Rejected His Miracle Luna, Fated Her Second Chance Alpha novel Chapter 2

~Dorothy~

I awoke that morning with a twisting knot of anxiety in my stomach. I rolled onto my side under the covers and clung to my pillow tightly before heaving in a deep breath and getting up. Today was my eighteenth birthday. Today, I would find my mate.

Standing up I examined myself in the mirror, frowning at the spindly pale girl gazing back at me. I wondered if a mate would reject their match based on looks alone. I pulled my hair up into a ponytail before exhaling through my nose and letting it fall loose around my shoulders again.

The bright red locks only made me look paler. I could sense my mate, it seemed they were nearby.

If they didn’t come looking for me there was a good chance I would find them first - their scent almost palatable on my tongue. Already my inner-wolf seemed to crave them, rearing to seek them out. Whoever it was.

I could sense something odd about my new mate. While all the desire and enthrallment were present on my side, something about their energy felt off. Things were off to a great start, I thought, tensely pulling at a strand of hair.

Despite my nervousness, I couldn’t help the excitement bubbling up inside my chest. I had waited for this day since I had been old enough to understand the mating call. I had wanted this day since I was old enough to want for anything. To be wanted…

I was snapped out of my pondering by a quiet knock on my bedroom door. Anita, my current caretaker poked her head in and gave me a small smile.

“Today’s the day,” Anita didn’t step into the room - the relationship too short and unfamiliar for affections of any kind, “Are you excited?”

I turned back to the mirror and glowered at my reflection.

“More like sick to my stomach. What if they don’t like me?”

“Nonsense,” Anita tutted, brushing the air, “Whoever it is, they’re your mate. And besides, you’re a beautiful girl on top of all that spunk of yours.”

I couldn’t help but smile a little. Passed around from foster home to foster home, I had only known Anita for a little over a month at that point, but her kind words eased my quivering nerves slightly.

Anita promised to whip up an extra special breakfast - “waffles and hashbrowns!” - before leaving me to get ready for college.

Alone and overwhelmed again, I was torn between putting on my best outfits and attempting some kind of make-up endeavor, or treating today like any other day and donning my regular jeans and turtleneck.

In the end, I went for my standard attire with some added rings and necklaces to convey some sort of actual effort.

Lastly, I swept my fiery hair into a rough braid and pinned the loose wisps back with a collection of different colored clips. After forcing down a bite or two of steaming waffle I assured Anita I would have the rest when I returned and headed out to campus.

The local college was a ten-minute walk from my current home and I spent the entire trip going over introductions in my head.

“Hi, I’m Dorothy. I’m your mate.”

Sounded way too formal.

By the time I had made it to campus, I was a quaking bundle of nerves. I wasn’t even entirely sure that my mate went to this college. Although considering it was the only college attended by every young wolf-shifter of the nearby packs, it was highly likely.

On top of that, my inner-wolf grew even more agitated the second I stepped inside. My mate was close, I could smell the hint of pine and englewood in their scent.

Before I had half a chance to look, it was time to head to class. I spent the first hour relentlessly gnawing on the end of my pen and meticulously fiddling with my braid until the whole thing looked like a frazzled mess. All the while running through various introductions to no avail.

“Hi, I’m Dorothy. I think I’m your mate?”

Too timid. I groaned loud enough to startle the dozing boy sitting next to me and plopped my head down onto the desk in defeat.

After two more hours of barely containing my growing excitement, I was finally free to stalk the campus, following the comforting scent of my soon-to-be mate.

I kept my head down, avoiding eye contact with the other students who jostled around me in the corridors. I wasn’t particularly popular at this school and people passed me by like I was invisible.

The scent was stronger now, I knew my mate was close. Turning a corner I shivered in anticipation. My legs felt like jelly and my small bites of breakfast were threatening to crawl back up my throat. Then, suddenly, there he was. I knew he was my mate the second I lay eyes on him.

He was leaning against the wall in front of me, flipping through a stack of notes like he didn’t know what else to do with himself. Johan, a gentle Beta of the Kall Pack - it was very likely that he didn’t know of me at all. But I knew him. I was also uncomfortably aware that his girlfriend was the prettiest she-wolf in their pack.

I was stunned. I stood there for a moment, mouth agape, staring at the boy in front of me. He hadn’t noticed me yet - but surely he could sense me?

Johan ran a hand through his hair - short wavy locks the color of wheat - and continued flipping through pages with a furrowed brow. My courage failing me, I took a small step back.

My inner-wolf raged in response but my mind was suddenly flooded with doubt. Why couldn’t he sense my presence? Maybe he could, but didn’t want to acknowledge me. Surely he would leave his girlfriend now that it was clear that I was his true mate? I took another step back into the shadows of the hallway, preparing to leave.

Suddenly, Johan raised his head and looked straight at me. Gentle brown eyes locked with mine and he gave a half-smile that accentuated the dimple in his cheek. Overwhelmed and caught off guard, I turned tail and sprinted back down the way I’d come.

It was all too much. I couldn’t think straight. A million thoughts shot through my mind as I ran, my sneakers squeaking on the laminated floors.