RYKER

A DAY BEFORE

"Fuck, Veronica", I groaned as I explored her lips, her hands tangling in my hair as she moaned, grinding against me hard.

Her breath hitched every time my tongue brushed against hers.

She was on my lap, her legs straddling me, while my hands roamed her back as I deepened the kiss.

"Ryker," she whispered against my lips, her voice trembling with desire.

"You're driving me crazy, you know I love you right", she said.

I smirked, pulling back just enough to look into her eyes.

"Good. That's the point and baby, I love you too".

She laughed as I slammed my lips against hers once again.

Her fingers went down my chest, pulling on the buttons of my shirt, trying to open it.

She loosened the first, second button and I assisted her in loosing the rest.

My hands went down to my trousers and as she struggled with the zip, my hand found hers, about to help her out.

But just as I was about to, the door swung open.

"Fuck", I cursed as we both turned to look at the door.

When she saw the person, she slid off my lap, smoothing down her dress as I buttoned my shirt back.

I turned to see Jude, my beta standing in the doorway, his arms crossed and an amused smirk on his face.

"Wouldn't hurt you to knock", I said.

"Did I interrupt something?" he asked, his voice laced with sarcasm.

I leaned back in my chair, trying to look casual despite the heat still lingering in my veins.

"What's up?"

Jude stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He glanced at Veronica, who was now sitting on the couch.

"You know she's not your mate right" he said.

"You don't have to remind me", I said, my voice coming out almost like a growl.

Jude rolled his eyes.

"Your party holds tomorrow night and all the ladies of the pack who are of age are invited"

"Do I really need to do this", I said

"What if she's not anywhere close to me".

I loved Veronica, she was the releast I've had in years, and even though, my wolf Roy hated it, I was going to crown her as my Luna.

"Your parents' idea. They think it's time for you to start thinking about finding your mate, you're going to be coronated soon, and they want you to have a strong partner by your side."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I know. They've been on my case about it for weeks."

I glanced at Veronica, who was pretending to be engrossed in a book on the coffee table. She was beautiful, no doubt about it.

She was strong and she hadn't found her mate yet.

The door opened and my parents walked in, making me jolt out of my thoughts.

My father's presence immediately filled the room, his Alpha aura commanding attention. My mother followed close behind, her eyes scanning the room before landing on me.

The moment they entered, Veronica excused herself while my Jude stayed behind.

"Ryker," my father said, his voice deep and authoritative.

"We need to talk."

"Your coronation is coming soon," my mother said, stepping forward.

"It's time for you to start thinking about your future. You need a Luna, someone who can stand by your side and lead the pack with you."

"I know," I said, trying to keep the frustration out of my voice.

"And that's why there's the party coming up", he said.

"You need to take this seriously, Ryker. The pack is counting on you. You can't afford to keep playing around."

I clenched my jaw, feeling the pressure building inside me.

"I'm not playing around. I just... I need time."

My mother placed a hand on my arm, her touch gentle but firm.

"Time is something we don't have. Your coronation is in a few months, and you need to be ready. That means finding a Luna who can handle the responsibility."

"The party is a good chance to meet your mate",he said.

"You need your Luna more than you think, the bond between the two of you would strength and hold the pack", he said and they left the room.

PRESENT DAY

"Let's do this", I muttered as I stepped into the bubbling, the air was thick with the scent of sweat, alcohol, and the scent of wolves in their human forms.

I had just gotten to my own party which had begun few hours after reluctantly agreeing to finding my mate.

I could hear people's laughter and the loud music filled the air, creating a rhythm that rang through the pack, yet no sign of my mate.

I stood at the edge of the crowd, my arms crossed, scanning the sea of faces, for that distinct smell.

But all I could see were glaces from different ladies desperate to throw themselves at me, people dancing and grinding each other.

Some were in different corners, with their tongues down different ladies throats.

It was a sight I really wasn't interested in seeing.

My wolf, Roy, was restless beneath my skin, his excitement palpable.

"Tonight's the night", he kept murmuring in my mind.

"Find our mate"

"We have to find her tonight"

I clenched my jaw, trying to focus.

The moon goddess had promised me a mate, and this gathering was to look for her, but no one really stood out.

Just a sea of familiar and desperate faces, none of them stood out.

"Ryker," a soft voice called from behind me.

I turned to see Veronica walking toward me, her hips moving bwith every step.

She was beautiful...there was no denying that...with her dark brown hair descending down over her shoulders and her red dress hugging her curves.

But she wasn't mine..

