Love, Fate or mate?

Kyas POV 

Tonight is the night! 

My 18th birthday is when I will finally meet my mate and move on from this tortuous life of mine. Not one day has gone by over the last few years that I didn’t dream of this day.

I pray it’s Caleb. He’s the alpha's son so I know I’m a bit out of my league praying to be his mate but I cannot help myself. Since we were young I’ve always felt a tether to him. 

I would watch him train from the forest. His bulging muscles, his short spikey chocolate hair, and oh his green emerald eyes. I could drown in them if he’d let me.

We’ve had a few interactions over time but most everyone avoided me. I was the stain to my pack. The gross smell that hits you when you walk into an uncleaned home.

From birth my father hated me. My mother passed away the day of my arrival and he never let me forget it. She was a bright beautiful soul whom everyone adored. 

Even the alpha resents my birth as my mother was very close to him and his officials. She built this pack into a strong community. My dad rants and raves about how if she were alive and I were not we’d be so much more prosperous.

“KYA” I heard my father snap as I exited my tiny broom closet of a room. “Yes father” I hurried to the living area calling back.

“May you find a mate tonight and I will finally be rid of you” he stated blandly.

After years of hatred, his small jabs no longer held space in my heart. I tell strangers I’m an orphan to avoid the stares and comments. After arriving in the living area I noticed many empty whiskey bottles.

“Don’t bother coming back tonight after your gathering, you are 18 now and no longer my problem.” He stared at me, eyes blazing red with black circles around them.

I froze in place… “Wha what are you saying, dad?” 

“I want you to leave my home. You are not and have not ever been a daughter of mine, I raised you out of obligation to your mother. Now that you are grown my debt is paid and I choose to live free of your nuisance” He spat out angrily. 

All I could hear was my heart shattering inside my chest. I didn’t want to reside here with this man, but I didn’t want to be homeless or worse become a rouge.

Rouges are feral wolves that either leave or are exiled from their pack. After days of loneliness, the abandoned wolf starts to slowly lose grasp of its human side. Eventually, they go insane and die.

Sometimes rogues form small vicious packs amongst each other and roam the forest murdering as they please. This is why most wolves especially omegas stay within their pack's safety. 

‘If others discovered my secret I would be murdered ruthlessly and not a soul would care.’ I quietly thought.

I tried to find the words to say to my father but I only ended up spewing tears and beginning to beg.

“Father please, I do all I’m asked, I’m but an omega they will kill me! What of my mark! I will surely be doomed if you send me out to the rogues” I pleaded tears blazing down my cheeks. 

He stood from his chair and towered over me. 

“You are no daughter of mine. You were a disgrace from conception and I regret mating your mother for giving me such a worthless spawn.” His eyes blazed with fury.

I broke…

I ran to to my little closet room and then grabbed the first bag I could find and started shoving my three outfits and single hairpin in. I wiggled a decrepit floorboard and opened a small hidden cubby.

After grabbing the little money I secured over the years and my small tattered tan bag of things I took a look in my little wall mirror. My eyes were large and swollen, my blonde hair messy and dirty I was in no shape to meet a mate tonight.

I scrambled down the stairs and my father was by the front door. 

“Goodbye Beta Charlie,” I said shakily looking ahead not making eye contact at all. 

He opened the door and gestured me out, as I left I could have sworn I heard him muttering 

“This is for the best… for both of us.”

I went straight to the forest so no one could see my shameful display. All the faces blended as I ran as fast as I could tears blurring the way.

Deeper into the forest I ran until all of my senses were overwhelmed by the calmness of my surroundings. I slowed to a small trail I recognized while catching my breath. 

It led to a wide area in a creek that I had found a few years back. This place brought me peace, sanctum, and a getaway from the pack's beatings and harassment. 

No one travels this far out in the pack, so I’ve never encountered another here, making it one of my tightly held secrets. I came to a halt and dropped my bag. As I steadied my breath once more I slowly stripped off my rags and rinsed them in the cool water then hung them on a close-by branch.

The pack didn’t allow me to wash my clothing in the commune wash bay so every couple of weeks I’d come here. My safe place. My only place. 

As I stepped into the brisk cool water my body burned. My reflection gleamed back at me in the pool of running water. My gold locks matted and frizzed, and my eyes looked dark and empty, ‘goddess have you cursed me so?’ I thought looking to the moon.

Submerging deeper I rinsed my hair and took a small swim. After a good cleansing I shifted into my wolf Athena and ran. I ran as fast as I could with no certain destination. 

