Jane
Last month, my mom sewed a simple sundress and folded it neatly for me. It felt silky and had the prettiest colors, but I didnât put it on until today because today is a special day.
The dress envelops me like a gentle breeze, accentuating every curve. I wonder how my mom got my length right. When I twirl in my room, the hem of the dress seems to twirl as well, and my auburn hair, styled in an orderly ponytail, joins in with a little dance.
Even the sandals Iâm wearing are new; my mom just bought me a pair from the local market.
My lips curl into a smile, satisfied with how pretty I look. But thereâs a knot in my stomach, fastened by my nervousness. Today is the happiest day of my life, the day I get to meet my fated mate, yet my anxiety is getting the best of me.
Our pack is celebrating today, and alphas from different packs have been invited to the event. It is a mating ball where unmated werewolf Alphas get the chance to meet their mates, and this happens once a year.
It will also be my chance to finally meet mine.
I was born into a werewolf family, and my father is the beta of the Red Moon Pack. As amazing as that sounds, it hasnât been easy for me. As the only daughter of the beta, there are a lot of eyes on meâa lot of expectations.
Iâm expected to have a wolf by now, to be a future female beta, but Iâve remained a clumsy, wolf-less girl. At least, thatâs how members of the pack see me. And they bully me for it. Despite being the betaâs daughter, they poke, shove, point, laugh, and curse at me.
So, of course, I have no friends, and my father sees me as a disgrace. Iâm the 18-year-old infamous werewolf without a wolf, and he hates me for it. All he wants is a strong daughter who will take over from him when he gets too old to serve as the packâs beta.
And he doesnât see that daughter in me. When he looks at me, sometimes with a frown, other times with a cold glare, all I see is disappointment in his eyes. Maybe his hatred will end when I finally meet my mate.
Since my earliest teenage days, I have wanted nothing more than to meet my mate. I have the wishful thought that he will make my wolf bloom when he marks me. Our mate bond will unleash my wolfâs side. And even though there is no guarantee for it, I still hold on to that thought.
My mother has always been there for me, grooming me and teaching me about my mate â one who will love and cherish me. A mate who will accept me for who I am and accept my flaws with a warm heart.
Iâve had enough criticism and bullying to last a lifetime, and I donât think I can take more of it. I pray for a mate who will show me nothing but unadulterated love, and I believe the ever-kind moon goddess will grant me this wish.
Our pack has prepared enough food and drinks for the celebration today. The she-wolves are clad in their fanciest dresses, smiling and giggling amongst themselves, and their makeup is done so beautifully. I donât have a fancy dress or any makeup, but my sundress is more than enough for me. All I want to do tonight is meet my destined mate.
âJane.â My mother knocks on my door. âAre you in there?â
âYes, Mother. Iâm coming.â I rush to open the door.
My mother is all dressed up, and she glances at my sundress. I notice a small smile on her faceâ a little hint of pride.
âWhat the hell are you doing?â she asks. âWhy arenât you downstairs yet?â
âIâll be down in a minute. I still need to fix my hair,â I say hurriedly, feeling nervous again.
She notices the discomfort on my face and cups it with her hands.
âJane, whatâs wrong? Are you feeling sick?â
âNo, Mom. Iâm fine, justââ How can I tell her that Iâm afraid?
âArenât you happy that youâll finally meet your mate today?â
âOf course, I am, Mother. Iâm the happiest girl on earth. I hope the moon goddess blesses me with a mate. âI hope I see my mate today, Mother." I forced a smile.
âSure, you will, sweetheart. Iâm sure you will meet your destined mate, who will love and cherish you,â she states.
Hearing her say those words so firmly chases away my doubts. I feel confident again, all thanks to her.
âThanks, Mother.â I smile and give her a quick hug.
âNow⊠go finish up quickly. You donât want to miss the celebration. I will be waiting for you downstairs. Donât take too long, alright?â
I nod. When she leaves, I close the door and hurry back to my full-length mirror. I take a deep breath, bracing myself for tonight.
Itâs okay, Jane. Youâll be fine.
âJane,â my mother calls again.
âComing!â I do one last quick twirl and scurry downstairs to meet my mother.
âYou look beautiful, sweetheart,â my mother compliments me as I get down the stairs.
âThanks, Mother,â I giggle, linking my arm with hers. We head out of the house and arrive at the ball a few minutes later.
The enormous hall is beautifully decorated, with beautiful chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and glowing like the moon. Everyone is dressed in their best clothing.
The mated alphas have their tables on one side of the hall, where they sit with their Lunas, and the unmated alphas have their tables on the other side. The unmated she-wolves at the party are bubbling with excitement.
