Mated by mistake: his reluctant luna

"Why are you doing this to me?" I cried, holding his collar. His eyes stared back at me, coldly. They used to be so full of love, once upon a time. But today they were like black pools on nothingness. This couldn't be real. I was in a nightmare? Will I ever wake up from this painful dream?

"I am sorry, I can't take you as my mate, Rosalie. You know that I didn't have a choice in this matter. I have to obey the council."

"But I am your mate! How can the council decide who can be your mate? You know it's me! your wolf knows it's me !" I tried to reason. I wiped off the stubborn tears. I knew the rules, an Alpha could only be mated to an Alpha or a high ranking Beta if the need arose. I was an Omega. Though my dad had been promoted to a Beta, he was an Omega by birth, and so was I. The pack rules were strict.

Though my efforts were futile I continued to cling to hope.

Those memories, those beautiful hopes and dreams, everything was gone in a blink of an eye. It seemed so surreal.

My mate was leaving me. He was going to reject me. Chris stared at me. His eyes showed the slightest of emotion.

His handsome face softened a little, as he tried to read my thoughts.

"Stop trying to read my thoughts !" I shouted.

"I am not reading your thoughts, Riri. I am just trying to comfort you." He whispered. He came near me, I took a step back to keep our distance. I didn't want to be touched by him. I couldn't handle it.

"Please, don't touch me. Please don't make this any more difficult." I was furious, hurt, and broken. "And please don't call me that....ever again." I snarled at him.

"I still love you, " he whispered, there was pain and longing in his voice. He stepped further and hugged me. I didn't have the energy to resist him anymore. I rested my head on his broad chest and cried. He closed his large arms around me and held me tightly.

"I will always, love you Riri, just not in that way. I cannot take you as my mate. I would have to reject you. Please, forgive me." He whispered.

My wolf submitted to the Alpha, I couldn't defy him. If he was rejecting me I would have to accept the rejection. Even if it broke my heart, or made me cry I didn't have a choice.

I felt his lips on my forehead, then my temple. He was showering tiny kisses on my face. His hand had snaked around in my hair and his lips had reached my cheeks. He started kissing them then just before he was about to kiss my lips. I jerked back.

"No !"

He looked slightly shocked and appalled. "Riri......" He started to say.

"No! I am not yours anymore, we are no more mates. You can't touch me, Chris Reynolds." I struggled and pushed him away.

"I didn't mean to hurt you Riri....."

"You have already done enough, my alpha. It's over. I accept your rejection, alpha Chris." I said and bowed. He stared at me with his brown eyes. As if he wasn't expecting this response.

I ran, without looking back I ran into the forest. My clothes tore and scattered as I shifted into my silver-white wolf. I ran until I reached the highest cliff and howled into the night.

15-year-old Rosalie Murdoch opened her eyes as the afternoon sun hit through the window of their car. She let out a groan and rubbed her eyes, the nap wasn't long enough. She checked her iPhone, it was 2:30 on a Saturday afternoon and they had been on the road for the last six hours. She sat up and stretched, her muscles were stiff from the awkward sleeping position.

"Where are we, Mom?"

"We'll reach in about 20 minutes. You need to wake up and fix yourself up, dear. Your hair is a total mess." Her mom smiled as she looked back at Rosalie. Amelia Murdoch was a stunning woman. She had angular facial features, long blonde hair that hung straight to the middle of her back, matching her pale complexion. At age 35, she had a body of a twenty-five-year-old. She didn't look a day over 25.

"We'll be arriving there in a half hour or so."

They were returning from a much-needed vacation. Scott Murdoch, the newly promoted Beta of the Silver Moon Pack was an imposing figure even sitting behind the wheel.

His six foot five frames barely fit with the driver's seat, and he was 240 pounds of solid muscle and bone. His light brown hair was kept in a flattop.

"Yes, Dad, we've been over it. We are going to attend the coronation of the new Alpha." She said.

She didn't want to return so soon. But the ceremony was extremely important for the packs.

The Alpha Sullivan had suddenly died, leaving 18-year-old Chris as the heir. Rosalie blushed while thinking of Chris, he was cute. All the girls of the pack had a crush on him. She wondered who would be his mate. Rosalie was just 15, it would take her three more years to find her mate.

It was protocol for unmated sons and daughters of Alphas and Betas to be brought to all ceremonies. There were so few of them, and matings are so important to their survival.

**********

Rosalie crouched low, her eyes locked on her 'prey', as she took a leap and lunged with her fingers spread open. Her best friend Melissa shrieked in shock as they rolled down on the slope and fell into a pool of mud. They giggled, splashing mud at one another as if it was just an ordinary day at the estate. It was few hours before the ceremony. Since the girls were getting bored they had decided to play.

"Oh, dear! mom's gonna kill me," Rosalie lamented looking down at her ruined dress.

"Don't worry let us go to my places, you can borrow one of my dress," Melissa offered.

They didn't realise a pair of eyes had been looking at them from a distance.

"Who are they, Jasper ?" 18-year-old Chris Reynolds asked curiously; his gaze followed the muddy, giggling girls walking away. "They're so amusing."

