A Second Chance

Zach was still mesmerized by the way her eyes never dared to leave his in the middle of such a crowd, when he felt a tug on his arm, snapping him out of his trance.

“Did you hear what I just said?” Megan’s voice hit him like a bucket of icy water.

“I spaced out. What did you say?” Zach cleared his throat, fixing his eyes on his girlfriend, despite his wolf’s nagging to look back at a certain blonde.

“I was telling you about the party tonight. I want to go.” Megan pouted cutely and Zach couldn’t help but nod his head.

“Thank you, Alpha.” She pushed herself on her toes and gave Zach a kiss that lasted a little longer than appropriate.

Katie watched from afar as the happy couple kissed and felt a piece of her heart break at the sight. Alpha Zach was her mate, she knew now for sure. Alpha Zach who had a girlfriend for a little over than two years now. Alpha Zach who was four years older than her. She didn’t mind the age gap, to her it was nothing, but in their werewolf community it was really rare.

Jessica’s eyes widened in understanding, and her hand automatically travelled to cover her open mouth as she watched the couple walk away toward the main building. “Oh, my god. It’s him, isn’t it?” Her voice was laced with happiness as a wide grin covered her face. Katie blinked twice, still trying to wrap her mind around how her mate had just walked away with another woman.

“Who’s who? I don’t get it.” Jared frowned, not catching up. However, one look at Katie’s face and he noticed something was truly off. “What’s wrong, Katie?”

“Alpha Zach is her mate!” Jessica squealed loudly, pumbing a victory fist in the air and Katie urgently covered her friend’s mouth with her palm.

“Lower your voice, Jess!” Katie hissed, still a little fazed.

“No way,” Jared’s frown deepened. “I thought Megan was his mate.” Much to Katie’s dismay, he voiced what everyone else thought. “And isn’t he twenty two? That’s four years apart. He couldn’t be her mate.”

“Obviously Megan’s not.” Jess rolled her eyes, “I always knew she wasn’t his mate. She’s a nice person but she’s not Luna material. Oh my god, that means that you’re our Luna, Katie.” Her eyes widened even further and Katie once more felt a bang to her heart.

“I’m no one’s Luna, Jess. Calm down.” She whispered sadly, still as shocked as Jared.

“What do you mean ‘calm down’? This is huge!” Grabbing both of Katie’s arms, Jessica turned her around to face her. “Why the hell aren’t you over the clouds right now?”

“Over the clouds? Did you not see what just happened? He took one look at me and walked away, Jess. What are you so excited about?” Katie felt the words run out of her mouth, just as she felt the sting of tears fighting her to form in her eyes.

“Oh, come on. He was just taken back for a second. I mean, he has a girlfriend, what did you expect? He couldn’t just push her away, run to you and gather you in his arms like a caveman, now could he? He needs sometime to wrap his mind around this and properly break up with Megan. Imagine how surprised he is to have found his mate after four years! The age difference between mates is almost never more than two years.” Jessica seemed to have it all figured out. Jared let out a sigh and ran his fingers through his light brown short hair, tugging a little at the roots.

“What if he doesn’t? He has been in love with her for more than two years. Everyone in our pack knows how inseparable those two are. Everyone already considers her our Luna.” Katie argued, her tone of voice a notch louder than before, as she waved her hand at Jared as an example. “The Alpha wouldn’t just dump her for me. He doesn’t even know who I am, and he just proved that a minute ago.”

Katie couldn’t forget how his eyes locked with hers for what felt like eternity before they snapped back to Megan, only a few seconds before he kissed her and let her pull him away. She had a feeling today was going to be a bad day, and no matter how hard she tried to listen to Jessica’s words, she was proven right.

“You don’t know that for sure, Katie.” Jared joined his sister, trying to convince Katie not to expect the worst once again, yet his eyes gave him away. He was just as worried; Katie knew him well enough to see that clearly. “He couldn’t just reject our Luna; that’s insane.”

