“With that being said,” Douglas continued. “I would like to announce that Anders Burnell has been paired with…” He raised the card and turned it around so everyone could see the big, bold letters printed on the paper. “Juniper Hollis.”
It was as if the entire supply of oxygen had been sucked out of Idlewild. No one spoke, no one moved. All I could do was stare up at the stage, reading and rereading the card. There was no mistaking it; that was my name printed in heavy black lettering.Juniper Hollis. Me? With Anders? My mouth was dry as cotton, and my knees were rubber. It was all I could do to stay upright.
All through the crowd, heads craned, each person looking for me. Looking for the woman theyallknew couldn’t connect with her inner wolf, who couldn’t shift if her life depended on it. If Ihad to guess, they were thinking the same thing I was. How thehellhad this happened?
Beatrice put a hand on my back, steadying me as I began to wobble. On stage, Anders’s jaw had fallen open, and he simply stared at the card.
Dizziness overwhelmed me. I was going to be Anders’s mate? Thealpha’s mate? How was this possible? How could something like this even happen? I leaned against Beatrice, allowing her to support my weight. I couldn’t even muster the energy to look for my grandparents. All I could do was stand, rooted in place, staring up at the stage.
Anders ripped the card out of Douglas’s hand and shook his head. He opened his mouth and said something, but even in the silence of the crowd, and with our enhanced hearing, none of us could make it out.
“I’m sorry?” Douglas said, looking at Anders. “What was that?”
Anders tore his eyes from the card, leveling a glare at the elder. “Isaid, I reject Juniper Hollis as my mate.”
3
JUNIPER
The crowd was deathly silent as Anders’s words sank in. My stomach dropped. I didn’twantto be Anders’ mate, but the thought of being a rejected mate was even more terrifying. My breath puffed out in icy clouds, each one a gasp of shock. In some rare cases, people chose not to go through with the pairing, preferring to run off alone rather than bind themselves to someone they wouldn’t orcouldn’tlove. But to be outright rejected? By the alpha, no less? That was a hundred times worse.
The elders all stirred uncomfortably at his words. As rumbles of conversation filtered through the onlookers, Douglas raised his hand for silence.
“Uh, Anders, perhaps we can discuss this in private before?—”
“There’s nothing to discuss,” Anders snarled. “I am the alpha of this pack. You can’t expect me to mate with a woman who has no wolf. She’s damaged, broken. Unfit for anyone,especiallyan alpha.” Anders lowered his head, his face softening—less anger, more disappointment. “I just…” He shook his head, then finished in a kinder tone. “I’m sure she’ll be a good match for someone else, but I can’t take her as my mate. I’m sorry.”
He tossed the card down and stalked off the stage, vanishing into the crowd. I watched in numb confusion as he strode in the direction of his home.
Beatrice pulled at my arm, pressing her lips close to my ear. “Juniper, I’m sorry. What do you want me to do?”
I barely heard her. All I could do was stare in horror as Anders walked off into the night. Around me, the crowd muttered in confusion. This couldn’t happen. I couldn’tletit happen. A rejection meant I had to leave. The elders couldn’t assign Anders another mate until I was gone. Their process told them I was the best match for him, and my presence would only continue throwing off the ceremony. I’d be a blight on Anders, and his chances at a mate. Anders would be forced to find a reason to banish me, and the elders would expel me from the pack because they wouldn’t want to anger the new alpha.
My gaze finally landed on my grandmother. She stood in front of her store, hand to her mouth, and tears in her eyes. I couldn’t leave her. Who would take care of her? Who would help her? No. Irefusedto let this to happen.
“Can we, uh, please have some order?” Douglas said, raising his hands and speaking into the microphone. “Let’s… perhaps pause the proceedings for a bit. We can begin again later.”
The crowd ignored him, getting louder as conversations broke out everywhere. People looked at me, muttering under their breath. What were they saying about me? Not everyone in Idlewild was bigoted towards me, but maybe they would be now. I’d already been afraid that Anders’s dislike of me might bleed over to everyone else, and now that was becoming more possible by the second. I had to find a way to fix this.
“Juniper?” Beatrice hissed. “Are you hearing me? Are you all right?”
“I don’t know. Can we…” It was like I had a vise around my lungs, making it hard to breathe. “Can we get out of here?”
“Yeah. Sure. Come on,” she said, tugging me along.
Moving through the crowd was almost worse than standing in the middle of it. Every eye pierced me with judgment and confusion, or worse, condemnation. The chilly air was nothing compared to the heat of shame that burned my cheeks. As we made our way through, Beatrice shoving people aside with less-than-polite words, my mind spun to find a way to fix this. I would do whatever was necessary. I’dmakeAnders see that I could be a good mate. The fear of expulsion pushed everything aside, even my own hopes and dreams. This was bigger than what I wanted.
My parents died when I was young, so I was all my grandparents had. I was the one who would be there as they grew older and helped them. As an outcast lone wolf, I would never be allowed to return, and I’d spend my days imagining them growing older and frailer, until they were unable to man the store and cook their own meals. They’d taken care of me all these years. The least I could do was be there for them. And the only way for me to do that was for Anders to accept me as his mate.
“Let’s go,” Beatrice said once we were free of the crowd.
We practically jogged away from the burgeoning chaos of the arrangement ceremony. The fresh, cold air on my face helped clear my head, and eventually, when we reached the small footbridge that crossed the small creek on the outskirts of town, I’d managed to calm down.
Beatrice helped me sit, treating me as though I was injured rather than simply shocked and distraught. The gurgle of the water beneath us soothed me even more.
“Okay,” she said, patting her thighs once with both hands. “What’s the plan?”
“I don’t know,” I said miserably. “I can’t let it stay this way.”
