Did he?
1837 Words
Samantha’s pov
A soft smile curled on my lips as I raised my drink to my lips. Everyone was having a great time at the Christmas party. Laughter and giggles rose above the music. The colourful, shimmering lights illuminated the grinning faces of my classmates. Some of them danced with their mates, while others swayed to the music with their friends.
Everyone was happy, and for a good reason. Not only was it the best time of the year – Christmas – but this year was the year we graduated from college. Three years of hard work paid off. Everyone in our batch passed the tests, and it was an achievement worth celebrating. My heart soared with pride. I was the princess of the southern kingdom, and although I concealed my identity from them during our course, I was damn proud of their achievements. Our future looked bright.
As for me? My best friend went to fetch her brother, and all my other friends were with their mates. So I was by myself, at least until Lina returned. I hadn’t met my mate despite shifting at age twelve, so I didn’t have a date. I really wanted to find the one destined for me. My beast was a rare golden Lycan with special abilities – a phenomenon that happened once in every century. That was one reason I kept my identity a secret.
“Hey.” Ana tapped on my shoulder, interrupting my train of thought. “Saw you here all by yourself and thought of coming over to talk.”
“Hey,” I faced her. “Where is Noah? Wasn’t he with you?” I asked about her mate.
“He is over there with his teammates,” she said, pointing towards a group of footballers. “He’ll be back. So… where is Axel? I hoped he would come to the party as your date.”
“No. I didn’t ask,” I said.
She wrinkled her forehead. “Why? You two are great together.
“He is just a friend,” I replied, involuntarily thinking about our relationship during high school.
Axel was the heir of the Northern Kingdom. Our mothers were best friends, and we ended up spending a lot of time together since childhood, despite living in different areas. Everyone thought we were destined mates. Our families started to talk about an arranged marriage once I turned twenty. Heck, even I thought he was my soulmate and got into a relationship with him when we turned sixteen. In any case, our parents were encouraging us to get married. We believed that once we were married, we would unite both Lycan Kingdoms and unify all the packs under one rule.
Unfortunately, we found out we weren’t mates on his eighteenth birthday. I was seventeen then, but my wolf and I didn’t feel comfortable continuing the relationship. So, I broke things off with him before things escalated between us. Being the sweet and caring person he was, he respected my desires and stayed as the best male friend I could ever have.
I looked at my friend. Ana knew we had a thing going when we were younger. But that wasn’t that serious. “I really want to… you know… have what you have with Noah. I want to meet my soulmate.”
She offered a smile. “I get you. But Axel is such a sweet person, and I think he likes you more than a friend.”
I snickered. “Yeah?”
She gave me a weird glance. “Remember how he is there for you every time you need him? He is literally a phone call away all the time despite him being royalty and living two hours away from us. I bet he will come running if you call him and tell him to come here this instant.”
I laughed. Axel graduated the previous year and lived in the castle. Everyone knew he was the heir. Especially those from the northern kingdom.
“That’s because we have been friends for over twenty years. He knows I am waiting for my mate.” She raised a brow at me. Smiling at her, I said. “He is also looking for his mate.”
It was dangerous to catch feelings for each other unless we were fated mates, right? I seriously didn’t want to believe that he felt anything for me.What if, after getting married, any of us found our soulmates? It would be extremely painful and resentful to reject our mates. I had no desire for that. What would happen if we lacked the bravery to turn our mates down? That would cause so many problems in the monarchy.
I wanted to hold off. I was determined to pursue love, and I was confident that my parents would reconsider after I found my destined partner.
“I hope you both find your fated mates. It is painful to watch my favourite people suffer.”
She made me laugh harder. “We aren’t suffering.”
She shrugged, watching the dancers having a great time underneath the disco ball. "If you say so."
After a long period of observation, Ana spoke up again. "Oh, and congrats on your accomplishment, Sam. I have heard that you excelled in every topic, even combat fighting. You truly are a badass!
My smile widened.
“Thanks. And congratulations to you too. I heard you got top marks in your class,” I said.
She grinned. “Yes, I did. Now I can work in my pack’s hospital. I always wanted to work as a doctor like my dad.”