Hearing them call her ‘Luna’ pissed Katie even further. She was not a Luna. Yes, her father was Alpha of her former pack, and yes, deep down she knew she was fit for such a position, especially if the moon goddess believed so, but no matter how hard she tried, Katie couldn’t erase the look on Alpha Zach’s face as he walked away.

“Let’s just get to class. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” Removing her fake tiara a little too harshly, Katie rushed to the main building for her first class, the twins following silently behind.

Zach couldn’t focus on what the professor was trying desperately to explain no matter how hard he tried. Her face, her eyes, her hair, everything about her haunted him, refusing to leave his mind at peace. His mate. His Luna. He tried to wrap his mind around the fact that after four long years he actually found his mate, exactly when he didn’t want to.

He was happy with Megan, there was no argument about that. She was kind and sweet and for two years she was there by his side. He couldn’t just break up with her for another woman, not even if it was his mate, and not when he was this close to actually naming Megan Luna. Zach loved Megan and she loved him as equally, that he was sure of.

He felt his wolf protest with anger but he felt guilty even considering breaking up with Megan for a mere second. They had made that promise years ago and everyday they lived by it. They were each other’s forever, and he was happy that way. But then again why did he feel his heart ache when Megan pulled him away to the building, as if she was pulling him away from her?

Pulling out his phone, Zach clicked on his best friend’s number and typed in a quick message telling him to meet him after the party tonight in the pack house because they needed to talk. If anyone was going to give him some useful advice it was his best friend and beta, Nick.

Katie ignored Jessica’s text messages for the rest of the day, trying to have some time alone and think about the mess she found herself stuck in. She tried her hardest to convince herself that it was okay, but she knew it wasn’t. Her mate was in love with someone else. Out of the whole pack, it had to be Alpha Zach. Trying her hardest to ignore the tingle she felt every time he crossed her mind, Katie shoved her notebook back in her backpack and got up. She was ready to head back to her dorm room, praying God she wouldn’t spot Zach or Megan on her way out. Her wolf was miserable as it was; neither of them needed another staring contest with the Alpha.

Rushing out of the lecture hall, Katie heard someone calling her name. Looking back, she spotted Mike following her out. “Hey.”

Mike smiled widely as he rubbed the back of his neck, “Happy birthday, Kat.”

“It’s Katie.” She smiled politely, “and how did you know that it was my birthday?”

He chuckled at her comment before pushing the tip of his glasses up his nose bridge, “I saw you earlier today with your friends, but you looked a bit distraught. You looked pretty with that tiara though.”

Katie giggle, enjoying the slight distraction. “Well, thank you.”

“Can I walk you out?” He asked and she nodded her head in response. “I wanted to invite you to my party tonight. Bring your friends too if you’d like.”

Fighting with her gaze not to sweep the crowd for a certain Alpha, Katie raised her eyebrows in surprise.

“Don’t be so surprised. I may be a straight A student with glasses, but I’m not as much of a nerd as you think.” Mike laughed at her reaction and she felt a blush run its way to her cheeks.

“Sorry,” she laughed. “I’m not sure if I can make it though.” Shrugging, she held on her backpack tighter as her voice lowered a notch.

“Why not? You have other plans for your birthday?” Mike asked with a slight frown but she shook her head. “Then please try to come. It would suck less if you were there.”

“I’ll try.” Giving him a polite smile and a nod, Katie made her way back to her ride and went on her way to her dorm.

“Please tell me you’re not still overthinking the whole Alpha mate issue.” Jessica sighed once Katie picked up the phone.

“I’m trying not to.” Katie replied honestly. She had been trying her best to ignore both her and her wolf’s anxiety about the whole matter. The moon goddess was kind, that much she knew for sure, so she decided to stick with what hope her faith gave her.

“Well, there’s this party nearby. How about we go and enjoy what’s left of your birthday?” Jessica suggested.

“It’s Mike’s party. He invited us earlier today.” Katie replied with a sigh.

“Mike? The mathlete with a crush on you Mike invited you to his party?” Jessica asked and Katie could imagine her smirk and the spark in her friend’s gray eyes.

“Jess, for the last time, he doesn’t have a crush on me, and no he didn’t invite me, he invited us. Plural.” Katie rubbed her forehead in an attempt to ease the headache she had.

