The Female Alpha

Chapter 16 ✅

Katie's POV

I didn't understand then, and I don't understand now.

"Katie?" Daniel's voice cuts through my thoughts.

"Hm?" I hum before turning to him.

He chuckles and grins down at me. He's almost six feet. Damn him and his height. "You were spacing out a bit, what? Bringing back some memories?"

"Yeah," I reply, "it is."

"Hopefully pleasant ones," I hear him mumble under his breath.

We venture more into the woods and I'm not sure whether or not if I've been here before. I look around but nothing comes to mind

"My destined mate was human," Daniel suddenly says.

I come to a screeching halt and I stare at the back of his head. What did he just say?

It seems like he expected my reaction because he looks over his shoulder and has a knowing smile. He shrugs his shoulder forward, "Come on."

Hesitantly, I walk beside him and we continue on wondering. Once I've calmed he begins to speak again.

"We were childhood friends, her, me and Jack. She lived in that town you stayed at before moving here, so she knew about werewolves."

The image of a grinning Trish flashes through my mind and I'm not sure what to feel or do.

"Her name was Cassie, she grew up to be a beautiful girl and long before I found out she was my mate I was already in love with her. However, I never took that step, never tried to cross that line."

Suddenly, Jackson pops into my mind.

"When we were kids Jack always told me that I should claim Cassie as my mate even if she probably won't be the one the Moon Goddess destined me to. I didn't though, because I could never do that to her, to just up and leave her if I found my mate. I wanted to wait until I met my mate and made sure she had all my firsts, well except the title of my first love since I already fell in love with Cassie." He remains silent for a while.

I chance a glance at him and he has a sad smile on his face and his eyes look distant as if he's remembering something and not here with me right now.

"By the time I turned seventeen I realized that she was my mate. The girl I loved my entire life had always been by my side, she was my mate."

His voice is strained as he speaks his next words, "But I was too late, she had fallen in love with another human boy who was passing by. They were the high school sweethearts."

He looks up ahead his smile feels less sad as he continues, "He was a great guy. Never gave me a reason to interfere with the relationship. I hated him because of it, even if I was the perfect guy for her and she was the perfect girl for me, they were the perfect match."

I couldn't help but blurt, "So you didn't claim her like a mate should?"

Daniel finally looks at me and his eyes soften at the disbelief written all over my face.

"Her happiness was more important to me than mine," he genuinely says. "Even if it meant suffering, I stayed by her side and watched them love each other unconditionally. I'm not going to lie and say I endured it with a kind heart, there were times I wanted to rip him apart; times I loathed myself and wished I'd listened to Jack back then. It was lonely and I was cold, but I couldn't let her know."

"You never told her?" How could he? She deserved to know.

"I didn't want to ruin what they had Katie," Daniel says a bit harshly.