Chapter 2

Jenna's POV

“I'm coming!” I yell out as I give my hair a final run-through with the wooden brush that had been a gift from my father.

I brush my fingers over the engraving on the comb, remembering the evening Papa had called to me and handed me the beautiful comb.

“I found it while I was hunting.” He'd mentioned it as I squealed in delight at the beautiful gift.

Father was no more, and tonight wasn't the time to allow grief to ruin my day or for tears to cake my already washed face.

I had a feast to attend, and I couldn't be late.

“What's taking so long?” Elise asks, her voice tinged with impatience.

I hurry through the doors of my trunda to find Elise waiting, foot tapping against the grass.

“Sorry,” I apologize as we begin to make our way towards the path that would lead us to the alpha's abode, and my heart thrums with trepidation at what is to come.

Memories of the conversation I had with the alpha from this morning flood me, and I shudder at the memory of those hazel eyes, which looked more golden as the sunlight from the splits in the cave settled on them.

I had gone out to catch some air and maybe be lucky enough to hunt a rabbit for breakfast when it felt like I had been led by a strange force towards the cave where I had met the alpha.

Blood shoots to my cheeks when I recall the fire in his eyes as our gazes had locked, and his irises a ring of golden fire as he'd approached.

“Mine!” Even from a distance, his voice reverberated through me, mingling with a loud growl that sent shudders down my spine.

When he had been close enough to truly take me in, his lips had turned down in what I could only describe as disappointment.

“You?” He'd begun, giving me a quick once-over. “You're my mate?”

“….. Jen? Did you hear me?” Elise asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I shake my head to dispel the memory and turn to my friend. She looks more curious than irritated as she asks.

“Are you alright? You completely zoned out.”

“I am fine.” I answer, recalling the warnings of the alpha. He hadn't stated what the repercussions of going against his warning would be, but I didn't want to break it in order to find out.

Also, the alpha had never called for an impromptu celebration. Everything was always planned and prepared for ahead of time.

Maybe he had merely tested me this morning. Even though I hadn't thought in my wildest dreams that I would be the alpha's mate, I was completely thrilled by it.

I'd always admired him from afar, fully aware that he was completely out of my league. He was always mostly in the company of his beta and the dreamy-looking Violet, whom most of the women in the pack secretly envied.

Violet possessed all the qualities that most of us only dreamed of. Perfect black hair with the bluest eyes that reminded me of the sea during what Papa liked to call the perfect season.

Her shoulders were perfectly squared, not at all like mine, which were constantly slumped. She was agile and perfectly built. She was the fastest runner in the pack and one of the strongest women too.

She was greatly feared and respected, as much as the alpha was. Sometimes, I wondered whether it was due to the sheer strength she displayed or her obvious affiliation with the alpha.

“You're lost in thought again.” I hear Elise say it, as if from a distance.

I turn to her, a blush staining my cheeks as if I have been caught doing something that I shouldn't.

“I am very sorry, I just have a lot on my mind today.” I apologize, feeling bad for not giving my friend the best audience.

“It's alright. We all have those days.” Elise says, her voice gentle with understanding. After a good pause, she adds. “Is it something you would like to share, though?”

I turn to find her gaze on me, filled with concern and curiosity.

Even though I am close to bursting with the need to tell someone else about what happened this morning, I don't. And I feel a bit bad for keeping this from Elise. We shared everything with each other. And I really hoped that doing so was going to pay off in the end.

I begin to shake my head and watch as Elise's face falls.

“I dreamt about my father.” I quickly say, avoiding her eyes. I feel her gaze burn through the side of my face, but I don't turn to meet her eyes.

“I'm so sorry, Jen.” She whispers.

“You don't have to be,” I reply, trying to ignore the guilt that gnaws at me.

I had indeed dreamt about Papa, but he wasn't whom I had been thinking about. So, even though I was not technically lying, the guilt still refused to go away.

“It's okay to miss him, you know.” Elise adds as we emerge towards the path that leads to the alpha's abode.

“I know.” I whisper, a full ache starting in my chest as I remember what I had dreamed about the night before.

It wasn't the usual nightmare my mind was always subjected to. Last night, I saw Papa. But he wasn't lying in the pool of his own blood, coughing as his body twisted and contorted as his wolf tried to break free.

He was rather at home with me, making my favorite soup, and telling me stories that I knew were not real but loved to listen to anyway.

The sound of low murmurs pulls me from my thoughts again, and my heart begins to thrum as my wolf stirs, and I know what that means.

The alpha is close.

My mate…

And my wolf can sense it. My heart beats hard and fast as Elise and I quickly walk into the large, warm room.

“This is incredible.” Elise whispers as we look around to realize that everyone is dressed to the nines.

“I'm glad we wore our best dresses.” I bend to whisper to Elise, who is several inches shorter.

Elise squeezes my hand in reply, and I feel the pulse on her wrist thump erratically.

“You okay?” I ask concernedly.

“Jonathan, I can see him.” She says this, her eyes shining with what I can only describe as nervous delight.

“Elise, you promised you were going to kill your attraction for him. For all we know, he might not be your mate.”

