Night and Neera: A Rejected Mate Story

Chapter 1: The Alpha's Howl

Night stilled when he saw me, saw my face, saw his Destined One in front of him after all these years.

"Night," Lindsay's voice was a soft cry, pleading for something, though I wasn't sure what. But I would.

Night's golden eyes met my green ones, and for a brief moment, energy arced between us, fierce and strong -- until he looked away, breaking the connection.

Brushing past me, he stepped onto his porch and howled, calling all of the pack adults to the Den, our community room, a place for all wolves in the pack to meet, have fun, be with one another.

He looked back at me without looking at my face, and took hold of my upper arm. With his other hand, he snagged Lindsay Morgan's hand -- my arm, her hand -- and walked us toward the Den.

Without saying a word.

Wolves from all over the pack lands were converging on the Den, some in human form, some in wolf form, all of them curious about this rare summons so early on a Saturday morning, no less. Night took both of us to stand by the fireplace.

For one brief, fleeting moment, when he first brought me to the gathering of our pack, I'd had hope. Even though Night had grabbed me painfully by the upper arm on the way over here and had held Lindsay Morgan's hand, I'd held onto a small bit of hope that he was about to announce me as his Howl. What other option was there for him, for us?

But the look on his face scared me. He was not a happy wolf.

Once everyone had gathered, looking at the three of us curiously, before he addressed our pack, his eyes had met mine again. Then I'd jolted with what was happening in that moment: our hearts began beating in sync, our breathing integrated, breath for breath, our mate brands pulsed, and those first furls of connection had just started to form when he snapped himself out of the mate daze as he'd, too, realized what was happening between us. Night had turned away, breaking off what had been our beginning. I started to crumple at the loss, my breathing starting to pick up in panic, knowing now this meeting was not going to end well for me -- but he gripped my arm tighter and forced me upright.

He turned to me and, in a low voice vibrating with hate, gave me two Alpha decrees I could not ignore. "Do not shift. Do not take your eyes off of me."

He must have been afraid I would shift and rip his girlfriend's throat out. And there was only one reason why I'd do that. No. Please, no. Please don't do this to me.

But as I was to learn, it was not fear of that happening as to why he gave me those decrees. It was to teach me a lesson I would never forget.

"Neera Karis appeared at my home this morning, on her twenty-first birthday, with my mate brand on her face."

All eyes turned to me, although they had already noticed that I bore the mark of the Alpha's Howl.

"I find no joy in this one." He pointed at me, his voice scathing and derogatory, and I was unable to look away. "There is nothing within me that feels the pull of the bond, that she is truly my Destined One."

He may as well have been slicing me open with his claws for all of the hurt he was inflicting. Rejecting your Destined One went against everything we were as wolves, and he was lying. I knew he had felt our connection.

Murmurs ran throughout the room as everyone began to realize they were about to witness something so rare, not one person here had witnessed it, although most of them had heard faint rumors of it happening in other packs throughout history. The growing tension was becoming unbearable, and I heard many growls and yips of the wolves as they became uncomfortable with something so unnatural that they had to express their unease.