The Fated Mate

The Invitation

Rebekah walked into school Friday morning, the crisp September air still clinging to her hair and clothes. The noise of lockers slamming and students laughing filled the halls, but her mind wasn’t on any of it. She adjusted the strap of her bag and tried to shake off the memory of her nightmare from two nights before. Her hands trembled slightly as she tried to ground herself, but she forced a deep breath and kept moving, focusing on the familiar faces of students milling around the hall.

And then—Zane.

He stood at the far end of the hall, tall, confident, golden-brown hair catching the light as it shifted with the movement of the sun through the high windows. For the briefest second, his eyes locked on hers. Her pulse skipped a beat. Then he lifted a hand in a casual wave.

Rebekah froze. Her stomach twisted. Was he waving at her? Her? No way. She forced herself to glance behind her, certain someone cooler, prettier, stronger must have been in his line of sight.

“No one there,” Maddie whispered, grabbing her arm. Her voice trembled with barely contained excitement. “Oh my goddess, Bekah, he waved at YOU. Don’t even try to say he didn’t.”

Rebekah’s cheeks burned as she waved back awkwardly, stomach fluttering like she had swallowed a hundred butterflies. Her pulse raced, and a million different thoughts crowded her mind: Was it real? Did he even notice me? Or was he just being polite?

Maddie bounced on the balls of her feet beside her. “I saw it. You saw it. Stop doubting yourself. He waved at you!”

Tyler, sitting two desks behind them, leaned forward, brow furrowed in curiosity. “Who waved at her?”

Maddie smirked, nudging Rebekah with an elbow. “Only the hottest guy in school. The future Alpha.”

Rebekah shushed them both, heat climbing her neck. She didn’t want anyone else to notice. Not yet.

Even during her morning classes, the image of Zane lingered, replaying in every detail. The curve of his smile. The lazy, easy way his hand lifted. The flicker in his eyes that almost looked like recognition. She tried to focus, but numbers and dates blurred on the whiteboard. Every time the teacher spoke, her mind wandered back to the wave, wondering what it could possibly mean.

Maddie leaned across their desks in math, poking her arm repeatedly. “I’m serious. He waved at you. I saw it with my own eyes. Accept it, Bekah.”

Rebekah shifted in her seat, cheeks still hot. “Maybe it’s nothing. Maybe—he was waving to someone behind me. Or—”

“Or maybe he likes you,” Maddie interrupted, rolling her eyes. “You think too much. Just accept it.”

Tyler groaned from behind them, flipping his pencil into the air and catching it. “Seriously, we’re talking about this now? You’re giving him way too much credit.”

“Jealous?” Maddie teased. Tyler scowled, muttering something under his breath, and Rebekah felt her face heat even more.

By the time lunch rolled around, her nerves were stretched thin. She carried her tray to their usual corner table in the cafeteria, trying to act normal while her insides spun like a cyclone. Maddie and Tyler were already there, pretending to eat, but Maddie’s eyes shone like a child who had just been handed the keys to a candy store.

Then the world shifted.

Zane Carrow strode into the cafeteria, and it was as if the crowd parted for him, parting like waves around a boat. His friends followed, loud and confident, but they were nothing more than a backdrop to him. Every step he took made Rebekah’s heart pound so fiercely she thought it might burst.

Her fork froze halfway to her mouth when he veered off course and stopped right in front of their table.

“Hey,” he said, his voice low but carrying easily over the noise of the cafeteria. “So—you coming to the lake tomorrow night?”

Time stopped. Rebekah blinked, unsure she had heard correctly.

“Uh…” Her throat went dry. “Yeah. I mean—if you want me to.”

His grin widened, casual and confident, he then slid her a small piece of paper, and he turned to walk away, his friends shoving and laughing as they followed him. The moment had passed, but the air around her crackled with energy.

Maddie nearly jumped out of her seat, grabbing Rebekah’s hands and shaking them like a lifeline. “OH MY GODDESS! He just asked you to the pack party! Can you believe it?”

Rebekah’s mind spun. She held the paper under the table so nobody could read it, and opened it - It was his phone number. This was happening. Right now. She wanted to scream, to cry, to jump up and down—all at once.

Tyler frowned, pushing his tray away and staring at her. “Don’t get too excited. This could be a setup. You know how his crowd is. Don’t forget that.”

Rebekah didn’t care. Her pulse still thundered. Her stomach still flipped. The thought that she might be going to a pack party with Zane—the future Alpha—was too much to contain.

Maddie leaned closer, pleading. “You have to let me come too. Please, please, Bekah!”

Rebekah hesitated. “But… he only invited me.”

Maddie’s eyes widened, desperate. “So text him! Ask if I can come! You have his number, don’t you? What was on that piece of paper??”

Rebekah’s face went crimson. “Maybe… It's his number.”

“OH MY GODDESS, YOU HAVE HIS NUMBER!” Maddie shrieked, causing heads to turn and some students to glance their way. Rebekah buried her face in her hands, mortified and ecstatic all at once.

Across the room, unnoticed, Tyler P.—the notorious troublemaker of Zane’s pack—had caught every word. His sharp grin spread as he quietly left the cafeteria, moving swiftly toward Adrianna.

