Chapter 2

Wren’s POV

“No!” Astra roar crashed through my head violently. “Ours! He's ours!”

“Astra–”

“Why are you just standing there?!” She cut in. “Make her move. Bite her if you have to!” She continued. “He's ours, Wren. He touched us, he felt the sparks, he smiled at us–”

“And then he kissed her,” I cut in this time, reminding her of one tiny, but very important detail she's choosing to forget. “He's made his choice, and as painful as it seems we just have to accept it.”

“No!” Astra roared. “This is sacrilege!” 

I exhaled slowly, as Astra's anger was seeping through and getting the better of me.

“I'm not going to grovel at the feet of a man. Never,” I told her firmly, and pushed her to the farthest part of my mind, before walking over to Selene who was done introducing her boyfriend to her parents.

“Welcome home Miss Selene,” I said, plastering a big fake ass smile on my face.

I could feel my mate's eyes on me, but I kept my gaze on Selene with my smile in place as I stretched the bouquet towards her.

“I don't need the rest of the bouquet,” Selene said in her usual condescending tone. “I have all I need right here,” she boasted, showing off the single rose my mate put on her.

“Of course,” I muttered, and took a step back. My job here was done.

I made my way to the kitchen where the rest of the omega's were in case we were needed for anything. Dinner was served and I tried my best for the next hour and half not to pay attention to what was happening in the dining room, or the side gossips of the other omega's who wouldn't stop fawning over Selene's boyfriend.

By the end of dinner, I made my way to my room, the moon was almost out completely and I could feel Astra, she was no longer at the farthest part of my mind and was itching to come out. 

She was surprisingly calm, and I don't even know what terrifies me more;her anger, or her being calm.

“Is everything okay?” I asked just to be sure.

“Yep,” she gave a one word reply.

I exhaled in exasperation, the excitement for my first shift dampened for obvious reasons, and I just can't wait for today to be over.

I changed out of the omega's uniform, and into a comfortable sleep wear, before heading over to the Moon Hearth–an open-air stone platform in every household where each member has their first shift. It was seen as a family rite of passage.

The moment I stepped into the Moon Hearth, a gust of wind blew giving me instant goosebumps. I took off my clothes, and remained only in my panties.

“Don’t fight it,” Astra said. “Just trust me.”

I exhaled in understanding before going down on my hands and knees in the dirt and let it happen.

Warmth from somewhere deep in my bones was the first thing I felt, and then pain–a pain so real it felt like I was being turned inside out, and discovering that the inside was bigger than the outside ever suggested.

And with every shift–my spine, my hands, my jaw, the runes carved into the stones at the Moon Hearth glowed one after another, and as the last ruin glowed Astra howled proudly to the moon. And goddess was her howl like a breath of fresh air I didn’t know I desperately needed.

“There we are,” Astra said, and unlike before where I could just hear her in my head, this felt much different, like we were one–body, spirit, soul, and mind. 

I could feel what she felt–the fierce animal joy of finally being loose. The satisfaction of solid ground under her paws, the hunger to run into the wild. I felt every single thing the exact same way I felt my emotions.

“Time to show you the complete freedom of a wolf,” Astra said and broke into a run.

We ran until Astra slowed by a riverbank.

I didn't know why at first, but when she looked down, and I looked with her, and gasped–the wolf staring back at me was sky blue, and her eyes….goddess above! They were the same colour, but deeper-like the sky at the moment just before full dark.

“That's–” I stared breathlessly.

“Us,” Astra cut in quietly, and let out a howl. It started off low, but as she raised her head as far back as she could it got louder, until I could feel it in every fiber in me….The pain.

I couldn’t bring myself to offer words of comfort, because how could I? This pain she was feeling was because of me, as all the memories of my entire life came crashing down on her.

Tragic. That’s what my life has been.

But regardless, I’ve tried my best to be optimistic, it was the only thing I had, and having Astra fully connected to me feels like seeing a light after wandering years in a very dark tunnel.

“I’ll kill them all,” Astra vowed, heading back to the Moon Hearth.”Every  single one of them.”

She gave me control, and I shifted back, my body shaking for the next ten to fifteen seconds, not in a violent way though, but enough to show it had gone through tremendous change.

I sat on the ground for as long as I needed, before changing back into my clothes and heading back into the house, and the scent that welcomed me as soon as I stepped into the living room told me my mate was here not too long ago.

I exhaled slowly, feeling the weight of his scent all over. The pull of his scent was nothing like the first time, this time around it was fiercer, more possessive, and I swear to the goddess if the pull had been a fraction as strong earlier today I’d have ripped Selene’s arms out of her body.

