Destinee POV.
Staring up at the woman in front of me, I’m scared out of wits. She was in her mid-40’s; she had blonde hair in a messy bun on top her head. Her eyes were brown. She was a wolf.
“Well? Why are you here? Where is your pack?” she tilted her head and let out an exasperated sigh.
“Tell her Destinee, she won’t harm us.” I sigh, becoming uncomfortable under this woman’s gaze.
Gulping, I looked up at her and I saw her eyes flash to black, my eyebrows furrowed. I took a shaky breath. “I rejected my pack yesterday.” Her face becomes softer, and I can see sympathy in her eyes.
“That explains the pack smell on you. I mean you no harm, little Alpha, but we need to leave this area.” Looking at her in confusion, she thrust her hand at me. “Unless you want to become a plaything for the rogues we get passing through here?” gulping, I took her hand as she pulled me to my feet.
“I’m Destinee.” I told her she smiled at me and gave me a stiff nod.
“Come on, Destinee, we need to get you inside. We can talk inside and by the looks of it, you need food, a bath, and a decent sleep.” I sniffle at the kindness from the stranger. I followed her. We walked through a small clearing and a beautiful log cabin came into view.
“I’m Sadia, this is home sweet home.” She gestured to the cabin.
The landscape was beautiful and inviting. A cosy wrap-around porch encircled the house. The warm glow of a porch light made the cabin appear warm. Warm light emanating from inside made me smile for the first time in a long time.
I followed Sadia up the front steps; I looked around to make sure I couldn’t see any wolves. “Destinee?” I turned my gaze back to her. She gestured me to go in and I did.
Stepping inside, the warmth from the open fireplace hit my cold flesh, causing goosebumps to erupt along my arms and legs. “Make yourself comfortable. I will make us a drink. You’re safe here, little Alpha.” I watched her leave the living room. Taking a deep breath, I sat down on the sofa, relaxing like I hadn’t before.
“Aura? Are you ok?,” I reached out to my wolf, who was quiet, no doubt sleeping from shifting and the pack rejection. All I could hear from her were her soft snores. Yeah, she was a sleep, and she deserved it, she saved us.
“Here” Sadia handed me a coffee. Oh god how I missed drinking coffee. I moaned as the taste exploded on my tongue. She chuckled and shook her head at me.
“So, you going to tell me why an Alpha rejected her pack and became rogue?” I looked up at her. I sighed aloud. Where do I start?
“I was stripped of my title 2 years ago by my father. He made me Omega.” she cocked an eyebrow at me. I continued. “They thought I was a defect because my wolf never appeared. For the last 2 years, I was fair game. My father beat and abused me and so did the very pack I was trained to rule over. I had enough and then.” I took a shaky breath. Willing the tears to not fall. “Then my mate came. I thought he was going to reject me. So, I rejected my pack and shifted for the first time. Aura burst through a window, and we ran and crossed the border of the pack and, well, we ended up here.” I took another sip of my coffee. The only noise is the crackling of the fireplace.
I looked up at Sadia, who looked furious. “What a sadistic prick. You are better off being rogue. How could they treat you that way? It’s disgusting.” Sadia stood and came over to me as the tears left my eyes. She pulled me into a hug and the dam broke. She patted my back and let me cry, “don’t worry Destinee, I will help you.” I nodded into her chest.
She pulled back and wiped my tears. This woman has acted like a mother should and I had only known her for a couple of hours. “You’re in need of work, and I can help you with that. I own a bar in town. You can work there. There is also an apartment out back. You can have it.” I looked at her, shocked.
“Oh no, I couldn’t. You have helped me enough with a bed for the night,” she cut me off with a click of her tongue. She was clearly annoyed.
“It’s not up for negotiation. The town is human, well neutral territory. I need a new manager; you need a job and a place to stay. I will pay you generously. You won’t need to pay rent, it’s part of the deal. So, what do you say?” I looked at her in complete shock that a stranger would be this generous.
“But, why?” I asked her, not understanding.
She chuckled at me. “When I was in your situation, I would have given anything for a little nudge. So, look at it as a gift from the goddess and you can’t refuse or return a gift.” She stood, and I followed her to the kitchen. Placing the mug in the sink. She turned to me and folded her arms over her chest, “so, what will it be Destinee?”
“Take it babe, we can live here. It will be good for us,” Aura piped up. It startled me to hear her voice in my head. I needed to get used to it. “Fine, but Aura, we need to be alert. In case Dad or our mate comes for us.” I told her and she huffed in agreement.
Sadia raised an eyebrow. She knew I was talking to my wolf. I offered her my hand. “I will accept your offer. Thank you, Sadia.” She smiled at me and shook my hand.
