I swallowed hard and pointedly avoided eye contact. Pulling my arms up, I hugged myself, praying that I just fell asleep in Señor's class and that this was all a bad dream. Gazing at the suddenly-fascinating floor, I heard the wheels of Alpha Alexander's office chair roll against the hardwood floor. I stood frozen in place for a heartbeat before I felt his intimidating presence near me.

His shoes suddenly came into my line of sight and I stiffened in fear. This werewolf was one of the most notorious wolves in the United States, possibly the world, and he was standing directly in front of me, claiming I was his mate. Surely, his mate would be a she-wolf if he was such a big deal, right?

I think to myself, 'Yes, right. I'm a human—a weak link, according to their species. I can't be the mate to a werewolf, let alone an Alpha. Fate got it wrong, and once Alpha Alexander realizes I'm not who he thinks I am, I'll be let go, right?'

Right! my mind praises.

His hand lifted from his side to reach toward me. Instinctively, I stepped back, dropping my arms because he was aiming for my hand. Skin-to-skin contact is one of the ways you can find your mate. The other is eye contact. If a wolf is strong enough, he or she can smell their mate from a mile away-at least, that's the rumor.

Alpha Alexander's hand didn't drop in defeat. Instead, it moved forward with his body, reaching out to me.

I retreated backwards until the doors stopped me. I gasped in fear as he continued his advance. In a moment of pure horror, I whispered, "Please don't touch me."

That made him pause. His hand stilled, midair. His aroma suffocated me—a sweet blend of sugar and honey mixed with sharp body soap. My body trembled as his hand reached up to cup my chin. I turned away before he could touch me.

"Look at me, Phoebe."

His voice. It rumbled and stirred something deep in my stomach, but I refused to acknowledge he affected me in any way besides fear. I prayed for the door to swallow me whole, but nothing happened and he only got closer to me, suffocating me once again with his scent and his presence. I felt an electric jolt when his finger brushed the pulse at my neck. I jumped and swiveled my head to glare at him. I asked him not to touch me and he disregarded my request.

My eyes locked with his and almost immediately, my knees started to shake and a new feeling pooled in my stomach. I refused to give a name to the new emotion; I already didn't like the feel of it. His dark chocolate gaze pierced my soul, shattering it to pieces around me.

As I steadily stared back at him, his hand cupped my chin, causing another shock to rack through my body. I gasped as he leaned forward, his nostrils flaring as he took in my scent. The new emotion—and fear—stirred in my belly, making me feel uneasy.

I knew what this meant, but I still cringed when I heard him say it aloud.

"Mate," he murmured.

His thumb caressed my lip, and the sudden urge to bite his finger became overwhelming. Without properly thinking it through, I nipped the tip of his thumb in warning. His eyes widened a fraction in surprise, and I think I saw his lips twitch, but I couldn't be sure. His eyes grew darker, if that was even possible. He leaned forward slightly, but I knew his intention. I slowly shook my head, flattening my body against the door and jerking my chin out of his grasp. "I want to go home."

Gruffly, he said, "This is your home."

I shook my head again, my body still trembling. "I want to see my parents."

He eyed me carefully, as though committing my face to memory. "They'll be here this weekend for dinner. You'll see them then."

"But I want to see them now." My voice came out a lot stronger than I intended, but it made me feel a little better—braver, almost.

"Saturday," he said with finality.

My anger from before reared its ugly head and returned to me full force. I glared at him. If he was surprised with my change in attitude, he didn't show it. "What gives you the right—?"

"I'll have Vance show you to the room." His brusque manner made me even more mad. I opened my mouth to say something back, but he wrapped a hand around my wrist and yanked me forward before opening the door. It took me a moment to register the rude man who drove me here was now standing in front of me. I turned back around to snap at Alpha Alexander, but he spoke first. "We'll talk over dinner."

And he closed the door. Right in my face. I scowled at the wooden object standing between me and that asshole of a werewolf. "I won't be here for dinner," I muttered.

Vance showed me to a large room scarcely furnished with a bed, nightstand and dresser. Nothing impressive besides the wall opposite the door, which was entirely glass. I had to admit: the view was amazing—trees stretched for miles and the sky was so clear with the sun shining boldly to complete the picturesque view.

