CHAPTER 1 - REJECTING THE FATES

Sianna's POV

He stared at me with his piercing green eyes. His hands balled into a fist. I knew he was angry and didn’t see this rejection coming.

I was in a relationship with my boyfriend since high school and we decided that we would both reject our mates so that we could spend the rest of our lives together. We had it all mapped out and I wasn’t going to give that up. I quickly got over the shock of meeting him so unexpectedly and said the rejection.

I had to do it.

I knew that my ex-mate was now feeling the surge of pain as the bond was being severed. I staggered feeling the same effect but I knew it would pass. He was silent while he held his stare on me and then he growled as worry flash through his green eyes, “Why?”

“I am in love with someone else and I am not leaving him for someone that I don’t care about.” I sound heartless but I needed to be sincere so that he understood where I stood with the mate bond. “I am not going to date you or get to know you.”

I scanned his face to notice his flawless chiseled chin and prominent cheek bones. He had thick lashes protecting his eyes and the most kissable pouty lips. His jet black hair fell over his forehead and eyes while the rest fell to the back of his head.

He smirked and got up from the table in the café. His powerful aura radiating in the building. Mixed with that was his intoxicating scent of pumpkin mixed with pine trees that was driving my wolf crazy and making her propelling me to run into his arms.

“I will let you think about it some more and if within three months you still feel the same, I will let you go,” he says.

Despite my hostility, his voice was calming. He walked away leaving his coffee and bagel untouched. I watched him through the glass window as he got in his car and drove away. I felt terrible and guilty. At least the café was empty as we were closing up for the day.

'Our mate is perfect! Why did you reject him?!' My wolf growled inside, not liking my decision.

"We met Curtis first. We love him and you agreed to it too." I reminded her.

'That was before meeting our soulmate,' she protested.

After leaving high school I left my pack to head off to college but decided that I missed Curtis too much, so I transferred to do online classes. This way I could still be home with mom and dad while I got to hang around my handsome sweetheart. My rejection would still be the same even after three months so I hoped that my ex-mate wasn’t getting his hopes up.

I am a female werewolf that is normally referred to as a she-wolf and I live in a pack that has neighborhoods and towns. Our pack consisted of about 550,000 wolves with no humans living here. Wolves are complex, highly intelligent animals who are caring, playful, and above all devoted to family. Wolves have mates which is otherwise known as soul mates.

Mates were destined to fall in love, and to cherish and protect each other for their entire lifetime. It accompanied a supernatural pull that made mates irresistible to each other and fall in love. Our wolves are always quick to accept their mates but our human side might need time. Additionally, we experience human emotions and tendencies.

Even so, we can choose to accept or reject our mates. Rejection is done by making a declaration using the full names of the mate that is doing the rejection and the mate that is being rejected. In order to complete the rejection and fully sever the mate bond, the party being rejected has to accept the rejection. For marked persons, the mark of the mate disappears after three months and leaves the opportunity for a second chance mate to form.

I am not marked as yet because to be on the safe side, I thought that Curtis and I should wait until we have met our mates and the rejection completed by both of us. Curtis hasn’t met his mate as yet and she might not be from this pack either. In the case of the latter, it might take longer to find his true mate.

My wolf has been quiet even since my attempted rejection to our mate. She is upset with me but I thought she already knew I wouldn’t accept him. I mean, she liked Curtis so what was her problem? We will heal from this and live our happy ending with Curtis Black. I am optimistic and I believe in our love. Choosing your own mate was not strange as it happens, and even Alphas do that sometimes with their Lunas.

Wolves lived in a ranked system where omegas were the lowest and an Alpha was the leader and the highest authority. A Luna was the title given to the alpha’s mate once he accepts the bond. The mate of a higher rank gets passed to his or her mate of a lower rank. So if a female omega was mated to a gamma, the omega become a gamma female and the omega title is dropped.

Curtis doesn’t know that I have met my mate and I don’t want to mention it until the mate bond is fully severed. I don’t want to make him worry or feel insecure that my mate might steal me away from him.

I am currently working at the café in our town so that I can have time for my classes and training. Everyone in this pack is required to have some form of training as self-defense for when rogues attack or in the event of a war.

Werewolves who are rogues have either been expelled from their pack or departed of their own volition. Apart from having long fur when they transform into wolves, rogues don't have a distinct appearance. They also emit a foul smell from their body. Without the support of a pack, they frequently lose their minds and go crazy. They occasionally exhibit unpredictable and erratic conduct.