She could have been mine but she isn't.

"Veronica," I said, my voice barely audible because of the noise.

She stepped up the me, her fingers trailing down my arms as she bit her lips.

"You've been standing here for few minutes," she said, her voice dripping with honey.

"Don't you want to dance? Or... something else?", she said as her hand slid down my chest.

I stiffened, my wolf growling low in my mind.

He snarled, trying to take control.

My eyes flickered as I tried to take control of my human self.

He was been a bit more aggressive and stronger.

Veronica leaned in, her face beaming under the red lights, as she whispered in my ears., her lips brushing against my ear.

"Ryker you look so tense, let me help you relax."

The moment she said those words, I smiled and my hands automatically slipped round her waist pulling her closer,I could feel the friction of our bodies but for the first time, her touch felt so uncomfortable.

"Veronica..." I started, but she cut me off with a kiss.

Her lips were soft, and for a moment, I let myself get lost in it, wanting it to be like the old times.

My hands moved to her hips, pulling her closer but it wasn't it.

My eyes flickered from dark brown to black back to dark brown as I fought to stay in control.

"She's not mate", he roared in my head.

I broke the kiss abruptly, stepping back, Veronica looked up at me, her eyes dark with desire and confusion.

"Your eyes Ryker", she said in fear and I shut it, opening it few minutes later.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her voice breathless.

"I can't do this," I said, my voice rough.

"I need to go", I said as I walked out of the building.

Roy was clawing at me, demanding to be let out. The further I got from the party, the more my control slipped.

I heard Jude call me but I didn't answer.

I needed to let out, I was slowly loosing control.

I walked out of the building, running at full sprint as my vision blurred.

I ran into the woods, the cool night air hitting me as I shifted.

My bones cracked and shifted, fur sprouting from my skin as I dropped to all fours. Roy, a huge black wolf surged forward, taking control as we sprinted through the forest.

The trees blurred around us, the ground soft beneath our paws. We ran until the sounds of the party faded into the distance.

Suddenly, I smelt it.

Distinct.... Close as we ran further.

Roy's anger reduced as we ran,replaced by a sense of urgency.

She's close. I can feel it.

I didn't argue. My senses were heightened in my wolf form, and I let them guide me. The scent of pine and earth filled my nose, but beneath it was something else...something sweet and intoxicating. Vanilla and rose petals.

It was faint, getting closer as we ran further.

The scent grew stronger as we approached the pack's house, a large cabin nestled in the trees. My steps slowed as I neared the house, my eyes scanning the area. And then I saw her.

She was standing on the lawn, her back facing me, her long hair catching the moonlight.

She was wearing a simple black dress and she sat on the lawn, and even from this distance, I could see the way her shoulders moved as she breathed.

My chest tightened, and Roy let out a low whine in my mind.

"Mate", he said, his voice filled with awe and longing.

I shifted back into my human form without thinking, my body moving on its own. The cold air hit my skin, but I barely noticed.

All I could focus on was her.

She turned slowly, as if sensing my presence, and our eyes met.

The moment she looked at me, the fear as she couldn't dare to look into my eyes.

I got the answer.

She was weak, an Omega.

Someone not fit to rule the pack as the Luna.

"An Omega", I blurted out.

"Yes, Alpha", her reply came, weak, fragile barely audible.

"What's your name?" I asked, my tone low and authoritative.

"Aria Bane," she replied, her nails fidgeting at the edge of her gown.

I let out a low chuckle in disbelief.

It had to be a joke.

A joke the moon goddess decided to play on me.

"You've got to be kidding me," I muttered, more to myself than to her.

She raised her head to look at me a bit, but she hurridly looked down.

I didn't want to deal with this.

Without hesitation I talked.

"This isn't it", I said.

"I, Alpha Ryker Woods, reject you, Aria Bane as my mate and ..."

She didn't wait to hear the rest as she sprinted into the thick dark forest, further away from me.

Ryker

I watched her run away from me, a full on sprint and the sight was both annoying and hilarious.

The goddess had played a cruel game in me, making me hope I would find a mate and giving me an omega.

What the fuck was an omega? They were useless.

Why would I be mated with an omega, there was no fucking way I would let that be, so there hadn't been any choice but to let her go.

I didn't care that I might have hurt her. There and then, I rejected her.

Fuck me, if I was going to spend time with a weakling like her.

As I headed back to the party, slowly walking because I wasn't eager to get back either. This party had been made to find my mate and I had just rejected her.

