Last Call For Mate

Chapter Five

A grey wolf and ran off into the distance. The whole situation felt somehow surreal to her. She sat her feet down in the stream as Gideon came up behind her.

He wrapped a small blanket around her and took his seat next to her. He didnt look any worse for wear than before. Ember wondered if he had the upper hand in the fight against their father. "I was worried when you just took off." She sighed, and didn't look in his direction. "You stir up all sorts of trouble just trying to protect me." Gideon grinned and ruffed up her hair. "I want you to know, that as long as you need me. I'll be here, but that house is getting worse. I think running away should be in our immediate plans."

She considered it, as she looked up to the sky and took a deep breath. "We'd be rogues." Gideon pulled her in for a hug and inhaled her scent. "I thought I smelled another wolf. Are you okay?" Ember nodded. "I think I met my mate. He sniffed me out when I was out here." Gideon looked shocked. "Like a fated mate? So soon after the last one?" Elaine nodded her head. "Well find out where he's from and we'll pack our s**t and head out. I just don't think its safe for you to be at home anymore." Ember sighed,

"Our Alpha is on the fence about throwing me out anyway.

; but l'm not sure. I might just reject him to be free of this place," Gideon gaped as he looked at her.

"No. you absolutely cant do (hat,

It might be the best

thing that ever happened to you. I don't like to bring up the size thing, but you're not going to find a excess amount of potential mates that the fate blesses you with around here. It's like a needle in a haystack. Like its that rare."

Elaine stood to her feet and wrapped the blanket around herself as she walked home with Gideon.

They got home in the early hours of the morning. She was able to get a few brief hours of sleep before her alarm went off and she had to get up and get dressed for school. Her mother didn't even look in her direction as Gideon got them a snack before they headed out for their last day of school. She glared at them coldly from behind her coffee mug. Ember felt that she should apologize for the way things went down the night before, but a look from Gideon told her that Winifred just wasn't worth her time. Her mother certainly had no intention of ever being there for her in the way that she needed her to be. Ember had long grown accustomed to not having her mother in her life.

Gideon pulled her arm. Ember stuffed the other half of her banana muffin in her mouth as she walked outside. Luckily, their father was already gone. She certainly didn't need a new bruise or another black eye to mark her last day of school. She pulled her hair up-into a ponytail on the drive to school. Gideon's car wasn’t anything impressive, but the little red Honda got them where they needed to go.

They went their separate ways when they entered the school building. They had separate first period classes...

Ember walked into Mrs. Hawthorn's class and took her normal seat in the back. "Oh, looks like the runt made it after all." Rachel said as Ember stepped past her and her little group of cronies. Rachel scoffed and tried to stick her leg out to trip Ember. Ember stepped high to avoid her. It was the oldest trick in the book. She took her seat, and was quite surprised when she saw a familiar face entering the classroom. She heard the whispers, but she tried not to look up at him. The teacher looked at her class. "I get that its the last day,

but this is Joshathon. The young Alpha from the Harvest Moon Pack. He's here temporarily while he attends the ascension of our young Ryker as he takes the role of Alpha of our pack."

Emberlynne sat there in shock. Ryker was going to be the new alpha so soon? Yeah. She was definitely going to be thrown out of the pack sooner than she thought. Ryker hated her and he would never stand to have someone so weak existing anywhere near him. She was completely f****d.

The classroom seemed to buzz with excitement and hushed conversations. Emberlynne kept her gaze lowered, her heart pounding in her chest. She felt like she was suffocating in a room full of potential judgment. This was not how she imagined her last day of school.

As the teacher continued to speak, Emberlynne's mind raced. She needed a plan, and fast. If Ryker became the Alpha and he already held a strong disdain for her, her days within the pack were numbered. She stole a quick glance at Jonathon, the visiting Alpha. His expression was unreadable, but there was something about him that seemed different, more approachable.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the class. Emberlynne gathered her things, her hands trembling. She couldn't afford to draw any more attention to herself. As she made her way out of the classroom, she caught a glimpse of Ryker. His eyes bore into hers with a mix of disdain and triumph. She quickly averted her gaze and hurried down the hall.

Jackson was waiting for her at their usual meeting spot. He could see the distress in her eyes and immediately wrapped his arm around her. "Hey, are you okay?"

Emberlynne let out a shaky breath. "Ryker... He's going to be the new Alpha. I don't know how much time we have left here."

Jackson's expression darkened. "We'll figure something out, Ember. We always do."

They walked in silence for a moment, lost in their own thoughts. Emberlynne couldn't shake the feeling of impending doom. She glanced back, half-expecting to see Ryker following them. But instead, it was Jonathon who caught her eye. He was watching them, his gaze steady and curious.

As they stepped outside, the cool breeze offered a momentary respite from the tension. Emberlynne turned to Jackson, determination in her eyes. "We need to find out more about Jonathon. Maybe he can help us."

Jackson nodded, his own determination matching hers. "Let's do it. We can't afford to wait around for things to get worse."

With a renewed sense of purpose, they set out to uncover the secrets behind the enigmatic visitor, hoping that he held the key to Emberlynne's salvation. Little did they know, their path was about to take unexpected turns, leading them deeper into the intricate web of shifter politics and alliances." Elaine sat there in shock. Nath was going to be the new alpha so soon?

Yeah. She was definitely going to be thrown out of the pack sooner than she thought. Nath hated her and he would never stand to have someone so weak existing anywhere near him. She was completely f****d.