Soon, our alpha makes his grand entrance with his Luna, and they go to their seats. My father sits beside the alpha since he is the beta of the pack.
My gaze remains on one of the unmated alphas. I wish to know more about the remarkable alpha. He is perfectly made, so beautiful that it makes me jealous.
How can a man be so perfect and, at the same time, so beautiful? Is he my mate? I donât know, since I have no wolf, but he couldnât be. He seems like a powerful man.
I doubt such a man will be mated with someone like me. Maybe I am just drawn to him because of his stunning looks.
âWhatâs wrong? Who are you staring at?â My mother demands, interrupting me.
âNothing. I just feel a bit attracted to that man over there,â I answer, pointing at the alpha.
âWill you stop it, Jane? Do you know the alpha youâre pointing at?â she yells. Why is she angry? âHe is the most notorious and ruthless alpha in history. You donât want to provoke the beast in him.â
But he doesnât look cruel or ruthless. With his looks, he could be an actual angel from heaven. But then again, they did say looks can be deceiving, right?
âDonât ever point at anyone again,â Mother adds. âIf I were you, I would focus on finding my mate.â
âIâm sorry, Mother,â I mutter.
Soon, my motherâs friends drag her away, leaving me all alone. I roam around in search of my mate.
The sweet aroma of the food infiltrates my nostrils. My stomach rumbles in hunger, so I go to indulge myself in some snacks, still admiring the aesthetics of the hall.
Without looking at where I am going, I bump into a hard chest. I almost fall, but a firm hand catches my wrist.
âWatch where youâre going.â
The voice was a deep baritone, and soon the firm hand let go of me.
âIâm sorry," I apologize, then quickly step away from him, feeling the sensation of his touch.
My mind races with conflicting emotions as I try to make sense of what just happened. Part of me is drawn to his touch, craving more, while another part is filled with confusion.
Is he my mate? Is he the one? I look up to see who saved me from falling, finding his dark, brooding eyes locked on mine. I let out a soft gasp. Heâs the alpha my mother just warned me about.
Rejected MateJane.âWhat is your name?â He asks me, stalking me. I take quick, fearful steps backwards. I can feel my heart racing and my throat constricting. I open my mouth, but no words come out. I shiver in fear.To begin with, he is incredibly tall, and Iâve never felt so lacking in height. Secondly, there is this tense aura around him that seems to be sucking the air out of me.And more than all that, I have this weird feeling about him being so close to me. Is this a mate thing, or is it all in my head? His eyes are boring holes in my body, and his eyebrow quirks when I donât give him a reply.âI just asked you a question,â he says indifferently.âMy name is Jane Biller,â I answer, taking another step backward, but I almost bump into a waitress.âWatch out!" he hisses, pulling me away by my hand. Once again, I feel that strange electric sensation.I look up at him, my heart pounding. His eyes are intense, and I can feel the electricity radiating off of him. I gasp and jerk my h
Alpha Richard Brownâs stanceâYouâre the cause of all this shit, Ray. Youâre the one who forced me to be here!â I seethe, venting on my Beta and best friend, Raymond. Iâm back at our table, away from all the drama.âHow is this my fault? All I did was accept the invitation to be here,â he responds. âI didnât set her up as your mate.ââThe moon goddess was certainly behind herself when she did this pair up. Did you get a good look at the girl?ââI did.ââAnd would it make any sense that a weak, useless, and disgusting girl like her would be my mate? My ride or die?ââUh, I donât know, man. I canât say the moon goddess made a mistake. That would be blasphemy,â Raymond winces. âHowever, she has the body and what it takes to be your Luna.ââBlasphemy or not, I donât care. The moon goddess pulled a fast one on me tonight, and Iâm calling her out for it. Pairing me up with a girl like that is madness,â I say. âI rule a fucking empire, man. What help will she give as my Luna when she canât ev
Broken bond.Jane.Rejecting me was not enough for my so-called mate; he went as far as humiliating my mother and me. What kind of mate is that? Why does it have to be him among everyone else at the party?I never said I wanted a dominating alpha as my mate. A beta would have been enough for me, or even a gamma or an omega. I donât care. All I ask for is a mate who will love me. But I got hell instead, and now itâs burning up my heart into flames.I wish I had a wolf and was stronger than him; then I wouldnât feel as weak as I do right now, nor would I lock myself inside my room, too afraid to step outside. Iâm emotionally drained, and I have lost my will to live. After what happened tonight, Iâm too ashamed of myself right now to face anyone. All I want to do is cry myself to sleep. I hear a knock on my door.âJane, please open this door,â my mother calls from outside my room. Sheâs been knocking since we returned, but I just canât bring myself to open it. âJane, please open this damn