I wondered if I would tell them. Maybe I would just tell Jude and Veronica, definitely not dad and mom.

They would try to force her on me and I didn't want any of it.

I let out a laugh there in the middle of the woods, the joke was just too funny.

That I, Ryker, had been given an omega as a mate, an alpha and an omega? Whoever the fuck did that? What would she do? What value would she offer me. There wasn't anything there and it was best I rejected her.

I went back into the party, the loud noise loosening my wolf and he broke free inside of me.

"You fucking rejected her" he shouted.

I flinched, I could feel the anger he felt coursing through me although I didn't understand why.

"She's a fucking omega, of course I did"

"But she was ours" he said.

"Well, not any more. I'm going to choose Veronica"

He growled inside of me, it was almost hilarious how angry he had gotten.

"I'll never accept her, she's not meant for us" he argued.

"Well, she's what I want and since I don't have any mate, I'm free to do what I want"

"What do you mean, you don't have a mate?" A voice asked from behind me.

I turned around to see it was Jude, he was staring at me in question.

I shrugged, "Nothing much, I just didn't find her and I don't care to do more than this to" It was a lie but nobody had to know, at least not yet.

I didn't want to tell him here because what if somebody over heard us?

It would be news everywhere that Alpha Ryker had been given a weak omega as a mate.

Still, there was a curiosity I had for her, maybe I would find out more about her.

She was my former mate after all.

"Well, you've hardly walked around man. Of course you haven't found your mate, get around" he said encouragingly pulling me to the bar for a drink, I needed it anyway.

We were drinking shot after shot when a hand slid onto my shoulder, caressing it lightly.

I already knew from the touch who it was, I turned to face Veronica staring at me.

Her eyes were bright under the lights and I wanted to get lost in them.

"You were missing for a while" she said.

I smiled, "I needed to breathe so I left for a while, did you miss me?" I joked.

She shrugged, her eyes falling to my lips.

I already knew that look, I pulled her to me, kissing her on the lips, our tongues joining and caressing each other.

"Come on man, focus" a soft slap on my back along with the statement from Jude.

I rolled my eyes, detaching from Veronica, "Well, I didn't find her so might as well go with what I have" I told him, my hands still wrapped around Veronica's waist.

All three of us sat at the bar, drink after drink, to the extent we almost got drunk.

Soon it was midnight and the party had to come to an end. I had pretended so well so far about not finding my mate and Jude and I decided there wasn't any need for it to last longer.

If my mate wasn't here then she wasn't and we had to move forward.

"That was one blast of a party.......meaningless though" he said as we walked back to the house.

I nodded,

"It was but at least if there's no mate for me out there, I don't need to do too much, I could just be with Veronica"

My wolf growled inside at my words, of course he would be unhappy to hear that.

"Your parents though, I don't think they're going to agree to that" he said.

"I don't care, they want a Luna for the pack and she'll be one. Anyway, she's strong, resilient, she's the perfect match for me"

I said smiling to myself as I remembered we had our moment in the woods before I disappeared to let loose the anger bubbling in me.

"Yeah sure"

I didn't know if I heard the sarcasm or if it was just the thoughts in my head but I shrugged it off anyway.

I went directly to bed, the useless party had drained the fuck out of me.

The next day, the second thing that woke me up after Veronica had called was a maid coming to tell me that my dad wanted to speak to me.

I remembered last night again, the fact that I had found this mate of mine and she had been useless was still there. I didn't need a genius to tell me that I couldn't tell this to mom or dad, they would definitely not approve that I rejected her.

It made me wonder if dad would extend the coronation further if I told him the truth or if I told him I hadn't found a Luna.

He was bent on me having one before I became alpha, he would just have to accept Veronica.

Inside their office, mom stood beside him as he sat on his chair, his presence powerful on it's own and dominant.

"Son, I heard you didn't find a mate?" He said as a question but I knew he knew the truth.

"Yes dad, unfortunately, I tried looking but I didn't find anyone" I lied again.

I wasn't going to fucking say I had found an omega, dad might force me to get her back because I knew mom would support me, she wouldn't want me married to a lowly omega.

It made me think about what a cruel joke the goddess had played on me.

"Do you think you should go from house to house to look for her?" He asked.

I looked at him, shocked, sometimes i wondered why what goes on in my father's head because what sort of suggestion was that?

Even mom stared at him in surprise.

"Of course not dad. Nobody would dare disobey your orders for them to come yesterday"

Of course my supposed mate did disobey the order but that really didn't matter now,

"So we saw every girl there was to see and she's not in it, so maybe the goddess wants me to choose my mate"

Dad already knew where I wanted to go so before I spoke he said,

"I'll think about it, just don't stop trying to find her."