Jasper gave a scrutinizing look at the girls.

"That's Rosalie and Melissa, they are omegas, very mischievous girl, always up to something, " he answered shaking his head in disapproval.

"They broke the front lawn's fountain while they were, get this, playing hide and seek, those girls are a menace!"

Chris snorted. "They seem harmless !"

"Ah, they're harmless enough, just naughty." Jasper said with a wide grin, "you must focus on your coronation today, you look so much like your father. I still remember when he was preparing for his coronation." Jasper's voice was filled with pride.

"He would be so proud of you, Chris."

Chris sighed. "I hope I can lead the pack like him. I miss him."

"We all do." Jasper nodded.

**********

Amelia pushed her daughter into the bathroom.

"What am I going to do with you, Rosie?" she asked as she took off her daughter's muddy and torn dress. She turned on the tap on the tub.

Unfortunately, Amelia was visiting the Carters at the same time when Melissa Carter returned home with her equally bedraggled friend. Amelia was furious as expected, and Roselie was dragged away by her mother.

"Go and clean yourself, it's coronation day and you have been running around in the mud spoiling the dress! Hurry up or we'll be late for the ceremony later." her mother said as she took the dirty dress and threw it into the bin.

Rosalie pouted as her mother left the bathroom, locking her inside. She was not going to be free until she had cleaned herself. She stared at the warm water in the bathtub.

"Who wants to attend that boring ceremony anyway," she grumbled, but to avoid her mother's anger Rosalie was soon splashing happily in the bathtub.

"Don't waste your time playing, Rosalie Murdoch !"

Her mom shouted again, Roselie pouted.

"Your dad has just been promoted, but this girl has no shame! What would Alpha Chris think about our family?" Her mom grumbled to herself.

Rosalie hated it when her mother disciplined her, but she was right. What would Chris think? I hope he didnt sees me playing in the mud. She thought.

Roselie took a bottle of shampoo and poured some onto her palm and started to lather it up on her hair. This sucks, she thought as she started to soap her body with sweet fragrance soap. I should look presentable for Chris.

******

Roselie watched as her mother put the final touches on her make-up.

"Mom, I'm not a Barbie doll," she stated, cringing as she touched the silk material of her pink coloured dress.

"Nonsense, Rosalie," her Mom replied as she applied lip gloss on her full lips. She stared at her reflection in the mirror for a moment, feeling satisfied with the result. She turned and looked at her daughter. "You look stunning tonight, Rosie."

Roselie rolled her eyes.

"Mom, I'm going out to take some fresh air," she stated, not even waiting for her mother to answer.

She pushed open the door and trotted in her high heels down the corridor; various members of the pack walked past her. They were chatting and laughing about the coronation tonight. They looked beautiful and handsome in their penguin suits and long slinky dresses of various colours.

She hurried past the hallway, as she ran down the grand marble staircase; her heels made a loud clinking sound. She shuddered in embarrassment but she ignored it anyway as the overwhelming feeling of being watched started to make her anxious.

She knew that she wasn't as beautiful as any of those older female wolves. They had perfect curves and full bouncy breasts. She wondered if she would ever grow into such perfect beauty.

She pushed open the main door and ran gingerly down the short steps. The heels bothered her but she kept on walking to that one place, where she felt so calm. She headed straight to the forest.

The forest was dark. The last remnants of sunlight did nothing to brighten the thick vegetation. But Roselie could see well in both daylight and night without any trouble. A normal human would have scrambled around like a blind mouse waiting to be scooped up by a hungry owl. But jer enhanced werewolf senses made walking in the dark easy. She broke into a run, feeling the wind on her face but a stray tree root made her lose her footing and she fell on the ground, landing on her face.

She groaned, lying still on the ground for a moment before she straightened herself up and brushed away dirt from her expensive dress. She stared in horror as she noticed she had ripped the hem.

Mom's going to kill me, she thought anxiously as she examined the torn hem on her dress. She sighed. I'd rather run in my wolf form than dress up like a Barbie doll, she thought vehemently as she sat down on a fallen tree.

She took a deep refreshing breath. It felt good; the air was cool around her.

Roselie kicked off her heels near a fallen tree and felt her wolf taking over. She wasn't allowed to shift without supervision.

The juvenile wolves could lose control easily, hence they were not allowed to shift on their own unless they were with reliable adults. But as a wolf Roselie had enhanced speed and senses than that of an average human. She took another deep breath to relax and then, suddenly she sprinted off into the woods, in her human form. It was slower than being in her wolf body, but it was nearly as good.

She could feel the thin branches and dead withering leaves crunch under her feet as she bolted through the forest. She loved the feel of the cool wind on her face. She could hear the waterfall some distance away, that was her secret place. She slowed down and climbed up a boulder. She could see the stream flowing into a beautiful little waterfall. She took a step back and then leapt high. Ripping her dress again. She cursed. What the heck? she thought. I'm grounded already. She flew across the stream to land on the other side.