Letting my emotions flow I wish I could howl and let the ache in my heart scream to the world! Alerting others to my presence was not a wise move though so I navigated the forest pushing my paws deep into the ground and flying forward leaving all but a blur and the sweet smell of earth to soothe my aching soul.

When my bones became weak and my muscles burned I decided to head back to the creek. My body was too weak to feel the ache my heart pronounced and my mind too calm to run wild with thoughts of what comes next. 

I always had to be extremely careful when shifting as my wolf and I…well we’re cursed. We were born with a black bolt shape on the back of our pure white body of fur. It’s a sign of disgrace among our people.

No one I know has ever met any other cursed wolves. Even the elders didn’t know much about me at birth. So they treat me as if I’m a bad omen. 

When I returned it felt eerily quiet. I could sense someone in the wood but I couldn’t pick up their scent. I shifted back quickly and grabbed my damp rags to cover. 

I heard a few twigs snap and as I turned around I was face to face with a gigantic black wolf. His eyes glowed amber and his fur was shining brightly in the moonlight. My entire body began quivering out of fear.

“I’ve never seen a wolf like this,” I thought to myself. My entire body felt numb and out of my control. 

“If you are going to kill me just get on with it, no one will come for you or me….”

The wolf snorted and took a seat. 

“Oh, I see you are just a perv huh?” 

As I finished dressing I walked to the wolf. Any normal wolf would be on high alert as no one knows what this huge beast could do to them.

I didn’t care. 

My life didn’t matter anyway. 

‘What’s the harm in making a new friend? If he was going to brutally murder me I think he would’ve been on with it by now.’ I thought getting even closer to the beast.

I slowly pet down the wolf's side admiring his overwhelming size and the sheer of his coat. 

“May I sit with you? I’ve had a day and could use a little time” I asked smoothly. 

The wolf looked at me deeply. He lifted his paw and gently set it on a spot next to him then moved it.

I went and sat in the spot. I lay against the beast while tears streamed slowly down my cheeks. 

“What will I do now? My pack rejects me, my home is gone, and my only hope is meeting my mate tonight and praying he can convince everyone I’m not the dreadful sin they think of me.” I whispered to the wolf tears icy on my face.

The wolf snuggled me closer and gave me a soft lick on the head. 

“Thank you, sweet friend, I hope I don’t scare you as well” I pouted looking down as tears streamed faster.

I gripped the wolf turning my face into him and began to bawl. Slowly my heart rate lessened and I drifted into a slumber. The wolf waited until I was almost completely asleep then slowly adjusted under me.

I could hear rustling leaves, I was barely conscious trying to crack my eyes open but drifting in and out of the darkness. As he went to walk away I could hear as he shifted back into a large beautiful man. 

With one glance back at me he murmured “They will all pay my love don’t you fret, I will make them all pay soon” With that he bolted off into the forest.

A few hours later I stirred awake at the peeking light of the bright sunshine. 

“ITS DAWN!” I missed my gathering last night! 

‘What if my mate was there?’

‘What if he mated with someone else?’

If an unmated male chooses he can pick any mate he desires. Mostly alphas choose to do this to keep their packs strong and genetics strong as well. It’s despicable to reject your mate but it happens.

I rushed back to the pack. I walked to a small bakery where the workers scoffed at me as I entered.

“What do you want scum?” An employee shot out.

“do you even have money? You cannot come in here without money.” Another spit. 

I walked to the counter ignoring their remarks. After 18 years of it, you tend to just accept it.

“One bagel please,” I said sounding as strong as possible even though I was covered in dirt from sleeping out in the forest.

The clerk behind the counter looked at me suspiciously. Eyeing from my tattered shoes to my large men’s shirt.

“let’s see the money first” the employee smirked.

I pulled out my small wad shakily and separated a couple of bills for my bagel. 

“Who did you steal this from?” The clerk grabbed my wrist with the bills in it. 

“Its it's my ssssaa-savings.” I stuttered out.

“We all know you are a slave. Who would dare pay you? I’m calling the alpha immediately.” The clerk said ruthlessly. 

I struggled to escape but the clerk clenched down tight on my wrist starting to cause me pain.

“Please I just want some breakfast. I promise I didn’t steal anything. I’ve been working for years saving bits here and there.” Tears brimmed my eyes as I begged. No matter how used to the abuse I was sometimes I just couldn’t take it.

I pushed back with all my might and suddenly the clerk released my wrist sending me flying backward forcefully. I hit the ground hard and saw specks of stars when I tried standing back up.

The bells above the door then rang as the door opened and inside stepped no other than Alpha Collin.