Chapter 1:

The music blared as my friends and I danced on the dance floor in the middle of my four story mansion. We were all giggling and joking about who my mate would be. It was my 18th birthday and in 20 minutes, we were going to find out who was my perfect other half. The missing piece to my life, the yin to my yang. I just needed to figure out who it was.

"HEY! Girl, it's almost midnight! Are you excited?!?!"

"Of course I am!! I'm just scared he'll reject me...."

"C'mon. You're beautiful and the Alpha's daughter. If he's here he'd be stupid to reject you." My best friend, Kelsey, exclaimed and gave me a hug. She spoke the truth somewhat, I was the Alpha's daughter. That in itself made me somewhat desirable because whoever was my mate it would make them very strong once we completed the mating process. As for the beautiful part, I wasn't super model gorgeous, in fact according to the overly popular girls in my pack, I was a little chunky. However, to them, being healthy was being chunky. I was healthy, I didn't starve myself like they did,

"Yeah, It'll be okay." I replied to my friends.

"30 seconds to midnight."

I stood on the stage and waited for the clock to bing. As soon as it did, a delectable smell entered my nostrils and before me stood Seth Weathers. My heart sank, he was a dirt bag from my pack. However, maybe having a mate will straighten him out. We greeted each other formally. I then pulled him into a nearby empty room to talk.

"You're my mate?"

"Yeah, I suppose I am." Seth shrugged rudley. This was going splendidly.

"Anything to say about it?"

"You're good in bed, right?"

"What?"

"Granted you're a little chubby, but I'm sure we can fix that as long as you're good in bed. Right?" He said it like it was obvious.

"Is that all I am to you? A lay?"

"Well, that's what a mate is."

"No, no it isn't. They're you second half, they complete you. The one person you love more than anything in the world!" Seth laughed.

"Obviously, you need to change your opinion and get a harsh reality check."

"It's not an opinion. It's a Fact! I think it's you that needs the reality check. We're mates for crying out loud."

"Okay, well then I'm going to make this easy. I reject you."

"Excuse me?"

"This is a joke, I'm going to find someone else." He said bluntly.

"Seth what are you saying?"

"I, Seth Weathers, reject you, Baila Daniels, as my mate forever and all eternity unless you thus chose to take me back." my mate said the official words of rejection.

My heart burned and wrenched, my wolf screeched and howled inside me. Seth walked out and slammed the door behind him. I could hear laughing outside and Kelsey rushed in followed closely by my parents. They all looked at me with pity as I laid on the floor in a heap. Tears flowed freely down my face.

"What happened, Baila?" My mom asked.

"He....he....he rejected me." I sobbed out.

"Now why on earth would he do that?" She replied.

"I wasn't going to be a slutty sex machine, and that's what he wants for a mate."

"Why, I never!" Snapped my father.

"Baila." Kelsey came and hugged me close to her side. They dried and wiped my tears and Kelsey reapplied my make up. Then the four of us walked out to Seth making out with the school slut on the stage in front of everyone.

"See Baila, that's what a mate should do." Seth hollered. My dad walked up on stage after that, politely shoving him off.

"Okay Ladies and Gentleman. The party is over, I hope you all had a good time but we're going to have to ask you to leave." He said respectfully but layered his alpha voice into it. Seth laughed.

"C'mon Wendy, let's go back to my place." He said as he walked past me. I glared at him and held back my tears. My mother looked taken aback and Kelsey almost went and beat the crap out of the boy. My father just looked disgusted.

"Sometimes honey," he said pulling me close. "The goddess makes mistakes." I nodded.

"Lets go up stairs and get you cleaned up and in bed. The servants will take care of this mess." my mom gave me a small hug and a encouraging smile.

After a while, I was bathed and in my room. Kelsey crawled in next to me in my king sized bed and I almost started crying again. That was where my mate was suppose to be. Technically, that's where Seth should be right now. Kelsey squeezed my arm and fell asleep. Finally after a couple of hours I did as well.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Psst." My nose twitched as an unfamiliar smell hit me. "Hey, girls. Psssssst...." Kelsey and I both jerked awake as something or someone poked us. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to scare you guys."

"Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my room!" I whisper-yelled. I didn't want to wake up my parents. In front of me stood a beautiful woman with dark brown hair, she had on a long white dress and her skin glowed like the moon.

"Baila Daniels, that is no way to talk to a goddess."

"What?" asked Kelsey.

"I'm Artemis, the goddess of the werewolves, to be specific. I'm the one who picks mates." I sighed.

"With all do respect, your goddessness, I don't know if I really want to discuss today."

"Oh, please, call me Artemis. I came to apologize. Sometimes, more often now with this whole 21st century thing you all got going on, you get a dumb, thick headed werewolf that doesn't believe in me and my control and reject their mates."

"Yeah, I noticed."

"The rejected mates most times go ballistic. 90% of the time they end up killing themselves, it's really sad."

"Considering how my wolf is feeling right now, I can understand that."

"That's why I'm here."

"Pardon me? Are you saying Baila's going to kill herself?" asked Kelsey.

"Of course not. I want to offer Baila the chance of a lifetime!"

"Ummmm....okay?"

"Most werewolves don't understand this, but there's such thing as second chance mates."

"Excuse me?"

"Most werewolves lose hope or kill themselves before anyone gets to tell them about second chance mates. Everyone has two mates. Most people find their perfect one right away. However, with you people and your free thinking, some people reject their perfect mates. Example, you and Seth. Seth went against his wolf and rejected you. That's not something his wolf wanted him to do, trust me. Mason, Seth's wolf, wanted to mate you right then and there. You were and are still his world."

"Good to know." I said in a sour tone.

"Yeah, but you have a chance at another mate. You just have to find him. All rejected mates do."

"I have a mate?"

"Yes,"

"Wait, does that mean Seth does too?" asked Kelsey. "If he does, then that's not right. I don't think he deserves one after what he did to Baila."

"No dear, the person that rejects their mate is automatically mateless. Unless, of course, the rejected mate takes them back."

"So is that why you're here? To tell me I have a second mate?"

"Yes, but that's not all."

"Okay?"

"I want you to travel the country, telling other rejected mates about their second chance mates."

"What?"

"Of course until you find yours."

"What are you talking about?" asked Kelsey.

"I want her to be an ambassador to all the other rejected mates out there. I want you to tell them about second chance mates and to not lose hope. 99.999% of their mates are within one pack territory of them anyway. They just don't know it."

"What about the .001%?" Kelsey challenged. Always the optimist, I thought sarcastically.

"I only know one pair that aren't within that one territory. Their on other sides of the country, but I'm not going to worry. Fate can be interesting." Both Kelsey and I chuckled. Artemis was interesting.

"How am I going to do that?"

"With this." Artemis handed me a ring. It was white gold with sapphires lining the band. It looked like the moon itself.

"But how will people know that I'm telling the truth?"

"The ring, my power flows through it. People will know that you are being sent from me. You'll be able to provide comfort and hope to them and save so many lives, Baila."

"I guess, I'm up for the challenge." I took the ring and put it on my right ring finger.

"Splendid. When you find your mate then the job is over. Until then, good luck Baila Daniels. I look forward to seeing you in the future." With that, she disappeared.

"Well that was..." Kelsey started.

"Weird." I finished.

Picture of Baila's ring on the side :)