Hunter didn't know why he still had to go to school, he was after all the Alpha of the Night Howl pack, which is one of the biggest and the strongest packs in the States. His father, the previous Alpha said that it is so that he could bond with his packmates. But Hunter couldn't understand why, he grew up around all of them what more socializing was his father expecting?

Hunter scowled as he entered the school surrounded by his friends, Jason beside him was going on about this new game, but he couldn't focus on what he was saying, not that he always does, but ever since he stepped out of his car, his wolf has been restless, as if he would surface anytime now, Hunter had to do everything to keep his wolf under control.

And that is when he was hit with the smell of vanilla and almonds mixed together, it was very strong, making Hunter wonder who had swum in a pool of perfume and why would she even think that it was cool, smelling like a perfume factory, or atleast that is what Hunter would have thought if it was any other day, but now he was busy taming his wolf which was just a second away from making a show, and scaring all those humans in the school.

Hunter gave the reins over to his wolf in order to avoid shifting, though not completely, he was still partly in charge.

Hunter felt himself freeze, even the wolf within him froze, Hunter then heard the familiar voice of his wolf in his mind, 'Mate!'

Hunter stared at the person who seemed to be oozing the scent of vanilla and almonds. He didn't recognize her at first, but then he did remember her. Though not by her face but her hair seemed very familiar.

Hunter had been five years old when he had first seen her. He had been obsessed with the color orange. He had wanted to have everything in that color. From his clothes to his bed, had been orange in color, even his room had been painted in orange and orange is why he had noticed her crying her heart out in the kindergarten begging her parents not to leave her.

It had been her hair, which was close to orange. At that age, he had been very aware of Mates, your other half, he had even hoped that the orange haired girl would be his mate. Since he could have everything orange, why not a mate with orange hair?

But as he had grown, he had also grown realistic.

At the moment he couldn't even remember her name. For a moment he doubted that the smiling girl was her, but then he noticed the girl beside her was Michael's little sister, Melody.

That is when he was struck with what was happening. That person in front of him was his mate. His mate was a human. The fact seemed to even put his wolf down-a bit.

Hunter felt like someone was playing a joke on him, he wondered if the witches had done something to him or if he was chosen by the moon goddess herself to be pranked on just because she was bored. But no, it was September and not April, not that April is moon goddess's favourite month to play pranks.

If he were anyone else, Hunter would surely have ran up to her and pulled her in a long kiss, but Hunter wasn't going to do that.

As he was about to walk away acting like he had not just found his mate, her eyes met his. They widened, as if she could feel the bond between them. Hunter internally scoffed, as if she could feel it. He kept his face blank as he teared his eyes away from her.

He had seven hours left to make the decision. Should he accept her or-Hunter sighed. He knew if he did the latter then it wouldn't really be the best decision. But the former was riskier. How could he mate with a human and make her the Luna? Not just anyone can take up the role of a Luna, especially not a human. He doubted she could even stay without screaming and losing her mind if he were to tell her much less look after the whole pack.

Hunter asked his Beta to get information on her. He knew that JR could be trusted with everything.

'Her name is Willow Greene, she's a sophomore.' JR mind linked Hunter.

Hunter could see that he was hesitating with something. 'What is it?'

'Her father had passed away a month back.'

Hunter just nodded, but he knew that JR was aware of what was happening, but JR didn't question him, and a part of him even knew that JR was aware of what he was planning on doing.

'Hunter, please think again.' JR said.

Hunter knew that Rejection was the best option he had, he couldn't-wouldn't bind himself to a human. It wasn't forbidden, rejection that is, but it wasn't completely acceptable either. But no one would know.

Hunter had heard that rejecting a mate was near to impossible, because even if the human side of a werewolf was displeased, the wolves would bond together at the first meet making rejection near to impossible. Hunter could tell that his wolf wasn't sad that his mate wasn't what he had expected her to be. But it wasn't ecstatic either.

Hunter felt that rejecting that human would be much more easier.

As the day was about to end, Hunter left his class early and placed a note in the locker he had earlier seen her using. But he felt like he could have even guessed which was hers with the sweet smell around the locker.