Both good and bad rogues exist. The bad ones cause deaths in some circumstances. They may murder out of a desire to kill or out of retaliation. They like preying on and hurting other werewolves. The good rogues, on the other hand, have no desire to harm other packs or individuals. They just generally want to live on their own and are called lone wolves. Rogues are not protected by any laws, so they can be killed easily, even if they are good rogues.

After I got home, I showered and went online the college portal to check on my courses and assignments. My phone lights up with a beep and I see a message from an unknown number.

Unknown: I am glad that you got home safely. It was a pleasure meeting you today. I promise not to bother you too much but being able to send a message once in a while might actually help.

An assumption formed in my head that this had to be my ex-mate. So, I decided not to reply because I don’t want the bond to grow stronger. I know he might think that he is slick but I know a man can be persistent when he wants a woman. I rolled my eyes and blocked his number. I won’t allow him to get close to me or even be friends for the sake of my boyfriend and our relationship.

I’d see my best friend Hailey tomorrow and I will talk to her about it. I don’t know how she might feel when I tell her all of this. But it is good to have my confidante knowing about my mate situation so that I can have someone to talk to about it.

Within an hour I sent Curtis a goodnight message as I wasn’t in the mood to talk to him tonight. However, I spotted two red eyes in my back yard staring up at me when I was closing the window so that I could go straight to bed.

“Shit” I muttered as I saw the wolf laid down with his focus on me.

I could guess who it was.

Shaking my head, I closed the window and ignored him.

It took hours to fall asleep but when I looked out the window again, he was gone. I sighed in relief and then dozed off to dreamland.

He would not make me change my decision. Never!

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Even now, three days later, I can still feel the turbulence in my life. My phone alarm goes off at precisely six in the morning, jarring me out of my euphoric sleep and forcing me to open my eyes.

For Tara, today was a noteworthy day. She has been contracted to provide catering at the Gear Pavilion, which will start at nine this morning. My suspicions that a specific someone engineered this scheme to put me in his orbit began to rise the minute that she told me about it. But I wasn’t going to bail on her.

Blindly, I stretched to the night table to take up the noisy phone to turn off the alarm when my hands brushed against something, and it fell to the floor.  

Abruptly, I jolted out of bed to check what could have fallen. Perturbed, I scrutinized the objects. I found a card and a stuffed pony of Princess Celestia from “My Little Pony.” I used to watch the animation as a kid, and this character was my favorite. I even used to beg my Dad to get me a pony since I was his little princess. He was very happy when I outgrew that phase. Although I had many other phases after that.

Quickly, I opened the card to see who might have left it in my room, and it narrates: 

“Good morning Firecat, 

These days I often daydream about us being together. You are so special to me, and I can never imagine losing you. I use this moment to tell you how beautiful your smile is, and the way you flip your hair in the mornings or bite your lips when you are nervous. My life has suddenly gotten brighter since you became my mate. Even watching you sleep is magical. Wishing you a blissful day. You have my heart. See you soon!” 

“Impossible!” I yelled in horror. There was no way that he came into my room last night. Adrenalin rushed through my veins. How could I not feel his presence or hear his movements? Even my wolf did not alert me.

Additionally, only my parents or Hailey knew me this vastly. How did he find out about one of my favorite cartoon characters? 

So, now he wants to stalk me! Is he crazy? How am I supposed to face him today? I’m angry at this man. Just because I was his mate did not mean that he had the right to enter my room or life without my permission. He was dead wrong if he thought that these little gestures would soften me.

Cursing with rage, I shredded the card with my hands and threw it in the waste bin in the bathroom. I glanced at the pony, and my conflicting thoughts froze me.

I ought to burn it.

But it was so cute!

Damn, I adored the blasted pony so I decided to keep it. For the record, it had nothing to do with my mate. Simply put, I genuinely loved it. It fit nicely with my other stuffed animals on the white shelf above my computer desk.

But what kind of nickname was “Firecat?” I am all woman, not a bloody kitten. 

I removed my pajamas shorts suit. He had to be investigating me. It could have been Mom or Dad that he probed. If it had been Hailey that leaked the information, she was sure to tell me. 

I quickly showered and clothed myself in a black faux wrap party dress with a v-neck and ruffled sleeves. It was nothing elaborate, but I had to look good as a representative of TeeBee’s café. Picking up my handheld shoulder bag on my bed, I proceeded to the door to leave, and got into the waiting cab.

