Chapter 2


    -Dorothy-


    I awoke that morning with a twisting knot of anxiety in my stomach. I rolled onto my side under the


    covers and clung to my pillow tightly before heaving in a deep breath and getting up. Today was my


    eighteenth birthday. Today, I would find my mate.


    Standing up I examined myself in the mirror, frowning at the spindly pale girl gazing back at me. I


    wondered if a mate would reject their match based on looks alone. I pulled my hair up into a ponytail


    before exhaling through my nose and letting it fall loose around my shoulders again.


    The bright red locks only made me look paler. I could sense my mate, it seemed they were nearby.


    If they didn’te looking for me there was a good chance I would find them first their scent almost


    ptable on my tongu Already my inner-wolf seemed to crave. them, rearing to seek them out.


    Whoever it was.


    I could sense something odd about my new mate. While all the desire and enthrallment were present


    on my side, something about their energy felt off. Things were off to a great start, I thought, tensely


    pulling at a strand of hair.


    Despite my nervousness, I couldn’t help the excitement bubbling up inside. my chest. I had waited for


    this day since I had been old enough to understand the mating call. I had wanted this day since I was


    old enough to want for anything. To be wanted…


    I was snapped out of my pondering by a quiet knock on my bedroom door. Anita, my current caretaker


    poked her head in and gave me a small smile.


    “Today’s the day,” Anita didn’t step into the room – the rtionship too short and unfamiliar for


    affections of any kind, “Are you excited?”


    I turned back to the mirror and glowered at my reflection.


    “More like sick to my stomach. What if they don’t like me?”


    “Nonsense,” Anita tutted, brushing the air, “Whoever it is, they’re your mate. And besides, you’re a


    beautiful girl on top of all that spu nk of yours.”


    I couldn’t help but smile a little. Passed around from foster home to foster home, I had only known


    Anita for a little over a month at that point, but her kind words eased my quivering nerves slightly.


    Anita promised to whip up an extra special breakfast – “waffles and hashbrowns!” – before leaving me


    to get ready for college.


    1/6


    11:41 Thu 25 an


    Alone and overwhelmed again, I was torn between putting on my best outfits and attempting some kind


    of make-up endeavor, or treating today like any other day and donning my regr jeans and turtleneck.


    In the end, I went for my standard attire with some added rings and nes to convey some sort of


    actual effort.


    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 Dorothy. I’m your mate.”


    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 mate 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 ss. 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


    fra zz led mess. All the while running through various introductions to no avail.


    “Hi, I’m Dorothy. I think I’m your mate?”


    Too timid. I groaned loud enough to startle the dozing boy sitting next to me and plopped my head


    down onto the desk in defeat.


    After two more hours of barely containing my growing excitement, I was finally free to stalk the campus,


    following theforting scent 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 wasn’t particrly popr at this school and people passed me by like I was invisible.


    The scent was stronger now, I knew my mate was close. Turning a corner I shivered in anticipation. My


    legs felt like jelly and my small bites of breakfast were threatening to crawl back up my throat. Then,


    suddenly, there he was. I knew he was my mate the second Iy eyes on him.


    2/6


    He was leaning against the wall in front of me, flipping through a stack of notes like he didn’t know what


    else to do with himself. Johan, a gentle Beta of the Kall Pack – it was very likely that he didn’t know of


    me at all. But I knew him. I was also ufortably aware that his girlfriend was the prettiest she-wolf in


    their pack.


    I was stunned. I stood there for a moment, mouth agape, staring at the boy in front of me. He hadn’t


    noticed me yet – but surely he could sense me?


    –


    Johan ran a hand through his hair short wavy locks the color of wheat and continued flipping through


    pages with a furrowed brow. My courage failing me, I took a small step back.


    My inner-wolf raged in response but my mind was suddenly flooded with doubt. Why couldn’t he sense


    my presence? Maybe he could, but didn’t want to acknowledge me. Surely he would leave his girlfriend


    now that it was clear that I was his true mate? I took another step back into the shadows of the hallway,


    preparing to leave.


    Suddenly, Johan raised his head and looked straight at me. Gentle brown eyes locked with mine and


    he gave a half-smile that entuated the dimple in his cheek. Overwhelmed and caught off guard, I


    turned tail and sprinted back down the way I’d


    It was all too much. I couldn’t think straight. A million thoughts shot through my mind as I ran, my


    sneakers squeaking on theminated floors.


    Johan was perfect. He was soft and kind and absolutely gorgeous. But he wasn’t mine. Fighting back


    tears as I made my way to the bathrooms, rushing into a cubicle and mming the door shut behind


    me.


