Wehave a mate.
And suddenly I smell it, too. Smokey, like from a campfire and spice all mixed together. Warmth spreads all around me. It’s him: my mate.
Who is he?I ask my wolf.
But the only question I really want answered:Is it Caleb?
I don’t know. Let’s go find out,she urges me.
Elated and full of hope, I throw off the covers and run to the bathroom to fix myself up. The last thing I need is to have bad breath and messy hair when I see him.
Once I’m ready, I bolt out the front door, and my nose leads me to the direction of Caleb’s place. I’m trying not to get my hopes up because it could still be anybody.
A thousand questions run through my brain as to who it might be and what they might be like.Will I like them? Will they like me?
What if they don’t approve of me?I don’t see anyone jumping at the opportunity to be with a rogue.Will they be willing to get to know me? Or will they reject me?
Dread washes over me.
What if they reject me?
To reject a mate is rare. It is instinctual as much as it is spiritual. When the situation arises, a wolf just knows that declaring rejection is to be done in your name. To choose another, you have to deny the one you have as they have first right.
If you reject your fated, our Goddess takes it personally. It is said that the Moon Goddess sends blood-boiling pain to the rejecter’s heart. But this pain alone doesn’t break the bond. The rejected will then need to cosign. Once they do, the bond is broken, and they’ll experience the punishment. After that, there’s no desire, no yearning—you become nothing to them.
If that person isn’t Caleb, would I reject them? Sure, it would be disappointing at first if it weren’t Caleb... Okay, it’d be soul-crushing, and I’d probably cry for days, but would I be willing to give my mate a chance? Or is what I know to be true?
There will never be someone better for me than Caleb.
It’s almost impossible to not get my hopes up when my nose leads me to the front step of Caleb’s home. It has to be him, right?
Wait.
What if it’s Tyler? Could I deal with him? Sure, we got off on the wrong foot at first, but I’ve seen admirable qualities in him in service of Caleb. My problem with Tyler as my mate is being forced to see Caleb all the time. The bond must be strong, or I’ll spend an eternity yearning and never truly get to know my Goddess-chosen mate. It was hard to imagine a bond stronger than what I have with Caleb.
Please let it be him. The front door creaks open. “Hello?”
His scent is overwhelming when I walk to the study.
Mate.My wolf affirms.He’s in there.
I know who I’m smelling.
It’s him. It’s really him.I have to hold back the tears as I thank the Moon Goddess. I don’t know if I deserve a great love like Caleb’s, but I hoped I could keep him anyway.
I place my hand flat against the door, about to push it open when I quickly draw back. It hits me that I’m going to be laying my eyes on him as my mate for the first time. I imagine it’ll be like meeting him all over again. It’s a new chapter for us, and I don’t want to screw it up.
I’m suddenly nervous and jittery. My stomach flips, and my mouth goes dry. I take a second to fix my hair and tug at my clothes, then sniff my pits to make sure I don’t smell.
All good. Okay, here goes nothing.
I push open the doors to find Caleb deep in thought. He’s staring outside his window with one hand in his pocket, the other leaning against the frame. He looks so sad.
I push it open a little further and it, too, creaks.
Caleb doesn’t bother to look at me. I was hoping he would, but it’s fine. Nothing can ruin this moment.
“Hey,” I say. “Can I come in?”
