HIS SPECIAL SECOND CHANCE LUNA

"Miss Hope! Miss Hope!" The chorus of excited squeals greeted her as she entered the packhouse kitchen. Hope smiled, sinking to her knees as the ten young pups ranging from four to thirteen rushed to greet her. She laughed, hugging each of them tight, rubbing noses with a few she was particularly close to. "Thank you so much for taking them today," one of the female wolves said carrying a two-year-old. Hope stood, accepting the pup, who giggled at her and said, "It's no problem at all. This is my favorite part of the day. All right everyone, let's go on a scavenger hunt!" "Yeah!!" Hope herded the pups out of the packhouse and led them to the woods. This was how all her days started since her rejection. *** The Mountain Dew Pack was located in the southwest of Washington State about forty miles from Mount Rainier. The pack was not overly large, about four hundred members, a respectable size carefully nurtured by their previous alpha. While most pack members lived in the packhouse, Hope still lived in the small cottage she once shared with her parents. She was not an omega but also not one of the high-ranking members. Like the majority of pack members, she was one of the unranked masses: the nameless cogs without which the pack would cease to function. Her parents had been fated mates and also unranked members, though not without their own bit of prestige. Her mother had been head cook and her father the chief groundskeeper in charge of the pack gardens, as well as a tutor for members struggling with their studies as he was one of the few with a college education. As an unranked member, Hope was...average. She was average height, if somewhat petite by wolf standards. Her form was pleasingly curvy, and unlike most wolves, she had thick shiny-copper hair that reached just past her shoulders though her skin was on the pale side. Her only notable physical feature was her red-hued eyes. Hope was average in every way, except her wolf. Wolf spirits usually awaken in their mid-to-late teens. The more powerful the wolf, the sooner it emerged. Alphas, betas and some gammas awaken as early as sixteen, while omegas might awaken as late as their early twenties. Hope's wolf awakened when she was fifteen. For some reason, Yuri insisted on keeping their early shift a secret and usually stayed quiet deep in the recesses of Hope's mind to avoid others sensing her. Hope didn't argue though she was confused since the first shift was an important rite of passage for every werewolf. Even more confusing was her wolf's color. Black was a fairly common color, but Hope never heard of a red wolf. Even Yuri was at a loss to explain, or at least unwilling to. Hope thought her wolf's secretive nature was just to hide its early awakening, but as her eighteenth birthday approached, Yuri showed no signs of revealing herself. As far as others could sense, she was wolf-less, which led to some ostracizing and bullying. She didn't particularly mind it and Yuri was amused by the pack's efforts to ridicule them. It was easy to ignore and Hope focused on her studies to graduate early and go on to college. She assumed, like most she-wolves, everything would make sense once she found her Goddess-given mate. Her parents were fated mates, and she never doubted their love and devotion to one another. It was sweet, and she looked forward to finding her own. Little did she know reality would be a far cry from her dreams. Hope was twenty-one and freshly graduated from college. During her four years of study, Hope seldom returned to the pack. Her first week home after completing her studies, Hope sat on the cottage's porch swing quietly reading Sense and Sensibility when she suddenly caught the scent of evergreen and chocolate. The combination was pleasant if not overly stimulating, but she understood what it meant. Looking up, Hope found herself staring at her pack's future leader. To say she was surprised to be mated to an alpha was putting it mildly. Carlos was the son of their alpha and destined to be their future leader, which was why his father sent him overseas to attend the only Alpha School in the world. Since Hope graduated early from high school and left for college before her contemporaries, she hadn't had much interaction with their future alpha. From what she saw of him, he was a typical young wolf ruled by his hormones carrying on several relationships throughout school with little regard to attachments. She thought he could use some maturing, as did Yuri. Yuri immediately pressed forward, eager to meet their mate but almost as quickly receded with a snort saying, 'Don't worry, Hope. I'll protect us! 'What do you...' Hope's internal protest fell silent as she looked again at her mate. His confused frown turned to a cold scowl. She tilted her head to the side instantly wary. "You're supposed to be my mate?!" Carlos demanded. "A Luna needs to be strong and tall and beautiful, and you're..." "Average," Hope said. "Damn straight you are!" Carlos growled. "And wolf-less? Are you kidding me?" Hope winced. She understood his confusion, but his outrage was something different. The Goddess did not choose their mates randomly. There was a reason behind it. Just as their wolf spirits were their center, their mates were their second halves. Only together were they complete. At least that was what her parents taught her. "What is your name?" Carlos demanded. "Hope Gilbert," she answered after a moment, already anticipating his next move. "You don't have a wolf, so this won't hurt at all," Carlos said as a word of caution. "I, Carlos Heather, future Alpha of the Mountain Dew Pack, reject you, Hope Gilbert as my mate and Luna.” Hope leaned forward whimpering as a sharp pain pierced her chest. Her book fell to the ground as she hugged herself and a burning sensation spread to her extremities. It felt as if she were being stabbed by hundreds of needles. "Hurry up and accept it, or it will just hurt more," Carlos snorted, unhappy with her dramatics. "... Hope Gilbert...accept your rejection," she managed to gasp. The pain eased to a dull ache similar to heartburn. To her surprise, Carlos suddenly bent over groaning in pain as their bond snapped. Perhaps it was cruel, but she was glad not to be the only one suffering. Slowly straightening, he sneered at her before hurriedly departing. 'Yuri? Are you all right?' ‘... I will be. We will be. The Moon Goddess loves us.’ 'If she loves us, why did she make him our mate?' 'She has her reasons. You'll see." Hope thought the worst was over, but another surprise was waiting.