heart is in pieces on the floor.

When it seemed like I was the only one who had to be picked, he was well contained. He never even stood up for me when everyone was fabricating lies to exempt Rhea from being chosen, but now that she seems to be involved, he can’t take it anymore.

"Are you trying to show disobedience to the Lycan King?" This is property © .

"No, I'm not." Father shakes his head solemnly.

"I thought so too. This Concordat Ritual is to look for a potential mate for the Lycan King and it is an honour for werewolves to be chosen. You should be proud that two of your daughters have been picked for this ritual."

Nobody in the office is happy about that arrangement, but no one dares to cry or utter a single word. Father is fuming in silence, Rhea has clung to her mother's arm like she never wants to let go and Conrad looks like a beaten dog.

I'm the only one who doesn't mind and to be honest, I'm kind of happy because for the first time in forever, Rhea is getting into the same mess as I am and there's nothing our father or her mother can do to save her.

"Rhea, Ashanti." Beta Ronald calls. We both look at him. "You have two days to pack your things."