Vance closed the door as he exited, leaving me to fend for myself. The first thing that caught me eye were the duffle bags at the end of the bed. Unzipping one, I found all my jeans and shorts. In another were all my shirts. The third were personal items such as pictures and toiletries and my laptop. I pulled out one of the picture frames—it was me and my parents, with a baby boy tucked in my small arms. My parents beamed at the camera, but I was staring in awe at the bundle of blue blankets and pale flesh in my lap—my brother, Tommy.

My eyes watered as I realized that I'd have to wait three more days before I saw my family again. My little brother and I fought daily, but I loved him to pieces, and vice versa—once, for an assignment, he wrote a sweet poem about when I took him to the zoo. At age nine, I wondered how my parents would handle telling him why I was not coming home again, and how he'd handle living without me in the room down the hall.

Tears spilled over my cheeks as I pictured Tommy crying, alone in his bed. What would happen when a thunder storm rolls in and I'm not in my room when he comes running in, begging to sleep with me? Who will take him to his soccer games? My parents were alway too busy with work.

I made a vow to try my hardest to remain a part of Tommy's life. I'd heard of human mates who forget their human families in favor of their wolf's. I would not be that girl. In fact, I would not be a mate, period. There had to be a mistake—maybe he just shocked me because his feet rubbed against the floor the wrong way. Maybe his eyes were always that dark. Maybe his scent is always that delicious—wait, what?

I shook my head to erase the path my thoughts were leading down. I placed the frame on the bedside table and laid down. The bed was huge—much bigger than mine back at home. I spread my limbs out on the soft beige comforter. Snuggling into the pillow, I closed my eyes. I didn't care if my jeans and shoes were still on; I needed sleep after today. Burying my nose into the pillow, I recognized a familiar scent. Before I could pin it, my body slackened and I fell into the darkness.

. . .

I woke up when a soft knock came from the door. I groaned and rolled to my other side, trying to block out the interruption.

"Phoebe?" a soft voice calls. "It's me. Julie."

My eyes snapped open and I sat up. Everything that happened today came at me in a rush and I held back a small whimper. It wasn't a dream. Wiping the drool from my chin, I called out, "Come in."

The door opened slowly. Julie popped her head in, smiling sympathetically. She closed the door behind her and approached the bed. "Can I sit?"

I nodded, pulling my legs to my chest. Ew, I'm still in jeans. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to see how you were doing." She sighed. "I remember when I was first dragged here."

I frowned, curious. "What happened?"

"It was kind of like you. I was excused from class and when I followed Mr. Graham to the front office, Seth was standing there, pacing back and forth." She looked at me with understanding eyes. "My first thought was that he terrified me. He was huge and intimidating, and so bossy. God, I wanted to slap him the day I met him after he scolded me for wearing a skirt to school."

I couldn't help it . . . I chuckled. "Seriously?"

"Yes! After he practically molested me in front of the principal, he dragged me to the car and threw a pair of dirty sweatpants at me, demanding I cover up my legs." She shook her head in mock annoyance. "I threw them back in his face and told him where he could put the sweats and his demands."

"You did not!" I gaped at her.

She nodded. "I did! And he couldn't believe I did, either. The look on his face!" She laughed, I smiled. After a minute, she shrugged. "But he's good to me; still bossy as hell, but I've learned how to handle him."

"How long did it take you to realize you loved him?" I asked in a low voice.

She thought about it for a moment before answering. "A long time. It was hard to get passed his possessiveness and rude attitude. Quite frankly, my mate is a stubborn jackass; it was hard to love him at first. But the mating bond that formed between us grew stronger as we learned how to compromise and listen to one another. It'll be the same for you."

"No, it won't."

She frowned at me. "And why not?"

"Because there's been a mistake. I'm not Alpha Alexander's mate. I can't be."

Julie sighed. "I hate to break it to you, Phoebe, but when a wolf knows, he knows. If Alpha Alexander says you're his mate, then you are. No mistake."

"But, I'm human." I frowned again, trying to put pieces together that didn't seem to fit.

"So am I!" Julie sighed again, trying to formulate words to make me understand. "Listen, that idea running through your head that an Alpha needs another werewolf as a mate is bullshit. Several Alpha wolves have human mates who are equally as strong as any she-wolf. Don't doubt yourself-I did the same thing when Seth claimed me. I thought he was wrong and he mistook me for someone else, but in the end, it was me who was wrong." She shrugged. "Fate has a funny way of pairing people up in the beginning. But in the end, you figure out why you're perfect for each other."