Hunter then headed to the library to wait for her. After what felt like hours, he finally felt her, before smelling her. His wolf, which had been quiet the whole day, started growing restless again, though he wasn't in the best of moods, he wasn't willing to reject his only mate.

Hunter did pity his wolf, but he knew what has to be done, should be done as quickly as possible.

When Hunter saw her, he felt dazed. She looked so gorgeous just standing there. Her eyebrows were scrunched, her blue eyes wide and her pink lips were parted in surprise.

Hunter snapped out of his trance. "About time you finally showed up!" Hunter hissed. "I don't have all day to wait here for you."

"I'm sorry." She said.

Hunter scoffed. Such a pushover and the moon goddess expects him to make her his Luna.

"Whatever." Said Hunter. "What's your name again?"

"Willow," She said. "Willow Greene."

Hunter wanted to get this done with as soon as possible, he was worried that the bond might control him and make him back off. "So Willow Greene, I, Alpha Hunger Reed, reject you Willow Greene as my mate." Hunter, instead of feeling like getting it out of his system, he felt something heavy settle over him, he felt like something was suffocating him. Hunter then forced out through gritted teeth."If anyone hears of this, then you're dead."

"What?" Said Willow looking confused.

"You won't get it, you're too dumb for this. See you, never." Hunter wanted to get away from here, from her, he didn't want her to see him in a weak form. He felt like it might be a leverage for her to use.

Hunter walked away, showing nothing on his face. By the time he was by the door, he heard a loud thud, and gasp before a scream. He knew who it was, he even wanted to rush to her and accept her back, but a bigger part of him urged him to walk away. But the more he walked away, the worse the pain got.

Hunter felt that his wolf was weaker, he was yelling at Hunter to rush back to 'mate', but Hunter didn't.

The pain finally stopped and Hunter felt drained of his energy. Hunter leaned against the wall, listening to any trace of what might be going in the library. He saw JR rush to the library, he didn't stop him. Hunter knew that JR would not leave her alone in the library.

"Alpha Hunter." Hunter heard a voice beside him.

Hunter looked at Triple Jordan who had spoken. He wondered what she was doing here.

Triple Jordan, was someone, who ninety percent of the male unmated wolves wished, were their mate. Hunter had also hoped that Triple might be his Mate before he hit sixteen, but he wasn't really disappointed when he found she was not. He had thought that he'll have someone better than her in every aspect as his mate, but who would have thought that his mate will turn out to be a mere human?

Hunter knew that he wasn't the only one expecting that, most of the pack members thought that Triple might be their Luna, that she was even trained to be one, to lead the Night Howl pack.

"What is it?" Hunter snapped. He wasn't in the mood to converse with someone.

"I heard what happened in there."

Hunter froze, before raising his brows. "What are you gonna do about it?"

"I can help you." Said Triple. She continued when Hunter stayed silent. "You rejected her, but you and I both know that the bond won't be completely wiped out."

"What is your point?"

"I know someone," Said Triple. "Someone who can help you with that."

Hunter was sitting in his study, going through the pack expenses. Normally, this was the pack Luna's job, but currently he lacked exactly that. He sighed, this extra job had him wishing that he should quickly get himself a Luna.

Hunter rubbed his eyes, he couldn't sleep. The act of shutting his eyes had him remembering her, from the party just days ago. When he had seen Willow enter the bathroom while he had been making out with one of Triple's friends, Peyton maybe? He wasn't sure, but what he was sure was that he had slept with all of them.

When he had seen Willow, his first thought had been to not let her see what he had been doing. That made him wonder why. Even if he were to accept her, he knew that he couldn't mark her and make her his Luna. Maybe he could just keep her beside him?

Shaking his head, Hunter looked at the clock, it was six past thirty. Hunter got up, planning to find out where the rouges that Michael had told him earlier at then party, disappeared to.

But a sharp pain in his heart forced him back in his seat. Hunter clutched at his heart, which felt like it had been buried in burning hot coals. He felt like there were thousands of sharp pins poking at a spot on his neck. The place where the Mark is supposed to be placed by your mate.

Hunter wondered if he had been poisoned, if he was dying. He could feel his consciousness lingering on a this thread. He felt sweat form on his forehead.

