The Alphas Hidden Mate

Chapter 2; Chance

SERENA'S POV

I watched Crace leave with Gabriella as my heart pounded. Anika purred in my mind at Crace. I went to put my skipping rope away and ran a hand through my hair. Why did the Moon Goddess hate me? Mating me with Crace had to be some sick joke the Goddess was playing on me. This could not be happening to me. 

Why are you freaking out? He's gorgeous! Anika said, with a flick of her tail. 

I'm freaking out for many reasons. One, he's the freaking Alpha and I'm just a lowly werewolf. Two, he's with Gabriella. Three, I can't be a Luna! I'm a nobody. I said to her. She huffed at me.

I already told you, Serena. You aren't a nobody. You are a somebody and you are clearly mated with Crace for a reason. The Moon Goddess wouldn't have given you me and Crace if she didn't think we were perfect for you. Have faith, my child. The Moon Goddess works in mysterious ways. 

What was I doing? Why am I waiting for him? Who even knows if he is coming back? He could have just taken Gabriella back to the manor, while they both laughed at me. I could just imagine it. 'Did she really think that she could ever be a Luna? Your mate?' I heard her snarky laugh in my head. 'A low wolf and an Alpha? Haha, as if!' His voice, clear as day in my mind. Even though it was my imagination and not actually him, my heart still hurt. I had to leave, before it became reality. I quickly grabbed my belongings and went to leave. However, as soon as I reached the door, it swung open and there he was. The breath knocked out of me as that scent of chocolate and pastry hit me. What was I doing?

CRACE'S POV

I grabbed Gabriella's arm and led her out the door. Please stay and wait for me I silently prayed. 

"My place or yours?" Gabriella smiled sultry and for once, the smile did nothing for me. In fact, I began to feel revolted and my stomach flipped. She placed a hand on me and I moved away, suddenly. "What's wrong, baby?" She asked, frowning. I shook my head, and smiled at her.

"Nothing's wrong. I just didn't want you in there. It's gross. Sweat and germs...you know?" I told her, trying to move her suspicions. She studied me for a moment before smiling at me.

"You're right. There are much cleaner places to get all sweaty together" She said. 

"Not today, Gabriella. I'm not in the mood" I told her, glancing at the gym door. I needed to get back quickly. Who knows what was going through Serena's head right now?

"Okay, what is with you these days?" She snapped at me. 

"What do you mean? Nothing is wrong" I told her, looking at her in alarm.

"Oh come on Crace! I may be blonde but I'm not stupid! The past two weeks you haven't been yourself. You're distracted, we haven't spent any time together, Archer says you have been off your game in training. There's something that's been bothering you or on your mind for two weeks. So don't play dumb with me. What is wrong?" She said, sighing. I dragged my eyes back to hers. I really had to wrap this up. I also needed to convince Gabi I was fine or she would find out eventually and I couldn't and wouldn't deal with her right now.

"I have had a lot on my mind these days, that's all. Sometimes, as an Alpha, there are more important things than what we do, Gabi. That's all. I've been slacking in my duties because of our little sessions. I need to take a break from us and refocus my attention for the time being on other stuff. Nothing else." I told her, looking in her eyes earnestly. She narrowed her eyes at me and pursed her lips, thinking.

"Okay, fine. Just message when you're ready to start our sessions together. I forget that you're an Alpha sometimes. Though, I never forget in the bedroom" She said with a wink. She sauntered off and I breathed a sigh of relief. I could finally get back to Serena. 

I hurried to the gym doors and got the whiff of her forest scent. Oh lord help me... I thought. I noticed though that the scent was stronger than before and my Alpha hearing picked up her heartbeat at the door. Was she leaving? I swung the door open to find her standing right in front of me. She looked at me in surprise. 

"Where do you think you're going, princess?" I asked her. She blushed and looked away. I chuckled. She was so beautiful.

SERENA'S POV

"Or should I say...Fairy Nymph Queen?" He amended himself and that finally got a reaction from me. I looked up at him and scowled. He beamed.

"Good god" I said, rolling my eyes. 

"Well, seeing as you're already on your way out, why don't we go somewhere private?" He asked me, eyeing my gym bag. I was busted. 