She gasped in utter shock as she landed, on another body. He was sitting cross-legged on the boulder she had just jumped on. She let out a scream as she smashed into him. They both tumbled into the stream, limbs tangled.

"What the hell were you thinking ?" a male voice boomed as they resurfaced breaking the water.

"Have you lost your mind ??" he growled before finally noticing who had leapt on him.

"Who are you?" The stranger asked.

Roselie stared at the stranger, he was around 21-22. He stood a foot taller than her and his body was all muscles, his dark hair was dripping with water as they ran down in rivulets over his chiselled handsome face. His green eyes were flashing with anger. Her wolf cowered inside, he was an Alpha.

"You are asking me who I am in our territory? Who the hell are you?" She blurted out. Her mother had warned her about strangers. Should I alert everyone? she thought.

He clicked his tongue disapprovingly, "Making so much trouble. Aren't you ever tired of being so hyperactive?"

"You didnt answer my question, who are you? What are you doing in the Silver moon pack area?"

He frowned, then his face softened, the little girl seemed to be weak, there was no point frightening her.

"I am Alex Greyson, from the Greystone pack. I am here because your Alpha invited me to attend his coronation. So if you are planning to alert everyone about a possible intrusion, don't worry. I am not interested in taking over this dump."

"Oh!" Her eyes popped out in surprise. She had just insulted and jumped on a visiting Alpha!

The pack had invited several important people, like the council members, several pack leaders. Alex Greyson was one of the most powerful Alpha, his pack was strong and formidable. And right now he was glaring at her. Mom's gonna kill me! She thought.

"I was just running! I didnt know you were here," she said defensively and started to move out of the stream.

"Whoops!" she hit and rock and slipped again, pulling him along in the water. But this he was careful. He caught her arm and pulled her up on her feet.

"You are a disaster! Be careful, you slippery feet," he shook his head in frustration and started to move out of the water.

She grumbled but started to follow him, when she was going to slip for the third time, he swooped her by her slim waist to save her. They stared into one another eyes, frozen.

******

The moonlight shone on her face, accentuating the beautiful eyes and the curve of her nose. Her perfect pair of lips looked inviting but he let her go immediately when he realized she was still a juvenile. They were staring – or rather... he was been staring at her all this while. His heart pounded strangely in his chest when his hand first touched her waist. It was a very peculiar feeling, very familiar. It couldn't be? She couldn't be his mate, but he found himself liking that feeling. He searched his wolf, he had been mourning for days, now he was suddenly alert. But he was not eager to claim her. He was just waiting and watching......curious.

"Thanks," she muttered as she got out from the stream without even looking at him. "I need to go back and change. I have ruined the second dress today. Mom spent hours looking for it online."

She sighed but then she finally realized why was he here? He should have been in the hall with other guests.

" Alpha Alex, what were are you doing here all by yourself? Aren't you supposed to be with the other guests ?" she asked him.

He wasn't moving, he was frozen at the spot, staring intently at her.

She frowned.

"Alex?" she called, "Are you all right?" She caught his wrist, nudging him to get out. He didn't budge.

"Oh my goodness, I've turned you into a popsicle!" she exclaimed as rubbed her hands together trying to warm his hand.

"Oh, dear! did you get hypothermia? Please don't die!"

He pushed her away from her gently. "I'm fine," he said hoarsely as he moved out of the stream.

"I think I should leave," he said, then as if recalling something he asked.

" What is your name?"

"I am Rosalie Murdoch. Wait," she stopped him. "What were you doing here alone, Alex?" she asked him curiously but then she bit her lips because she thought she was over the line for questioning as Alpha.

"Sorry." she apologized quickly.

"No, it's OK." he answered suddenly. He needed to leave, but he figured he could stay for few minutes, to talk to her. The girl who made his heart thump in a weird happy way.

"I was thinking about.....stuff," he paused, "if I could lead my pack just like my father did, I'm worried that I might disappoint my pack members."

"You'll do fine." she said confidently, "I'm sure you'll be the best alpha they ever have!" she smiled at him widely. Her whole body was drenched. Her teeth chattered.

"Thank you for your kind words."

He turned and looked at her. He seemed to finally notice the torn and sad fate of her dress.

"Your Mom is going to be pissed when she finds out you're in a mess." he paused.

"Yeah, I have been grounded anyway," she said sadly.

"Come with me, I'm sure Sarah, my sister can find a dress for you."

She looked at him brightly. "Thanks," she said as she blushed.

He suddenly realized that he liked to see her blush. His handsome face broke into a smile as he offered his hand to her like a gentleman asking a girl to a dance, "Let's go then, the coronation's going to start soon."

*********

Roselie twirled in her new bubblegum pink sleeveless dress. Amelia gave her a questioning look. "Where did you get this dress, Rosie?"

"I – um, a friend gave it to me," she said easily, at least she wasn't entirely lying. She didnt want her mother to find out that she had practically destroyed the expensive dress.

"Amelia," her father said as he slipped his kept his hand on the back of his mate.

"We need to leave now," he said as he eased them into the chamber where the other wolves were being seated in their respective places. They sat with the other Betas and their families. It was a proud moment for them.