Chapter 2 1

***Five Years Later*** In the past five years, I have struggled to make sense of what led Jackie to reject me, and I have never been able to figure it out. After Jackie refused me and ran off, she stopped working for Daunte. It even came to the point where she moved out of the packhouse. Daunte had told me to try to win her over while I stayed at the Onyx Fang Pack while he was on his honeymoon. However, I never told him who my mate was since I did not want Alessia to find out. After multiple attempts to convince Jackie to give us a chance, she eventually explained to me the reason for her reluctance. However, her explanation came in the form of a letter that she left for Margaret to give to me. It was after that that she disappeared. At that point, I decided it was finally time to return home and deal with the consequences of the recent event. "Luke, my son, don't you think it's time you started looking for your mate? After all, being the Alpha of the most prominent pack comes with a set of very specific requirements," my father's voice sounded through the speakerphone. "I am aware of my responsibilities; however, if the goddess intended that I should have a mate, maybe she should have chosen someone who was in close proximity to me," I replied, pausing for a moment before adding, "As far as I know, my mate may belong to an entirely different pack, or, worse still, what if she was killed as a result of that ordeal with Crestview?" I responded in an annoyed manner. In addition to my father, there were a number of other people who were pushing me to find my mate. It was getting to the point where the entire High Council was asking questions. Furthermore, as if that wasn't enough, it was also worth noting that Lucifer had departed; the fact that I didn't have my wolf was starting to put more pressure on me. If I couldn't shift and someone attacked, the pack would suffer. "What I would suggest to you is that you should make it a point to visit other packs as soon as possible to get the process moving along. I have never seen an Alpha of the Mystic River pack take this long to find their mate," my father replied. As I pinched the brim of my nose, I replied, "Father, I will have to call you back." "Very well. Keep me updated," my father said before ending the call. In spite of the fact that I did not want to argue with him, I seemed to find myself returning to the subject of my mate throughout every single conversation. This was something that I knew was going to happen all too well, especially after he and my mother left the pack. Following the ceremony of transferring the Alpha title from him to me, my parents decided to travel. Their travels took them up to Texas where they fell in love, bought a house, and that was the end of their journey. It is something I have never been able to understand. There was only one response they gave me when I asked why Texas. "We have big skies and wide open spaces," my mother would say, a warm smile gracing her face. Despite the fact that much as I loved my parents, I couldn't bear to let them see me in the state that I was in at this time. After Jackie's rejection, I felt an immense sense of inadequacy in every sense of the word. How does an Alpha get rejected? That was never heard of, and the most painful part was Jackie refused me not only because she didn't want this lifestyle but because she was in love with someone else. Over the last five years, I have repeatedly replayed her letters' words. "It has nothing to do with you; I told you before that you are a wonderful man. The issue is you are the Alpha of the most important pack, which oversees all the others, in addition to the fact that, at some point, you will be a member of the high council; it doesn't seem like the easy life that I pictured for myself. One of the hardest parts of all is that I have found someone with whom I want to build a life, and now, because of one single act of indiscretion, I am afraid I may lose him as well. Please accept my sincerest apologies. The last thing I ever intended was for anyone to suffer any kind of harm." It was now five years later, and every time I recalled her words, it pissed me off even more. As I sat in my office contemplating my next move, Christian, my beta's voice echoed through the mind link. "Alpha, we have a bit of a problem," Christian said. "What?" I replied. "I received a call about a few rogues this morning causing a disturbance near the town," Christian told me. "See to it, I have a conference call," I said. In the event that rogues were lurking in the area, there was a possibility that I might be forced to shift, which was not feasible for me. I was just about to end the min-link when Christian's last words sent a chill up my spine. "Luke, these are the rogues we have been tracking for months," Christian said. "Are you sure?" I asked. "Yes," Christian replied. There had been rumors for months that rogues were roaming the town, raiding human stores, and taking everything, which began to raise suspicions. Throughout the years, wolves and humans coexisted, and we avoided shifting close to town. The majority of pack members who lived in town stayed on the edges. This made it easier to keep our existence a secret. However, with rogues running in and out of town, humans became concerned as evidence began to indicate that an animal was involved. Since I was Alpha, I knew I had no choice but to handle this myself. I stood up from my chair and sighed as I shook my head. "Bring the car around, gather a few others. If it is the same group, we need to be prepared," I told him, cutting off the mind-link. Closing my laptop, I glanced out the window and stared at the afternoon sky. "Goddess, help me," I said before rushing out of my office and heading out of the packhouse to meet Christian. As soon as I stepped out of the packhouse, Christian rounded the driveway. I approached the car, opened the door, and asked, "How many this time?" as I slid into the passenger seat. "The group is small, no more than five members," Christian replied. I nodded. "Let's go!" I said, closing the car door. As we drove in silence, something inside me began to shift. This was a feeling, unlike anything I had ever experienced before. There was something not right about the situation. Even though I could not place the feeling, I sensed something deep within myself, warning me to be cautious. It took us about fifteen minutes to arrive at what was believed to be the last known location. As I stepped out of the car, I could smell a slight lingering scent in the air that sent a warm tingle down my spine. As I glanced around the area, out of the corner of my eye, a flash of white caught my attention. It ran at top speed in the direction of the pack border. I felt Lucifer push forward at that exact moment, only to withdraw just as fast. Turning to Christian, "The border now," I yelled, climbing back into the car. Christian quickly jumped behind the wheel and sped off at top speed before we saw a white wolf. "Any available warriors, get to the eastern border. A white wolf is heading in that direction," I called through the mid-link. After a few minutes, the sound of Julius, my gamma's voice, echoed through the mind-link. "Alpha, I have a clear shot," he said. "Shoot it," I responded. A mere moment later, a strong howl was heard coming from the wolf, indicating it had been hit by a tranquilizer, which caused the wolf to become agitated. The wolf stumbled around, its body trembling from the effect of the tranquilizer. Christian slowed the car as Julius and the other warriors quickly approached the wolf. Christian promptly stopped the car a mere twenty feet away. As we exited the vehicle, the sweet scent of rosewater and pink sea salt hit me like a freight train, and Lucifer pushed forward. As I approached the wolf, I shook my head, trying to clear my mind of any confusion. After I drew closer to the wolf, I could sense Lucifer was becoming increasingly agitated. As I walked around the wolf to see its face, a growl escaped me, and with that, the word "MATE" followed. Those words, which I had not spoken for the last five years, sent a wave of shock through everyone.