I was in the backyard looking at the stars. It was midnight and I couldn’t sleep. Tomorrow is my eighteenth birthday and I was so excited. By tomorrow I will know who my mate is and we will do the mating ritual. And I already know who my mate is, I am sure it is Crane.
We have been friends for a long time and we fell in love. It was a dream come true. I have had a crush on Crane since I was 12 but I never had the courage to tell him about it. It was just recently he told me about his love for me and we started courting. I am an orphan so there were no parents to stop us and his parents didn’t mind. We were the talk of the whole pack. Crane was the brother of the alpha and I was considered among the royalty. I will be treated as a luna. It doesn’t really matter to me if I was going to be Luna or not, all that mattered was that Crane loves me and I love him deeply. I am certain he is my mate. I went to bed with his picture in my arms. I just knew that tomorrow will be a good day; or so I thought.
I woke up quite happy in the morning, knowing it was finally my birthday. Being an orphan and probably pack less, my birthday will not be celebrated by anyone. That has been my shame all my life. I didn’t know who my parents were or if they were alive or dead. That is why all the she-wolves bullied me and did awful things to me. But Crane always came to my rescue. We always had this bound, I couldn’t explain it. I didn’t know if it was the mate bound or not but we were clearly drawn to each other. I didn’t know how the mating thing works but I will know today.
“Amelia, get down here and clean!!” I heard from downstairs. Since I was pack-less, I had to work for the Alpha’s family. They found me so I work for them. I went down stairs ready to clean and do any chore necessary. From what I read from books, at midnight of your 18th birthday, when you stand under the moon, the moon goddess will tell you who your mate is. I just couldn’t wait for midnight.
The day didn’t really fly like I expected. I worked like I had to and waited till midnight. When midnight came, I went out to the woods like every other newly turned 18-year-old. I was so nervous. What if it is not Crane? What will I do? If it is not Crane, he will surely reject me and I will never be able to transform. Different packs come with different traditions. For this pack, you will not be able to transform as a she-wolf without a mate.
It was my turn and I stepped forward, under the moonlight. I could hear them whispering and chuckling; mostly laughing at me because I will be foolish to look for a mate. “a maid of the crescent moon pack wants to find a mate? Hilarious!
I stepped under the moonlight and I saw the bound tie to someone. The beta stepped forward and thankfully, it was Crane. I smiled. I was so happy. I was worried that I would be paired with someone who would not want me but thankfully it was my first love.
“I, Amelia is chosen by the moon goddess to be Beta Crane’s mate.” I said with an eager voice. Finally, everything will be okay. I will no longer be treated like dirt and I will be protected by my love, I thought. but everything took an unexpected turn.
“I Crane Crescent, reject you as my mate.” Crane said, looking me in the eye. The bound immediately broke.
I was speechless and confused. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t hear anything but those eight words. He looked at me. He didn’t move. I didn’t know if it was pity or concern in his eyes. I saw him leave. I didn’t know if I should chase after him. I tried stopping him but I couldn’t move. When I finally got myself, I saw them laughing at me. I covered my eyes. I didn’t want to hear it. I was used to their laughter but this one was different. It was like they were telling me I made a fool of myself, like why will I think the alpha’s brother will accept me.
I ran as fast as I could away from the ground.
I didn’t know exactly what I felt. Was it anger? Because he rejected me, or was it painful? Because I loved him so much, or maybe it is the bound, given that I was rejected and I haven’t accepted his rejection. All I knew was that my chest hurt really bad.
I went back to the house and went to look for Crane. I wanted an explanation. I didn’t believe all those she-wolves when they said that Crane was just using me. I knew there was an explanation for what he did. Maybe he was just scared of the mating ritual.
I searched around the house and I couldn’t find him. I even went to his room even though I am not allowed to and looked for him but he was not there. I figured that he wanted to be alone and think. There was still time to renew our bond because I haven’t rejected him and I will never do that. I love him, and I know he loves me too.
I went back to my room in the servants’ quarters and there he was, standing with his back towards me. He was looking out the window. I ran and hugged him from behind. He turned around and pushed me away.
“Don’t touch me!” he said in a harsh voice. I was shocked but I held myself together.
“What happened out there?” I asked with tears in my eyes
“What do you think happened?” he threw the question back at me.
“I am confused. I don’t understand.” I spoke. “We were paired by the moon goddess. We are supposed to be mates. Is that not what you wanted?” I asked. Was it not what you wanted?
“Well, the moon goddess made a mistake. I can never be a mate to a pack-less girl.” He said to me,
I was shocked. “I thought you loved me? He said it doesn't matter!” I raised my voice.
“Well, it does!” he yelled at me. He held the bridge of his nose and exhaled. “Do you think this is about love Amelia? Let us say I love you; do you think we will be able to mate? What will I gain from you in the mating ritual?” he asked me.
I was right. What will he gain from a pack-less orphan like me? I was a fool to think our love was enough; to think my love was enough. I wiped my tears and inhaled deeply.
“I Amelia, accept your rejection of Beta Crane.” A drop of tear ran down my eye. The pain in my chest left instantly. I guess it was the bound after all. I felt he wanted to say something but he held back. He just stormed out and shut the door.
And with that, Amelia was broken. I cried my heart out. I didn’t even know what to think or what to do. I didn’t even know how I would face the world. This is my fate.