Adrianna, queen of the popular crowd, sat at the center of her table. Her perfectly curled hair, flawless makeup, and expensive designer clothes gave her an aura of untouchable power. When Tyler P. leaned in and whispered the news, her disbelief was brief before it erupted into fury.

“He WHAT?” Adrianna hissed, lips curling into a sneer.

Claire leaned closer, voice hushed. “He must be joking. He’d never actually invite her.”

Selena laughed, cruel and high-pitched. “That beta loser? She won’t even show. She doesn’t have the guts.”

Adrianna’s nails dug into the polished surface of the table. Her eyes flicked to the corner where Rebekah sat, cheeks burning with excitement and nerves. “If she does… I’ll make sure she regrets it. No one steals what’s mine.”

The last class of the day was a blur. Fate had placed Rebekah, Maddie, Adrianna, and Zane in the same room. She tried desperately to focus on the lecture, on the words floating across the whiteboard, but Zane’s presence loomed over her like a tide she could not escape.

When he walked in, eyes immediately finding hers, her pen slipped from her fingers. Her face flushed crimson.

“Hey, Rebekah,” he said casually, almost lazily, but the sound of his voice made her pulse race.

Adrianna sat in icy silence, lips pressed tight. Rebekah dared a small sigh of relief. Maybe Adrianna had moved on. Maybe she had given up.

She had no idea how dangerous that assumption was. Adrianna’s silence was deliberate. She was watching, waiting, ensuring Rebekah felt safe enough to show up at the party the next night.

When class ended and everyone spilled out, Zane called his friends over. “Go ahead. I’ll catch up in a minute.”

Maddie lingered at her desk, pretending to sort her bag but keeping her eyes fixed on Rebekah. The instant Zane returned, Rebekah felt her blood thrum with tension.

“So… you thought about it? You coming tomorrow?” His voice was low, commanding.

Rebekah twisted her fingers together, trying to steady herself. “I want to… but Adrianna—”

He cut her off, tone firm, no room for argument. “Forget Adrianna. I’m the future Alpha. She does what I say.”

The words washed over her like fire, making her shiver. His dominance, his confidence—it was intoxicating. For a wild, reckless second, she imagined pulling him close, kissing him, losing herself completely.

She blinked the fantasy away, cheeks burning. “Can Maddie come?”

“Just Maddie,” he said with a small nod.

Relief flooded through her. “Okay. I’ll be there.”

His grin melted her insides. “Cool. I’ll see you tomorrow. Text me later, okay?”

She nodded dumbly, heart hammering so violently it felt like it might burst.

The second he left, Maddie threw herself at Rebekah, squealing and hugging her, jumping up and down like children. Rebekah laughed, caught in the whirl of excitement, feeling light-headed and dizzy all at once.

Tyler arrived in the hall a few minutes later, arms crossed, scowling. “I still don’t like it. He’s up to something.”

“You’re just jealous,” Maddie shot back.

Tyler scowled further and stormed off, leaving Rebekah torn between her lingering doubts and pure joy.

When her mother pulled up to the school that afternoon, her sharp eyes immediately noted the gleam in Rebekah and Maddie’s faces.

“Okay, pups,” she said as they climbed into the car. “Spit it out. What’s going on?”

Maddie couldn’t contain herself. “ZANE INVITED REBEKAH TO THE PARTY TOMORROW!”

Her mother’s eyes widened, then softened knowingly. “Zane Carrow?”

Rebekah nodded, heart still pounding.

“The Carrows have led this pack for generations,” her mother said. “His father is Alpha now, and the elders are already whispering that Zane is a favorite for the next Alpha.”

Maddie clasped her hands, eyes shining. “Can you imagine? Rebekah, mated with the Alpha! Adrianna will choke on her own venom.”

Rebekah’s joy dimmed slightly at the mention of Adrianna. Rumors had already linked Zane and Adrianna’s families for a future match.

Her mother squeezed her hand. “Nothing is written in stone. You’re strong, beautiful, and intelligent. But confidence matters. The pack can sense weakness. If you want a future with an Alpha, you must carry yourself like one.”

Rebekah rolled her eyes. “Easier said than done.”

Later that evening, after Maddie had left, Rebekah’s phone buzzed.

Zane: What’s up? You coming tomorrow for sure?

Her heart leapt as she typed: Yeah. I’ll be there.

She hesitated, then added: Does Adrianna know?

Zane: Who cares about her? Do what YOU want, Bekah.

Her breath caught. Bekah. No one had ever called her that before.

She typed back: You’re the future Alpha. You can say whatever you want.

Zane: We don’t know that yet.

Rebekah: Yes, we do. My mom says the elders already favor you.

Zane: Really?! That’s good to know. I’ve been worried about the trials.

Rebekah: You’ve got this. You’re smart, powerful… and really good-looking. That helps ;)

Zane: You’re not half bad yourself, Bekah :) Get some sleep. See you tomorrow ;)

Rebekah dropped her phone to her chest, melting into her pillow. Sleep felt impossible, her mind alive with anticipation.

Her mother poked her head in, smoothing the blankets. “Don’t do anything reckless tomorrow. No drinking.”

Rebekah sat up, pleading. “Please don’t ruin this for me, Mom. This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Her mother hugged her tightly, whispering softly. “Just be careful.”

Alone again, Rebekah stared at the ceiling, imagining the lake, the party, and Zane. Tomorrow could change everything.