A Year Ago
The blonde haired man watched the scene around him, swirling the wine in his glass and trying not to look bored or frustrated.
He knew the significance of this annual function-it was for each pack to present updates of local happenings, mingle and also get to know and maintain relationships with the Alphas, Betas and Lunas of the other packs.
As the strongest pack in the Evergreen Wilds, the Silver Arrow Pack was always the host, and while he had no problem with that, getting through the dinner each year was a strange balance between amusing and excruciating.
He was the Alpha of the Moon River Pack, the second strongest in the region, which meant there were plenty of others who wanted to talk to him and possibly butter him up.
Not to mention that as of now, aside from Alpha Bradley who had lost Luna Tess to a rogue attack a few years prior, he was still the only Alpha amongst them who was still yet to find a proper mate for himself. He had just been made Alpha a year ago after his father stepped down - still young and single, as some would put it.
And so here he was, consistently subject to conversations from other Alphas or Lunas which veered very conspicuously towards the fact that their daughter(s) was/were of age, and they could arrange a meeting. And if said daughter(s) was/were present, which happened often, they were between the 'politely sitting there' and the 'downright flirtatious' types.
He had already developed a default response as they kept coming, especially since he'd already dealt with this during his first time last year.
"Your daughter(s) sound(s) pleasant, but I'm afraid I'm not interested." He said one too many times, some instances even having to move himself away when the young women tried to brush or grasp his arm.
If the individual still tried to press the subject, his wolf Lark would come through and his eyes would turn from their usual dark blue to bright yellow, scaring off any further attempts at setting him up with anyone.
At one point, he got up and walked to the balcony for some air, only to find that he wasn't the only one out here as he was hit by a sweet lavender and honey scent.
"Are you okay?" The brunette asked him cautiously-she didn't look that old, perhaps a few years younger than him at best. She was wearing a silvery dress, her hair braided elegantly down one shoulder.
The man blinked, for some reason feeling his wolf stir at the sight of her.
"Oh uh...yes. Why do you ask?"
The brunette shrugged with a soft smile.
"You look tired....well, 'done' might be a better word for it."
The man chuckled in return. "Perhaps you could say that. I've just...been talking to the leaders from all the other packs all night and...a lot of them are definitely angling to set me up with their daughters."
The brunette laughed, and he couldn't help but feel his heart flutter slightly-she had a wonderful smile. Not to mention how her laugh sounded so melodious.
"I see...so that means you're Alpha Landon from the Moon River Pack, right?"
Alpha Landon grinned and nodded.
"Guilty as charged."
"Well...it makes perfect sense." The brunette spoke as they stood on the balcony together, the evening breeze brushing through their hair. "You're the only unmated Alpha here...if there's a chance, someone will want to take it."
"I suppose..." Landon briefly wondered if she had learnt that saying from someone else.
"It does make sense, and perhaps marrying another alpha's daughter would make my pack stronger but...I'd rather not. I don't want to meet my future Luna through an arrangement. I want it to happen naturally."
The brunette nodded, humming with understanding as her soft grey irises flickered to the trees dancing in the wind below them.
"Yeah...I understand that. An arranged mating for the better of the pack is all well and good but...if there's no genuine emotions in the relationship then...you're not going to last."
Alpha Landon felt his heart warm at her words. Almost every person here, he imagined, would espouse the whole thing about making pack alliances stronger or whatnot. But she...
"Besides," The brunette added. "Meeting your fated is something that can never be forgotten nor replaced."
Landon paused, a look passing through his eyes before he decided against explaining further and smiling sadly.
"I see."
The two held each other still gazes before he spoke again.
"So you know who I am...who might you be? I've never seen you at one of these functions before."
"Oh me? Well I'm-"
"Olwen, there you are!"
Another man hurried over to Olwen with relief and affection in his eyes.
"I've been looking everywhere for you."
Olwen smiled and dipped her head in embarrassment.
"Sorry Aaron...I just stepped out for some air."