“Nice. I hope to hear from you once we move to our packs,” I said. She was from the northern kingdom, but keeping in touch wouldn’t be hard in today’s age.
“Sure,” she mumbled as her shoulders slumped. “It sucks we are from different packs. If only you would become my alpha.”
I chuckled. It was amusing how they assumed I was studying to become an alpha simply because I studied political science. Lina and I were the only females in the class, and many of the girls looked up to us. It would be a lie to pretend that everyone liked us. Some of them secretly loathed us, while others claimed to be friends. Ana was one of the most sincere people I met in college, hence our dear friend.
“By the way, where is Lina? I haven’t seen her tonight,” Ana enquired about my flatmate, who eventually became my best friend.
“She went to get her brother. Remember how she complained about his ex-girlfriend?” I remarked, raising my eyebrows.
“Yeah, that b***h. He didn’t deserve to have his heart broken like that,” Ana grumbled.
I nodded my head, agreeing with Ana. I mean, only a power-hungry gold digger would betray your partner for a rival alpha, just because he was wealthier.
“Lina wanted to bring him here. She was hoping he would loosen up a bit.”
Pursing her lips, she nodded her head. “Yeah, that could work. But I really hope we don’t bore him to death. Do we know how to entertain a fully grown alpha?”
A lopsided smile curled on my lips. “This is definitely better than keeping himself locked in the room for days. He even might meet someone interesting here.”
An unfamiliar fragrance suddenly assaulted my nostrils. My lycan, who was usually placid when I was in public, went berserk. As my eyes searched for the aroma’s source, my senses heightened. My heart started to beat erratically. The aroma only got stronger with each passing second. One thing was certain. My mate was in the vicinity.
“Speaking of Lina, there she is.” Ana waved her hand, grinning from ear to ear. I looked at her. She was right. Lina had entered the school hall, and she looked dazzling in her navy blue gown. Her reddish brown curls bounced as she rushed towards us. We had chosen outfits for each other for the party, and I didn’t get to admire my choice of clothes on her since she had to leave urgently. But that wasn’t the reason I stared in her direction.
I took a deep breath. The towering, dark figure a few feet behind her demanded my attention. My lips moved apart. Even with a simple dark shirt and trousers, he was the most attractive man I had ever seen. I assumed he was Lina's brother because his hair was the same shade as hers. My heart beat a little fast. My lycan squealed with delight. It was him. We eventually found him. We found our mate.
His eyes also seem to search the crowd, perhaps eagerly looking for someone. Was he looking for me?
I couldn’t look away. My pulse raced with each step he took towards us. It was him. Tall, dark, handsome…
Our gazes met.
“Mate!” my lycan exclaimed. I stared at him, wide-eyed, and he stared back. No one else seemed to notice the chaos in my chest except him. From the way he stared at me, I knew that his wolf verified what my lycan just confirmed. He stared at me, shocked, as though he wasn't expecting to meet me. But then, the astonishment in his eyes dissolved into reluctance until a mask of sheer coldness covered any emotion in them.
“Hey girl!” Lina greeted Ana with a friendly hug and then proceeded to give me a hug too.
But I was too stunned to move.
“Sam? Hello? Remember I told you about my brother Luca? This is him.”
Luca… even his name sounded cool.
“What’s wrong with Sam?”
Their conversation seemed distant. His scent kept pulling me into a trance. The bond was pulling me towards him, but he confused me. He didn’t utter a word, nor did he move a muscle. Alphas would usually claim their partners on the spot. In the werewolf world, there was no shame in doing so. But this alpha…
Was he fighting the urge to declare that I was his mate? I wanted to be brave and shake his hand. So I raised my hand and said, “Hi, I am Samantha. Lina’s roommate.”
Despite my emotions going haywire, I sounded confident enough. If he shook my hand, we would both feel the sparks of our bond, and perhaps that would help him.
But he gave my hand a brief look, his face void of emotions.
“You are my soulmate,” he said. Ana choked on her drink, and Lina’s jaw dropped.
“I am not interested. My heart belongs to someone else. I, Alpha Liam Carter of Black Hunters pack, reject Samantha as my mate.”
He glanced at his sister, who appeared as shocked as Ana, and marched out of the hall.
Did he just reject me?
- Writer
