Chapter 1

On my eighteenth birthday, I discovered that James Carter, the Alpha's son I had been crushing on for two years, was my Fated Mate.

That same day, he rejected me.

And told me.

"You're too weak, and you spend all your time hanging around those pups. The thought of you liking me makes me sick."

"I need a stronger wolf to be my mate, to become the Pack's future Luna. That person could never be you."

In the pouring rain, I decided to leave the Pack and go to college in London.

But I never expected I would meet my Second Chance Mate there, a powerful Alpha.

And when I returned to my Pack, James had become a Rogue.

Stella Stone POV

On my eighteenth birthday, I found out that James Carter, the Alpha's son I had been crushing on for two years, was my Fated Mate.

That same day, he rejected me and told me.

"You're too weak, and you spend all your time hanging around the younger wolves. The thought of you liking me makes me sick."

"I need a stronger wolf to be my mate, to become the Pack's future Luna. That person could never be you."

In the pouring rain, I decided to leave the Pack and go to college in London.

But I never expected to meet my Second Chance Mate there, a powerful Alpha.

And when I returned to my Pack, James had become a Rogue.

"I'll grow up!"

He laughed and said casually:

"Sure. When you turn eighteen, if you can awaken your wolf, I'll give you an answer."

For that answer, I chased after him for two years.

My entire youth was written with his name.

Today, I finally turned eighteen.

I successfully awakened my wolf and went to get that answer that was two years overdue.

But just as I reached the Council Hall entrance, I heard voices from inside.

I froze.

The men's teasing voices came through clearly.

"James, that's brutal, man."

One guy was laughing.

"Straight up choosing Grace as your mate. What if Stella really is your fated mate?"

James's voice rang out with its usual lazy drawl and a hint of impatience.

"Even if she really is my fated mate, I wouldn't choose her. Worst case, I'll just reject her. She's too weak, and she's always clinging to me. It's annoying."

Another voice chimed in.

"True. That girl's like a sticker, you can't shake her off. But why Grace?"

James chuckled lightly, his tone dripping with arrogant certainty.

"Grace has a powerful bloodline. Her grandfather was an Alpha. Marking her will help boost my strength. Plus, this way Stella will finally understand she's not good enough for me."

"So you're choosing Stella's birthday to give her this surprise?"

"Killing two birds with one stone."

James's voice was ice-cold.

"I'll make Stella give up for good, and let Grace know my intentions. I already had someone send her the ceremony notice. Today I'm just giving her a heads-up."

"Damn, James! If Stella actually shows up and makes a scene at the mate ceremony, that'll be one hell of a show!"

"She wouldn't dare."

Those two words from James hit my ears like stones.

So this was it. The answer I'd been waiting for with such hope was a carefully orchestrated humiliation.

I was nothing but a weak, ordinary wolf who didn't deserve his status.

The homemade cake I'd been holding dropped to the ground, a pathetic mess.

The voices inside stopped abruptly.

The door flew open.

James stood in the doorway. When he saw me, there wasn't a trace of surprise in his eyes.

I looked at him, this man I had loved for two years.

At the same time, I felt the call echoing in my mind: Mine... fated mate...

"Bad timing."

His tone was flat.

I didn't say anything, just looked at him.

"So you really are... Well, that saves me the trouble."

James pulled something from his pocket and put it away.

"I'm going to become mates with Grace. So, Stella, as the Alpha's son of Silverstream Pack, I reject you as my mate."

I bit my lip, fighting through the pain as I nodded. Then I turned and ran into the rain.

I didn't cry. I didn't even look back once.

The icy rain poured down on me. My mind felt clearer than ever before.

So that was all I was to him, a weak wolf he looked down on.

My two years of pursuit and devotion were nothing but a clown's performance.

I rushed home. Brian wasn't there.

I grabbed my phone and called him.

On the other end, Brian's voice was full of concern.

"Stella? What's wrong?"

I took a deep breath.

"Brian, I have made up my mind."

"About what?"

"What you mentioned before, about me going abroad for college. I agree."

Silence on the other end for a few seconds, then Brian's excited voice came through.

"Really? That's great. You finally came around."

"Also..."

I looked at the blurry moonlight in the distance.

"That friend you wanted to introduce me to last time. Set it up. I want to meet new people."

"No problem! Stella, whatever you do, I support you!"

After hanging up, I let out a long breath.

I'd given him two years. That was enough.

I stripped off my soaked clothes and walked into the bathroom.

Hot water poured down from above, washing over my body.

My phone dinged. A message from James.

"Next month on the eighteenth. Don't forget to come to my mate ceremony."

I stared at that message for a long time.

Then I typed two words and hit send.

"Okay."

After doing all this, I stood up and dragged a heavy box out from under my bed.

Inside was everything I'd collected related to James over the past two years.

Wristbands he had used. I had secretly picked them up and washed them clean.

A wooden carving he had casually tossed to me. I had treasured it all this time.

Our only photo together, where I stood in a corner of the crowd while he was front and center.

I took everything out piece by piece and threw it into a large black garbage bag.

Finally, I picked up the photo frame.

The boy in the picture was full of spirit and radiance.

I had naively thought that if I just tried hard enough, I could get a little closer to that light.

Now I understood. Some people are just born to live in the shadows.

I let go. The frame dropped into the garbage bag with a dull thud.

I knew my two-year crush ended here.