Chapter 1

The Scent of Fate

Jace's POV

The morning sun filtered through the windows of Moonridge High as I strutted down the hallway, my usual crowd of admirers trailing behind me. Being the future Alpha of the Storm Pack came with perks—respect, fear, and more female attention than I knew what to do with. Not that I complained.

"Jace, you coming to my place after school?" Amber purred, pressing herself against my arm. Her blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her low-cut top left little to the imagination. She'd been one of my regular hookups for months now.

"Maybe," I said with a lazy grin, already scanning the hallway for my next target. That's when it hit me—a scent so intoxicating, so perfect, that my wolf immediately perked up, howling with recognition.

*Mate.*

The word echoed through my mind like a thunderclap. My steps faltered as I searched frantically for the source of that incredible smell—vanilla and jasmine with an underlying sweetness that made my mouth water. My wolf was practically clawing at my chest, demanding I find her immediately.

Then I saw her.

Grace Matthew. The packhouse keeper's daughter. The same girl I'd been tormenting since we were kids, the nerdy little mouse who jumped at her own shadow. She was hunched over her locker, dark hair falling like a curtain around her face as she fumbled with her books.

*No. No, this can't be right.*

My wolf didn't care about my protests. He was already pushing forward, wanting to claim what was ours. But I fought him back, disgust warring with the undeniable pull I felt toward her. Grace Matthew—the girl who wore oversized sweaters, thick-rimmed glasses, and had never spoken above a whisper in her entire life. The girl who made an easy target because she never fought back.

"Jace? You okay?" Amber's voice seemed to come from far away.

I blinked, realizing I'd been staring at Grace for far too long. My friends had noticed too, following my gaze with confusion and then cruel amusement.

"Oh, look who's caught Storm's attention," sneered Marcus, one of my closest friends and the Beta's son. "Little Grace Matthew. What's wrong, Jace? Run out of real women?"

The group erupted in laughter, but I barely heard them. Grace had turned at the sound of her name, those wide brown eyes meeting mine for just a moment before she quickly looked away, cheeks flushing red. Even that brief contact sent electricity shooting through my system.

*She doesn't know,* I realized. At seventeen, she wouldn't be able to scent her mate yet. That ability didn't manifest until eighteen, and her birthday wasn't for another few months. The thought should have been a relief, but instead it made something twist in my chest.

"Earth to Jace," Amber said, snapping her fingers in front of my face. "Since when do you care about that little freak?"

The word 'freak' applied to my mate—even if she was an unwanted one—made my wolf snarl. Before I could stop myself, I was walking toward Grace's locker, my friends following like a pack of hyenas scenting blood.

"Well, well," I drawled, leaning against the locker next to hers. "If it isn't Grace the Mouse."

She flinched at my voice, clutching her textbooks tighter against her chest. The scent of her fear mixed with that intoxicating mate smell, and I had to clench my fists to keep from reaching for her.

"P-please, I'm not bothering anyone," she whispered, not meeting my eyes.

"You're bothering me just by existing," I said, the words tasting like ash in my mouth. But I couldn't stop. If my friends suspected there was anything different about how I saw Grace, if they sensed the mate bond... "Did you even shower this morning? You smell."

It was a lie. She smelled like heaven. But Grace's face crumpled at the words, and she pressed herself smaller against her locker.

"I... I did shower," she said quietly, and the hurt in her voice made my chest ache.

"Could've fooled me," Marcus added, and the others laughed.

Grace slammed her locker shut and tried to hurry past us, but I stepped into her path. The moment was brief—maybe two seconds—but when she bumped into my chest, the mate bond flared so intensely that I nearly groaned aloud. Her eyes flew up to mine, wide and startled, and for a moment I forgot to breathe.

Then reality crashed back, and I shoved her backward with enough force that she stumbled.

"Watch where you're going, freak," I snarled, hating myself with every word.

Grace didn't respond. She just gathered her scattered books and fled down the hallway, her long hair hiding her face. I watched her go, my wolf howling in protest at letting our mate escape.

"Damn, Jace," Amber said, sliding her arm through mine again. "You really hate that girl, don't you?"

I forced a cruel smile. "Can you blame me? She's pathetic."

But as we walked away, all I could think about was the brief moment when Grace had looked up at me—the way her eyes had widened, the soft gasp that had escaped her lips. My mate. Mine to protect, mine to cherish.

Mine to destroy, apparently.

Grace's POV

I ran to the bathroom, my heart hammering against my ribs as I locked myself in the furthest stall. The tears I'd been holding back finally spilled over, hot and shameful against my cheeks.

*Why did he have to be so cruel?*

Jace Storm had been my tormentor for as long as I could remember, but something about this morning felt different. Worse. When I'd bumped into him—God, I was so clumsy—there had been something in his eyes that I'd never seen before. Something that made my stomach flutter in the most confusing way.

Which was ridiculous. Jace Storm was everything I wasn't—confident, popular, devastatingly handsome. He was the future Alpha, destined to lead our pack, while I was just the keeper's daughter. We existed in completely different worlds, and he made sure I never forgot it.

I pulled off my glasses and wiped them clean, trying to compose myself. The bathroom door opened, and I heard the click of heels against the tile floor.

"Did you see the way he looked at her?" It was Amber's voice, high and gossipy. "I swear, for a second there, I thought Jace was going to—"

"Going to what?" another girl interrupted. "He can barely stand to be in the same room as Grace Matthew. Did you see how he shoved her? I thought she was going to cry right there in the hallway."

"She probably did cry, knowing her," Amber said with a laugh. "God, can you imagine being that pathetic? No wonder she doesn't have any friends."

I pressed my hand over my mouth, trying not to make a sound. They were right, of course. I didn't have any friends. The few attempts I'd made over the years had been crushed by Jace and his crew's relentless bullying. Who wanted to be friends with the girl everyone made fun of?

"I don't know," the other girl continued. "Sometimes I almost feel bad for her. She's always alone, and her mom died when she was little..."

"Don't waste your sympathy," Amber said dismissively. "Some people are just born to be losers. At least she knows her place."

Their voices faded as they left the bathroom, but their words echoed in my head. *Some people are just born to be losers.* Maybe she was right. Maybe this was just my life—hiding in bathroom stalls, jumping at shadows, being too scared to speak up for myself.

But when I closed my eyes, I could still feel the warmth of Jace's body when I'd bumped into him, could still see that strange look that had flickered across his face for just a moment. It had almost looked like... but no. That was impossible.

Jace Storm would never look at someone like me with anything but disgust.

I gathered my courage and headed to first period, keeping my head down and hoping to make it through another day invisible. Just seven more months until I turned eighteen. Seven more months until I could finally scent my mate and maybe, just maybe, find someone who would see me as more than just Grace the Mouse.

Someone who might actually want me.

I had no idea that the Moon Goddess had already chosen—and that my mate was the very person who made my life a living hell.