Her Second Chance Mate

“The annual warrior tournament invitation arrived today, you’re not going to believe who the hosting pack is.” My brother Max said as he walked into my office.  I glanced up from my computer screen, to see him walk in followed by his mate Hannah.  “Hannah, you are glowing! Pregnancy really suits you!” I said happily to her. I was so excited to become an Aunt, even if I felt a little bit of jealousy i never allowed it to consume me. I loved Hannah and couldn’t be happier for my brother that he was lucky enough to find his mate right when he turned 18.  “Thank you Alpha!” She replied back to me with a big smile. I raised my eyebrow at her, “Alpha? Really? You’ve been apart of this family for a little over a year now, I’ve told you it’s Nikki. Not Alpha.” I replied back to her. “Sorry, old habits die hard.” She replied while taking a seat on top of my brother’s lap.  “Nikki, guess.” Max said to me.  “Guess what?”  “Goddess, do you even listen to me?” He whined. “Calm down Maxwell, yes I was listening to you. The Warrior Tournament...where is it being held?” I asked with a eye roll. Earning myself a huff from Max and a laugh from Hannah. Just as he was about to tell me, Jake, our Gamma came waltzing into my office. “Seriously, Black Moon Pack hosting the warrior tournament is complete bullshit. I mean seriously, how can THAT pack host the tournament?!”  The second he said the pack’s name my heart stopped and my childhood flashed before my eyes. “Carson” I thought I had just said his name in my head, but when I looked up I realized that I had said it out loud.  “It’s okay!” Max started. “We can back out.”  “Are you out of your mind?!” I yelled and slammed my hand down on top of my desk. “There is no way in hell I will ever back down, not from him, not from anyone!” I yelled, my eyes turning black.  I heard Hannah squeak and saw her try to position herself behind my brother. I took a deep breath and pushed my wolf back down. “Sorry Hannah.”  She gave me a sweet smile before looking up to Max, “Why would we back out of the tournament just because the Black Moon Pack is hosting it?”  For a moment I completely forgot that Hannah came to our pack after Carson had left us. Left me.  “Their Alpha is a piece of shit.” Jake started, earning a laugh from Max and an eye roll from me. “Their Alpha, Carson…” I started looking over to Hannah.  “Nikki…” Max started, worry in his eyes. “I’m fine Maxwell.” I replied.  “Alpha Carson used to be part of our pack. His father was Beta Jackson.” “Wait, Beta Jackson, as in the Beta who served for your father?” She questioned. “The one and only.” Max said with a frown on his face. “He and our father were best friends. They were Alpha and Beta, they grew up together, did everything together. Including dying together.” I said, sadness filling my voice. I coughed and continued with the story. “As you know, I became Alpha when our father passed away. Being the oldest as it were. Carson was training alongside his father to be Beta already as well. So we spent a lot of time together. Every day to be exact. Training both in fighting and within the business aspect of the pack. Both of our father’s thought it was best that we learned how everything in the pack ran. When I turned 16 I shifted for the first time.” “16?! I thought the normal she-wolf turned at the age of 18?” Hannah questioned. “They do.” I replied with a nod. “But being Alpha born, we tend to turn earlier than most, usually not 2 years before but none-the-less it happened. And I also found my mate on the same day.” Hannah sucked in a breath and was staring at me with pleading eyes. I glanced towards Max and Jake, both showing pity in their eyes.  “Carson was with me when I had my first shift. I felt the pull for him the moment my wolf came to the surface. I was ecstatic, couldn’t believe the moon goddess would pair me with the one boy I had secretly loved my entire life. After I shifted I was so excited, but i was terrified that he wouldn’t want me. He was already 18, he had already shifted. I didn’t understand why he didn’t tell me we were mates. He had to have known. And even after I shifted and felt the pull he kept his distance from me romantically. So I kept it to myself.” Hannah whimpered and I looked at her to see tears sliding down her cheeks. “Sorry its the pregnancy hormones.”  I gave her a small smile and handed her the tissues from my desk. “About 3 months after my first shift Carson kissed me for the first time. We were training alone out in the warrior field and he had me pinned down. It took a minute for him to release what he was doing because the second he did he jumped back from me with shock in his face. Before I could ask him what was wrong, he had turned around and ran away. Shifting into his wolf. He didn’t return home for two days. I didn’t tell a soul. Both of our father’s were fuming with his disappearance. When he came back they made him train harder, alone. A year went by and he grew farther and farther away from me. I knew I had to reject him, he didn’t want me. He made that clear. But I was too scared. The night of my 17th birthday we were attacked. Max was 16, Jack had been training with his father, Gamma Harris. But we never really hung out even though we were the same age.” I smiled up at Jake, who smiled back.  “The night of the attack, Carson was nowhere to be seen. I had decided that night that I would reject him and forget about all of the feelings I ever felt for him. But when the attack happened all of that went out the window. Max helped our mother’s and get all of the children and eldery into the safe room, while Jake and I fought alongside our fathers. My father mind-linked me to take a team and move around to the other side of the house, to try to form a circle around the rouges. That’s when I felt like my I being stabbed in my chest. Carson was having s*x for the first time, with someone else while our mate bond was still intact. It crippled me. Jake helped me into the packhouse, but because I wasn’t able to fight. I passed out within minutes from the pain shooting through my body. When i woke up, I had learned that my father and Beta Jackson had both been in the hospital with wounds that weren’t healing. I managed to push the lingering pain away and stumble into the hospital room.” i took a moment to take a breath and a sip of my water. “Max was there, along with our mother and Stacey - Carson’s mom. Our fathers were in the same room. All of them were crying as the doctors advised that there was nothing they could do for them. The weapons used during the fight that caused them these wounds were made of a special type of silver that our doctors at the time never dealt with. I broke down and told them everything once my father asked me where I was and why I disappeared during the fight. Moments after I was done telling them about being mated with Carson and how he betrayed our bond and the pain had caused me to pass out. Our fathers, though they were laying there on their death beds were fuming. Carson just so happened to walk in minutes after I was done telling them everything. He rushed in to his fathers bed, worry sketched on his face.  His father looked over to mine, and told him to let her choose. My father nodded and looked towards me and said Nikki, it’s no secret, you are the future Alpha of this pack. I had a choice of my Beta. We had hoped that with the two of you training together that you wouldn’t have to decide who would be your Beta.  Carson stood there confused and shock written on his face. “What, Alpha.”  My father ignored him and continued. The choice is yours Nikki. As Alpha, who do you pick to be your Beta?  I looked at Carson, tears in my eyes, I had so much I wanted to say to him. But i knew i needed to get everything done and over with. Our father’s didn’t have much time. “I, Nikki, future Alpha of the Blue Ridge pack hereby declare Maxwell as my Beta.” Carson’s mouth fell open and angry began to fill in his eyes as i looked at him continuing. “I, Nikki future Alpha of the Blue Ridge Pack, reject you Carson as my mate.”   I felt the bond break instantly, but I wasn’t the one to fall to my knees. Carson did. He fell to the side of his father’s bed. His mother, crying beside him. “WHY?!” He screamed.  “Why?!?!” I said back full of anger. “You didn’t have the guts to reject me yourself. No, instead you kept me at an arms length for 2 years!! And then the night of my 18th birthday, while we were being attacked you were f*****g someone else.” His eyes popped out of his head while he stared at me.  “You did this because you’re jealous?! You took away my Beta position because I didn’t and don’t want you?!?!”  “His father was livid and with his last breath he told Carson that he was no longer his son. That his son would spit in the face of the moon goddess for giving him such a precious gift such as a mate. That I and the pack both deserved more than what he was giving us.”  That night, both of our fathers died from their wonders, just mere minutes after they transferred their power to Max and I. Carson left that night.” I finished the story and looked up at Hannah, who had tears running down her cheeks. “Did he, did he accept your rejection?” She asked me.  I gave her a small smile, as Max answered for me. “Being Alpha she has the power to reject anyone without the need for their acceptance. Unless it’s another Alpha, then they would need to accept the rejection in order for it to be completely broken.” “I had felt the bond break completely when I had rejected him, but i think because I had already felt my heart break I didn’t break from the pain of it. I thank the moon goddess for not making me go through it twice.”  She smiled at me, “His loss! What a complete and utter fool, to not want you as his mate! What was his problem?!”  Max and I both laughed, “Well, I’m guessing power. He wanted all of it. But with me being the born Alpha, i would be the true Alpha of the pack while he would just have the name.” “What do you mean the name?” She asked. “If Carson and I had accepted each other, I would of taken the Luna name, while he took Alpha.”  “But your Alpha…” She said, with a questioning tone. “After the rejection, and transfer of power, I decided i would never be anyones Luna. I would forever be this packs Alpha.” “What if you find a second chance mate?” She asked. I shrugged my shoulders. “I never really thought about it...but I also have gone 2 years without finding one. So i doubt that it’s ever going to happen.”  “But you’ll be forever alone...what about a chosen mate?” She asked.  “Hannah, I don’t need a mate to rule. I’ve been doing just fine now for 2 years...unless there’s something I don’t know?” I asked. “No, you’re the best Alpha I’ve ever met. 100 times better than my previous Alpha, that’s for sure.” She stated with a smile. I smiled back at her. “And as for being alone, who says i’m alone? Just because you don’t see me with someone doesn’t me I’m not.”  Her eyes enlarged and she shifted in Max’s lap to face me completely. “Spill.”  I laughed at her and looked towards Max and Jake. “Alpha’s never hang their dirty laundry out to dry.” I said with a wink and laughed. “Well, that’s boring.”  “I’m sure my brother doesn’t want to hear about who I may or may not be doing.” I stated with another laugh. “Definitely do not.” Max stated as Jake shook his head no.  “So, Alpha…” Jake began. “The tournament...what do you want to do?” “Kick their pathetic-packed asses” I replied with a smirk.