"We won't tell him that we've found her of course" my wolf sneered at me.

I shut him out and focused on dad, "I won't dad, is that all?"

"Yes, for now" it was a dismissal and I was glad to go.

When I left his office, I went out to meet Jude who would be with a few other guys, a couple of friends at the chill out spot.

Just as expected, I found them there, gathered and talking to themselves.

As soon as I walked in, they stood upright, each of them greeting me appropriately, this was how it was as alpha and I loved it.

"How are y'all guys?" I asked.

"Man, we're all good. You didn't find her yet?" Zac, one of my closest friends asked.

I shook my head,

"Nah, I don't think I'll find her ever so I would probably be choosing Veronica"

We all laughed and joked about it before they left to do whatever it was they did and only Jude and I were left behind.

"Man, how come you ain't find her? That whole place was packed, I even found someone" he said.

I looked at him in surprise, "You found your mate?"

He laughed in mockery, "Fuck no, I'm not ready to find her anyway, I need to have a long bachelor life first"

Well, I understood very well what he meant, I had been the same before I met Veronica, okay and maybe just a little bit the same even now.

"So you met who?" I asked.

He shrugged, "Just some pretty girl, made out and stuff. I'll even go see her later today" that caused me to throughly be surprised.

"Damn, that's all good for you"

I opened my mouth to tell him what I had found out last night but my phone stopped me.

Annoying piece of shit it could be sometimes.

I looked to see it was Veronica, oh not that annoying then.

I picked it up, "Hey baby"

"Baby, I miss you" she responded, her voice whiny. My inner wolf cringed at it but personally, I loved that she needed me.

"How about I come take you out in a few hours?" I asked her.

I knew she would like it and her scream on the phone communicated that,

"I'll be waiting for you " she answered happily and ended the call.

I turned to Jude and said, I needed to get it out because it had been eating at me,

"I need to tell you something"

Aria

My bag had been packed and I was ready, the woods were quiet as I ran through them to the main road.

I had left the house not long ago the next day, I didn't want Jessica to be able to reach me and so I had thrown my phone away, it was time to leave.

My unfortunate luck had taken so much from me, so many missed opportunities and dreams, not only was I the lowest rank but I also didn't have my wolf.

It was as if she was never there, whispering just a word in all my whole life.

I hated how much of a nonentity I was.

Then the goddess had also decided to give me an alpha as a mate, he had rejected me immediately.

He hadn't even given me time to process anything, he had seen how useless I was, just like I thought and rejected me immediately.

My thoughts had been true all along, I was useless and I didn't need anyone else to tell me. I was tired of rejection.

I stopped mid-walk, I wanted to see him again, I didn't know why but something pulled me to go see him.

It took a while before I recognized that I had changed direction and was heading towards his house.

I wouldn't go see him, of course I wouldn't but I wanted to see him one last time before leaving, I wanted to see who the goddess had chosen for me and if he regretted his decision.

I stood, staring from the woods when his familiar scent met my nose, he was close by.

I heard whispering before I heard footsteps, so I moved back to hide well so he wouldn't see me.

He walked into the woods with a lady, both of them holding hands.

"So what are you going to do?" She asked him, they stood both staring at each other.

"You're going to be my Luna of course, I never met my mate and someone has to be Luna for me to be Alpha" he told her.

The way he looked at her, so adoringly that it stung me deeply, very different from how he had looked at me, with disgust and annoyance at my presence.

His rejection hurt me all over again and I felt the tears slide down my face.

I knew I hadn't made a mistake in deciding to leave. With the way he was treating her, he would never have treated me like this.

She giggled at his words and pulled him closer, both of them making out.

The sight jarred into me, tearing me apart inside, I couldn't stand to look at both of them.

Gradually and slowly, I walked away from them, my two small bags in my hands.

I had taken only my essentials and some money to at least survive a week there before finding a job.

When I was far away from them, I let the sob that had been pulling at me out, the sound filling

the forest and the tears slid down continuously, blurring my vision.

What a failure I was, nothing was ever good for me.

I had lost my family, I was alone in this world,alone as an omega in a pack that didn't care about me.

Why was I so cursed?

Had I done anything in my past life to warrant this I wondered to myself.

All through high school, I had been bullied, never made any friend other than Jessica and definitely not a boyfriend.

This place held nothing for me in it, there was no choice but to leave. What did I have here anyway?

