REJECTED

A step too late

Alpha Nathan

I was feeling really cranky! I hated travelling especially to places that required some time of man made transportation system. What would be worse is if it involved sitting around for a long period of time, I hated it. 

Hate was an understatement for my wolf Ryker, He abhorred it, claw my skin of rip me apart abhor!

That is where my unconventional treatment arose from. Wolfs bane!

My pack had been against the idea when I had first brought it up, wolfs bane was poison it killed our kind. It was used mostly by hunters but in small doses the worst it could do was weaken the wolf and that is exactly what I needed.

One time I almost shifted in an airplane on the way to another pack, my beta had to knock me out for the rest of the of the flight and then for the safety of everyone else we stopped flying and cars were too small for me so what was the next best thing? Trains! I did have a motorbike for when I needed to get somewhere on my own.

But at least they had agreed to my wolfs bane idea, a drop of it was added to whatever I was eating on the day of travel. Since it was such a small amount my wolf would be weakened for about half a day and I would be able to travel without putting anyone in danger.

It hurt a little but the safety of my pack came first so I could bear the pain just for them, humans also used the trains to transit and I could not risk revealing the existence of wolves. 

A train station is exactly where my Pack officials and I were at, more specifically Dawson Pack's railway station. Alpha Colton had asked me over to discuss something about a collaboration and training his pack warriors.

With a rise in the number of rogues a small pack like Alpha Colton's definitely needed all the help to strengthen the borders and to protect the should there been an attack. Any pack that was not mine never felt comfortable to me but since I had volunteered to help my kind I had to go through with it.

"Brian can you smell that?" I ask my Beta Brian, that had to be the most intoxicating scent I had ever smelled. I could not stop myself from sniffing the air around me.

"What?" he answers appearing very curious, nose up in the air trying to smell whatever I was talking about, "No, there is nothing." he replies dejected after sniffing the air for a while then looking at me eyes full of questions.

"It smells like fresh mangoes and strawberries," the scent making me almost drool. It did not smell like normal mangoes and strawberries though, there was something else added to it I just didn't know what.

"Nope, I do not smell anything apart from the usual train station smells, sweat, grease, you know, the usual.." said Brian.

Wolves usually took pride in their sense of smell and since Brian could not smell what I was trying to explain then the highest possibility was that it was a scent that only I could pick up. It had to be specially tied to me.

"mate... mate.. mate." then I heard it! My weakened wolf was chanting the same thing over and over again!

"MATE!" I could not stop myself from growling loudly. I was in the same vicinity as my mate. 

How dumb could I be? I have gone to all the classes when I was younger! I was an Alpha for crying out loud! How could I know tell that the scent was coming from my mate.

My ego had taken a big hit! How embarrassing! I face palm so hard!

"What do you mean man!? Haven't you found your mate already?" calls my Beta from the side bringing me back into my senses.

Yes! I had found my mate already! 

******

Lucia!

She had been the most understanding beautiful wolf I had ever met in my life, even without the mate pull I am sure it would have been love at first sight. I had met her while at a camp for future Alphas, I know that sounds funny but someone had come up with the idea of all Alphas taking their sons for training during the summer. While it helped strength wise it also helped with the unity of wolves.

She was an alpha's daughter that had somehow managed to convince her parents to let her come check the place out, she was not an alpha herself but her parents had pulled some strings and managed to get her stay for a week.

Best week of my life hands down!

I had spent every moment of my free time with her, we had cultivated a special bond between us but had not taken finally steps to mating. I was raised the traditional way, I had to see her parents and seek their permission to bring their daughter back to my pack.

That was the plan! Everything was set to be done after the camp, Lucia was to go back to her pack and I was to stay at the camp for the remaining seven weeks before visiting her pack with my parents. The young alphas at the camp were so jealous of my relationship with Lucia, I had been blessed with finding my Luna earlier and she was actually a good person.

On the day Lucia was to leave I remember hugging Lucia in tears.

"You are acting like a little girl there alpha."  she had jokingly said before jabbing me in the ribs with her elbows.

"Ouch!"  I yelped in pain, "I am going to miss you my Luna."  I had told her, I really was going to miss her. A nagging feeling in the the back of my mind. 

I had not wanted to let Lucia leave that morning, my wolf did not want to either but I had not wanted to look like a controlling man so I had tearfully bid my goodbyes with hopes that the seven weeks would be over in a flash so I could see Lucia sooner.

My wish to see Lucia sooner did come but it was not in the way I had planned.

"Nathan may I see you in my office?" the camp supervisor called me from the cafeteria. It had been a week after Lucia had left and I knew I had been slacking in my training. I was probably going to get an earful, I just could not concentrate.

When I walked into the office I quickly took note of the two strangers in there, a man and a woman. I immediately knew the man was an alpha judging by his scent and the aura coming from him.

"Alpha, Luna, this is Nathan." the camp supervisor quickly introduced me to the couple. I quickly bow in greeting, only to have the Luna break down in tears.

"I am really sorry Nathan." she apologizes to me. I did not even know who they were so why were they apologizing to me?

"We are Lucia parents." her husband finally answers my unasked question making a smile bloom on my face.

"Really? Lucia? My Lucia? How is she? Did she tell you about me? I have missed her so much!" I knew I was blabbering but I could not stop myself. I had really missed my mate.

Too caught my joy I had failed to realize the sadness in their eyes.

"Lucia is gone Nathan, there was a rogue attack! We could not save her."

BOOM! DARKNESS!

When I came to I was at the doctor's office with journal they said was Lucia's beside my head, that is how her parents had known about me. Lucia had filled entries about me in her journal, her joy at finding me, her hope for a bright future with me. She had so many plans in there for life too but all that was never going to happen.

Lucia was dead! Rogues had taken her away from me!

That had been the beginning of my war against rogues. They had taken my mate away from me and I was going to make every last one of them pay!

"Did the moon goddess grant you a second chance mate?" Brian questions bringing my back from memory lane. He looked so happy for me, losing my mate had made into a cold person and from the pack link I could hear him wish I could turn back to the way I was before.

Yes! I had I most definitely smelled my mate, I had gotten a second chance!

I could not smell her anymore though. I try sniffing again and again looking like a dog, well wolves were related to dogs anyway. The smell was gone and so was the train. My second chance at love had slipped from right between my fingers while I had been lost in thought.

I was too late! She was gone, I did not even get her name. I had no idea what she looked like but one thing I was sure of is that I had to find her as soon as possible.

If I had her picture I could send out search parties but all I had on her was scent that only I could smell which I knew would be a challenge.

I will find you my mate.

"...."