Her Unforeseen Destiny

The Future Alpha

A FEW MOMENTS EARLIER

"Looks like Jamie is back with his stray." Tristan gestured at his brother's car in the driveway. His father raised his eyebrows at him. 

"Be nice to her," he pointed out to his son. "From what your brother has said, she has spent the last 18 years living among humans and knowing nothing about her werewolf side. We will make her welcome and, hopefully, she will settle in here."

"You're going to invite her to live with us? Permanently?" Tristan raised his eyebrows at his father's words. "Surely she's just some omega, maybe even half-human. She doesn't need to live here, she can live with humankind."

His father, the clan's Alpha, sighed at his son's words. Tristan was 26 and still unmated. He was impetuous and often spoke before thinking about things. He wasn't yet ready to be Alpha, even though he was older than some of the neighbouring clans' alphas. 

"From what I've heard about this young lady, she definitely isn't half-human. Not all werewolves shift after they turn 18, especially if they were raised among humans. We will see what she is like and proceed from there. Now, I expect you to be polite and treat her as our guest," Alpha Randall stated as the car pulled to a halt outside the packhouse, putting emphasis on the word 'guest'.

Tristan jumped out of the car before their driver could come around to open the door for him. A sudden scent invaded his senses - it smelled like freshly baked gingerbread cookies, just out of the oven. It was as if all the most wonderful Christmas scents had just hit him at once. The scent of fresh pine. Ground cinnamon and nutmeg. What was this delicious scent?

The front door opened as Tristan and his father walked towards it and his eyes fell on a young woman. She barely looked 18. Surely this wasn't his brother's... charge?

His eyes darkened as he approached her. He felt an intense pull towards her as if a piece of string connected the two of them. Her beautiful deep green eyes caught his gaze and he was mesmerised. 

She's perfect, he thought to himself. He could feel his wolf stirring and wanting to break free. There was just something about her that enchanted him. 

The young woman looked at him nervously and he fought the impulse to fold her into his arms and hold her, never letting go. She looked so innocent, so young and wide-eyed. She was everything that he never knew he wanted. That he needed.

Tristan took a step forward towards her. Her expression was concerned and he felt the urge to kiss her and tell her that everything would be okay. 

Tell her, his wolf growled at him. She's ours.

Tristan blinked slowly, unable to break his gaze with the woman. Surely this was a mistake.

"Mate."

All of a sudden, everything went silent. Alpha Randall turned to his son with shock on his face. Tristan hadn't even noticed his brother stood behind Emmeline but, if he had, he would have seen the colour drain from Jamie's face. 

"Mate," Tristan repeated, louder this time. He strode swiftly towards the girl, closing the distance between them. She looked up at him with an emotion in her eyes that he couldn't place. It looked like... fear?

"I don't understand."

Emmeline could barely manage to get any words out. This tall, beautiful man loomed over her and it was a struggle to put a full sentence together. 

"Who are you?" she asked him, taking a hurried step backwards and bumping into Jamie in the process. Tristan watched as his brother put a protective hand on her shoulder. He growled at his brother, soft and low. 

"YOU are my mate?" His tone sounded angry. How could some random stray be his destined mate? He deserved an Alpha female. Not... whoever this girl was. Yet, she enraptured him somehow. Everything about her seemed perfect in some way. This felt like some sick joke.

His father stepped forward and in between him and Emmeline. Tristan finally broke his eye contact with her, bringing himself back into the present and out of the racing thoughts going through his head.

"You must be Emmeline," Alpha Randall addressed her with a smile.

"It's nice to meet you," Emmeline replied. Tristan found himself enchanted by the sound of her voice. Maybe it was some kind of dark magic.

"I'm so happy to see that Tristan has finally found his mate. It's about time after all. I'm sure you can't wait to get to know each other." Randall continued, chuckling to himself as he grinned at his son. Tristan glared back at his father.

Emmeline's eyes followed his gaze to Tristan and shook her head. 

"I don't understand," she repeated slowly, biting her lower lip. "What is a mate?"