CHLOE POV

"I'm eighteen, Mom. Today might just be the day. I wish you were here to see it, but I know why you aren't, and I'm sorry," I whisper as I look myself over in my long mirror.

Today I took extra care to make myself feel and look beautiful, and since I am off, I don't have to worry about getting dirty.

Everyone gets the day off for their birthday, omega or warrior; it doesn't matter. So I don't have to worry about chores today or helping with the party set-up, thank goodness.

I smile at myself happily. I definitely got my mother's looks. I got my father's height since I am 5'10", and my mother topped out at 5'4", but the rest of me is all hers. I got her easily tanned skin and her light brown eyes. I also got her dirty blonde hair and small nose. And while I do wish I were thinner, what teenage girl doesn't? I got my mother's amazing curves.

All in all, I am about an eight on the attractiveness scale. But when I count in my personality, I give myself a ten.

Once, when I told a friend-enemy that I was a ten in my book, she called me vain. But I just told her I was speaking honestly. My mother always told me to judge myself honestly and to stay sweet. Because a poor personality can sour even a pretty face. My mother also said to admit if you find yourself attractive. Because if you lie and say you find yourself ugly when you don't, you become a liar. And liars aren't pretty.

Needless to say, that girl stopped being my friend. She told our other friends to shun me also, so now I just hang out with the other omegas, which is cool because I love Melanie and Shannon. They keep me smiling. Not to mention Momma Marsh, Trevor, Chance, Lydia, and Chris, who are all older. They were friends with my parents and were as sweet as can be. But the girls my age, Melanie and Shannon, understand me.

They understand that I only want to be the best that I can be to make my mother's sacrifice mean something. I want to be the best omega I can be, and when I get my wolf and my mate, if my title changes, I want to be the best I can be then, too.

My mom always said every wolf matters. Our roles in the pack have meaning, and if they didn't, then they wouldn't exist. Every pack needs an Alpha. Every pack needs a Beta. Every pack needs its warriors and workers. And every pack needs its omegas or caregivers, if you will.

Now, as a female wolf, my wolf will match her mate. So, since I don't know who my mate is, I don't know my true level yet. For all I know, my mate might be a warrior, like my mother's parents were. Or my mate might be an omega like my father and his parents were. No female ever truly knows, and until the age of eighteen, we train and master the roles that our parents have, or in my case, had. It's a good system-a perfect one. How could it not be? Our Goddess created this world just for us.

And today, when I meet my mate, I will know. Then I will shift when the moon is at its highest, and I will be complete. I will know what role I will have for the rest of my life. If I don't meet my mate, I have to wait.

Twice a year, all mateless/wolfless wolves go on "the hunt." We gather at the center of the world, which is called Outcast. It is where all the wolves who are rejected or mateless live. At Outcast, there is no fighting. It is neutral ground available for those who need it. So enemy packs are forbidden from fighting there. Everyone is there with one goal in mind: to find our match made specifically for us.

If you are female and find your mate, you leave your pack forever and join the pack your mate is from. If you don't find your mate, you can remain at Outcast or return to your pack. But many stay at Outcast. It boosts the chances of finding your mate. Plus, you are wolfless until you find your mate, so you are a liability to your pack. If your mate has passed before meeting you, you are forever wolfless. The safest place for you is Outcast because it is neutral ground.

I feel the worst for those wolves. They never meet their other half or their wolf spirit, but many mate with the wolves who have been rejected. They live happily, but they probably always wonder.

Honestly, I hope my mate is in my home pack, but I wouldn't mind moving. I have no family in my home pack, so I wouldn't miss anyone. But if my mate is from my home pack and I find him today, I won't be an omega.

The only omegas who are my age and mateless right now are females. A couple of the omegas who were friends with my parents have young pups. But I'm never around them, and I am much too old to be their mate. So if I find my mate today, I will be mating into a different role, which is weird to think about.