Aaron? Ah...Alpha Bradley's son.
He'd talked to Alpha Bradley earlier, and while the man seemed cordial enough, Alpha Landon had the feeling he was being looked down upon by the leader of the Silver Arrow Pack. He did mention that his son had found his mate...
Aaron looked around Olwen and smiled, nodding respectfully at him.
"Alpha Landon. It's nice to meet you, and I see you've met my mate."
Ignoring the slight dismay that rose up in his gut, Landon smiled back and raised his glass. He hadn't realised he was talking to the Silver Arrow Pack's future Luna, particularly since she had been missing a mark from her neck. He'd assumed she was another Alpha's daughter or something.
"You're a lucky man, Aaron."
To Olwen, his tone grew warmer.
"Enjoy the rest of your night, Miss Olwen."
"Thank you." Olwen dipped her head before she and Aaron walked away together back into the dining room.
Alpha Landon's eyes flickered to Aaron's hand around Olwen's waist and couldn't help the bitter smile that came to his face.
Meeting your fated is something that can never be forgotten nor replaced.
He hadn't wanted to pour out his life woes to a stranger, regardless of how attractive he found her...but the truth was, he had met his fated.
A few years ago, he'd taken Lark out on a run when he'd found her. He'd never taken in such a heavenly scent before, and it belonged to Rianne.
They'd taken to each other immediately, and a few days later, Landon had officially introduced her to his parents. She began her Luna training a week afterward, and all seemed well.
Until two months later, when he'd awoken with a sudden pain in his chest, Lark howling in agony. He'd had no choice but to accept her rejection, and once he'd calmed down, he'd gotten up to search for her, only to find she had completely disappeared from the Moon River Pack somehow, her scent ending at a tree beyond the pack borders.
She left behind only one note, apologising to Landon, but saying that she was not ready and didn't want to accept the responsibilities and the pressure that came with becoming the Luna.
And that was the last time he'd ever heard from her. He tried his hardest to track her, find her somehow, finding his way through the rest of the pack territories in the Evergreen Wilds before he was eventually convinced by his parents to return home and properly complete his alpha training.
To say he was crushed was an understatement.
Once a rejection was made, it was all over. The concept of second chance mates was only a fairytale, something that people would dream of to make rejecting someone or accepting a rejection easier. In real life, you could never form a matebond the same way a fated one did, even with a chosen mate.
It was hard to explain to just anyone though, so he usually just let people outside of his pack assume he hadn't found his fated yet. When in reality, he'd already loved and lost her.
Present Day
Alpha Landon sifted through some paperwork for some new facilities for the Moon River Pack, before checking the clock and realising it was already half past four. Sighing, he stood up and decided to go on a run.
Being Alpha for the past two years had taken a while to adjust to. But as the only child, he'd been prepared to take on the mantle way beforehand. While his parents were still alive, they lived comfortably in their retirement a walking distance from his home, meaning he could easily visit them and ask for advice when he needed to.
Landon had functioned just fine without a mate for the past years as Alpha. Aside from his parents, he also had his Beta Elijah to assist him in pack matters. The pair were childhood friends who saw eye to eye on many things-and believe it or not whilst Landon had already been rejected by his fated, Elijah hadn't found his mate at all. Ever the optimist however, he was looking forward to meeting them, thanks to Elijah's parents literally being the embodiment of the perfect Moon Goddess match.
But back to the thing about Landon not needing a Luna...It hadn't stopped certain pack members from trying though, even after two years of constant, polite rejections.
One such example was Elise, a young omega. He'd seen her on a few occasions before he'd become Alpha, but while she was rather pretty and sweet, he wasn't interested in her that way. But she was just persistent, often times sending gifts and dropping by his office with tea to alleviate his stress. Landon usually responded by returning everything she tried to give him, as much as he needed the chamomile in his system at times.
Heading out of his home and towards the forests surrounding the Moon River pack, he quickly took off his clothes and piled them beneath a tree before shifting into Lark and taking off.