“I knew you would. Now let’s eat and you can rest. Tomorrow we will go into town and buy you clothes, and I’ll show you the ropes and your new apartment.”
After dinner, I had a shower and Sadia gave me shorts and a vest top to sleep in.
The next morning when I woke up, I saw a set of blue jeans, a black t-shirt, new underwear in the packaging, and a pair of boots on the dresser. I got dressed and found a new toothbrush and toothpaste, and I did my morning routine.
Heading downstairs, Sadia was making coffee, and the scent of bacon made my stomach growl. “That growl could wake the dead.” She says with a chuckle, and I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment.
She handed me a coffee and set a plate in front of me. “Sadia, I know you’re a wolf, but why aren’t you with your pack?” she stopped what she was doing and bit her lower lip.
“Rogues destroyed my pack and killed my mate. He was a weak Alpha.” My eyebrows must have disappeared into my hairline. She was a Luna.
“I’m sorry,” I said, feeling guilty for asking her something so personal. She sighs and takes my hand, giving it a squeeze.
“it’s OK. I was banished because I refused to become a chosen mate. Best thing I ever did.” She told me, showing no sign of regret.
“She is a strong woman; we will learn a lot from her Destinee so pay attention.” Aura told me I couldn’t help but agree with what she said. Sadia was indeed a strong woman, and she would have been an amazing Luna.
We ate in silence and when we were done. She drove us to town in her Ford Raptor truck.
The little town bustled with people, humans, and wolves when we drove in. We pulled up in front of a clothes store. “Right, come on, let’s get you what you need, then I will take you to the bar,” Sadia said, taking the keys from the ignition.
Entering the store, the smell of wolves made Aura stare in my mind. She stood hackles up and growling in my mind. “Aura, what’s wrong?” I asked, looking round the store for the danger.
Sadia came to my side. “Calm down, Destinee rogues, run this store. Remember, this is neutral territory.” I could feel Aura pacing in my mind. This is going to take some getting used to.
Sadia touched my arm and Aura calmed down. I looked at her and she winked at me. “Here, take it. Get what you need.” She handed me a blank credit card. I go to protest when she holds up a hand, stopping me. “Don’t even think about it. Take it.” Leaving no room for arguments, I took the card.
As I was looking at clothes, the bell chimed above the door and a familiar scent travelled to me. I turned and came face to face with my mother. Shit. Just great.
Titus POV.I felt rage and pain coursing through me as I watched my beautiful mate bolt away. “Mate, we must go after her. She will be killed.” My wolf Orion roared in my head. I had to find out why she rejected her pack. From the fight I stumbled across with her father, that told me she snapped.“I know, Orion, we will find her, but first we need answers.” I replied, not taking my eyes away from where she ran. The pain in my chest was overwhelming. I finally found my mate and she bolts. The fear in her eyes spoke volumes. She thought I was going to reject her. How wrong she was.Releasing a roar of agony; I turned and ran back towards the Snow Moon Pack. I shifted mid-air. My large black paws kicked up dirt and leaves in my wake. “Mate,” Orion whimpered in my head. My heart broke for him. We will get her back. I didn’t care how long it took. We will find her and bring her home. She was my Luna.Reaching the pack house, I shifted back, and an Omega approached me with a pair of shorts.
Destinee POV. Looking at the woman I once called Mom, I felt nothing but hatred for what she allowed to happen to me. She looked dishevelled, her usual perfectly styled brown hair was in a tangled mess on top of her head. Her blue eyes were red and puffy from crying. The clothes are wrinkled no doubt she shifted and grabbed whatever was at hand. “Angelica, what do you want?” she winced at the use of her name from her own daughter, a daughter she didn’t protect. “Please Destinee, I am sorry for what happened. I tried to stop him on many occasions, but he didn’t listen to me. Please, my darling, come home.” Tears brimmed her eyes as she tried to reach for my hand. I took a step back and a warning growl rumbled in my throat. “Destinee, there are humans here. Let’s talk outside.” Sadia spoke in my ear. I knew she was right. No point in getting into a fight and being discovered. Humans don’t know of our existents. I glanced at her and gave a stiff nod. Pushing past the woman who was m
Titus POV.It had been three days since Destinee, my mate, disappeared. My scouts couldn’t find her and there was no word from Luna Angelica.“How could she have just vanished? Maybe she masked her scent somehow?” I looked at my Beta, becoming more annoyed with every passing minute. Orion was constantly pacing, wanting to be let out. According to him, he could find her.I groaned, rubbing my forehead with my fingers. “I don’t know Marcus; we need to wait for Luna Angelica. She is her mom, after all. Maybe she will find her. If not, then I don’t know. There are only a handful of us that know what Destinee looks like. She could be anywhere by now.” This is a fucking mess. A knock on the door interrupted our conversation. “Come in.” I all but groaned out. The door opened to reveal Laura, the little Omega girl. I smiled at her.“Alpha Titus. Alpha Maximus has asked for you to meet him in his office.” She spoke solemnly. This can’t be good.We followed her out of the room and down towards