I like being an omega. I like taking care of others. But I also find I have a fiery side, like my mom, who was born a warrior. She became an omega when she mated with her father, but she trained as a warrior for eighteen years. That's how she first became friends with Alpha Patrick and Luna Kandace. Luna's parents are warriors, just like my mothers were.

According to my mother and the other omegas her age, my mom was a savage when it came to fighting. She even made Alpha Patrick submit. But when she got her wolf...her wolf had the characteristics of an omega-a weak body with a kind, nurturing spirit.

But my mother didn't complain. She loved her new role, and she said it balanced her friendship with the Luna. My mom said that before they found their mates, Kandace was very competitive with her. Luna liked Alpha, who crushed on my mom. But Mom said she didn't return the feelings that Alpha had. She was relieved when her mate turned out not to be the Alpha.

The only thing hard for me to swallow is that if my mom had gotten the stronger wolf spirit, she might still be here. She might not have had to fight teeth and claws in her stronger but also weaker human body. As wolves, our hide is thicker and can take more damage than our human bodies. But my mother's wolf spirit had zero fight, and my mother chose to defend that day in her human flesh.

I smile a bittersweet smile as I clean up my room. I think of my mother's last moments often, and while I can't be more proud of her and who she was, I wish she had just run. I wish she had given our enemy what they came for. But that just wouldn't be my mother. She would have never run...not like someone else I know.

I grind my teeth together at that last thought and slam my makeup box closed a little harder than necessary.

Stupid Luna! If only she had helped. If only she had shifted and used her Alpha wolf spirit. She could have fought side by side with my mother. They would have been able to handle the threat and keep them from doing what they came to do, but instead, my mother died, and only I know why. Only I know what transpired between my mother and our enemies that day. And while she won, she still died.

CHLOE POV

I take a deep breath as I make my way into the ballroom housing Logan's celebration. I am so nervous my palms have begun to sweat.

This is the first time all day I have been around other people. And while the chance of finding my mate amongst all the mateless females showing up for Logan is low, it is still possible.

I mean, we have male workers from the pack hanging around trying to catch females' eyes too. And I know a few males are over eighteen in our pack. They are waiting to go to Outcast, so they are definitely around here in hopes of saving themselves a trip. Maybe just maybe, one of them is mine.

I have had crushes throughout the years within our pack. I have even prayed to the Goddess a time or two on who I wanted to be my mate.

As I try to boost my hopes I will find my mate, I pass Melanie, who is dressed up cute to serve snacks.

She gives me a wink, and I give her a thumbs up. Both my friends see me as the happy nothing can get me down girl, so she would be surprised to know how terrified I am right now. Because well...I think I'm pretty, but what if my mate doesn't. Maybe he prefers chocolate-skinned females, a female with dark hair, or females with blue eyes. I am none of those things...I could be rejected. I could be moving to Outcast in hopes someone will love me.

I head to the punch table to calm my nerves, and on the way, I hear the voice of my old friend-enemy fake whispering about me.

"Yeah, that's her. The omega who acts like her shit don't stink," she says, and my eyes roll.

I don't even acknowledge her by turning around. She has been eighteen for about two months already and will be heading to Outcast soon if she doesn't find her mate. Logan and her have hooked up before. They've even dated; I bet she will be his mate. They are a perfect match.

Oh goodness, maybe I don't want to find my mate in our pack. She will be worse than Luna Kandace!

I snort out loud at the thought before grabbing a prefilled punch cup. Half the pack will ask to join another Alpha in a week of them taking over. Because even though Logan is strong and intelligent, he is a jerk to half his people. Add her into the mix.....oh geez.

"Chloe...don't you know you are supposed to look up at times like these? Can't make eye contact with your mate if you are staring at a cup of punch," Melanie whispers from beside me, and I grin before looking at her.

"I know...but this punch looked really dreamy," I joke, and she gives me an eye roll before disappearing yet again.

"Okay, focus, Chloe. Make eye contact with every male you see," I demand in my head as I turn around to face the crowd.

