The Self-made Female Alpha

Prologue

North Carolina,

Light Winters Pack: One Year Ago

Life is filled by unsolved mysteries, but one thing I knew for sure: me and Jace Anders would never get along, no matter how the matebond between us flickered like a blinker every time we saw each other. And that was fine, really.

Jace Anders was the alpha of the Light Winter pack. His dad, Geronimo Anders, a rigid man with a dry character, dedicated 25 years of his life to transform Jace from an insecure little boy into a cold and ruthless alpha, succeeding on his mission perfectly since Jace truly has become his father's clone once he took his position as the alpha two years ago. Jace also has a daughter, Penelope Anders, who is rarely seen in public.

Anders' ultimate goal was to train the Light Winter pack to become the strongest wolfpack in North Carolina, and to fulfill his desire he created programs for the pack members that reminded me a lot of a military training. As a pack member, I would wake up at 4 AM everyday, from Monday to Saturday, and run 10 kilometers before 10 AM alongside the other pack members. All because Jace wanted all of us to become soldiers to fight against the enemy packs.

The problem? I was not physically fit to train, and that alone pissed Jace off. After ten fainting spells, I did some medical check-ups, and I would find out I had a chronic heart disease that didn't help me through my training, and the doctors told me I would need to drop out of Jace's program if I valued my life.

That also explained why I was sitting in front of his desk, in the middle of his office, on the second floor of the pack house, while staring at his angered face. If I didn't faint three days ago during my morning race, and if I didn't end up in the pack hospital, I wouldn't be facing Jace's cold eyes on a Monday morning.

I was discreetly shivering due to the adrenaline dancing inside my veins. It's not common to be called out by the alpha, especially not in the middle of the training hours like I was literally half an hour ago. It could only mean that either I was being banished from the pack or worse, sent home.

Being expelled from the training program meant more than not being fit for it. In the Light Winters pack, it means being worthless and dishonored.

I could only imagine my mother's disappointed eyes on me if I returned home after being expelled from the training program. She would say "I knew that you wouldn't make it. I knew from the beginning that you would fail."

Jace's sucking the air in front of me sent me back to reality.

"Well, what can I do with you now that you failed the training..." he said, thoughtfully, still carrying that cold semblance.

I was sitting still, my eyes never leaving his beautiful manly face. He could be considered the world's sexiest man alive by famous magazines if he wasn't the alpha of a werewolf pack. He had everything a woman would want in a man: broad shoulders, young face and perfect luxuriant black hair.

I could be considered the luckiest girl on planet to be mated to Jace-but life is not that simple and we had agreed to a deal of hiding our matebond from the others once we found out what the universe threw at us. We had been on it for three years by now. Why? Because his father, Geronimo, wanted Jace to be matched to a woman with alpha blood to reign by his son's side. Light Winters would only find prosperity and more strength under the lead of a strong Luna.

Although it hurt me to know I'm not enough to be his mate, I knew it was for the better. Jace was not famous for being caring and loving and I'm sure he would destroy me if we ever get together.

The temperature in Jace's office seemed to drop, or perhaps it was just me sweating. I felt the pressure of the silence between me and my mate, and the desire to just get up and run was unbearable. Jace's scent was burning my nose and making my wolf howl inside. It wanted him more than ever, and over the years I realized that my desire for my mate was only increasing instead of dying.

If nothing happened for the next two minutes, I am sure I would die of heart-attack. Having a weak heart truly sucks.

Thankfully, Jace decided to break the oppressive silence by sucking the air before saying the first word.

"I don't want to send you home considering, well, your situation," he said, looking at me with what looked a lot like pity.

By 'situation' he meant my abusive household. My mom, being the protagonist of my personal hell, is not the best mom in the world and, if I get home after being spared from the training program, she wouldn't hesitate to yell terrible words at me.

I don't want to mention what words she would use, cause I shiver from only thinking about it.

Jace kept talking from behind his desk, his fingers tapping the oak table and creating a soft rhythm.

"I considered many options, but dad wouldn't approve any," he touched his forehead as if he was suffering a headache. "The doctors sent me a report and told me there are no chances you could go back to the training program."

I nodded, fighting against the salty water that was forming in my eyes. I refused to cry in front of him, in front of Jace. He wouldn't understand those tears, as he holds no heart nor empathy. And if I'm about to be dismissed from the training program, I prefered to do this bravely.

If he noticed my tearful eyes or no, I couldn't tell. Jace was observing me with an expression as cold as a stone, and judging by his silence, the decision has already been made.

I would go home.

"Your bags are already packed and the guards left them in front of your room," he informed, biting his lips. "I expect you to leave before noon. If you need anything else, well, call the guards. They will be there."

Once again I nodded, and left my seat and cleaned my eyes with the back of my hand. Taking a deep breath, I shared a last look with Jace and saw nothing but his cold semblance that pierced my heart a little.

I mean just a little because I was used to having my heart shattered by him.

He was my mate and was supposed to love me. Life, however, doesn't give people what they want and what I got as a mate is a cold alpha who doesn't even care to talk to me properly while dismissing me from my services.

"You okay?" he asked, getting up and picking some papers from his desk to organize them. His eyes were anywhere but on me.

He was not actually asking if I was okay. What he wanted to know was if I was ready to leave his office.

"Yeah..." I responded, hating how my voice sounded like a whimper.

"Good," he responded, turning his back on me to get something from a drawer. "Well, bye, Sunny."

I took a deep breath and smiled sadly.

"Bye Jace."

Leaving the room meant leaving Jace and everything behind. My future, my place and my people. As I walked out of Jace's office, I was walking in the direction of an unpredictable future and that scared the hell out of me.