“Same difference, girl. Anyway, get dressed and come pick me up. My asshole of a twin has already left to God knows where, so you’re stuck with me for tonight.” Jessica’s excited voice made Katie even more grumpy.

“I don’t want to go.” She stated quietly.

“Why is that not a surprise? Leave it to you to sit alone staring at the ceiling overthinking everything and coming up with the worst case scenarios as always.” Her best friend huffed in annoyance. “Enough already. You have no reason to be this miserable, Katie. You found your mate today, and he’s not any member of our pack, he’s our freaking Alpha. Yes, I agree that this morning didn’t go as it was supposed to, but so what if there are some obstacles in your way? It’s not the end of the world. I’m serious, now stop sulking and be ready. I’m expecting you in an hour.”

Katie stared at the phone for a few seconds longer before deciding to get herself in the shower and to that party. If anything, it would at least serve as a distraction for the night, because deep down Katie didn’t want to spend her birthday alone in an empty dorm room thinking about a certain pair of crystal blue eyes.

Zach smiled at Megan who pulled him to the dance floor in the middle of the party, swaying seductively to the rhythm of the music blasting in the air, yet his smile didn’t reach his eyes. His mind was still elsewhere. Trying for what seemed like the hundredth time to get his mate’s perfect features out of his mind, Zach placed his hands on Megan’s hips and swayed along.

He was going to stop thinking about her for the time being and focus on enjoying what’s left of this evening with his girlfriend, he had decided. And just when he was about to pull Megan for yet another kiss, her scent hit him once more, paralyzing his movements.

His head automatically snapped to the door and he saw her walking inside with a friend. Her caramel hair was down in soft waves to the middle of her back and her lush lips were deliciously pink. He found himself swallowing the water in his mouth as his gaze went down further. She was wearing a white tank top that was too tight for his liking and some ripped skinny jeans. He clenched his fist as his wolf let out a groan of annoyance to let him know he agreed.

“Are you alright?” Megan asked with a frown. Zach snapped his head back to hers before taking a deep, calming breath.

“Yeah, I’m good. Want something to drink?” Zach decided to head to the backyard where the drinks were being poured and served in order to put as much space between him and his mate as possible, as if he feard that the less the distance the greater the risk he was taking of losing control. Losing control and doing what exactly, he still didn’t know.

“He’s here. I can smell him, Jess. You promised he wouldn’t be here.” Katie groaned as soon as she walked the front door of Mike’s house. Zach’s scent was as calming as it was painful for her. Her wolf was whining once again to go mate with him already, as if it was that easy.

“Alright, I might have lied.” Jessica pulled a strand of her strawberry blond hair behind her ear in discomfort as Katie glared at her. “Just listen to me, okay? You need to talk to him. You can’t just keep pretending that the mating bond hasn’t clicked between you guys. If he is still too confused to face you, then you go to him. You can’t be Luna if you’re too afraid to talk to him.”

“First of all, don’t call me that again. Second of all, I’m not afraid of him.” Katie shook her head, removing her hair away from her face in annoyance.

“I didn’t say you were afraid of him. I said you were afraid to talk to him, Katie. You’re afraid he might reject you for Megan, but I’m sure he won’t. Again, it’s called soulmates for a reason. He couldn’t just ignore the bond you guys have. Just go talk to him already. Follow his scent and go find him.” Jessica pushed Katie further into the house.

Katie sighed, as her heart picked up its pace. She knew Jessica was right. She had to talk to him and sort this out. She even knew what she wanted to say to him, but she was truly afraid. She knew she couldn’t compete with Megan, not when he had loved her for years. It wasn’t a matter of beauty or looks; Katie knew she was a head turner. She had no doubt she was a ‘babe’ as Jessica had put it, but that wasn’t it. It was a matter of who had his heart, and as of now Megan was the winner.

What are your opinions about this dilemma? What would you do if you were in Zach’s shoes?

Favorite quote of the chapter: “It was a matter of who had his heart,

and as of now Megan was the winner.”

Love, Farah x