My eyes lock with almost ten people doing the same thing in under a minute before I finally blink. I want to laugh at myself, but this is how these things are...everyone walking around wide-eyed and hopeful.

I make a few rounds around the room and come to the conclusion that my mate is either very late or just not here. Which it's okay. The next Hunt is scheduled in less than three months, and I am bound to find my mate at Outcast.

I hear during the hunt thousands of wolves line up and walk past each other with their eyes open. And when they lock eyes with their mate, they just jump out of line. They spend the night getting to know each other and then shift together for the first time under the moon at midnight. In the morning they head back to the males' pack.

So, going to Outcast to find my mate won't be so bad. Thousands do it! And if he isn't there during that hunt, I will stay at Outcast until the next hunt and so forth. My mate shouldn't be more than two years younger than me, so if he doesn't show...I am mateless and wolfless. It happens. I will be sad, but it happens. Fighting between packs kill thousands every year.

"Attention, in just a moment, my son will be taking the stage. Luna Kandace and I would like to invite all the of-age ladies forward at this time. Please don't be shy; we are excited and hopeful that one of you are our future daughter," Alpha Patrick suddenly announces, and I am surprised to find I am already where I should be.

Maybe a little too close, in fact. I have no hopes that Logan is my mate. And while I believe I would be a great Luna, I wouldn't want him for a mate. Yes, he is gorgeous, but he is the main reason my mother is gone. While the idea to go play outside was mine and Luna Kandace's, it was Logan who she fought tooth and nail to protect. It was Logan that they wanted and come hunting for.

I take a deep calming breath as I hear Logan's feet make their way onto the stage. A trickle of fear runs down my spine, before I lift my head and look in the direction he is approaching from. I keep my face blank as he locks eyes with everyone he can. I am almost completely center, so he has about 75 girls, if not more, to get to before he gets to me. So I take this time to look him over.

He is a fine male. Taller than even his father. His shoulders are wide, which is nice, and his curly hair he inherited from his chocolate-skinned father is adorable. But I personally love his brown and blue eyes. I complimented him often when we were little and he used to always to blush.

Still to this day, I have never seen anyone with the same color. I have seen a lot of brown and green, or blue and green. But never brown and blue perfectly blended like his are.

As I try to remember the exact shade his eyes are, a weird since of longing fills me. I find myself getting impatient. I want to look at his eyes again. I want to see that pretty color again. And right in the middle of that longing, it happens.

Logan's big beautiful blue-brown eyes lock with mine, and something within me snaps together. As if a piece of me was floating within my chest, just waiting to be attached to my heart, and all it took was one look. One look from him, Logan, my mate.

His long arms reach out towards me at the same time, mine lift towards him. He grabs me and pulls me up onto the stage with him without breaking eye contact, and we both smile.

Every negative thought about our past floats away, and I feel nothing but happiness. This is him. This is my male. The boy I grew up with, is mine and I am his. His wolf and my wolf were made as one and will be sent to us tonight. I found him.

"Mine," Logan breathes, and I nod.

"Yours," I whisper back before a screech breaks our trance.

"Logan! Come here now," Luna Kandace screams, and both our arms drop.

I watch the happy light in his eyes dim as he backs away from me. Luna Kandace grabs his arm and yanks him towards her in front of all the visiting wolves, and I feel a strong level of protectiveness wash over me.

"Don't grab him like that," I snap, and her head whips towards me.

"Shut up," she orders with her command power, and I freeze.

Logan watches his mother order me and doesn't say a word. He almost seems like a whipped puppy now that her hand is on his arm. And the image would be comical in any other circumstance.

"Logan! Listen to me! She is an omega. Her human body is weak. The wolf she will get will be strong, but she is weak. She was born an omega. I told you what to do if you get an omega mate, now do it," Luna Kandace snaps, and Alpha Patrick growls.

"Kandace! How dare you force my son to reject his mate. Chloe comes from an amazing bloodline. Her mother was the strongest female before getting her mate. She even pinned me! Chloe is an amazing wolf, just like Hannah was," Alpha declares sounding as if his crush on my mom never truly died.

