Missing the mate

Rosalie walked into her living room. The manor was divided into several sections. Each suite was like a flat. Based on their ranking, each wolf family got their living quarters. Like the second-ranking Betas, Rosalie's father had a luxuriously furnished suite. Though it was not as opulent as the Alpha's quarter, it was still better than most others. Amelia Murdoch, smiled at her daughter, as Rosalie squirmed in her figure-hugging red bodycon dress. It was sleeveless with a deep V at the back.

"You look beautiful," Amelia whispered, with misty eyes.

Rosalie rolled her eyes, "are you done now? Is this why you were looking for me? Just to try this stupid dress?"

"Rosie, it's a very expensive limited-edition dress, thankfully I managed to find it online." She beamed.

"Dad needs to put a stop to your online shopping!" Rosalie grumbled.

"One day you will thank me, young lady," Amelia said sternly, wagging her finger.

She took out another shimmering blue gown and waved it in front of Rosalie.

"It's your dress for the reception," she said excitedly as she gave the dress to Rosalie, "come on try it on."

Rosalie shook her head in frustration.

"Mom! It's not my wedding!" she said exasperatedly. "I don't need to dress up."

"Nonsense!" Amelia said. "There's going to be a lot of eligible bachelors tomorrow sweetie," she said with a sugary smile. "You're 18 years old now; it's time for you to find a boyfriend or a mate."

That was the last thing Rosalie wanted. She had just had her heart broken by her mate. And his mother was playing the matchmaker. She had no idea that Rosalie was never going to find her mate. She had already found him, been dumped and all she had left was a shattered soul. Unaware of her daughter's misery, Amelia was planning for the ceremony. She loved to show off her status and position during social engagements.

Amelia was not haughty or arrogant. Just a little vain. Weddings were a perfect opportunity to dress up her beautiful daughter and make other mothers jealous.

"Mom, you expect me to flirt with guys. Seriously? Dad would skin them alive!" Rosalie couldn't help laughing.

"Your dad would do no such thing. If he wants his daughter respectably mated."

Rosalie sighed and looked at her mother's happy and excited face. Her parents loved her; her mom just wanted the best for her. Rosalie touched the blue satin gown.

" OK, I will wear it, mom." Rosalie smiled at her.

Her mother loved her dearly, she knew that.

'Just because I got rejected, I shouldn't be making my parents miserable. They would be heartbroken if they knew what had happened. They cannot even defy the Alpha, which would mean execution or banishment. '

Rosalie shuddered at the thought. Banishments meant they would be thrown out of the pack. Wolves needed a pack to survive. Most lone wolves either die or turn rogue. She could not do that to her parents.

She slipped into the blue dress and her mother gushed,

" You look so beautiful! I am sure you will overshadow the bride!"

Rosalie snorted. "That would be rude! But I don't mind annoying Grace for once."

Amelia looked pleased with her choice and passed Rosalie's strappy heels, to match the dress. Rosalie sighed and took her heels.

************

As the morning dawned, wolves in the silver moon pack were busy with a flurry of activities. Everyone was either giggling or planning what they would wear for the ceremony. Rosalie walked through the corridors with a heavy heart. Each time she tried to stop crying, a fresh set of tears would spill from her eyes. She had never felt more alone and had never been betrayed by a person this way before. No one had prepared her for this. She was good at guarding her thoughts, so others didn't get a whiff of them.

Rosalie did her best to keep her emotions under control once the guests started arriving. She bathed and dressed in a yellow summer dress. She had been assigned the duty of showing the guests to their rooms. She tried to be pleasant to the guests that arrived, showing them to their suites and taking care of additional accommodations, but all she wanted to do was cry.

"I hear the guests are very pleased with the rooms." Her father beamed.

Rosalie could not help but smile at him. He was proud of his position and had taken care of the arrangements very carefully.

"Of course, dad, you have done a wonderful job." Rosalie smiled. Scott Murdoch nodded and left for the grand hall.

Once she was alone, Rosalie began to hurt again. She tried to shake away the feeling and focus on her duties, so she took the long walk to the western wing of the manor, which contained the guest suits for the Alphas.

She entered one of the grand suits, trying her hardest to keep from crying. She released her hair from her ponytail, allowing it to flow down her back. She tied the ribbon as a band around the top of her head. Chris liked her hair like that. She looked at her reflection and smiled weakly. She crossed the lounge and opened the double doors to the bedroom. The bed was inviting, with its rich dark tones and fine fabrics. She began removing the decorator pillows and replacing them with sleeping pillows. One of the omegas had ignored their job, the room was still not prepared.

She turned down the sheets and comforter, trying not to think of Chris. Eventually, she could not contain her emotions any longer, and she began to cry. She felt a very physical pain in her heart and felt like she might get sick. But at that moment, she did not care. She was sobbing so loudly that she did not even realize there was a second person in the room.