Dear Ex-Mate, I Want You Back

Episode1

Ariana

Rings of smoke traveled into the dark sky as huge sticks of firewood burned. Around it, shifters filled every inch of the field, dancing to the beat of the music that thumped in their ears, music that provided a rhythm for their bodies. They all had one thing in mind: to find their mate tonight.

I let out a dreamy sigh when a whiff of burning incense filled my nostrils, and my nose twitched. I was at the edge of the field, looking on, hoping I would find him too. My mate. It was my third time attending the annual wolf festival, and I was getting desperate.

“Gather round. It is time.” The voice resonated in the air, making the music stop and everyone cease dancing.

Just a few inches from the bonfire was the beta of one of the packs.

“It is time for the shifting.” The beta looked everyone in the eye as he spoke. “One thing I should remind you about is that you should control yourself if you are lucky enough to find your mate.” “Do not. I repeat, do not have s*x on the field, or you will be immediately thrown out of the festival.”

I muffled a laugh. Why would someone want to have s*x in public? I knew the shifters would be desperate, but come on, that was just nasty.

“Now that I've got that out of the way, the music resumes immediately; let the shifting start. I wish you all good luck,” the beta said as he disappeared back into the crowd. Cheers and claps responded after him, and I could literally feel the buzz of excitement that crackled in the air.

It overwhelmed me. In a good way.

Soon, the music resumed, and with it came the sound of bones cracking, muscles shifting, and the grunts that accompanied shifting. I was fascinated by seeing so many werewolves shift at the same time, and soon I joined them.

My spine folded, my bones cracked, my jaw formed to contain my wolf's canines, and every inch of skin on my body was immediately replaced by fur.

I was on all fours in seconds. My senses were sharper. Around me, well, my wolf, the others seemed to almost tower over me as they were all now in their wolf form.

As my wolf strutted around, her head held high, she glanced with resignation at the male wolves around, feeling nothing.

Where in the goddess's name was my mate? Irritation tickled my wolf's spine, and inside her, I felt it too.

My wolf took a few steps toward the table of meat and stilled.

It wasn't the smell of the mouthwatering pieces of flesh on the table that caught her attention. Something smelled different. Tantalizing.

She sniffed the air. Pinewood. Lavender Why did it smell so good? I beckoned for my wolf to go further, weaving through the crowd of wolves that played around.

My wolf sniffed some more, letting her nose embrace the entrancing smell. Then she saw him. He wasn't in his wolf form. His back faced me. He seemed to be in a deep conversation with someone.

A dark t-shirt with camo pants was what he wore, and I didn't have to see his face to know he was hot. As my wolf strutted further, his back stiffened, and he raised his head.

Good. He noticed me.

Then he turned. To say he was drop-dead gorgeous was an understatement. His dark hair that rested on his head danced on top of his head as the wind blew. His deep blue eyes reminded me of the clear sky on a sunny day.

Fuzziness filled me. Finally, I had gotten my mate.

As my wolf got ready to rub herself all over him, moving forward and getting closer and closer to him, he… growled.

“Stay back.” His voice, not yet sure if it was directed at me, sent a shiver down my spine.

My Goddess.

“I said stay back.” He repeated, another growl letting loose from his mouth when I still stepped closer to him.

My wolf halted her steps in confusion.

“Shift.”

My wolf tilted her head. What was going on? Did he want to talk to me? Was he so excited to finally meet me that he couldn't wait to talk to me?

A slight ball of nervousness settled in my stomach at the thought of talking to him. At the tug I gave my wolf, letting her know it was okay that I could face our mate. She shifted back, allowing my human form to take over.

And as I stood there, naked, letting his intense blue eyes drink in every curve of my body, every inch of my skin, I understood. I understood why that beta wolf warned that the mated wolves should control themselves. It was probably the only thing that was holding me back from jumping on his body and doing the exact same thing he had warned us not to do, right here on the field.

I swallowed, taking a step forward; around us, the other wolves roamed about, searching for their mates.

“I told you not to take another f*****g step forward. Or are you deaf?”

I blinked. “What do you mean? You're my mate.” My mind swirled. Weren't mates supposed to be all over each other the moment they found each other? Or have I been hearing false stories?

“That you're my mate doesn't give you permission to come near my personal space.” His eyes hardened as he scowled.

Was I missing something? I glanced around in confusion. “Did I do something wrong?”

“The fact that you exist, that in itself rubs me off the wrong way. So, yes, you did something wrong.” He sneered, putting his hands into his pockets.

His words sent a tiny piercing through my heart, and I staggered back as if I had been hit by a train.

Was he… was he rejecting me? Didn't he feel it? Didn't he feel our mating bond? I studied his demeanor, trying to understand why he was doing this.

The hard knot in my throat tightened and I wished with every being in me that I was clothed. “Why do I rub you off the wrong way? We just met.” My fist clenched and my eyes welled up in tears.

Our back-and-forth caught the other wolves' attention, and they stopped to stare, probably enjoying the drama unfolding before them.

“For once, your wolf is too small. It's a turn-off. I'm the alpha of the Crescent Pack. I need a strong Luna, someone who's my equal, someone who'll be able to command respect.” Disdain filled his eyes as he gave me a once-over. “You are not the person. You can't ever be.”

As he said those words, something flashed in his eyes—something that maybe looked like regret—but it immediately vanished, being replaced with hate. Intense hate that made my heart crack.

He sneered, “I, Alpha Kian, reject you, whoever you are, from being my mate.”

I staggered back.