Chapter 2: Fighting Fate

It was my twenty-first birthday. Ash planned to come over to my pack's headquarters and give me my gift and have lunch with me.

My pack's headquarters were located in a luxury cabin in the woods. It was equipped with a large kitchen, bathrooms, multiple bedrooms, meeting room, and an expansive training room.

The doorbell rang and I let Ash inside the cabin. I noticed he had on a white dress shirt and jeans that hugged all the right places. He was so sexy.

We sat on the couch, and he looked so excited to give me my gift. It looked like it'd be jewelry when I saw the small white cardboard box.

I opened it up and tried to fake a happy reaction when I saw the gift. It was a gaudy gold bracelet with rubies that my sister would've liked. Didn't he know I enjoyed elegant yet simple jewelry?

I managed to say, "Thanks Ash."

"You're welcome. I saw it and thought of you."

Suddenly a weird feeling came in the pit of my gut. It was almost as if a voice told me "he's not your mate."

How could that be? Ash and I seemed meant for each other since we met. My heart felt as if it had been sliced by a knife after that weird feeling took over.

Ash must've sensed that something was wrong when he looked at me with worry and asked, "What's wrong Cleo?"

I put a strand of hair behind my ear and said, "Oh it's nothing. I'm just suddenly not feeling very hungry."

"It's okay. We can have lunch another day, Cleo."

He stood up and got up to leave. The thought of him not being my mate came back to me. Why wasn't he my mate? No one else could fit that role but him.

I decided I should tell him the truth. It didn't seem right to have told that little white lie earlier. I stood up and looked over at him. He looked back at me with worry still in his eyes.

"I've got to tell you something."

Ash's face frowned and he asked, "Are you going to break off our engagement?"

I shook my head and said, "That's not it. I just realized that you aren't my mate. I felt it like a gut feeling. It was almost like I heard a voice tell me you aren't my mate."

He was shocked. Seconds later he said, "Even if I'm not your mate, I still want to be with you. I love you more than anything."

I didn't let a tear fall and stated, "I want to be with you too and love you. We can make this work."

Those words didn't feel true, because a bad feeling came in my gut. There was already a warning that Ash and I weren't as right for each other as I had thought. I mean, how could he have given me that bracelet? Ash wasn't proving himself to me that day.

Ash interrupted my thoughts and leaned close to me. He said, "I want to remain true to you and only you. There's no one else for me."

"I want to stay true to you too. You're all that I want Ash."

I wondered if I was trying to reassure myself more than him. For the first time, I worried about our future.

Zander POV

I was heading back to the pack's headquarters after a walk in the woods. I needed to get away from the rest of the pack and think about things. Sometimes clearing my head was good to do. It helped me refocus on my mission in life. I couldn't lose sight of that.

Recently, I had felt a sense of something coming in my life. I wasn't sure what it was, but it made me a little concerned. I didn't need any distractions from what I needed to do.

It was exactly why I had never dated anyone. Dating had no room in my life. Honestly, it was okay being the "loner" of the pack. I didn't have to worry about letting anyone down or hurting others.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of footsteps and a familiar young woman's voice. "You don't have to go. Please stay. It's my birthday."

I heard the guy say, "I can't. I need to go and think about what you told me alone. I'll call you later."

This woman pleaded, "Please reconsider. I don't want to be alone for my birthday. You promised to spend time with me today."

He sighed and said, "I'm sorry but I just need time to myself. But I can't believe I'm not your mate. It's a disappointment."

The woman didn't say anything back to him. I felt a hint of guilt over accidently eavesdropping on a private conversation. My enhanced hearing couldn't help that, however.

The guy gave me a bad feeling for some reason. I felt bad for the woman who he was leaving. There must've been trouble between the couple, but I wasn't sure if I had met them before. I mostly kept to myself and didn't attempt to mingle with other pack members.

A car drove off seconds later. What a jerk that guy was. It was the woman's birthday for God's sake. Who leaves someone on their birthday? I'd never do that to a potential girlfriend. It was rude.

An odd feeling hit me out of nowhere. It was like a sixth sense overpowered me and said "your mate is near." This surprised me, since no one had ever made me feel this before. I almost thought I didn't have a mate. I've gone years without having found a mate.

I felt so drawn to go find my mate and be with them. The feeling was so strong that my feet moved before I thought about it. I started walking in the direction that my sense told me.

I walked a little further before stopping. No way could I find my mate now. I knew I couldn't get involved with a mate. I had another priority that came above anything in my personal life. My focus was so strong that I had never even had a serious relationship.

In the past, I regret to admit that I had meaningless flings with a couple women. There were never any promises or any real commitment I made to them. It was something I couldn't afford to do in life.

Suddenly, I wondered if my mate was being pulled towards me. Whoever my mate was probably didn't even know me anyway. I wondered what would happen if I met my mate. I hoped that I'd never meet my mate, or I'd be trapped in my pull towards them.