Lark was a sandy coloured wolf, rather large with yellow eyes. And he was quick on his feet. He'd learnt of the layout of Moon River Pack territory since he was young, and he sped quickly beneath the trees, over the grass and across the river, just feeling the wind brushing his fur.
Minutes into the run, Lark paused and sniffed the air, briefly bristling at the scent that didn't belong to his pack before he registered the lavender and honey.
There was only one instance in which he'd smelled that...that night a year ago.
Olwen.
Landon didn't know why he still remembered meeting her, considering he hadn't met her again after that function. This was especially after knowing she was mated to soon-to-be Alpha Aaron and feeling embarrassed for himself.
He'd have assumed she would've been preparing for her Luna ceremony right about now.
Lark dropped into a low crouch, creeping across the grass as the scent got stronger and stronger. And then at last he saw her.
The she-wolf was sitting beneath a tree beyond pack territory, using its leaves for shelter. Landon had never learned the name of Olwen's wolf, but even with the dirt covering her silvery grey fur, she was beautiful. But she seemed downcast-the wolf was lying on her paws, her blue eyes dull as she stared at the ground. Landon wondered why she wasn't back at the Silver Arrow Pack, which was halfway across the Evergreen Wilds. From the glum expression on her wolf's face however, he doubted it was anything good.
Staying put where he was, Lark tilted his head to one side as he watched her, just inhaling her scent. Admittedly, perhaps because of the absence of a matebond, her scent didn't make his head spin and drag his wolf towards her the way Rianne's had, but it was still pleasant and calming, a close second to the smell of chamomile he usually enjoyed from his tea after a long day.
For a brief moment, he contemplated approaching her, but then he saw the wolf rise and sniff the air suspiciously, immediately becoming on guard and growling. He paused-maybe he was mistaken and had Olwen confused with a rogue. And if it was, it looked like she didn't exactly want any company at the moment.
......
Beta Elijah, please come to my office immediately.
Understood, Alpha.
Alpha Landon stood up with a smile as his Beta came into his office a few minutes later.
"Alpha Landon...you asked for me?"
The man nodded and gestured for Elijah to sit down.
"Yes...I recall you saying that there were reports of...rogue sightings nearby?"
"...Yes. What about it?"
"I was on a run," Alpha Landon said, as Elijah settled in the seat opposite his desk. "And I saw a wolf just beyond the river. But I don't think she's just a regular rogue...I recognise her scent. It could be Miss Olwen."
Elijah frowned as the gears in his head turned.
"Miss Ol-oh. You mean Miss Adams? The she-wolf you talked about meeting at the last Evergeen Function?" He asked curiously. "But...wasn't she mated to Alpha Bradley's son?"
"I thought she was." Landon replied with a shrug, sipping his chamomile tea.
Elijah sighed and massaged his nose bridge.
"Look...uh...Alpha? No offense, but are you sure you're weren't imagining her scent? She was the first she-wolf that remotely caught your attention since Rianne, after all."
"She was, but I stopped thinking about her once I realised she was mated." Landon pointed out, rubbing the back of his neck with some amount of awkwardness. "I'm...surprised at myself for remembering her scent until now."
Mated with no mark? Lark rumbled from Landon's head. Something felt off there. Usually there's a mark of some kind at that point, especially if you're bringing your mate to a prestigious function like that...
"Look...whatever it is, we can't be sure if it really is Miss Olwen. I don't know how she got here if it is her but...could you monitor her for a while? As long as she's near the pack borders. I don't think she means any trouble but if you can...find out why she's here?"
Elijah was still casting his Alpha a funny look but nodded anyway.
"Alright...I'll see what I can do, Alpha Landon."
He made to leave but paused.
"Oh yeah. Elise found out I was on my way here and wanted me to pass this to you..."
He awkwardly produced another packet of chocolates.
"Ugh..." Landon buried his face in his hands.
"She didn't want to take no for an answer. Should I eat them instead?"
"...Sure." Landon droned. "You can eat them."