Once Rejected, Now a Luna

Susan That morning, I woke up with a knot of fear twisting around my stomach. I took a long breath and stood up, rolling onto my side beneath the blankets and clinging tightly to my pillow. My eighteenth birthday fell on this day. I will locate my partner today. I got up and looked in the mirror at myself, scowling at the delicately pale girl staring back at me. I questioned whether a partner would reject their match based just on appearance. I let my hair fall loose about my shoulders again and then exhaled through my nose, pulling it up into a ponytail. My vivid red hair simply made me appear even more pallid. My partner seemed to be in close proximity as I sensed them. I could nearly taste their scent on my tongue, so there was a strong chance I would discover them first if they didn't come looking for me. My inner wolf already appeared to be yearning for them and actively seeking them out. Whoever it was, let me know. I sensed that my new partner was strange. Even though I was completely enthralled and filled with want, there was something strange about their aura. Pulling tensely at a strand of hair, I thought that everything was going wonderfully so far. I couldn't stop the exhilaration that was building inside of me, despite my anxiety. Ever since I could remember, I had been waiting for this day to come. I had desired this day ever since I reached the legal age of desire. to be desired... A soft knock on my bedroom door startled me out of my contemplation. My current caregiver, Anita, stuck her head in and smiled a little. Anita didn't enter the room, saying, "Today's the day," because their relationship was too brief and untested for any kind of affection. "Are you feeling happy?" I turned to face my reflection in the mirror once more and grimaced. More like a stomach ache. If they don't like me, what then? Anita tutted, brushing the air. "Nonsense, they're your mate, whatever it is." In addition to all of your charm, you're a stunning girl." I couldn't resist cracking a small smile. Only having known Anita for a little over a month at that point after being moved around from foster home to foster home, Thad's encouraging words helped calm my trembling nerves a little. Anita left me to prepare for college, promising to make an extra-special breakfast of "waffles and hashbrowns!" Alone and overwhelmed once more, I debated whether to dress up and try a make-up look or just go with my regular jeans and turtleneck and make today just like any other day. Ultimately, I decided to wear my go-to outfit with a few extra necklaces and rings to make it seem like I actually tried. Lastly, I swept my fiery hair into a rough braid and pinned the loose wisps back with a collection of different colored clips. After forcing down a bite or two of steaming waffle, I assured Anita I would have the rest when I returned and headed out to campus. The local college was a ten-minute walk from my current home, and I spent the entire trip going over introductions in my head. "Hi, I'm Susan. I'm your mate." It sounded way too formal. By the time I had made it to campus, I was a quaking bundle of nerves. I wasn't even entirely sure that my friend went to this college. Although considering it was the only college attended by every young wolf-shifter of the nearby packs, it was highly likely. On top of that, my inner wolf grew even more agitated the second I stepped inside. My mate was close; I could smell the hint of pine and englewood in their scent. Before I had half a chance to look, it was time to head to class. I spent the first hour relentlessly gnawing on the end of my pen and meticulously fiddling with my braid until the whole thing looked like a frazzled mess. All the while running through various introductions to no avail. "Hi, I'm Susan. I guess I'm your mate?" Too timid. I sighed loud enough to startle the snoozing lad seated next to me and slammed my head down onto the desk in defeat. After two more hours of hardly holding my mounting excitement, I was finally free to stalk the campus, following the comfortable fragrance of my soon-to-be mate. I kept my head down, avoiding eye contact with the other students who jostled around me in the corridors. I was'n't especially popular at this school, and people passed me by like I was invisible. The aroma was stronger now, and I knew my partner was close. Turning a bend, she trembled in anticipation. My legs felt like jello, and my small morsels of breakfast were attempting to creep back up my throat. Then, abruptly, there he was. I knew he was my match the second I laid eyes on him. He was leaning against the wall in front of me, going through a stack of notes like he didn't know what else to do with himself. Rehor, a compassionate Beta of the Kall Pack, it was extremely likely that he didn't know about me at all. But I knew him. I was also uncomfortably aware that his partner was the prettiest she-wolf in their pack. I was taken aback. I gaped at the boy in front of me for a little while as I stood there. Even if he hadn't recognized me yet, couldn't he sense my presence? Rehor, whose short, wheat-colored hair was wavy, ran a hand through it before continuing to turn pages while wearing a troubled frown. I recoiled a little, my courage failing me. My