The Second Mate | Spin-Off ✗

prologue

two years ago 

   A twenty-one-year-old James stood with his beta in a hospital, his hands fidgeting in his pockets as his wolf was on edge, he was itching to find something, but he didn't know what. The peaceful Alpha was waiting in the lobby to hear about his very severely wounded warrior, an admirable and strong warrior. Warrior David. He didn't know why he was feeling this way, he didn't sense anything off, but then again, he wasn't in his pack anymore, it was a human/werewolf area where anyone could live freely under the watch of the WereWolf Council. He admired the safe place for werewolves and humans to roam freely without threat. After all, he was the Alpha of one of the most peaceful packs, he was used to the serenity and quietness, in fact, he loved it. He dived straight into it whenever he could.

   After an hour of patiently waiting, his beta had decided to take a walk around, his warrior was still undergoing surgery and it would be wise to stretch their tense muscles. Alpha James walked aimlessly around hallways and down long corridors, something within him moving him around as he looked around, noticing frantic nurses and crying humans. His heart clenched as he heard a woman wail out loud, and winced at the sound of merciless crying of little children. He didn't like the sounds of people in pain, his nature didn't like it, nor did his wolf.

  James sighed, feeling something in his heart tug, his wolf whining as he went down hallways upon hallways, not caring where he was going as he was distracted. His wolf was calling out to something, but he couldn't seem to figure out what was it all about. He continuously tried to communicate with his wolf, but with no response, he was only left frustrated.

   As he rounded a corner, he smelt something ever so faint, but it had made his toes curl in pleasure. Rich honey and mint wafted into his nose like perfume, it had wrapped around him slightly, holding onto him like a life source. James' heart quickened at the faint scent, trying to cling to the last of the smell as it disappeared from him. Oh, how he wanted to hold that scent in his hands as his heart was beating for it. But just like it came to him, it went away, leaving James' with a depressed frown and eyes searching for the one person he knew would hold that scent.

   He thought that his wolf would be jumping for joy at the finding of his mate, but the more he searched through hallways and rooms that the excitement he felt turned into defeat. His wolf would not communicate with him as he slowly trotted in his mind, waiting for something. His heart was hurting as he continued to walk down through countless of hallways, his nose high in the air to find the delicious scent his body had craved.

   Alas, several minutes later the scent had hit him once more, this time slightly stronger but lacing with something he could not decipher. James was bursting with excitement for finally after several years of searching, he finally found her. His wolf was whining quietly within his mind, somewhere between happiness and sorrow was confusing the Alpha as he looked through multiple rooms in the hallway. But, as he continued to walk straight he saw a sign of what hallway he was in.

   'Cancer Ward,' 

   His heart sunk deep into his chest, his body frozen as the same scent wrapped around him, but this time it filled him with deep pain. Grasping at his guts and skin, crawling into his veins like poison as something deep inside of him was expecting the worse. His wolf howled as James continued to follow the scent, his footsteps heavy and not wanting to go towards the scent anymore. But, he did. Finally, the scent had hit him more than he expected it would in a small hospital room at the far end of the hallway, his fingers were shaking terribly, something warm pricking behind his eyes as he pushed the hospital door open. It was a slow movement, but it startled the werewolf family who was sitting in the room surrounding a frail, pale twenty-year-old girl, who by then, had already parted to the Goddess.

    The father of the girl stood up, noticing the power that was radiating off the intruder. The rest of the family followed but noticed how the Alpha in front of them looked at the deceased in pain. Something within them clicked, the mother cried out as she noticed the swarm of emotions hiding behind the eyes of the Alpha. A mother's pain humming throughout her at the thought of her beautiful child never meeting her mate. James' quickly kneeled next to her, feeling an unimaginable about of sorrow through his body, but as the connection was already weakening and they never mated. The pain was only a fraction of what it could have been.

  The family understood what was going on and allowed the Alpha to take in his mate, savouring the last few moments before he was to leave. James felt the tears finally fall from his face, his heartbreaking as the thought of his mate already gone before he could even truly meet her. His wolf only whined and howled to the moon, his pain much worse than his host. James'  hand was slowly brought up to caress his mate's cold face, skin pale, lips pink and head as bald as a baby's bottom. To him, she was gorgeous and absolutely breath-taking, but, she would've looked better with colour on her face. 

   He shivered in sorrow, a waterwork breaking as he couldn't contain his feelings. He sobbed loudly, face on the girl's stomach and cried out to the Goddess above, wishing things were different. Not caring if the family was watching him close by.

    "Her name was Julia Night," the father broke out from the silence, his words wavering in the air as tears also spilt from his eyes. The entire family was crying now, knowing that their relative would never meet her mate until the Goddess calls him too. James' sad eyes whipped over to the family, and nodded slowly, the name leaving a mark inside of him for an eternity before testing it on his tongue.

     "Julia Night, my mate," 

A.N who's cutting onions?

   QUESTION: how do you think of his mate?