Jane.The next day, Mother calls her sister Karen to tell her about me and my situation. I pray she accepts me to come live with her.âHow is it, mother?" I ask eagerly.âShe accepts,â she smiles. I can tell she isnât happy. âIâm sorry, mother.âShe pulls me into a hug. We are both silent as she caresses my hair. âYou donât have to say sorry. They bully you. Itâs time to leave this horrible park.ââThank you, mother.ââI will be right back, darling.â Iâm packing my bag when my mother walks into my room.âHi, baby, are you done packing your bags?â She asks, perching her butt on my bed.âAlmost, Mother,â I reply.âI hope youâre not forgetting anything.ââNo, mother. Iâm not.â I finish stuffing my briefcase and zip-tie it up.âReady?â She beams at me.âYes, Mother. Everything is set. I am ready to leave this pack. I canât wait to leave and start a new life somewhere else,â I tell her.âGood. I have mind-linked your aunt, my sister, about your arrival, and she is already anticipating meeti
Hitting the club. Janeâs stance. âJane, letâs go to the mall and then hit the club,â she suggests. âI donât want you to feel down after sharing your story about your mate.â âI donât feel like going, Amira.â âNo, you need to cheer up, darling,â she says. âCome on. Let hit the mall.â âSure, Iâm up for it,â I reply. âLetâs go.â We get ready, and she drives us to the mall. Ella tags along. Ella is Amiraâs friend who later becomes my friend. She is the Betaâs daughter in the pack. âI want that sexy dress,â Ella exclaims, pointing to a short, hot dress. âI need to try this on. Can you bring it down?â She asks the shop attendant to check if itâs available in her size. âYes, maâam,â the shop attendant replies, bringing down the gown. Ella takes it from her and rushes into the dressing room. âWow, you look amazing.â I gasp in admiration when she steps out of the dressing room. I wouldnât look that beautiful even if I had the dress on. âReally?â she gushes. âDo I look smoking hot in i
Meeting her again.Alpha Richard Brownâs Point of ViewEver since I met that useless mate of mine, she has never once left my mind. I canât say I like that she affects me. I hate her more for not being able to accept the rejection.Why is the moon goddess so wicked to me? Why was she my fated mate? I hate everything about her. I need her to accept my rejection, or I will be stuck with her forever. I wonât be able to mark or mate with another strong she-wolf worthy of being my Luna.I need a strong she-wolf who will rule beside me. I never listened to my nagging wolf, Parker, when he argued with me to accept that girl as our mate. He likes her already, and I find that even more pathetic.âWe both know that without me, you are nothing,â Parker says through the mind link. âYou know, I am the reason everyone fears you. I am strong already. I can protect our mate.ââParker, can you protect her forever?â I ask. âCan you always protect her from my enemies worldwide?ââI donât care. I want her
JaneIâm shocked when I meet my rejected mate on the dance floor. Do I look attractive to him now? Does he want me now? If yes, Iâll make him beg me before I can accept him back.âWhat the fuck are you doing here?" he roars when he realizes the girl heâs about to hit on is his rejected mate. His gaze disappoints me, shattering my hope once again. I choose to ignore his presence, not acknowledge him. Heâs not my Alpha. But this doesnât sit well with him, a proud Alpha who is used to being acknowledged.He roars and begins dragging me to a place only the goddess knows.âLet go of me!â I yell, but he doesnât listen to me. When we reach a silent place, he opens the door, pushes me inside, and slams it shut.âNow, tell me, why are you here dressed like this?" He demands, his eyes red with anger. Iâm taken aback by his sudden outburst. Didnât he reject me for being weak? He roars, releasing his alpha aura, as if trying to intimidate me. But his alpha aura has never had any effect on me.Who
Jane.âWhat is wrong, Jane?â Amira inquires. âI have noticed you ever since we left the club. You have been unhappy and moody. What is the matter?ââIâm fine,â I respond. âDonât bother yourself.ââNo, please donât tell me that. I wonât take that from you,â she insists. âTell me what is wrong, please.ââOkay, could you believe me if I told you I saw my supposed mate, the one who rejected me? I met my mate at the club, and you know what? He tried to humiliate me again.ââOh my god, what kind of man is this, jerk?â she asks. âWhat the hell does he want from you again? I wish I were beside you. I could have stood by you and given him the worst treatment he will never be able to forget in his lifetime. Love, I am sorry.ââDonât apologize, darling. I already put him in his place. I gave him a good slap. He never saw it coming," I tell her, feeling satisfied with what I did.âWow! I am rooting for you, girl. You are so strong,â she says. âYou are such a bad girl, but he deserves even more tha