Destinee POV.I woke up bright and early, eager to start my new job as a bar manager. Pulling my happy ass up and out of bed, I stretched and greeted the morning. “Morning Aura, are we ready to start our new job?” She stretched in my mind and yawned. I giggled at her laziness.“Well, someone is ready to conquer the world, but first we need coffee and lots of it. It should be a crime for someone to be this cheerful in the mornings.” Aura all but huffed in my head. She is not a morning wolf. She would prefer to sleep. Lazy wolf.“I heard that.” She growled out, and I chuckled at her reaction. I entered the bathroom and got the shock of my life when I looked into the mirror. “Aura, what is going on?” I asked, looking at myself. Overnight I had filled out slightly. My eyes sparkle and look alive and brighter. My hair glowed with regained lustre, volume, and vitality.She giggled in my head, “silly human, you look gorgeous. My healing abilities don’t just heal open wounds, I have healed y
Destinee POV.SIX MONTHS LATER.We had a few drinks after work, when the bar was closed. Janelle, Marnie, Sadia, Josh, Leon and I were all chilling out after a busy night.“What a shift. I really could use a run. But I’m too comfy here,” I said, snuggling down into the seating of the booth we were all sitting around.I could hear chuckles around the table. I rolled onto my back and stretched. When I felt a dull ache in my lower stomach. I winced and gritted my teeth. It was happening a lot. Aura stayed silent about what it was, so I presumed it was a pulled muscle.I bit my bottom lip, tasting blood on my tongue. A whimper escaped my lips. Sadia moved closer to me. “What’s wrong with her?” Marnie asked in a panicked tone.I couldn’t respond. The sweat was trickling down my forehead and tears burnt my eyes. I gasped for breath and screamed out. My claws came out. “Nobody touches her, it’s the mate bond. Her mate is sleeping with another.” Her words made me gasp; Why am I feeling his bet
Titus POV.It had been six months since I lost Destinee and there had been no sightings of her. I woke up with my new girlfriend at my side, Crystal Delaney. She was the daughter of a Beta from another pack. Orion had been telling me he will never accept this female and me relieving my tension by using her body was in fact wrong. I scoffed; it wasn’t as if Destinee would feel the pain of betrayal. We may be fated mates, but she doesn’t wear my mark, so she would be fine. Or so I thought.“Morning, Titus,” Crystal said as she woke up. I smiled at her, but the smile didn’t reach my eyes. Call me selfish, but Crystal is only a means to an end, and she knew this.“Morning Crystal,” I replied. Orion growled in my head. It enraged him and understandably so. It should Destinee we wake up to not Crystal. I know I sound like a pig, but men have needs and besides, it’s not like I’m cheating on anyone.I pulled the quilt away and stood in all my naked glory. Stretching, I moved to the bathroom f
Destinee POV.“Aura, are you picking up on anything?” I asked as we searched around the perimeter of the apartment. Finding the source of the scent.“No, babe. But I will start masking our scent. The scent is disappearing. Whoever it was hasn’t been back, so maybe it was just a wolf passing, though.” She didn’t sound convincing at all. But maybe she was right. We did get a lot of wolves passing through. It was neutral territory, after all.After a few hours of searching, the scent went. So much for our relaxing day. I headed towards the bar to see if anyone needed anything.When I entered the bar, it had a few tourists and locals. “Hey beautiful, how are you feeling today?” Sadia was working at the bar. I pulled up a bar stool and sat down.“I’m ok, picked up on a scent by the apartment. We have been searching for the source, but nothing. Aura said she will start masking our scent.” I sighed out as she placed a drink in front of me. “Thanks.” I said, taking a sip and placing it back do
Destinee POV.Nightmares were never an issue until a week ago. It has been two years since I rejected my pack and it has been eighteen months since I felt the pain of betrayal, well that was until a week ago. My mate was engaged in sexual activity with another. Aura wasn’t impressed and since the first waves of the betrayal, she has become savage. She is ruthless when she is in control, and it’s frightening. She has told me that the pain of betrayal can turn wolves feral and she is no exception to that rule. If anything, the fact that she is the Moon Goddess in wolf form makes it worse. The mate bond is supposed to be sacred, not something to be betrayed, yet here we are.“Destinee, are you ok?” she whimpered in my head of the memories that have plagued me for the past week.“No, Aura I’m not. Our family and mate should have treated us properly. I can’t keep doing this, Aura. Can we not break the bond? There has to be a way.” I try to fight the tears of the memories in my head of the