inner wolf growled in reply, yet doubt filled my head all of a sudden. How come he was blind to my presence? He didn't want to acknowledge me, but maybe he could. Now that it was obvious that I was his actual mate, surely he would break up with his girlfriend? I retreated a step further into the hallway's darkness, getting ready to depart. Rehor lifted his head and gave me a direct gaze. His soft brown eyes met mine, and he smiled slightly, bringing out the dimple in his cheek. Taken aback, I spun around and ran back the way I had come. Everything was just too much. I was unable to concentrate. My mind raced with ideas while I ran, my sneakers making a loud creaking sound on the laminate floors. Rehor was flawless. He was very beautiful, gentle, and delicate. He wasn't mine, though. I fought back tears as I hurried to the restrooms, closing the door behind me after entering. I placed my face on the stall's cool concrete and attempted to arrange my ideas. Rehor was my friend, and he was aware that I was his. He was forced to. However, Rehor also had a girlfriend named Mavis, who was far more attractive, powerful, and charismatic than I was. Mavis, who had teased me ever since I joined their pack as a child, along with her entourage of gorgeous airheads. I dropped to my knees and slipped to the ground. I had assumed that I would be prepared for today. It was supposed to be the ideal day. I was meant to finally fit in somewhere today. A few betrayed tears leaked out and ran down my cheeks. I hastily wiped them away and took a smell. I was startled to feel a knock on the cubicle door. "Susan, huh?" A soft voice, a voice as sweet as milk, came from the other side. "Hey, Susan, would you please come outside? I swear not to bite." At the last bit, I could hear Rehor grinning. His smell, so familiar and reassuring, surrounded me. With hesitation, I stood up, wiped my tears with my sleeve, and cautiously opened the door. I peered out at the boy at the door, who gave me a funny look for my dramatic pouting. "How come you leave and scowl at me before we've even had a chance to introduce ourselves?" Even though he was being scathing, his tone was light and he had a playful twinkle in his eye. I completely opened the door and moved to stand in front of him. I hoped he wouldn't notice my crimson eyes as I fixed my gaze on my sneakers. "I just... was at a loss for words." Actually, I still didn't. My confidence and my capacity to make sentences vanished as I stood in front of this gorgeous boy, who is my real match. "Well, let's start slowly," Rehor said, holding out his hand. Do you mind if we had our conversation elsewhere? The ladies won't be too thrilled to have me here, as much as I'd want to loiter around the girl's restroom." I was so confused that I took Rehor's hand and allowed him to lead me through the crowds of students and out of the restroom and into the little indoor garden. He motioned for me to sit with him as he settled into the groaning wooden seat. I sat down beside him and started berating myself in my head for not even attempting to be elegant. Rehor, however, didn't appear to mind and sat back against the bench, c*****g his chin to look at me while folding his arms. "All right, so this is Rehor-." I interrupted him with a quick giggle, waving my hand to ignore his introduction. "I recognize you. You are well known to all of us here. With your stunning girlfriend and your father serving on the council, you are the golden boy of the pack. Without knowing your identity, I would have been living under a rock for the entire time." Rehor gave me a sly smile and an upward eyebrow. "All right, it seems my reputation comes before me." I sighed quietly, relieved that my interruption had not seemed to annoy him. "Anyway, you're Susan, right?" Rehor asked again. I've noticed you a couple times on campus. At my dumbfounded expression, he laughed and said, "Your hair is a Vittle hard to ignore." At that comment, I blushed more than my hair and pulled my braid between my fingers. After a lengthy conversation, I revealed that I had been living in foster homes ever since I was abandoned with the pack when I was a tiny child. Rehor informed me that his "golden boy" image was initially shaped by his father's strict parenting style. I could feel myself unwinding as we spoke, at ease in Rehor's serene company. I was talking to my soul mate and couldn't help but smile broadly since I was feeling the same exhilaration I experienced earlier that morning. Rehor talked in a carefree, childlike manner, waving his hands as he related a story about how, as kids, he and an old buddy had been chased through the woods by a jackal they had misidentified as a wolf-shifter. I responded by telling him, in all seriousness, the tale of my former pet frog and how, on their lavish date night, it had gotten into one of my caretaker's handbags. Rehor held my hand in his and his tone became more serious after a time. I felt electric prickles where his skin contacted mine, and I really stared into his dark brown eyes. That was it. He was going to take me under his wing. My inner wolf was singing in my breast, and I was so excited that I could hardly hold myself. But Rehor's attitude was strange, almost pitying. Susan, you are stunning. You're "ideal."