"Okay" I said timidly. He held the door open for me. 

"Ladies first" He said, bowing slightly. I felt my cheeks get warm. He caught up and placed a hand on the small of my back. My entire being felt live-wired from his touch. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves but it didn't help, his scent filled my nostrils and my head swam. The further we got from the gym, though, the clearer my mind got.

"What about training?" I asked him, suddenly. He gave me a small smile and rubbed my back slightly.

"Don't you worry about that. I'll explain to Archer I wanted to give you some personal tips because I've been watching you and it looks like you could use the help" He explained. I stopped in my tracks, offended.

"You think I could use extra help with training?" I asked him, incredulous. He realised what he said wrong and his eyes widened in shock. 

"No, no" He said, grabbing my arms. His touch bought me comfort and I let it envelop me. "I do not think that! That's just what I'm telling Archer so you don't get in trouble." He assured me. I looked at my surroundings. We were just a little outside of the territory centre. 

"I don't want you to lie to me, Crace. I think I deserve a little more respect than that" I said, annoyed. He grabbed my chin and tilted my head up to look at him. His brown eyes looked into mine, they were full of sadness.

"I would never ever lie to you, Serena" He said, honestly. Hearing my name on his lips made my heart beat a little faster. "You are my life now. You definitely deserve respect which is why I mean it when I say that you definitely don't need extra training" He told me. I searched his eyes, looking for any signs of deceit but I was only met with love and truth.

"Okay" I said, looking away again. 

"Serena, you are honestly the top of your class...heck, the top of your age group if anything! You would make your parents proud if they were still alive. You truly are their daughter" He said, proudly. I smiled a little. "Let's keep walking. I think I know where we could go." He said, placing his hand on my back again and I leaned into his touch a little. 

"Crace, I need you to know something..."I started to say but we had reached our destination, apparently. I looked around and Anika swooned in my head. He had taken us to the forest. 

"I thought you might feel more at home and more comfortable if we were somewhere you knew. This is your place" He explained. I bit my lip to stop myself from smiling. 

"Thank you" I said to him as we walked further into the forest. We found a log to sit on. The forest was quiet today. It's almost as if they wanted us to have privacy in this moment. 

"What you were going to say?" He asked me, smiling at me. I stared at him, lost in everything he was. He was gorgeous. His skin was deliciously tanned, his smile gave him little dimples in his cheeks. It was like not until today, I was blind and now I could see. "Serena?" He said, breaking me from my trance.

"Hmm?" I said, lazily. He chuckled. 

"You had something you wanted to say? Something I should know?" He prompted me. 

"Oh" I said, remembering. I sighed and looked away from him. This would be easier to say if I wasn't looking at him. 

"You will have all the time in the world to stare at me soon. I promise" He said, misreading it.

"That's the thing, Crace. We can't be mates." I said to him, picking at some moss on the log. Anika whimpered in my mind.

What are you doing? Anika asked me, her eyes wide.

"What do you mean?" He asked me, allowing me to explain myself.

"You're the Alpha, Crace. You need someone just as powerful as you are to be your Luna. I am not. I don't even have a hint of Gamma or Omega blood in me. I would just drag you down..."I said, tears filled my eyes.

"Serena.." He breathed. I shook my head at him.

"Let me finish, please" I begged him. He nodded his head and stopped talking. "Thank you. People would talk. Would they even accept me as their Luna? I'm a nobody, Crace. It would look bad for you to make me your Luna. You're better off with someone else, someone like Gabriella or anyone else with a powerful lineage. Trust me, you don't want me as your mate" I finished, wiping tears off my face. I sniffed a little. I never felt pain like this before in my life. My heart was breaking and I had only met my mate today.

"Serena, listen to me." He said, quietly. I still couldn't look at him. It hurt too much. "Look at me, Serena"  I listened to him and finally looked at him. My heart broke even more. "I don't care about any of those things. I never cared about titles or Gabriella or other people. They meant nothing to me. They still mean nothing to me. Your parents...they showed me that titles mean nothing. You are my mate, my other half, my love and my life." He said, grabbing my hand.

