Chapter 1: Mate

Stacy:

I watched my best friend slashed sister, Brittany dance with the male she always wanted to have as a mate, alpha Jamie, the goddess was fair to her and I wish the goddess would be fair to me as well, grant me, my heart desires.

Mother said she met her mate, two weeks after her nineteen birthday in the Alpha’s union ceremony and this is exactly two weeks after my nineteen birthday, so I guess I might be meeting my mate as well since that was the same thing that happened to my grandma also.

Although I have a boyfriend and I love him. For the past three weeks, we have been having issues, and our relationship has not been on the best love story tag that will have a happy ending but all hope is not lost, keeping my fingers crossed that the goddess might fate us to each other.

My boyfriend's name is Brake Rex, the beta of Shadow Moon Pack, he is a half-demon but he is the sweetest soul any female will ever have around her.

Those few months that we were together, he treated me like a princess and he protected me but you know, love had a rough side along the good side. Let’s assume that we are on the rough side of love now and tomorrow it will get to the smooth side.

My eyes moved back to the stage, I saw him walking towards the alpha and his bride before my brother and alpha Callaghan walked to them, A sweet smile spread across my face as my eyes fell on the beta that was standing closer to the Alpha, I was so carried away with my admiration on Brake, that I didn’t know when someone takes the available chair beside me and his face came up pulling me from my thoughts, “stop blushing we all know the beta is cute, with wayfarer-blue eyes, Achilles brown hair, his jawlines…”

“Alpha Bellini, stop that…” I said hitting his shoulder and he smiled.

“I wasn’t doing anything, it’s you who is drooling on the beta, but I guess he is worth it. He is handsome right” He said winking at me and I glared at him, “are you shy?” he said with his tone teasing.

“No, I am not alpha teaser…” he tittered, “why were you late?” I asked changing the topic as my gaze moved to him fully.

“Trying to see if I would make a lady swoon like the way you are swooning over the Beta.”

“stop being mean,” I tittered uncontrollably because of his words. A few weeks ago when I was having issues with my boyfriend, the beta. I met Alpha Bellini, my best friend's cousin and he had been a good friend and more like a brother to me, I could tell him everything and he listened.

Even though Brittany thinks he is in love with me, I don’t think so because he has never done anything out of the extraordinary that will make me think he wanted anything outside just friendship.

“So, are we telling the beta today, that you want him to claim you or still waiting for your mate?” I move my gaze back to Brake who was standing beside the alpha having that stoic expression, this past weeks I couldn’t even read his mood, before moving it back to Bellini.

“I don’t know…” I sighed inwardly before raising my head to the ceiling.

“But you said…” his words died down his throat when I showed him, the message I sent to Brake last night and he didn’t even bother to open it talk more of waiting for a reply. He huffs. “but that doesn’t stop you from telling him, that you are not interested in being the mate of…”

My body shivered suddenly, and my hand gripped Bellini, his gaze moved to me, cutting his words short for the second time. “What is it?” he asked, I paid no attention to him as I inhaled deeply, that smell, it’s different something I hadn’t smelled before. I was so overwhelmed with the smell that it was becoming difficult to hold my breath.

'Mate, he is here,' Sky, my wolf said in my head, as she forced me to scan the environment to find our mate, I shoved her to the back of my head, holding my breath not to smell the forest and citrus spreading around me, it wasn’t so strong, I grabbed Bellini’s hand.

“Let’s get out of here,” I said in one breath, Lydia turned and looked at me.

“Stacy, are you alright?” she asked and I nodded, not wanting to say one more word, I grabbed Alpha Bellini's hand and pulled him with me.

“What is it?” he asked as we pushed through the crowd, I was practically pulling him along with me. I didn’t reply to him until we flew completely from the hall into the forest. My breath came in a ragged gasp

“My mate… my mate is here?” I found myself saying it with a heavy heart and my wolf whimpered in my head. She wanted us to stay to search for our mate, but I don’t want any fucking mate, I want Brake, that is all I wanted.

“Stacy, are you insane? How could you fucking run off without seeing who your mate is?” I shook my head, I couldn’t wrap my head around it, being fated to someone I don’t love was too much to bear, I knew running away was a sign of cowardice but that was the only thing I thought I could do at this point

“It's simple, I don’t want to meet him, I don’t like him.”

“do you hear yourself talk? How can you say you don’t like someone you haven’t met? Or are you scared that he might turn out an Omega?” I look at Bellini, how low he could think of me.

“I wasn’t fucking after rank.” I growled at him before I sighed, “Maybe before but not anymore.” I said that last part with a sigh of defeat.

“C’mon then, let’s go back and find him, if you don’t like him, you can always ask for rejection, instead of running away.” He grabbed my hand to take me back inside, I swatted my hand from his.

“I said no, don’t you get it, I don’t want him,” I said in a firm voice as I looked straight into his eyes, he sighed as he ran his hand on his face.

“What are you going to do?” he asked this time sitting on the tree root, pulling me to sit beside him, I rested my head on the tree, as my tears dropped, I knew it was wrong to run off like that, it feels so wrong and so right if I had to be with Brake, I love him and he is the only male, I have let kiss me and his kisses was one thing I couldn’t trade for the mate bond.

“I know it’s wrong but I just... I couldn’t do it, Bellini. I couldn’t face him, what if it turns out that my mate is from the Shadow Moon pack, how can I reject him and be with the Beta? I want to stay to find out who has that intoxicating scent but I know that thing called mate bound, it’s manipulating, it will make you want someone that you have never met and then chase the one, your heart longs for, I don’t want that to happen, I can’t be fated to just anyone, I know who I want and it’s not my mate, I don’t love him. I know you hate me now.” My tears streamed down my cheeks, and as pain shrank my heart and Sky wasn’t in agreement with my decision, she wanted our mate.

Alpha Bellini sighed as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “It’s okay, Stacy. You did what you felt was right. No one can blame you for that and I am not judging you, no one tells the heart who to love.”

I lean on the embrace of Bellini, feeling a wave of gratitude. “What are you going to do now?” he asked with concern as I moved my head to the sky.

I sighed, “I don’t know, probably reject him tomorrow,”

“Why wait for tomorrow?” that voice caught my interest and that scent accompanied it, and my brow furrowed, I guess he was here with Brake, probably told Brake that he found his mate.

I bite my lower lips, fighting off my wolf from coming forth. That scent was intoxicating and welcoming, I know I want to also press my nostrils on the crook of his neck and inhale him, but I know it’s not possible.

Fuck!

I stood harshly from the floor, as my hands balled in fists and my brows furrowed, anger surged through me, and my nostrils flared ready to berate him for looking for me, I thought I had escaped already.

As much as I hated to meet my mate. I know I need to prove to Brake, that it’s him, I wanted no one else but him. I could only prove that if I rejected my mate in front of Brake.

Sky whimpered in my head, as she went in rage for my decisions and my nonsensical reasoning.

I turned to give my final verdict now or never, my lips fell agape and my eyes met him, I swallowed hard as Sky repeated the word, “Mate…” The moment our eyes locked nothing else mattered, he was all I ever wanted my lips spread with a sweet smile as my legs moved voluntarily toward him, but his face wasn’t something pleasant, he raised his hand and stopped me from coming near him, “Brake, what is it?” I asked as my face was pasted with that smile of a lovesick pup.

“let's get this done and over with, just get the rejection.”