No one is going to spoil my day today. I leaned my head back as the cab drove to the central area. Closing my eyes, I fixed my composure. The dread laid in my mind of what my ex-mate might be planning. I know that my ex-mate arranged this event solely to put me in his crosshairs but abandoning Tara was a no-no, so I complied. Besides, it was also my job.

The request was to cater to the warriors today as they held a conference meeting about security details for the pack with the Rogue Integration System that was current. We were to provide breakfast and Tara said to meet her there because Brody, her mate, would have helped her to load the truck from the café.

Spotting Tara and Brody on arrival, I strode over to where they were setting up the tables and immediately helped. Five omegas were assigned to assist us with delivering the meals to the warriors’ tables while we would handle the ration and serving. 

“Are you OK?” Tara asked me while looking at my angry face. 

I took a deep breath to calm my troubling nerves before answering her “Yeah,” I said with a little piece of voice. See this asinine effect that he has on me whenever he was around. Technically, he was not here yet, but just thinking about him gets me like this. And I despise him for it.

I’m on edge as I consistently feel a pair of eyes watching me and I just hate it when he thinks he has power over me. These days I spend more time hating my mate than thinking about my boyfriend. Aren’t I a sad and pathetic case?

“Earth to Sianna” Brody's voice snapped me out of my angry thoughts. 

“Huh,” I said while looking at him. 

“Are you OK? I have been calling your name for the past five minutes,” he asked with furrowed brows and handed me a pack of napkins. 

“Yeah, I'm totally fine,” I said with a tiny smile while trying to act normal and banish my murderous thoughts about that man. Shaking those stupid feelings out of my mind, I decided to enjoy the day. I uttered a silly excuse, “I’m tired from having tons of schoolwork and projects. That’s all.” 

The fact was that the kitchen staff from the pack house was very much capable of catering for this event.  The chef and cooks were omegas who had qualifying backgrounds from culinary schools. Therefore, the special behest for TeeBee’s to be here for the day was just a ploy to lure me here.

He was casually wielding his authority around.

I scoffed.

The warriors arrived in large numbers and took seats in groups around the tables. In another five minutes, the conference should commence. And then I felt it, the aura of the three most powerful men in the werewolf kingdom as they walked under the open tent.

As they purposefully moved by us, my body tensed. His intoxicating scent toggles at my nose. The palatable effect on my wolf was noticeable as she tried to make me purr. So, I cover my mouth and nose with my palm, faking a cough.

They all looked at me but the Gamma’s eyes lingered and caught mine as he mischievously smirked, and greeted, “Good morning, lovely ladies.” And to me, he says, “It’s great that you could join us today.” He does not acknowledge Brody and walks off.

With brisk strides, he caught up with the High Alpha and his Beta. Ahead of the group, they took their chairs with the Gamma kicking things off. 

Tea and juice were being made by Tara and me, and we gave the omegas trays to carry them to the warriors. The sandwiches were then brought out. Thank goodness Tara agreed to handle serving the high authorities.  The hours went by quickly and I was eager for the day to be finished. I am glad that I was wearing flats because standing all day was hard on my legs. These warriors had prominent appetites.

As the High Alpha spoke, my phone rang loudly, playing “The Heart Wants What it Wants” by Selena Gomez. Panic welled in my throat as the Alpha paused his speech to give me a dangerous gaze.

Quickly, I answered the caller, “Hi Dad,” and stepped away from the tent so that our voices could not be heard.

“Pumpkin, I need a favor.” He spoke urgently.

“Sure, Dad. Just name it.” I agree in anticipation.

“I left the Martinez Brothers’ folder in Alpha's office. Could you grab it and take it home?” He requested “And leave it in the study.”

“Of course,” I pinched the bridge of my nose in dismay. Goddess knows that was the last place that I wanted to go. Avoiding my mate meant that the pack house was off-limits for me. To such a degree, Dad's appeal took away the silver lining.

“Love you, Pumpkin.” The call ended.

Looking back towards the tent, everyone was still there and engaged. None of the warriors could leave without the permission of the Gamma. Subsequently, I decided to take advantage of retrieving the folder from the office while they were preoccupied. It was the best opportunity to elude those guys. Crossing my fingers, I hoped the office would be accessible.

Obediently, I slipped into the resort-like pack house, passing many people.  I gave a handful of them a smile and nodded. While some were recognizable, others weren't. Even though I've never been inside his office, I knew precisely where to find it because I've frequently visited here.

