As I sat on Penelope’s bed, watching her pull random dresses out of the closet, my mind wandered back to the events of the last week.
I was snapped out of my thoughts when Penelope spoke. “What about this one?”
She held up a light blue dress before frowning and throwing it on the bed. I laughed before picking up the dress. “I think this one is fine. It’s your nicest one, and the color looks great on you.”
She looked at it again. “You sure?”
“Definitely,” I replied, handing her the dress back.
She let out a sigh before looking for a dress for me. In Aurora, we didn’t have much in the way of fancy things. The pack led a more simple, rustic life. So our clothes were all simple as well.
I watched as she pulled out another blue dress, this one a bit darker than the first.
“This one… It will look great on you!” She smiled as she handed me the dress.
I shrugged. “It’ll work.”
I wasn’t exactly trying, knowing I had already found my mate and that he didn’t want me. There was nobody at the party I would need to impress.
I stood in front of the small mirror and exhaled, looking myself up and down.
“Well?” Penelope asked as she stood beside me.
“It looks nice,” I replied half-heartedly. I stared at myself, my long blonde hair up in a twisted braid.
The blue dress was sleeveless and went down to just above my knee, flaring out a bit at the bottom. It was simple but looked nice.
“I know you don’t want to go tonight,” she said, squeezing my shoulders, “but let’s just go have fun. Let loose a little.”
I smiled. “You’re right. Let’s go enjoy ourselves.”
She scrunched her nose before weaving her arm through mine. “I’m always right.”
We strolled out of my room and downstairs to the main hall. We walked in and looked around in awe.
The meeting hall was bright and loud, filled with twinkling lights and people talking. We pushed through the crowd and made our way to a small table where Gavin was already sitting.
“There you are!” he hollered. “I’ve been waiting forever!”
Penelope laughed. “Let’s get some food before it’s all gone!”
We wove through the crowd before finally reaching the buffet. “Excuse me,” I heard from behind us.
I turned around to see Chase and Andrea happily standing in line behind us. “Can you grab us a plate?” Andrea asked sweetly.
“Uh, yeah, here,” I replied, handing her two paper plates.
“Thank you.” She smiled.
I gave her a small smile before looking up at Chase. He stared at me, almost surprised. I wasn’t sure if it was because I was dressed up or because of the slightly awkward situation.
I gave him a tight smile before turning back to Penelope, who looked pale.
“That was awkward,” she whispered.
“Only for us! I don’t think she even knows!” I whispered back.
Penelope gasped, making everyone turn to her. She coughed awkwardly for a moment before turning back to the food. “I think I should tell her.”
“Don’t you dare!” I replied as we walked back to the table. “Besides, he already rejected me. I’m pretty sure there’s no taking that back.”
Penelope shrugged. “Well, it would serve him right. I love my brother but I could really just punch him right now.”
As the evening wore on, we danced and talked with other pack members before finally sitting back at the table.
I leaned over to Penelope. “I’ll be right back, I need to use the little girls’ room.”
She nodded in reply, and I headed out the doors of the hall before turning and crashing right into a large towering man.
“Oh!” I gasped as we collided. “I’m sorry, excuse me.”
I looked up to be met with the most intoxicating scent I have ever smelled. It was like orange and cinnamon. My eyes were trapped as I gazed into the crisp blue eyes of the man before me.
“We don’t have a mate, remember?” I whispered. My face snapped up when I heard a growl.
“What did you say, little wolf?” he asked, his voice deep and smooth.
I shook my head, not quite knowing what to say.
“I… umm… I need to go…,” I said quickly before rushing off down the hallway.
I ran into the bathroom, locking the door behind me. I leaned against the door, my breath heavy and my heart racing. “What just happened?” I asked myself.
“A second chance?” I replied in disbelief, my hands pressed against my forehead as I tried to figure out what was happening.
I began to hyperventilate. “I can’t do this again, I can’t be rejected again, I can’t—”
My panic was interrupted by a knock on the door.
“Just a minute,” I croaked.
I took a deep breath and patted my face before walking out of the bathroom, only to be met by the man again.
“What do you mean ‘rejected again’?” he whispered, his face getting close to mine.
I inhaled sharply, my nervousness showing through. “I, um, you heard that?”
He nodded silently, waiting for me to continue.
“Well, you are my second chance mate. My first mate rejected me a few weeks ago when we found each other.”
The man growled, and I recoiled, worried that he was upset that I’d had a mate before.
“Who was he?” he grumbled.
I hesitated for a moment, not knowing where this was going. “He... He’s the beta’s oldest son, Chase. He didn’t want me, so he rejected me.” I lowered my face, ashamed that I was so unwanted.
Then he walked away.
I looked up in surprise as he stomped down the hallway and back to the party.
I let out a sigh before walking back in, knowing I was about to be rejected for a second time, this time in public for everyone to see.
My head snapped up as I heard a scream. The crowd moved to reveal the man standing over an unconscious Chase. I gasped, confused as to what was happening.
The man walked up to me and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me close to his side.
“Alpha Navaar, what is going on here?” Alpha James asked with a glare.
I looked up at him in shock. “Alpha?”
He looked down at me with a smirk before standing tall. “That little boy offended my mate. So I taught him a lesson. You are lucky I didn’t kill him.”
“Yes. If you don’t mind dealing with the pack transfer, we will be leaving now. It was a lovely party, Alpha James.” He shook James’s hand and took mine, pulling me out of the meeting hall.
I snatched my hand away and looked up at him. “I don’t understand…”
“What is there to understand? We are mates. You will go get your things and come back to Eclipse with me,” he replied as if it was just that simple.
I shook my head. “But you don’t—”
“I don’t what?” he asked, stepping closer to me.
I took a deep breath. “You don’t want me…” I lowered my face, and my eyes closed as I braced myself for the rejection I knew would come.
After a few moments of silence, I opened my eyes to find him staring at me with a scowl. I looked up into his deep blue eyes with a bit of surprise. “You’re not going to reject me?”
He growled. “Why would I do that?”
I shrugged. “It just seems to be how my life is going.”
He shook his head, and it looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. I watched as he walked away, wondering what was going on in his head.
I headed to my room to pack my things when I was ambushed by a massive hug. “Oh my gosh! You can’t be leaving!” Penelope cried as she held me tight.
“I can’t believe you got a second chance, mate, and that he’s an alpha,” Gavin said quietly as he wrapped his arms around me.
I hugged them back, enjoying their warmth. I pulled back. “I can’t believe it either. Now, come help me pack.”
