An Alpha's stepdaughter; fate or free choice

I’ve been in this little city for a day now. My mission is to look for Estelle’s daughter, make sure she is doing okay, and report back to her mother and my Alpha. It’s my first time here, but the guys before me have all reported back on schedule and provided her mother with photos, videos and updates about Dahnya’s life and whereabouts outside of school. They’ve also gone undercover to her place of employment and talked to her in person. Estelle’s daughter, Dahnya, just turned 17. I am not one hundred percent sure why Dahnya and her mother are estranged, but what I do know is that Estelle is our Alpha’s mate and Dahnya is not the Alpha’s daughter. He knows about her. They talk about her fondly. They also have photos of her around the house. I have heard that she is human, or mostly human. I guess they just want to keep tabs on her and make sure she is not lacking anything in her life and that she is happy. The “why” is not so important to me. I am here on an undercover mission and I will not disappoint my Alpha. I have this envelope containing her information. It holds a recent photo of her as well as her school’s name and address, her home address and her place of employment. They also included a photo of the train she takes to get to and from work. I pull out her details and look at her photo. She is pretty, a natural beauty. She looks a lot like her mother, Estelle. Dahnya has auburn hair that’s cut in a short bob. She has hazel-coloured eyes and high cheekbones. She looks very kind and so much wiser than her 17 years. She doesn’t remind me of the teenagers from our pack. I wonder what she’s like. I also wonder why she works so many hours after school. Do they struggle to make ends meet? Why would she spend most of her free time working? I use today to settle into my accommodations and take in my surroundings. It’s nice enough here, for a city. It’s noisier than I would like, especially given my sensitive hearing. Our pack is located close to the Rocky Mountains. We have an agreement with the aboriginal peoples and we have always lived in harmony and close proximity to each other. The pack is roughly an hour’s drive from here. My new room is okay. I don't need luxuries. I see a bed, a closet, a shower and a toilet. The kitchen is really small, but who needs one when there's a diner downstairs? Dahnya works at this diner. That ought to make my job a lot easier. After all, a man's got to eat. I check the time, and it’s almost 2 pm. She should be getting off of school soon. I decide to get ready and wait for her at the train station. I read that she’s got a Monday shift at the diner. I will only watch her from a distance for now. The last bell should ring at 3 pm. I take a quick look in the mirror, my grey eyes staring back at me, and head out the door of my temporary apartment. I stand on the platform discreetly until I catch sight of her. I keep my distance, but I should be well hidden in my dark hoodie and jeans, so I hop onto the train once I am sure she’s stepped on. My wolf is suddenly on edge, and I wonder what’s on that train apart from her. I’ll be very cautious. We’re in the city, so I don’t expect many immediate dangers, but something is definitely up. I take a seat a few rows from her, keeping my head down. Then I smell it. She smells like potpourri with a hint of cinnamon. My wolf howls and claws in my head. He wants to make a hell of a lot of noise, to let her know we’ve found her. He wants to stake his claim. I’m having a really hard time containing my excitement. This is incredibly hard... Every instinct tells me to run up to her, embrace her, and savor her scent. She was made for me. I stay in my seat and continue to look at her. My being fills with happiness and pride. I can’t believe how gorgeous she is. Perfect. It’s like an electric charge zapping through the air, trying to connect the two of us. She is human, or mostly human. I don’t know if she has any wolf in her, but I don’t care. I am awestruck. I just turned 20 and never dreamt or even hoped I would find my mate on this mission, in the city, among humans. I take in her appearance again, but this time seeing her for what she is, my mate. Her cheeks are flushed, her auburn hair is cut in a short bob and her bangs hang in her face, which seems to annoy her right now. She takes her scarf off and she’s breathing quite heavily. I guess that’s to be expected, she did run for a bit to catch her train on time. She is beautiful. Majestic. I watch her settle in on her seat. Her stop is not far ahead. And then I see it, she lifts her head deliberately, looks around at all the people, and smiles the most beautiful smile. When her head comes in my direction, I look down quickly. She didn’t notice me. Her breathing seems to have calmed down. She stands up and grabs her backpack, then wraps her scarf back around her delectable neck. She is still glancing around tentatively, smiling as if she knows a big secret. I look down again and watch her get off the train. I think she catches me staring at her — my eyes must be smiling from ear to ear — but I