"Crace..." I began but he stopped me.

"It's your turn to let me finish now. Those things don't mean a thing to me but if they mean so much to you, we don't have to do anything yet. No one has to know about us until you are ready. I will prove to you that I am worthy of your trust and love." He said, seriously. Oh..."So, Serena, will you accept me as your mate?" He asked, giving me a small smile, unsure of himself. I couldn't believe what he was saying. I couldn't believe that the Alpha was suddenly unsure of himself when it came to me. 

What are you waiting for? Anika said in my mind. 

I'm still not sure, Anika. What if he hurts me? What if he learns that I am right and I can't be his mate? I asked her. She just gave me a look.

What is life without risk, Serena? He just said that he would prove he is worthy of your love and trust. Isn't that what you wanted? She asked me, pointedly. I sighed. She was right. How could he prove it if I didn't let him.

"Okay." I said to him, quietly. He smiled and those dimples appeared.

"Okay?" He asked, making sure he was understanding correctly.

"Okay. I will accept you as my mate" I said to him, giving him a shy smile. He smiled even wider and he honestly looked so happy and relieved. I didn't even realise how worried he was. I felt the need to be closer to him and I leaned into him. He wrapped an arm around me and I inhaled his scent, feeling safe. "What do I smell like to you?" I asked him, suddenly. He chuckled. He inhaled as if needing a reminder but I am sure it was just for show.

"You sure you want to know, princess?" He asked me, smiling evilly at me as if he had a secret.

"Yes..." I said, slowly. Did I want to know? The way he was looking at me made me begin to think that I was going to regret asking the question.

"You smell like a rainforest. You smell like moss, rain, dew and wildflowers. Seems fitting..."He said, smiling at me.

"Don't you dare finish that sentence" I warned him. He pretended to ignore me.

"Seems fitting seeing as you are the Fairy Nymph queen, after all." He finished, smiling cheekily at me. His tongue poked out between his teeth and it gave him a boyish charm. I hid my face in his chest, embarrassed.

"I hate you" I said, my voice muffled by his chest. He laughed, and I felt the vibration of it through his chest. 

"No you don't" He said, blatantly. I sighed.

"I regret telling you that story, you know. You're never going to stop calling me that, are you?" I asked him, looking at him. He was looking around him but when he sensed that I was looking at him, he redirected his gaze to me.

"You don't regret telling me it and you're right. I will never stop calling you by that, princess. From now on, I will be calling you princess, Fairy Nymph Queen or your name." He stated, matter of factly. I opened my mouth to ask him something but he cut me off before I began. "And no, you do not have a choice or say in the matter" He said, beaming at me. I pouted. Well there goes my question then. "What do I smell like to you?" He asked me, curious. I smiled and breathed him in.

"You smell like a bakery to me. Freshly baked pastries, fresh coffee, with hints of chocolate and caramel." I replied, snuggling into him. 

"Nothing special then" He said, quietly. I looked at him, startled.

"What do you mean?" I asked him. He shrugged.

"You work at a bakery so you smell that scent all the time. You must be used to it by now." He said, simply. I gaped at him.

"Excuse me, but don't just assume that because I smell it everyday means that I am used to it. I'll have you know that I love the smell of the bakery and I never tire of it. Besides, your scent is different. It's something more than just a certain smell. Your scent is so much more to me than just that. It's comfort, it's safe and it is all-consuming. So don't ever assume that just because I smell pastries and coffee and chocolate and caramel all the time, means that your scent is nothing special. Because you - Crace, my mate, my Alpha - are so special to me now. And that means that everything about you is special" I told him, glaring at him. He looked at me in surprise. 

"You really mean that?" He asked me. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Who knew that an Alpha could ever be so unsure of himself?" I said, teasing. He tilted my chin up and smiled at me. I smiled back.

"Only when it comes to you, princess. Only when it comes to you" He said. 

"Oh, is that so?" I said, smirking at him. 

"Yes, because I might be an Alpha but when it comes to us, you hold all the power." He told me. Oh...

And so it should be I heard Anika say. Wow, she was so arrogant sometimes.

I stared at him for just one second and before I began to doubt myself, I leaned up to kiss him.