Rejected Mate's Ascension

Chapter 10. The Homecoming (Harold)

When Mother sensed our approach, she ordered everyone on the ranch to gather in front of the house. Julia and I stopped for a minute to figure out what was waiting for us. It seemed informal, but there were at least two dozen werewolves, all of them alert. Their curiosity and even hostility—this disgraced boy is our Alpha?—electrified my skin, raising goosebumps and hair along my forearms, down my spine even from a hundred yard distance.

"One last dash?" I asked Julia after a minute of contemplation.

"Maybe not," she said, trying to tuck the runaway tresses back into the messy bun or behind her ears. Her rich brown hair gained a luster of glazed pottery in the sunshine. They bounced around her flushed face, fell haphazardly to her shoulders and across her forehead. Personally, I thought it looked lovely, but she probably wanted to see where she was going.

"Let me help." I untangled the hairband while her fingers clashed with mine, eager to tame the curls. She flushed brighter and giggled every time it happened, tempting me to do it on purpose. I liked her breathless laughter. It made me believe wolves could fly as we raced down and down the slope, dodging goats, butterflies and bumblebees. I could use more of it in my life. Much, much more.

Just as we smoothed everything back, the Beta Mark tingled on the side of my neck and the small elastic nearly fell out of my hand as it jerked towards the source of discomfort. I clenched my jaw, steadying my breath and focusing on stretching the elastic and looping it without pulling on Jules' hair.

A wane wolf the Goddess always marks on the back, the old saying went.

The Mark wasn't exactly on my back, but it was out of my sight just below my left ear. So, Blake noticed and mimicked the mannerism I'd developed during our race for the Alpha position in the Pacific North-West Pack, rubbing that side of my neck. The joke stuck to me like glue, despite me dropping it the second I heard the whispers behind my back.

The temptation to rub the spot and feel for anything unusual, indicating that the magic tattoo had just transformed, was a hundred times stronger than the urge to scratch an itch. Sweat pooled behind my collar as I fought it, distracting myself with Julia's sweet scent—mint candy and clover—the specks of gold in her clever eyes; the lopsided, windswept hairdo; and loud breathing after our downhill sprint. Suddenly, a sharp intake of breath interrupted her happy wheezing.

"Harold?" Julia chewed her lower lip. "Harold, don't freak out, but your Mark is glowing."

I held back an exhale of relief, an exclamation of triumph. Unfortunately, I couldn't do the same with the pounding of my heart. It drummed such a mad tempo, my bones ached, keeping my rib cage from bursting open.

"It's probably the Alpha Mark." The casual tone wasn't to play cool for Jules, it was to protect myself, in case the Moon Goddess' plan for me included another bitter disappointment.

Julia unzipped the collar of my hoodie unceremoniously and pushed the fabric out of the way, while my toes curled inside my hiking boots. I kept my face still, my eyes—opened. Her uneven fingernail—lips weren't the only thing Julia chewed when she was frustrated—traced the pattern on my skin. A steepled peak instead of the rounded top...a capital Alpha instead of the Beta.

"Alpha," Julia said, confirming my guess. "The Goddess Marked you as an Alpha."

To Hell with the stoic façade! It had finally happened! I grasped Julia around the hips and swirled her around. "The Goddess marked me in time to meet my pack. Jules, she did it!"

I wanted nothing more than for Julia to celebrate with me. To think of it, I wouldn't have anyone else to share this moment.

"After years of waiting, I'm happier that you were the one to tell me I was marked, than to actually get marked, Jules." It wasn't a lie. I was overflowing with joy because my best girl was here. "It's incredible how much I'm grateful to you for coming this far. For believing I could find the right path."