Still lost in thoughts, a figure peeled out of the shadows, making me stop dead in my tracks.

“Mate,” Astra acknowledged, and my face immediately contorted into a frown. 

He stepped closer. “I owe you an explanation.”

Like hell you did.

I glared at him for a fraction of a second, because anything more than that would leave me making really stupid decisions. So, I did the only sensible thing I could think of at the moment.

I ignored him completely like his words were air, and was about opening my room…

“Wren,” he called out in that sexy sexy voice of his, and goddess! Never have my name sounded so sexy. 

Or maybe it was the sparks from his touch messing with my brain.

I made to pull my hand away, but his grip tightened–not enough to hurt, but enough to let me know he wanted me here.

“Please,” his voice shook slightly, and I turned to face him completely, and nothing about him was the same as earlier–he looked like he’s been having a hard time.

“Its his wolf making his life hell for ignoring his mate,” Astra said, and that made much sense.

“I felt it Wren, same as you,” his voice pulled me out of my thoughts. “But I couldn’t say anything. At least not in front of everyone–”

A scoff escaped my lips, and I pulled my hand forcefully from his grip.

The nerve of him to come here and tell me such bull, ‘Not in front of everyone.’ Really? What the hell does he take me for?

“Selene–”

I glared at him, and that was enough to shut him off. I can’t believe this asshat waited outside my room for who knows how long just to talk to me about Selene. Gosh! I’m such a fool to believe he came to apologize and make amends.

“I’m going to end things with her,” he breathed out. Like the words were heavy for him to say. "Within the week. I just need to find the right moment, somewhere private, somewhere she won't be blindsided in front of people." He looked at me steadily. "I'm not going to reject you, Wren. I want you to know that. An Alpha doesn't walk away from his fated mate. That's not something I'm willing to do." 

I stared at him stunned. Never in my entire eighteen years of existence have I had so many conflicting emotions all at once. Was he being honest right now, or is there something else to this?

“Astra, what do you think?” I asked through the mindlink. This involved us both, and as much as I’d love to make the final decision, I’m really confused.

“I don’t know, Wren. Mate seems sincere,” she said, and I almost scoffed. What was I expecting her to say before? Of course anything he does is right in her eyes.

“Can you maybe reach his wolf?” I asked. I read somewhere that fated mates wolves could communicate with each other without their humans.

“We need to be fully marked for that to happen.”

Right. How could I forget that?

“Wren..” my mate, who’s name I’m yet to know voice pulled me back to reality. “Please say something.”

“Fine. A week,” 

“Thank you, Wren,” He let out a breath. Like he'd been holding it. But his eyes were a dead giveaway about how he truly feels–they lit up so brightly like a five year old that was promised candy, and I couldn't help but laugh. 

He looked so cute.

"Can I—" He stopped. Started again. "Can I come in?" 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I replied, after giving it a brief thought, even though everything in me wanted him to come in.

Allen’s face crumpled.

“I understand,” he whispered, and something about his tone made it feel like I had committed a grave sin.

“Allen–” I began to say, but he cut in with a request that was impossible to reject.

“Can I at least get a hug?” He spread his arms slightly.

I exhaled slowly, as my resolve slowly crumbled., and Astra wasn’t helping my case either, as she kept filling my head with thoughts of what it’ll feel like to be wrapped in those strong muscular arms, feeling his abs and the heat of his body…

“Sure.”

The words fell out my lips in a whisper, and I stepped into his arms.

goddess above! Being in his arms felt like heaven.

Astra purred in delight as his scent enveloped us, and all our brain could process was the feel of his body against ours, the perfect synchrony of our hearts beating as one, our….

NO.

“I’m sorry,” I pulled away abruptly, having come back to my senses. I stepped back a few feet creating a reasonable distance between us.  

This is wrong. Even though Allen was destined for me he was technically still Selen’s boyfriend.

“Wren?” Allen stared at me in confusion as he tried reaching for my hand, but stopped before touching me, understanding dawning on him. “I’ll make things right,” he assured, his jaw tightening slightly. “I promise.”

I nodded in response, not knowing what else to say.

“Goodnight, Wren,” Allen gave me one last smile before turning away.

I stood by my door watching him leave, but the moment he took the corner leading to Selene’s room my heart dropped.

Of course he was going to her. What did I think? Selene was still his girlfriend after all.

“Just one week, Wren,” I muttered to myself. “Seven days.”

How hard can it be? Besides, I’ve survived much worse.