HE IS MY TRUE MATE

Deneea's Point of View I'm unique. I've known this since I turned thirteen, but my wolf has never materialized. Despite my best efforts, I was never able to force myself to change. Alpha Phill quickly became aware of my predicament. I must be a late bloomer, he said, and my wolf would show up when she was ready. I made an effort to remain optimistic, but I genuinely think that she isn't coming and that I have no wolves. As you can see, I am a member of the Massachusetts-based Blood Moon Pack. The Black River Pack and the Bloody River Pack are the two packs that border our own. My father, Todd James, and mother Julie welcomed me into the pack when I was born. I consider my Alpha, Phill Heinrich, to be a second father, and Luna Caroline, his mate, to be a second mother. My parents had to work as pack doctors a lot, so I used to spend a lot of time at their house. They gave me cooking lessons and showed me how to mend practically anything that may break. I was always the type of youngster who liked to hide out at home and hardly ever made friends, according to both my bonus parents and my parents. Given that the bullying began and my wolf never materialized, I suppose that was a fortunate development. When Derrick, the son of Alpha Phill, realized I was wolfless, he and his two closest buddies, Ryan and Ransley, began torturing me. They have called me names, harassed me, teased me, and done anything else they thought I should be punished for being unique. Though I'm sure Alpha Phill would believe his kid over a small dog, I know I could tell him. However, it would be their word against mine. I just accept whatever they serve me instead. I'm clinging to the last vestige of hope that I'll discover my soul mate before I turn eighteen. I want to find him so I can have his love and protection from my tormentors, regardless of whether I have a wolf or not. This mating thing is carrying some pretty high hopes for me. My eighteenth birthday is tomorrow, and for some reason, I foolishly believed Derrick and his pals could be willing to overlook my age. I ought to have been more aware. I was lost in my own thoughts about my life for so long that I failed to see the bell ringing to indicate the beginning of first period. My locker suddenly smashed in front of me as I tried to close it. When I turned around, Derrick, Ryan, and Ransley were there to greet me. I have Derrick straight ahead of me, Ryan on my left, and Ransley to my right. I make an effort to hide my fear since Derrick wants it that way. "Well, what do we have here, boys? It smells like failure to me," Derrick remarks, sniffing the atmosphere. As Ryan and Ransley begin to giggle, I just look at the ground, praying that this will end soon. Derrick asks, "What? Nothing to say A?" Yes, he came up with the moniker by himself. When he explained what it meant to me, I wanted to roll my eyes more than I had ever wanted to. It's the abbreviated form of the term "abomination." That person was very original. I virtually plead Derrick, "Just leave me alone and let me get to class," which makes him laugh. All I want is to get to class and maintain my flawless attendance record. Besides not having a wolf, I don't need to worry about education. "Look at that, she can beg," Derrick remarks, chuckling and clenching his abdomen. I start getting irritated and furious, which is never a good idea. When my emotions take over, my mouth behaves strangely. Using Derrick and his pals as an example, I yell, "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE." My back is rammed into the lockers and a hand is suddenly wrapped around my throat. Derrick's blue eyes have turned silver as Grey, his wolf, tries to assert himself. With a much deeper voice than usual, Derrick adds, "You do well to remember that A. I am the future Alpha of this pack, and I will do as I please. You dont tell me what to do you pathetic, worthless, waste of space." I can't breathe as he begins to tighten my throat. I'm not getting anywhere with my attempts to rip my fingers off his hand and wrist. Derrick finally gives in to Ransley's persistence and lets me go as the darkness closes in on my eyesight. I collapse to the ground, gasping for breath. When I look up, the boys had left. In a few more hours, I'll find my friend and be free of this bullying nonsense forever. However, as they say, life never goes exactly as planned. Deneea's Point of View BEEP. I turn on my alarm clock. Besides, I wasn't asleep. I couldn't get any sleep at all last night. I'm quite anxious about today. I can't wait to finally find my partner, and I'm ecstatic, Goddess. I'm hoping he's a decent man. I don't really care how he looks; all I want is for him to be lovely and caring. I will be content with him if he treats me the way I deserve to be treated. I've just completed creating waves with the remaining portion of my golden-brown hair. I choose to look presentable for my friend today. I'm sporting my go-to white heeled wedge shoes, a light blue sundress adorned with white daisies, a gold bracelet that my mother gifted me, and some gold moon earrings. I've worn my hair down and applied a thin amount of makeup. Today is very different from my regular outfit of just a t-shirt, yoga trousers, and a messy bun or ponytail. I've chosen to provide my best to my mate. BEEP. My second alarm goes off, alerting me to the fact I must leave the house quickly or risk being late. I sprint towards the front door after running down the stairs, giving my parents a good morning kiss, and grabbing a banana. My dad yells, "Wait! Happy Birthday Sweetheart." Mom exclaims with tears in her eyes, "Happy Birthday Sweetie. I cant believe my baby is all grown up already." They are eating breakfast together at the table, and I quickly make my way back over there. "Thank you guys so much. I love you both and I would love to sit and eat but I am going to be late for school so I will see you guys tonight for the party." I virtually run out my front door and stroll, grinning and full of energy, all the way to school. Although I am aware that I will be late for class today, I don't really care. Nothing can make me feel bad. As soon as I enter the school through the front door, I'm overcome with the most incredible smell. I know that's my partner's scent and I need to find him because it smells like spicy cologne and pine trees. I pursue the smell, only to have the scent snatched from my grasp and thrust into an empty chemistry classroom. I could feel my wrist tingling from our skin contact, so I know it was my friend who grabbed me. I glance up into my mate's eyes and turn to face him, only to be taken by surprise. Something must be amiss, or I'm being set up for a trick. Derrick the asshole is not my destiny, there is just no way. He appears to be unhappy about this as well, based on the frown on his face. His eyes flare silver as he takes a deep whiff of the air. Yes, his wolf recognizes me as his destined mate. All that he says is "No." Just one word. That's all. "No?" I inquire. He reaches for my arms, then reconsiders. Our link gets stronger the more we come into contact. "NO! I am not going to have a mate who is a worthless waste of f*****g space and cant even defend herself. I am the future Alpha of this pack. I cant have a Luna who doesnt even have a f*****g wolf. I also want someone who isnt ugly as s**t and has nice t**s and an ass, which you obviously dont have either. I need someone who can protect and serve the pack and that is NOT you," Derrick says with a sneer. What comes next is known to me. It appears that he has made up his mind. Although it's not meant to happen, sometimes people reject their fated mate. According to every account I've heard, the pain is unbearable. "I, Derrick Heinrich, future Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack reject you, Deneea James, as my mate and future Luna," he says without feeling anything. All of a sudden, my whole body is on fire as it spreads across my chest. With enough composure, I manage to say, "I, Deneea James, of the Blood Moon Pack, accept your rejection, Derrick Heinrich." At last, I go on my knees and begin to scream, but I'm not the only one. Derrick is on his knees, gripping his chest. I would chuckle at myself if the pain wasn't so great since I had finally brought this immature man to his knees. But the agony tearing through my body is all I can think about. Derrick heals far more quickly than I do because he has his wolf and I do not. "Shut her up before someone comes in here to see what's going on. I don't want anyone else to know I had to be fated to this b***h even if I did reject her," Derrick tells his pals, who I didn't even realize were here, as I'm still shouting. I just lay there on the chilly tile floor as Ryan shoves some kind of fabric in my mouth, muffled my screams, but I'm getting weak from the pain and screaming.