His Rejected Luna

Chapter 2

That night would be her first shift. After that... she could find her mate. Would he be in this pack? Would she have one at all? Sometimes a wolf never found their mate. Sometimes they had to seek them out far and wide. She was so nervous she felt sick. Not just about finding her mate, but her first shift. It was supposed to be the most painful thing she'd ever do aside from childbirth. Some of her friends had their boyfriend's there, believing they must be mates since they were so in love, and that the mate bond coming through during the shift would help the pain. Maybe they were right, but Astrid had never been interested in dating. What if she fell in love and it turned out he was mated to someone else? She'd have to let him go and watch the man she loved fall for someone else. She just couldn't let herself go through that on the off chance that teenage love was the real deal. Her friends who did were more brave than was.

Night fell and the pack gathered by a large bonfire to celebrate the full moon and the first shift of many pack members. Couples went off into the woods alone to wait for the shift to begin. Those doing it alone, like Astrid, went off to find a place to shift in private. Some took a parent, but most didn't. This was something most chose to do alone. Astrid did sneak a big gulp of vodka from a bottle left unattended by a group of twenty somethings. Maybe that would at least help her nerves.

She found a place deep in the woods where she couldn't hear anyone else. The moon had risen and she could feel the shift beginning. It was like a fire slowly growing within her veins. She heard it first, and then felt it. Her bones beginning to crack and break. She fell to the earthen floor and screamed in pain. Every bone in her body broke and twisted. Blood dribbled down her chin. Was this normal? She panicked, afraid that she was a freak of nature and something had gone wrong. She could die out here...

“Astrid, stop it. You overthink too much. You're so loud, always thinking,” her wolf said.

“This is normal?”

“I think so. I don't feel any danger.”

Astrid couldn't concentrate enough to bite back a sarcastic answer. Of course her wolf didn't feel anything, her bones weren't breaking!

Finally, it was done. Her first shift was over. Ayna jumped and ran happily. She took them back to the bonfire. They shifted back and found a robe that had been set out earlier before they reached the crod. All of the other wolves were still there. She heard her mother's voice in her head. “What took so long? We were about to send out a search party!”

“I don't know, but I'm back now. Where are you?” she answered back through the mind link.

Her mother and father walked out of the crowd and ran to her. They examined her, making sure she was okay. “You have blood on your mouth,” her father said.

“Is it not normal to spit out blood during a shift?”

“No.. that's not normal. Your wolf showed herself? You shifted okay?”

“Yeah. Everything is fine. My wolf is Ayna. She got to stretch her legs and run around. We communicate just fine.”

Her parents looked at each other, no less worried. “Okay dear, but let us know if anything doesn't feel right. Maybe it was just a particularly hard shift for you.”

“I'd say so. It hurt like hell.”

The party lasted well into the night, but finally everyone went home. Astrid was a little disappointed she had sensed her mate, but many of the pack, especially the higher up wolves, weren't mingling much outside their own friend circles.

The next morning she was up early, ready to go for a run. The whole world looked different. More vibrant. She felt stronger and faster. She beat all her records. She ran to her favorite coffee shop and order a chai latte. Even it tasted better. “Man, having my wolf rocks!” she said to herself.

She sat outside in the sun to enjoy her drink before she ran home. She people watched as things got busier. Suddenly, she was hit with an overwhelming scent. A scent of hickory and... bourbon maybe? Her wolf came careening to the center of her consciousness. “Mate!” she practically shrieked in Astrid's head. Astrid turned and looked around, whirling this way and that. She followed the scent. She knew she must look crazy, but she'd found her mate! Her happiness dried up when she saw who it was. Trent. The Alpha's son. Her stomach sank. Why him? He was so spoiled, he'd never been told “no” in his life and he was an extreme womanizer.

Before she could back away, he'd turned and saw her. He looked just as shocked as she was. He was with a curvy, large chested, redhead. He began to walk toward Astrid, but she backed up.

“Wait!” he called. His woman friend grabbed at his arm and pleaded with him to stay. He just shook her off and walked toward Astrid.

She stopped her retreat and stared at him. The mate feeling was so strong.

“You're my mate?” he asked when he stood before her. “I... don't even know your name.

She wanted to roll her eyes, but resisted. Their families were close, being the Alpha and Beta families. They'd been around each other since they were babies. She swallowed the sarcastic lines trying to get out. “I'm Astrid, she said holding out her hand.

He shook it. “Trent,” he said.

“I know.”

“You're the Beta's daughter?” He looked her up and down, as if to size her up.

“Yes I am.”

“You're small.”

“I am, yes.”

“You're small. Very small.”

She sighed. “Yes, I am.”

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. You know you'll be Luna right?”

“If I accept you, yes.”

“What do you mean “if”?”

“I have a choice here. You're not who I thought would be my mate.”

His face reddened and he blew out his breath harshly. “What do you mean I'm not who you thought you'd get? You have a boyfriend? Someone else has been with my mate?”

She sighed. “No, I've never had a boyfriend. But think about it. We've been in the same parties, circles, classes, pack events since we were children and you don't even know who I am. You're mad at the thought of me having a boyfriend, but you've had dozens of girlfriends. We're not the best match.”

“Well we're mates, so someone thought we were a good match.” He crossed his arms.

“I'm going to need some time, okay? We don't have to get married and mark each other right away.”

“Do you know how embarrassing it'll be to have a mate who doesn't want me right away? What'll that do to my image as future Alpha?”

She had an idea. “Prove to me that we can be compatible. Woo me. Show me you're more than the pack womanizer.”

He looked thoughtful for a bit. “Okay. I can do that. But I won't wait around forever.”

She knew what she was asking wasn't normal with their kind. They usually found their mate, sparks flew and then happily ever after. She just couldn't do that. Not with Trent.