"That female was weak, and so is her daughter. She couldn't even fight off three wolves. If only I had been there with her and the pups...Logan listen to me reject her," Luna Kandace lies, and my rage fights against her command.

I want to spew the truth so bad but her command is stopping me. I had no idea she had lied and said she wasn't with us. I guess she thought I was too young and would forget what happened that day. She thought she could tell the adults a lie and no one would believe my version!

Logan's eyes meet mine, and I see his defeat. He is going along with his mother's order. He is throwing me away because of her lies. Because she has convinced him omegas are weak, when we aren't. We are strong and compassionate. We nurture the pack when the Luna can't. We are the backbone!

I try to plead with him using my face and body, but he closes his eyes so he can't see me. He opens his mouth, and dread fills my stomach. I want to vomit. Fifteen minutes ago, I didn't want to be his, but now I can't imagine life without him.

"I, Logan Thurman, reject you, Chloe Patterson as my mate and life partner," Logan says sadly, and the piece of myself that attached to my heart moments ago when we locked eyes, breaks right back off.

Pain fills my chest, and I open my mouth to scream, but nothing comes out. I fall to my knees, and the whole crowd gasps as they watch me twitch and battle the pain within me silently. Logan tries to rush towards me, but Kandace's hand stops him.

After a minute of wrathing on the ground, Alpha takes pity on me and comes to my aid.

"You may speak," Alpha commands, and my scream erupts from within me instantly.

Logan flinches hard, and the sound of my pain echoes throughout the room as my body fights against his rejection. My fingernails cut the inside of my palms, and my forehead beads with sweat as I repeatedly scream out.

The entire time I scream, my eyes don't leave Logan and Kandace. I watch as my pain hurts him, and I watch as Kandace smiles at my agony with nothing but triumph.

She thinks she has won. She thinks she has proven me to be weak! She thinks she has finally outdone my beautiful mother. I will show her.

"You have to accept the rejection for the pain to stop...I'm sorry, Chloe. But you have to," Alpha whispers as another blade of pain slices through my heart.

I grind my teeth together as I lock eyes with only Kandace. I force myself to my feet on pure adrenaline as pain rips my insides apart. I swallow back my screams and fight with all my might to keep the pain from showing on my face.

As I stand up, a different look crosses her face, and I wish I could manage a smile.

"I, Chloe Patterson, accept your rejection," I barely manage to whisper before everything goes dead within me.

Logan grabs his chest with open panic, and I know exactly what he just felt.

"Yeah, that was our bond dying Logan. Congratulations," I sarcastically say before I whip around and face the massive crowd that just witnessed my public rejection.

"I want to set something straight, that should have been set straight years ago. When my mother Hannah Patterson died, she died defending our future alpha, Logan Thurman! Luna Kandace, my mother, Logan, and I had all been at the clearing right next to the old park! We were there because Luna Kandace suggested we play outside as an early birthday celebration. Logan had cried and said no, and I had said yes. Not twenty minutes after arriving we were attacked! Luna Kandace, ran! She left my mother, A WEAK OMEGA, to defend her pup and me. Logan got knocked unconscious when the first wolf attacked, and my mother, IN HUMAN FORM, immediately sprang to action. She attacked the warrior wolf trying to kill the Alpha's son, and Kandace ran like a coward. SHE RAN AWAY INSTEAD OF PROTECTING HER OWN PUP. MY MOTHER BRAVELY TOOK DOWN THAT WOLF AND THE NEXT TWO WHO SHOWED UP, ALL IN HUMAN FORM. She kept yelling to me, "Don't worry, Chloe, Kandace went to get help." But my mother was wrong. Luna Kandace ran and hid away. She had no plans to return or get help, because she was too weak and scared to even think straight! My mother died in my arms after defeating the last warrior. Her human body was basically shredded as our border patrol finally caught scent of the blood and came to her aid! OUR LUNA IS LIAR AND A COWARD. SHE IS JEALOUS OF A DEAD OMEGA'S ACTS OF HEROISM AND JUST FORCED HER SON TO REJECT HIS OWN MATE BECAUSE OF THOSE JEALOUS FEELINGS. I AM HAPPY TO SAY I WILL BE LEAVING FOR OUTCAST AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. ENJOY HAVING HER AS YOUR LUNA," I scream to the shocked crowd before jumping of the stage and heading straight for the exit.

