3

Eve slowly rocked back onto her heels as she wiped the sweat off her forehead before turning her attention to the orderly row of tomato plants that she had just planted in her thriving garden. Considering that she had only started gardening a little more than a year ago, she was extremely pleased with how well it was coming along. Over the course of that period of time, it had developed into a reliable source of fresh produce, as well as a safe haven for her to retreat to when she needed to get away from the rest of the world.

She enjoyed nothing more than sneaking away to her own private paradise at the end of a long day. In addition, today was a particularly exhausting and hectic day. Because one of the kitchen assistants had called in sick the night before, she had gotten up early to assist Joanne in preparing breakfast on the day after she had gone to bed. After that, she made a detour to the day care center to hand off some cookies that she had hidden in order to avoid Joanne's discovery of them. The children had been very excited to see her, perhaps even more than usual given that she had brought cookies with her. Following the consumption of the cookies, they all participated in a vigorous game of tag, which resulted in the area being filled with ecstatic giggling. After she finished playing with them, she went to the general store to pick up some supplies that she had observed they were running low on at home. While she was there, she also placed an order for some new art supplies for her mother's upcoming birthday. Eve's day had been exhausting up to this point, so she was looking forward to having some downtime in the evening.

She stood up and gathered her gardening tools in her arms before putting them away in the tiny metal shed that was propped up against the side of the cabin. She made her way inside and immediately went to get a drink of water to satisfy her parched throat.

“Hey, mom! It's almost time for my walk. I'll see you later.” Do you require anything from me before I leave? Eve yelled at her mother, who was painting in her studio at the back of the cabin, to tell her that they needed to leave.

“There is a letter on the kitchen bench,” the speaker said. “Could you please stop by the mailbox and drop it off for me, sweetie?” Eve's mother yelled back.

“No problem. I'll see you later.” Eve responded as she picked up the aforementioned letter and proceeded toward the front door of the house.

“Love you sweetie.” Eve could only make out her mother's voice in the background as the door slammed shut behind her.

As she made her way through the cluster of buildings in front of her, she quietly hummed to herself as she made her way to the post box that was situated next to the administration building in the middle. She quickly deposited it while flashing a friendly smile to everyone she encountered along the way. After that, she went in the direction of the nearest path that led into the forest.

As soon as she stepped under the protection of the trees, she experienced a sensation similar to that of having a weight removed from her shoulders. At long last, she had some time to herself; she had spent the better part of the day in close proximity to other people, and it had taken its toll on her. The realization that she would finally have some time to herself, during which she would not be interrupted, brought a genuine smile to her face.

Eve broke through the tree line on the other side of the lake from where she had been yesterday after a good 15 minutes of walking. Yesterday, she had been on the other side of the lake. She was able to see the path that led her back to her house as well as the rock that she sat on frequently from this vantage point. Eve had made the decision to go for a more strenuous stroll today, so she turned her attention to a different path that was located a few hundred meters to her left and looped around, passed through a clearing, and then led back in the direction of the cottage.

She gave a slight smile as she started down this path while listening to the chirps of birds that were flying above her and the resulting of leaves at her feet.

In a short amount of time, she found herself in the teeny-tiny clearing that was dotted with a few yellow and white flowers and was surrounded by wispy grass. It was one of Eve's favorite places to visit because, at this time of the year, it had a particularly stunning appearance. She was skeptical that even if she gardened for the rest of her life, she would ever be able to cultivate plants as lovely as the ones that were growing in this area.

Moving to the center of the opening, she removed her lightweight cardigan in a lavender hue and spread it out on the ground, transforming it into a makeshift pillow in the process. Eve relaxed her eyes and closed them as she lay her head on the piece of fabric and basked in the gentle rays of sunlight that warmed her face. She was at ease in her position, and the sound of the leaves rustling helped her drift off to sleep. She woke up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day.

Eve was startled as she became aware of a nearby presence and immediately sat bolt upright. She jerked her head in both directions, mimicking the motion of an owl, before finally focusing on the two wolves that had emerged from the cover of the trees and were coming toward her. She immediately recognized them as future Alpha Blake and future Beta Adrian based on their auras, and named them such. She immediately stood up and lowered her head in a sign of respect to the wolves as they advanced toward her.

After receiving a signal from Blake in the form of a brief grunt to glance up and meet his gaze, she once again cast her gaze downward, this time toward the earth. Eve felt a tightening in her chest as the two wolves came even closer to one another, and an incredible desire arose in her to gaze at the Beta. The idea, the requirement, was so prevalent in her mind that it was almost like an echo. She slowly let her gaze to settle on his pale gray shape and then slowly moved it up to his face.

The night before, she had been unable to recognize her need to gaze at Adrian, a need that was now incontestable. She had been unable to do so. Now that she was standing in this field with the sky ready to go black, she was able to recognize the feeling that she was experiencing quite clearly.

“Mate...” Eve uttered her words in a hushed tone. At long last, she had found her soul mate.

The way that Blake's Beta was staring at the young girl in front of them appeared to take him by surprise. Eve swiveled around to face him, and it appeared to her that Adrian had turned to face him as well. She was unsure of the topic of their conversation, though. After what seemed like an eternity, they both eventually changed back into their human selves. She was shocked to see how much shorter she actually was when compared to the two people who were towering over her.

Adrian extended his hand toward the brown-haired woman who was staring at him in disbelief. Eve's response was cautious, but she eventually stretched out to take his hand.

“What in the world is your name?” Eve was on the verge of collapsing as a result of his low voice, which seemed to resound throughout her entire body.

“Eve… Eve Harmonns.” The volume of her voice was hardly audible, and it was so low that she wasn't even positive if Adrian had picked up on her response.

“I'm sorry, Eve, but I can't consider you a mate of mine. You, Eve Harmonns, are not going to be my mate because I, Beta Adrian Alford of the Emerald Eye pack, have decided against it. It is not possible for our souls to ever become one.” As the words left his mouth, Adrian's gaze became hard and determined, and he did not even give Eve a time to realize what was going on. As he started to move away from her motionless body, he tore his hand free from her grip and jerked it away. She did not become aware of what was happening to her until she experienced an excruciating agony that shot through her chest and made her feel as though she were being turned inside out.

“No! Please don't do this to me! Would you kindly give me a chance?” Eve screamed as she fell to the ground and reached out with one hand in an attempt to catch Adrian's hand as he started to move away from her. Instead, Blake prevented her from reaching Adrian by seizing her hand and preventing her from moving forward.

“You are not allowed to be his mate. It is not possible for you to hold the position of beta female in this pack. You are not strong enough. I'm sorry that things have to be this way, but as the one who will eventually become Alpha, I simply cannot permit it. You are not even capable of fighting, thus the pack deserves someone better than you.” Blake's voice was much frigid than Adrian's had been. While Eve glanced up at him with tears in her eyes, he tossed Eve to the side. After turning around, he went with his beta all the way back to the township, leaving the devastated girl behind.

Eve remained still on the ground, unable to utter a sound as the excruciating pain continued to exceed her expectations for its severity. Why was she being subjected to such a situation?

“Please… someone help me…,” she could only say.

It is not possible for our souls to ever become one

“Adrian, I beg you to return… I am capable of being strong…”

It is not possible for our souls to ever become one