'Someone's marking mate!' his Wolf's voice was the last thing he heard before his body and mind finally gave into darkness.

When Hunter came about, his whole body felt sore, as if he had just gone for a swim in a pool of rocks. It took a while for Hunter to remember what had happened, when he did remember, he wished that he didn't.

He wondered if it was a joke played on him by his wolf or if he had heard wrong.

'Lucas?' Hunter called out for his wolf but got no reply. He tried again, but the response remained the same.

Hunter noticed that he was laying on his bed. Last he remembered, he was sure that he was in his office. He looked outside the window and wondered if it was noon.

Getting off the bed, which felt like an impossible task, Hunter finally did succeed only to drop down to the ground.

As if waiting outside, listening to any movements inside, his door opened and his father barged in, anger rested on his thinning, pale face.

"What is this that I'm hearing?" Said Ben Reed.

Hunter raised his brows. Shouldn't his father ask him if he was feeling well? "Dad, how am I supposed to know about what you hear?"

"Don't show me this attitude." His father said. "Tell me, did you find your mate?"

Hunter could see where this was going. Though the whole school knew that Willow was his mate, he had made sure that no one would talk about it. So his father wasn't aware of it. He wondered who snitched on him.

"Why are you asking me something you already know the answer to? My mate is dead."

Ben nodded. "Your mate is dead and your girlfriend is pregnant."

Hunter raised his brows. "What?"

"I think it's time you mark Triple, the pack needs a Luna."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Of course the pack can't go on without its Lu-"

"No. What do you mean by my girlfriend is pregnant?"

Hunter was sure that his girlfriend was Triple, but he still had to be sure

"Did you not know?"

Hunter instead of answering, rushed out of his room, ignoring his father. He was going to be a father, and it wasn't even his mate that was carrying his child. Not to forget his mate had been marked by some other male. Hunter wondered if it was the guy from the painting. He was going to find her and asks her why.

Hunter was angry. Angry at her and angry at himself. Why did he have to reject her to let her mate with someone else. Why would she let someone else mark her, just because he didn't want her didn't mean that she could just let anyone mark her.

Hunter stopped, then he turned around. If she can let someone else mark her, then he could do that too. And he will.

Hunter went the opposite way, where he could smell Triple.

Hunter thought that he could accept the fact that Willow was marked, but the next day when he had stepped in, he could smell her vanilla and almond scent mixed with something else, someone else. Lucas which had been silent since yesterday, was on the verge of jumping out and ripping throats. Hunter knew it was because he had smelled her. Her scent which smelled nothing like what he had smelled at the party just a day before.

Hunter could feel everyone's gazes on him, as if they already knew about Willow. Hunter stalked forward, leaving Triple behind. He could smell her tainted scent and charged towards it.

He found himself standing before the bathroom.

"I know you won't be changing your mind, but-" Hunter growled after banging the door open, cutting Melody off.

Smelling her closer angered Hunter more than he already was. He pushed Willow backwards till her back smacked against the wall.

"Alpha!" He heard someone call behind him, but he didn't care. He wanted to know why and who marked his mate.

"Let go Hunter!" Said Willow who was caged in his arm. "What are you doing?"

"What am I doing? Why don't you tell me what you did?"

"What did I do?"

Hunter's eyes trailed down to Willow's neck. A part of him wanted to see her neck, though the bigger part was against it. He wanted to look at her neck, hoping that it was just a false alarm and that no mark lay beneath her sweater.

But Hunter seemed to have forgotten his mark which lay on Triple's neck and Triple's on his neck. His current Luna.

Hunter gripped onto the neckline of Willow's sweater, Willow shrieked as he did so. But just as he saw the mark, he knew he was going to scratch it off, not leaving behind even a hint of what strengthened the mate bond. But before he could, he was pulled off Willow, nothing like the powerful Alpha that he was, and a punch landed on his face, breaking his nose.

Hunter was shocked. Who would dare lay a hand on him? Then he smelled it, the scent which had been mixed with Willow. When he looked up, he saw the boy from the painting, his blue eyes glaring at him as if he had just molested his mate.

Which he did. Kind of.