Before twisting the knob to open the door, I stepped in front of it and glanced to my left and right to make sure the area was clear. Relief washed through me as I realized my luck when it opened.  I entered and shut the door behind me. When I got close to the desk, there were neatly stacked layers of folders. I sighed at the arduous search that would be required to pinpoint that file.

Frustration mounds as I went through the tenth folder. The intention was for this to be a fast operation. By now, I ought to have located the file.

"I was wondering who the thief was that broke into the office?"

I froze at the chilling presence behind me. Slowly, I set the files in my hand on the desk.

Bloody hell! He was supposed to be at the pavilion where the conference was being held. Why is he with me right now?

"Aren't you going to say anything?" My toes curled as he continued speaking in his deep, husky voice, which was like pure sensuality.

Refusing to turn around, I kept my back to him, "I'm fetching a file for my Dad."

"Why didn't you ask me to get it for you?" His warm breath wafted over the nape of my neck. His movements are invariably so swift and soundless.

My chest violently heaves which elevated when he buried his head in the crook of my neck, and his breath tickled my skin. He was uncomfortably close to me, and I almost embarrassingly moaned. My spine tingled from his body's heat.

A smirk coiled on his lips, "You smell delicious," he groaned. "You are mine and only mine. I can’t wait to have you."

Fighting my fears and dismissing his claim, I turned to face him with my retort, "I am not y…..” The sight of him stuck the words in my throat. I knew that I should have avoided facing him.

My gaze landed on a pair of hypnotic emerald eyes that belonged to a sex god with a remarkably perfect face and luscious pink lips that were just damp enough from his licking. Hell, he was the sexiest male I have ever seen in my life. This suction feeling was new to me.

My wolf purrs, and happily wags her tail, wanting to take over and revel in his powerful sexual vibe.

‘Control yourself!’ I scolded her.

His gaze, which was filled with lust and adoration, shifted to my chest at once, and my nipples swelled. “You can’t even deny it,” he chortled.

I was disgusted with every response that he extorted from my mutinous body. The mate bond will not choose for my heart, and I am not going to cheat on Curtis.

Hailing from a height of maybe 6'5, I had to angle my head to look up at him. He leaned forward and towered over me.

Stumbling against the desk, my bottom hit the wooden surface and I could not retreat further. Bringing his hands to rest on either side, he trapped me. No, no! Please don’t. I pleaded internally, thinking that he was going to kiss me.

Defiantly, I made a second attempt to repudiate him, “I don’t know what you think will happen between us but….”

Before I could finish my statement, his lips almost brushed against my cheeks as his hot breath made me shiver and my core burned painfully with a sparkling desire. The humidity in the room had evaporated, leaving the air heated, and I could feel perspiration seeping through my pores. I gulped as my throat suddenly felt dry.

But I was angry at him and myself. I needed to get away and run-run, “I have to go.” I pushed him despite the sparks that I felt, but he did not budge. “I already rejected you.”

“I will never accept your rejection,” an involuntary growl escaped his throat.

“You cannot force me to be with you and I will never let you mark me,” I snapped at him. This man was stubborn as hell.

“If that stupid boyfriend of yours marks you, I will kill him!” He snarls.

“You wouldn’t dare,” I challenged him. I was aghast that he would kill Curtis over me. This was not a justifiable reason to execute a pack member.

Arrogantly, he slightly cocks his head and raises a brow, “Do you really want to find that out?”

I scoffed, “You are wasting your precious time on me.” I tried to stare him down but hurriedly looked away because his damn eyes made me want to get lost in them. “You are never going to touch my body!”

“I will respect your wishes,” he leaned backward, giving me a little breathing space from his seductive aura, “But I guarantee that before the end of the three months, you will be begging me to fuck you, my Firecat.”

The gall of this man! He had the nerve to think that I was one of those women that he could easily conquer. He was selfish and egotistical.

He reached for the files on the left side of his desk and hands them to me. “Here you go.”

Stretching out my hands to take them, he retracted his hands so that I grasped the air. I glared daggers at him for his sordid games.

“I expect you....to honor....our deal,” he ordered painfully slow, locking his eyes on mine.

“Naturally,” the word slipped out easily. This man was trying to crash my world and send my dreams into a gutter.

Smiling, he was pleased.

I snatched the files from his hands and darted out of the office. My ears were warm from the endorphin rush, and my heart was thumping at an unknown rate. It's pathetic that he thinks I would ever be with him, but I will show him.

Just wait!

I will never be yours!