    I pressed my forehead to the cool concrete of the stall and tried to organize my thoughts. Johan was


    my mate – Johan knew that I was his. He had to. But Johan also had a girlfriend – Mavis someone who


    was miles ahead of me in terms of looks, status, and charisma. Mavis who, along with her posse of


    beautiful airheads, had bullied me since I had joined their pack as a kid.


    I slid to the floor and put my head on my knees. I thought I would be ready for this day. Today was


    supposed to be perfect. Today I was supposed to finally belong somewhere.


    A few treacherous tears escaped and slid down my cheeks. I wiped them away roughly and sniffed. A


    sudden knock on the cubicle door had me jumping in my skin.


    “Um, Dorothy?”


    A quiet voice from the other side, a voice like milk and honey, “Hey, um, Dorothy could youe out


    here? I promise I won’t bite.”


    I could hear the grin in Johan’s voice at thatst part. His scent, so close and


    14:44 Thu, 25 Jan G


    the door slightly. I peaked out at the boy standing at the door, and he chuckled at my dramatic pouting.


    “Geez, you run away and frown at me before we’ve even been properly introduced?”


    His words were chiding but his tone was light and there was a humorous glimmer in his eye. I swung


    the door fully open and came to stand in front of him. I stared down at my shoes, hoping he wouldn’t


    notice my reddened eyes.


    “I just… didn’t know what to say.”


    I still didn’t, really. Standing before this beautiful boy, my true mate, all of my confidence went out the


    window along with my ability to form sentences.


    “Well, we can start slow,” Johan offered me his hand, “Would you mind if we talk somewhere else? As


    much as I’d love to hang around the girl’s bathroom I don’t think thedies will be particrly happy


    with my being here.”


    Dumbfounded, I took Johan’s hand and let him guide me out of the bathroom and through the throngs


    of students towards the small indoor garden.


    He sat down on the creaking wooden bench and gestured for me to join him. I plonked down next to


    him and immediately berated myself men tally for not even trying to be graceful. Johan didn’t seem to


    mind though and he leaned back on the bench, folding his arms and coc king his chin to gaze at me.


    “So… my name is Johan-”


    I couldn’t help a shortugh, cutting him off, and waved my hand to dismiss his introduction.


    “I know who you are. Everyone here knows who you are. You’re the pack’s golden boy with the


    bombshell girlfriend and a father on the council. I would have been living under a rock all this time if I


    didn’t know your name.”


    Johan smirked and raised an eyebrow at me. “Okay, my reputation precedes me, it


    would seem.”


    I breathed a quiet sigh of relief that my interruption didn’t seem to offend him.


    “Anyway,” Johan continued, “You’re Dorothy right? I’ve seen you around campus a few times,” He


    I blushed brighter than my locks at thatment and twisted my braid between my fingers. We spoke


    for a while, I exined that I had been moving between foster homes. since I’d been left with the pack


    as a small child.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    Johan told me about his father’s strict parenting thatnded him with his “golden boy” persona in the


    first ce.


    As we talked, I felt myself begin to rx,fortable in Johan’s calm presence. The excitement I had


    felt earlier that morning was back and I couldn’t help but smile. openly while speaking with my true


    mate.


    Johan spoke with aid-back, boyish attitude and waved his hands around while describing how he


    and an old friend had once been chased around the woods by a jackal they’d mistaken for a wolf-shifter


    when they were children.


    I in turn gave him a dramatic retelling of the story about a pet frog I’d once had and how it had gotten


    into one of my caretaker’s handbags on their big, fancy date night.


    After a while, Johan’s tone grew more serious and he took my hand in his. I felt pric kles of electricity


    where his skin touched mine and I looked into his chocte brown eyes in carnest. This was it. He was


    going to ept me as his mate.


    I could barely contain my excitement and I could feel my inner-wolf singing in my chest. Johan’s


    expression, however, was puzzling – almost sympathetic.


    “Dorothy, you’re beautiful. You’re ‘perfect’. I can feel the connection we have and I know now that you


    are my true mate. You always have been. But…” he hesitated. wincing like the words hurt to force out,


    “But I already love someone else – Mavis, her and I… we promised we’d stay together.”


    It felt as if a carpet had been pulled from beneath my feet but instead of the ground, there was only


    open space. I pulled my hand away from Johan even though it pained me to do it.


    “What are you saying?”


    My voice cracked slightly, and my eyes pr icked with tears once more.


    Johan’s face contorted as he fought to keep his voice steady, “Dorothy…”


    I leaned away from him, shaking my head and covering my face with my hands. I didn’t want to hear it.


    I couldn’t. Johan took my face in his hands, using a thumb to wipe a tear that was trailing down my


    cheek.


    “Dorothy, I can’t ept you as my mate. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”


    Johan held onto me as I burst into tears, burying my face in his chest and soaking in his scent while I


    still could.