“But we were told…”

“Let's forget what we were told and protect our hearts first, okay?” I say this as I begin to lead her towards one of the tables where different meats are sampled.

I hadn't been able to get breakfast this morning like I had wanted, and my wolf was starving.

However, I begin to sense a stronger aura and a feeling of desire that is so alien that it makes me blink in shock.

“Mine!” A deep voice growls, and I look up, my eyes meeting those of the alpha, who has Violet hanging off of his arm. Even though Violet appears to be saying something to the alpha, he dosen't look like he's heard a thing.

Those eyes flashed a gleam of fire as they stay locked on mine, and my skin prickles with awareness and a strange hunger that goes deeper than the growling in my stomach.

For a moment, I wait with baited breath, hoping that he comes over. This moment would be so monumental for our pack. Everyone has waited years for the alpha to find his mate.

I'm sure no one thought it would be me. Even I didn't think it would be me. I hadn't even, in my wildest dream, imagined that I would be chosen by the gods as the alpha's mate.

But my special moment with the alpha is cut short when Violet slides delicate fingers across his strong forearm, drawing his attention to herself.

My stomach drops as I watch them, my wolf whining in protest as the alpha rewards Violet with a beaming smile. Anger and jealousy swirl in my stomach, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth that makes me feel nauseous.

“Are you slight?” Elise taps me lightly on the shoulder to ask.

I shake my head, tears stinging my eyes as I begin to move away, determined to lose myself in the shadows until this is all over.

Or until the alpha comes to find me... I hope he seeks me out. There's a neediness in the pit of my stomach, a strange hunger that I am certain all the meats sampled on the table would not quench.

I can tell that my wolf wishes to be one with her mate. To be claimed...

I wait in apprehension, hoping that the night doesn't end the way I have begun to dread that it would.

There's a wolf whistle that draws everyone's attention to the center of the room, where the alpha stands alone this time.

My heartbeat breaks into an erratic rhythm as he looks around the room, as if trying to find something.

Or someone...

Those beautiful golden eyes slide through the crowd until they land on me again. And this time, the hunger that floods my system almost causes me to double over from its intensity.

The alpha's eyes flash again, and I realize in that moment that these feelings of lust, want and desire are mutual.

“Now that everyone is here, I have something important to say.”

The pack is thrown into sudden quiet as they all await what the alpha has to say.

“As you well know,” he begins, his eyes scanning the faces of everyone. “I have been searching the last two seasons for my mate. I'm sure we all know how important it is that I find my mate, especially before the full moon.”

There's a murmur of understanding as the alpha gives a short and almost dramatic pause.

“Since my search has been futile and my wait has been in vain, I have decided to take a mate for myself.”

The murmur is louder now, and some of the young women in the pack who've not found their mates yet squeal in excitement.

I shut my eyes and struggle with the act of breathing. My pulse beats erratically, and my heart begins to struggle to break free. My little wolf has always been gentle and meek, she has never given me a hard time.

But I guess that I am not the only one who's passing through the current agony of being about to lose their person. Their mate...

“We all know that things aren't like they used to be. There are so many rogues now roaming free, lots of threats to the pack. As much as I love keeping this pack together and fighting off rogues and shapeshifters with my helpful beta, I have no doubt that we would be more formidable with my right-hand woman. And that's why I will be putting a stop to my search tonight of a mate for myself.”

“Dear gods, I hope he chooses me.” A young, giggly voice says, besides me.

I try to block out the conversation everyone seems to be having all at once, struggling rather to keep my wolf in. But my jaws and joints hurt as my wolf fights my physical restraint, and sweat beads on my forehead as I struggle to keep her in, afraid of what she might do in her true form.

The alpha, who is oblivious to my struggles, turns to his right and shows his hand, so that Violet steps out through the crowd with a shy smile.

When their hands connect, my heart breaks into a tiny million pieces. Unable to stand the sight any longer, I pick up the hems of my long gown and, with a broken sob, push through the sea of bodies towards the door Elise and I had come in from.

But even though I continue to run, the sound of the alpha's voice carries through to me, his words kniving a deeper wound in my heart.

“Tonight, I, Jack, chose Violet as my mate, to remain mine in all seasons, across multiverses, realms and time.”

There's an echo of applause that delivers that final stab of pain to my heart as my feet hit the forest of wood nettles and dried weeds. But no matter how fast I run, Jack's voice still echoes in my head, low, sure and taunting.

“She is beautiful, strong and willful. She is everything I have wanted in a mate, and I do not have any doubt that together, our packs would be impenetrable.”

Everything becomes blurry as I continue to run, and I realize only after I have been tripped over by the low shrubs of a poison ivy that my tears have completely blinded me to where I am going.

My wolf whines in pain at the rejection that we've experienced, shrinking into herself until I almost cannot feel her anymore. The smell of blood hits my nostrils, metallic and tangy, and the painful throb on the shin alerts me to the wound I have sustained.

But I remain on the grounds of the forest, pulling myself into a fetal position as I continue to sob, my heart feeling like it's been ripped out of my chest, praying for the gods to either take the insurmountable pain away or strike me dead.