quickly look down so she can continue on her way. She walks away, and I get off the train just in time and pretend to walk in the opposite direction. When I am quite certain she won’t turn around again, I change directions, cross the road and walk the two blocks to the diner. I keep an eye on her, but from a distance. She hurries inside before her shift starts. What great luck? My bed is above my mate’s place of work. I can keep an eye on her whenever she works. I just need to figure out if I can contain myself when I am close to her. I’ll give it a try. I am aching to see her, but even more so to hear her voice. I look through the window and see her wiping down what looks like a menu. I want to get a little closer. I open the door and head to the counter. The air is sizzling again, and I am drawn to her like a magnet. She feels it too, I am almost certain. I see her looking around, and that same strange smile she had on the train, appears again. Does she sense me? I take a step forward and my wolf urges me to go directly to her and claim her, but I manage to turn around and leave, softly pulling the door closed behind me. I need to know what I am allowed to do in this situation. I need to get myself under control too. And, I need to contact my Alpha. But first, I will hang around and watch her from the shadows. I am not a creep. I’d never hurt her, but I need to see her. I can’t take my eyes off of her right now, my wolf wouldn't allow it. Finally, it’s 10 pm and I hear her saying bye to the other staff. She heads out the door and I follow her at a safe distance. She catches her train just in time. Lucky girl. I hop on as well and take a seat a few rows from her. My hoodie covers my face, so no worries there. She sits for a while and gets up in time for her stop. She wraps her scarf back around her delectable neck and exits the train. I follow shortly afterwards and disappear into the shadows. As far as I know, she’ll be waiting for her bus for at least 20 minutes. She surprises me by taking off on foot, I guess she’s going to walk home instead. I follow at a safe distance. She can’t see me, but I can feel her, so she might be able to sense me. She seems content, happy, buzzing even. So that must mean she feels comfortable. I watch and follow her longingly. Her house is just up the street now, and she heads up the pathway to the front door. I see her taking out a spare key from that large flower pot. Perhaps I can sneak in and watch her just a little more. I’ll wait and see, I don’t want to scare her. I’ve been hiding in the bushes in front of her house, having a conversation with my wolf. We decide to call our Alpha again, in the morning, and explain our predicament. He knows we made it to Dahnya safe and sound. I watch as the blinds in her window move, and she peeks out, into the night. Is she looking for me? She shuts the blinds again. Her lights go out, and I take it she’ll be asleep soon. Her dad’s light has been out for 30 minutes already. My wolf and I talk about her again. He wants to smell Dahnya. He says we can go home once we know she’s sleeping safely in her bed. This is risky. I don’t want to scare her. I head to the flower pot and take out the key. I’ve checked thoroughly and there aren’t any cameras around the house. My wolf-hearing doesn’t detect any motion on the inside either. I unlock the door quietly. I head down the hall and stand outside her dad’s room. He is fast asleep and snoring. I do the same outside Dahnya’s door. From her breathing, I can tell she is sound asleep. Her scent wafts up and hits me like a ton of bricks. I can’t turn around, my body won’t allow it. I open her door very carefully and tiptoe towards her bed. I take in her appearance, my beautiful mate. She has a soft smile on her face and her legs are moving slightly. She seems to be dreaming. I wonder if she’ll wake up from my touch. I fight myself briefly but can't seem to resist. My hands are large, and her arm is small and warm. I hope she doesn’t wake up. If she does, this might scare her half to death. That could ruin everything, I know this. Even with this knowledge, I can’t seem to help myself. I get onto the bed behind her and carefully wrap my arm around her. She relaxes into me and I feel so incredibly happy. Her breathing doesn’t change at first, but her body leans back further. I nuzzle into her neck and breathe her in. Potpourri and cinnamon. Heavenly. Then I notice it, her breathing changes, she is slightly turned on. She must be dreaming. Could it be about me? My control can only go so far. I tear myself away from her and leave her room. This hurts so much, but I have to go. I lock up and put the key back where I found it. I leave the house and head back to my bed as quickly as my feet will carry me among humans, without raising suspicion. I had already crossed too many lines by going into her room. I had to put on the brakes. I can't let this happen when I see her again. I try to calm myself and my wolf. I’ll see her again tomorrow, and I'll do my best to manage the mate pull in a way that's acceptable to humans. In a way that won't scare her away from me.