The Alpha’s Rejected Human Mate

Grace didn't notice the nurses running into her stepmother's ward, the stomping feet on the hospital floor, the screams of instruction. All she heard was the faint beeping of the monitor and hushed whispers between these nurses. This was the third time her mother had an episode in the week. "Lord, please save her." Grace paced the hospital hallway, her hands clasped tightly as she said silent prayers. If anyone had told her she would spend her youth running around to gather funds for her mother, who was battling a hereditary disease, after just finishing from Harvard as the top graduating student from the department of business management, she would have laughed at it. Her future was pretty much laid out for her, but on the day of her graduation, her mother collapsed. She gave up on lined-up job interviews so she could take care of herself. "Doctor, how is she?" She pulled on the doctor's arm, her eyes welling up. "She is stable now. This disease is a rare kind, and it needs a lot of care and money," he paused for a bit, studying her face like he was about to drop yet another bomb. "I have two pieces of news, one bad and one good. What would you want to hear first?" he asked. "The good news." Grace thought she needed a bit of good news in her life at the moment. She released his hand and sniffled, "The good news, Doctor." Grace held her breath as she awaited the news. "We found a specialist who can treat your mother. There has been a breakthrough treatment, and we can finally treat your mother." Her heart skipped several beats at the great news, and she jumped up in excitement. Since her mother collapsed three years ago, there has been no improvement in her treatment. "That's great news, doctor! But what is the bad news?" I paused, my eyes searching his, for any sort of assurance that it wasn't what I was thinking. The doctor sighed heavily, "The treatment costs about $1 million." Grace's mouth flew open instantly, and her excitement died almost immediately. She had sold all the little properties they had. Ever since her dad had left on her eighth birthday, because he had met a new woman who was 'different and unnatural', she had been tasked with learning to grow on her own and being responsible for herself. Her mother had remarried to a single father just so she could have a father figure in her life, but he was no good either. He would sometimes lock her mother up in the house; other times, he would send Grace off to work so she could fend for the family. Grace had endured it all and finally left with her mother when she was eighteen. She opened her bank app and only saw a balance of $500, the money she had managed to save from her last cleaning job. Life had dealt her a crazy card at a young age, but she survived. Grace sighed heavily as yet another flicker of hope seemed to diminish right in front of her eyes. "Is there anything else you can do for me, doctor? I can not afford that amount of money." "This is the best solution right now; the treatment will only get more expensive, so you have to make the deposit as soon as possible." His voice carried a certain familiar urgency. Grace stood helpless, unsure of where to go. She had no job offers lined up, she had nothing more to sell, and she had no one to call. The ringing of her phone cut into her train of thought. "Hey girl, how's your mum doing?" Cassey, her best friend, asked. Grace only sighed, her lips parted slightly, but no words came. Her throat clogged up as the unsaid words choked her. She adjusted herself on the chair in the hallway and cleared her throat. " A new treatment was tested. I need a million dollars." "A what! That is a lot of money. Actually, I called to pass on a job to you." Her face instantly lit up. The last time she went for a job was three weeks ago. "What is it? No... no, when is it?" she minced my words as she tried to ask the right questions. "It's a wedding party, all you need to do is serve drinks. I have sent the details to you already." "What do you mean she disappeared?" Alpha Darius's voice thundered in the dressing room. "She is nowhere to be found. We need to get a bride to carry on for this wedding, or there will be chaos in the pack, Alpha," Peter, his well-trusted beta, said. "Why would she just leave? We have been planning this marriage forever," his voice choked as he spoke. He hit the mannequin as he sent it flying across the room. "Get every man out there! Search every nook and cranny. I want you to find her!" Grace shivered from behind the curtain where she hid from the chaos. She had walked into the room by mistake and saw the wedding dress. It had always been her dream to walk down the aisle wearing a white dress as beautiful and sparkly as that. She had never had the leisure of being in a relationship since she had spent all her time caring for her mother. The stomping of feet sent her hiding behind the curtains. She held her hand to her mouth as her grip on her dress tightened. "Hold on!" Alpha Darius sniffled in the air, turning left and right. "What is a human doing in this room!" He suddenly came to a halt when he got in front of the curtain, "Come out now, or risk losing your head." Grace hurriedly rushed out and knelt in front of him. She had heard the tales of the ruthless Alpha King who was set to marry his mate. Her mother had always warned her to run the other way whenever she came across a werewolf, much less an Alpha. Whenever her mother spoke about them, there was always a beam of fury shooting from her eyes. "Didn't anyone announce to you that humans are not allowed here?" His eyes scanned the tiny woman in front of him. She had her head bowed before him, her eyes closed as she begged for mercy. "The wedding is to start in the next five minutes." Peter looked at her from head to toe, he grabbed the wedding dress that had been tossed on the couch, and flung it at her. "This should fit. You have two choices: you either lose your head here, or you wear this dress and marry Alpha Darius."