A few hours later, I could hear the sounds of cars moving on the highway and I knew I was close, so close to my freedom.

I would get a bus to the new city and stay there, find a new home away from the oppression here.

At least there would be nobody looking at me specifically, I wouldn't be suffocated with the pressure of everyone I had grown up with going up in life and me staying the same.

There, I saw it immediately, a bus parked and I saw two women going in.

I could see it was about to move and ran to catch up,

"Wait" I shouted as the bus began to move.

The last lady to enter spotted me and looked back inside, the bus stopped just then and I rushed in.

"Sorry" I muttered shyly as I stared at the occupants.

Fortunately, they didn't seem to notice me much.

I paid the fare and sat down in the empty seat close to the back.

Two ladies and a man were already seated in the row, quietly watching outside or their phones.

I leaned against the chair, shutting my eyes.

I had finally left. I had made the decision now and there was no turning back.

This was goodbye it seemed, to a place I would never come back to at least I hoped.

My eyes opened when the movement stopped, the car had reached its bus stop and we all came down.

I looked around, this new and unfamiliar place where I had come to run away from my past and failures.

The bustling city of strangers, I started looking around, lost. Where would I start from? Who would I approach to ask around?

I began to think then, what was I going to do first? Would I find an apartment or hotel? I wasn't sure and began to walk down the road.

I saw a sign, "Accomodation at cheap cost"

That interested me and I headed towards it, I had enough money for a few weeks for now at least, I didn't want to spend too much until I got a paying job.

The inside of the building was dingy and clearly cheap, it didn't bother me, after all I wasn't looking for anything exactly expensive but it was empty.

"Anyone here?" I called out looking around.

A few minutes later I heard footsteps and an older lady walked out of the hallway, she stared at me curiously.

"How can I help you?" She asked.

Her tone was dry and not impressed with me, "I came for the accomodation" I answered.

She nodded, her face brightened up.

"Yes, that. It's free. Want to see it?" She asked.

I nodded and followed behind her as she led us up to the room.

The inside of it was just as unimpressive as the inside. There was a bed with a surprisingly clean enough mattress, though uncovered.

The windows were boarded up.

"You can fix that" she said as she noticed where my gaze went to.

I shrugged, it didn't really matter.

"The toilet is down the hallway" she said pointing out the door towards where I had seen the door.

I went into the other room, I guessed it was the kitchen because it looked like it, there was the space for a cooker and everything, the cupboards as well.

To me, it was good enough, maybe not the best accomodation.

"I'll take it" I said to the lady.

She smiled, the first I had seen of it

"It's five hundred per half a year" she told me.

It wasn't too expensive so I paid it there, cash as I had and she left me alone to acquaint myself with the apartment.

There were cobwebs and dust of course due to the clear disuse, I wondered for how long this place had lain empty.

It looked desolated.

There were some old clothes laying on the floor around the floor and I threw them away, into a bag I had designated as the trash.

I didn't have a phone, I had thrown it away so that Jessica couldn't contact me, even though I had her number written in a book.

I decided I would go out to get one when I was done with arranging.

When I had finished, the room looked as good as it could considering the situation.

I also had to look for a job I decided, hopefully somewhere I would be paid well enough.

I washed my hands and left the room to explore the city.

I passed some houses that looked like they should be destroyed and some that looked like they should be somewhere in the suburbs.

Finally I reached the part that seemed more consistent, the houses looked much better, richer and even the bars and restaurants looked too expensive.

I knew I couldn't eat there but maybe there was a job for me.

I had walked for a while when I spotted what I was looking for originally, a phone shop.

I walked in, hoping it would be cheap enough for me to be able to get enough.

"What would you like?" The receptionist asked me.

I smiled, a nervous one, "A phone please"

"Any specific taste?" She asked.

I shook my head, "Although not something too expensive" I told her.

She smiled as if understanding and showed me to the show glass where a couple of phones had been put on display.

"These are our cheapest but still good brands"

I studied them carefully before choosing a good looking phone.

"That is six hundred" she said.

The price was more than I had expected but I knew it was the cheapest I would find anyway.

My savings were slowly going down.

"I'll take it"

We both went to the counter where I paid and before leaving I asked.

"Do you know where I can get a job, do you have any vacancies?"

She seemed to think for a while before she said, "Down the road, there was a vacancy for a bar woman and waitress for a club" she told me.

That brightened me and I thanked her profusely before leaving the shop, I would go where she had directed me to immediately, before the position was filled.