I don't look back, and I never will. My mother should have let those warriors have him!

CHLOE POV

I let the tears fall as I pack what I can fit in my one tiny suitcase. The dull memory of my pain is still pulsing within my mind, but my tears have nothing to do with Logan or even Luna Kandace.

I am honestly sad to leave the pack I was destined to lead. I truly believe I would have done a great job repairing some of the relationships Luna Kandace has destroyed. I could have made our people closer, but Luna Kandace, along with her weak-willed son, ruined that future.

I slam shut the suitcase and sit on it to be able to close the latches as a knock sounds on my door.

"Come in," I grunt out between wiping my face and working with the latch.

I don't look up as my door opens. I don't really want to. I know the goodbyes are coming from my closest friends and loved ones, but I am dreading them. I have had enough pain to last me a lifetime after my rejection, and I know these goodbyes will hurt.

"Honey...stop, let me help you," Mrs. Marsh says as her hands join mine, working the latch.

I look up and find my medium-sized room filled with people. All the omegas and a few friends from school have come to see me off.

"I'm sorry," Shannon whispers as she gently tugs me off my suitcase.

She and Melanie wrap their arms around me as soon as I am standing.

"It's his loss," one of the males says, and I attempt to smile.

I try to pull on my happy face just one more time, so they all know I haven't been broken, but my lips waver.

"Oh, sweetheart, it's okay to show sadness. You are so strong all the time; it's okay to break down every once in a while," Lydia says from just over Melanie's shoulder, and I sniffle before breaking down again, completely for all of them to see.

"I can't believe I am supposed to be your new Luna, and because of them, I don't get to be," I sob, sounding like a five-year-old pup.

"You will always be my Luna. No matter who that dumbass chooses to mate," Chance says, and I see Trevor nod.

I wipe my eyes, but my crying doesn't halt. Shannon and Melanie pull away to look at me, and Chris offers me a handkerchief.

"Thanks," I mumble, and he gives me a sad smile.

"I'm so happy the truth about your mother is finally out there," Melanie says, and the rest of the group nods.

Momma Marsh puts her arm over my shoulders and kisses the side of my head.

"Your momma was the bravest and sweetest woman I have ever met, honey. And I am 100% certain you made her beyond proud tonight," Momma Marsh says, and the group mumbles out their agreements.

"Thanks, Momma Marsh...I just think I want to get out of here. When I shift at midnight, I want to be far away from here. I want to be able to talk to my wolf and get to know her without worry," I whisper, and the group nods.

They take turns giving me silent but meaningful hugs and squeezes before one by one, leaving me to finish packing.

When my door finally closes, I sigh. I grab my mom's picture and tuck it into my back pocket. I look at myself in the mirror and think about how different I look than I did this morning. I look tired and sad, not happy and hopeful. And I no longer give myself a ten out of ten. Thank you, Logan.

I grab a couple of hair ties and put them around my wrist. My hair is already up, but I will need the extras when I get to Outcast. I do a once-over one more time before opening my door and freezing midstep.

"Hi," Logan says quickly, looking desperately between my eyes.

"Bye," I reply, trying to move around him.

"Please wait...The rejection had nothing to do with you, okay. You are gorgeous. My childhood fucking crush, to be perfectly honest...It's just your human body is groomed for being an Omega. Even though Mom betrayed my trust, she had that part right. I value my mom's counsel. She has always been closer to me than my dad...I. Look, I get it. The truth hurts. Knowing my mom ran," Logan says, and I hold up my hand to stop him.

He goes quiet, and I look him in the eyes.

