A Stolen Fate

I walk down the familiar path to the riverbank, a place where I always find a strange, quiet peace in times like these. Not many pack members ever come here, and that, more than anything, is why I cherish it. The moon guides my path as I wipe the tears from my eyes.

I had just had an ugly fight with my mother about my twin sister, and this time, Mother hit me. She always takes my sister's side, never wanting to hear my story. I have vowed never to return to that house again. Never.

As I near the river, I see a young boy flailing wildly above the surface. I freeze. What is a boy who can't swim doing in the cold river? He is gasping, sinking, rising again—then sinking back. I rush toward him. Since I can swim, I don't hesitate. But before I can dive into the water, he disappears beneath the surface. I search desperately inside the water for him. A few agonizing minutes later, I manage to pull the unconscious boy out of the water, dragging him to the safety of a large, moss-covered tree trunk.

Two things hit me when I see his face. He is older than me, and he is Miles Mondragon, the Alpha's son. My crush.

"Miles?" I breathe, brushing wet strands of hair from his forehead. All my bubbling anger for my mom and sister is instantly forgotten, replaced now by a deep, terrifying worry for him.

I've had a crush on Miles from the very first day I ever saw him, but we have never, not once, spoken to each other. Well, Miles is the popular senior that ignores everyone in school except his two best friends, Rico and Evans. He is an Alpha's son, after all; he is practically royalty and has to carefully choose who he 'rolls with.' But here he is now, unconscious in my arms, looking so vulnerable and fragile. Panic begins to set in.

I lean in and start CPR, just as my late aunt, my father's sister once taught me. "Come on, come on," I whisper. "Please don't do this."

My mind races. What happened? Why is he out here alone, drowning?

I keep pressing. Still no response. I burst into tears. I don't even know the exact reason why I am crying so hard. Maybe it is because I need a good, cleansing cry after what my mother just did, or maybe because if I fail, I'll lose my very first love even before I ever have the chance to even talk to him. I am soaked to the bone and freezing, but all my mind, all my focus, is to revive him.

"Please, wake up," I sob, pressing my hands harder on his chest. "Dear goddess... please, please help me. Miles, don't die."

I am so caught up in my tears that I don't even see the water finally pushing out of his mouth. Suddenly, he sputters. His chest jerks, and a choked sound escapes him. I freeze, staring down at him, my heart thudding in disbelief. He is alive. His eyes blink open, dazed and glassy.

"Who... are you?" he rasps, his voice barely above a whisper, and his gaze looks unfocused.

Relief slams into me so hard I almost forget to breathe. I try desperately to keep calm, but my sobs are still wracking my body, shaking me uncontrollably. Miles just lies there, not moving, but I can feel he is awake now. I am a sobbing mess now. The relief I feel doesn't stop my tears; in fact, it only makes me sob even harder, hitting his chest weakly through my tears.

"Why do you do that?!" I cry out. "Why do you go in there?!"

"I—" he tries to sit up, but clutch his head and lies back down.

That's when I catch the stench of alcohol on his breath. My eyes narrow. "Have you been drinking?"

He doesn't answer, but I know he has. He's leaving the pack tomorrow for his Alpha training. There's a send-off party going on at the pack house. Does anyone even know he's here?

"You saved my life," he mutters. "I... I can't swim."

"Thank the goddess," I whisper, trying to lift him, but Miles is too heavy for me. "I need to take you back to the pack house."

"No. I'm freezing, please," Miles groans, and wraps his arms around me, pulling me down beside him.

His hug is warm and gentle. It calms the storm inside me. I wish, with all my heart, that we could stay like this forever, and it is almost as if the goddess herself hears my inner prayers. Miles doesn't make any move to pull away; instead, he holds me even tighter to his chest.

"Thank you for saving me. You are my savior," he say in a hoarse voice.

The compliment washes over me and makes my heart flutter widely. "But you need to get back to the pack house."

"Not like this," he says. "My father cannot see me like this. He mustn't know I snuck alcohol with my friends. He'll punish them for it."

The night chill gnaws at my bones, but hugging each other gives us a little warmth at least. The only sounds are the soft rustle of leaves in the breeze and the gentle, continuous crash of water lapping against the riverbanks.

"Well, you are quite lucky, I got here in time to revive you," I mutter. "Thanks to my dreams I knew what to do."

"What are your dreams?" he asks.

"I want to be the best Pack healer there is," I say with a little grin. "I want to help people feel hope even when they are sick and vulnerable. My father said I have a special gift." I pause, turning the question back to him. "What about you, Miles? What are your dreams?"

He laughs, but it sounds bitter. "Dreams? I'm not even allowed to dream. My life is already mapped out for me; train hard, take over as Alpha, run the family business. That's the sum of it. But I would really like to be a business tycoon."

"You can be anything you want if you believe," I say softly. "When you grow up, you can make your own decisions. Grown-ups make their own decisions."

"How old are you?" Miles asks.

"Fourteen," I reply.

He nods and runs his thumb gently over my cheek. "I'm sixteen," he says. "In two years, I'll meet my wolf."

I already know that. I know everything about Miles, his age, his favorite subjects, his birthday, the way he rubs the back of his neck when he is nervous. He is my secret wish, the boy I dream will someday rescue me. I hope he will end up being my true mate and sweep me away from my mother like some kind of knight in shining armor. But I don't say any of that. I just nod quietly.

"What's your name?" he asks.

"Miles!" His name rings out through the woods. Flashlights cut through the trees. The pack warriors are here, calling for him. "Miles!"

Miles quickly removes his hands from me and pulls a necklace from around his neck, pressing it into my palm. "I want to see you again when I come back," he says. "But I might not recognize you after Alpha training. If you show me this, I'll know it's you and remember tonight. Will you be my Luna then?"

I'm dumbfounded for a moment, just staring at the golden necklace in my palm. I don't know if I'm dreaming or not, but this is like a dream come true. I've always fantasized about marrying Miles, ruling the pack beside him, even and becoming a pack healer.

"Miles!" the searchers are getting closer.

"Yes!" I say quickly. "I'll be your Luna then. But...what if we are not mates?"

"We will reject our mates," he says. "I'll reject mine and choose you. What about you?"

I nod frantically before I answer. "I will reject my mate too." To me, there's no one else I want. Only Miles.

He brings out his pinky finger. "Let's seal it."

I hook mine around his, and we press our thumbs together. To my surprise, he leans down and kisses me. It is a quick, gentle kiss, just a soft brush of lips. But it feels like it fills the whole world with stars. My heart goes wild, hammering so fast I think he might hear it. I am too stunned, too dazed, to even think. I just sit there shivering and holding the golden necklace in my palm until he finally pulls away.

"Thank you for saving me," he says.

And with those words, he turns and runs, disappearing into the woods as if shy about our kiss.

I stay rooted in place, watching as his figure vanishes into the deep shadows. This can't possibly be real. It feels far too perfect and too magical, like something out of a fantasy. And if it is just a dream, then I swear to myself, right here and now, that I never, ever want to wake up.