"Your mother's body trained as a warrior before she got her wolf...tell me why she didn't stand with my mom...You see, Logan, sometimes it's about character, not training. I was born to be your Luna and mate. The wolf that I will receive tonight...alone, instead of in your company, is one with the wolf you will receive. You will have to explain to him why you rejected his mate's human body, and I hope you have a better excuse than that because throughout history, Omegas have made great Lunas," I declare, and his eyes widen.

"Maybe if you had read up on your history instead of focusing on your muscles, war, and girls, we wouldn't be having this conversation," I whisper before walking past him as if he doesn't exist.

"Chloe, I'm sorry," Logan calls as I round the corner, heading for the back exit to the packhouse.

I almost stop and go back to him, but we have nothing left to say to each other. I am on my way to Outcast to live permanently, and he will be taking bi-annual hunting trips to Outcast to find my replacement. That is the future he has chosen for us, and it was a decision based solely on his mother's counsel. Great.

LOGAN POV (DAY BEFORE BIRTHDAY)

Her perfume is in the bathroom again, and I love it. I wish I already had my heightened sense of smell. That way, I could follow her scent more closely, and my mother wouldn't ever know.

"Damn, Chloe. Why do you have to be everywhere?" I whisper before drying my hands and heading towards the gym.

I skipped breakfast since I already heard mom and dad going at it like screech owls. I really wish he would just realize she acts out to get his attention. It would make living under the same roof as them so much easier.

I constantly have to play the soundboard for my mother because her mate sucks. He never shows any interest in her or me, for that matter, and it gets to her. She says that after they had me, he barely even kissed her. Which I can be a witness to that because he never shows either of us affection. He is nice to our people, and for all purposes, a great Alpha, but as a mate and father...the man is lacking.

"Hey, man. Why the gloom and doom? You turn eighteen tomorrow," Gavin, my Beta, says as I enter the gym, probably looking annoyed.

"Ah man, you know. The old man and my mom are just going at it. The usual," I answer honestly, and he rolls his eyes.

"Focus on something else...like the fact you might be locked down to just one pussy tomorrow," Gavin says, and I force my eyes not to roll.

I'm the one who made this fake image for myself two years ago, trying to be cool. It's not his fault. I am starting to regret it.

I honestly didn't plan my whole image out when I decided to start acting this way. I didn't think about the repercussions, such as fake friends and superficial girls sticking to me like gorilla duct tape.

I had just thought it would be nice to be the cool guy. To get a shit ton of attention at school since I get zero from my dad. So when I went to Alpha training, I tested my new image...it worked, and I came back still in character.

Girls loved it, and guys envied me. Win-win, or so I thought."Yeah. I'm kinda tired of the communal pools, though, if you know what I mean," I say, and he nods.

"I get that, man. These girls just aren't cutting it. I can't wait to turn eighteen. Hopefully, my girl isn't someone you've been with," Gavin says, and I snort.

Little does he know I haven't slept with any of the girls I've "dated." I say that I do, and the school believes me. The girls like the popularity and go along with the lie, and I stay clean.

"Anyways, are we gonna talk, or am I gonna kick your ass?" I ask, giving him my most cocky grin?

"I'm not the one avoiding the mat," Gavin says, starting to bounce back and forth on the balls of his feet.

I immediately lunge, and he dodges, anticipating my attack just in time.

For the next thirty minutes, Gavin and I exhaust our muscles pinning and wrestling each other over and over again. When he finally submits for the tenth time and declares defeat, my body hits the mat instantly.

"Shit, you've gotten better," I manage to say, and he laughs.

"Still can't win, though," he replies, and I shrug before propping myself up.

"You aren't supposed to. I'm the Alpha, remember," I reply as my eyes land on my mother leaning against the gym's padded wall.

She gestures for me to follow her, and I nod.

"Looks like I'm done for the day, bro. See ya later," I say, standing to my feet and grabbing a room-temperature water bottle we keep on the shelf.

Time to play listening ear.