``` Game of Destiny Chapter 10-1

I walked into my room and got ready for bed. Even though I was tired, my mind wasn’t ready to go to sleep. I sat down in the chair by the window and looked out over the creek. The moon hung over the treetops and made the water glisten. It was a beautiful view. I thought about the day, how nice it had been to be back surrounded by a pack again, even if it wasn’t my pack. There were a lot of things I missed about being in a pack. I just never let myself think about it; it would be too painful. But now, I have to think about it. And truth be told, I had seventeen years and three hundred and sixty-four days of mostly good memories of being in a pack, and one day of bad memories, of feeling out of place and as a burden. Why had I let that one day taint all the others? I knew the answer. Because that one day had shown me the rest had been a lie, to some extent. The pack had promised I was loved, safe, and would have a place with them as long as I contributed to the pack and didn’t break any of the rules. But in one swoop, all of that had proved to be untrue. I had been threatened to be shipped off to another pack. Pack members that were as close to me as my family had turned their backs to me, all because I wasn’t like them. It had made me see my time in the pack as a deceit, and I was too fragile to go through it all again. I was barely over the first betrayal. Did I have it in me to put the pieces back together if it happened again?

But this time it was different, I told myself. This time Finlay would know what I was, that I wasn’t strong. If the pack accepted me, they would do so while knowing everything. No, not everything. I had kept things back from Finlay, because when we had our talk by the lake, I never thought I would seriously consider his offer. If I were to consider his offer, I needed to tell him everything. There would be no mate to reject me in this pack. If I was accepted here for who I am, then I could stay. The thought of belonging to a pack again made my head spin. I hadn’t known how strongly I wanted it, how much I needed the pack bond and to be part of something bigger. I decided I would ask to talk to Finlay the next day, and if he didn’t turn me away for being less than completely honest, I would seriously consider becoming a part of this pack.

As I walked down to breakfast the following morning, a couple of pack members recognised me and greeted me. It felt nice. Some of them even introduced me to others. When I reached the table where Martin and Finlay sat, I had gained a shadow in the form of a six-year-old pup named Cadence.

“Good morning,” I said as I took a seat at the table.

“Morning,” they both greeted me.

“Hello there, Cadence,” Finlay said.

“Hi, Alpha,” the boy said with a smile.

“Do you want to join us?”

“No, thank you, I need to eat with my parents.”

"Maybe," I said. He waved and ran back to sit next to his chair.

“Gathering fans already?” Finlay asked. I laughed. The conversation was just as nice as the day before. Matilda, Sam, and Meadow were the last to sit down. They thought of all the things I needed, and Matilda and Meadow let me know that the pack business…

He looked at her for…

Chapter 10-2

“How about a walk and I can show you where the celebrations will take place while we talk?” he asked. I nodded, and we said goodbye to the rest of the group. Finlay took me along a gravelled path that led into the forest. Even though it was early, pack members were walking back and forth on the path, carrying things. Everyone was getting ready for the full moon. “This is where we celebrate most of our big events,” Finlay told me. We had reached a big clearing. On one side of it, the creek ran. In the middle there was a large fire pit, and around it there were logs and wooden benches to sit on. Pack members were setting up foldable tables at one end of the clearing, and others were chopping wood and piling it by the firepit. “Let’s go this way, it’s less busy,” he told me, and I followed him along a dirt track into the forest. When we had left everyone behind us, I took a deep breath and savoured the forest scents.

“I haven’t been completely honest with you,” I started.

“No?”

“No. I didn’t think it would matter, because I never thought I would accept your offer.”

“But that has changed?” he asked, trying to hide a smile.

“Maybe, I won’t know unless I tell you everything,” I said. We had come to a viewpoint. We were standing on a place of raised land, looking out over a slope that led down to a river. On the other side there was more rich forest and then the mountain. It was a beautiful spot. “The reason I left my old pack was not only because of my latency,” I told him. He was quiet, but when I glanced his way, I saw all his attention was on me. “I was the daughter of the Beta. I grew up with the son of the Alpha, the daughter of the Gamma, and my older brother. We were as close as you can get. We were the future of the pack. The Alpha and Gamma were like my uncles. I grew up knowing they would protect me, just like my father would. When my wolf didn’t come to me, they all assured me it didn’t matter, that I was good enough as I was, and I mostly believed them.” I paused and took a deep breath. We were heading into painful territory, and I needed to brace myself. “I turned eighteen the day after a full moon. The pack was gathered to celebrate the moon, and my mother and the Luna brought out a surprise birthday cake for me at the stroke of midnight. And I found my mate, the son of the Alpha, James.” His name came out as a whisper. I hadn’t spoken it out loud in four years, and it twisted the dagger in my heart.

“…you found your mate?” I looked up at Finlay, and I could see he hadn’t meant the question to be spoken out loud.

“I did, and in the next heartbeat he was rejecting me. I wasn’t strong enough to be his Luna,” I said, and I could hear the bitter notes in my voice. Finlay drew in a sharp breath and looked at me like he had a hard time believing me. “After that, things changed. I overheard my father talk to the Alpha. The man that had been like a second father to me told my father it would be best if I was sent away from the pack, to spare both me and his son the pain when James would choose a new mate. I heard my mother and the Luna being at odds with each other, and how much hurt was in my brother’s voice. The pack that I thought would always have my back, that would protect me, turned their backs on me. My parents and brother were paying the price.”

“So you left,” he said in a soft voice. I had been looking at the river, but now I turned to face him.

“I did, to protect myself and my family. They could heal once I was gone, and hopefully save their relationship with their pack and friends.”

“Do you keep in contact with them?”

“No. My father would come for me if he knew where I was. I send them birthday cards every year, but I drive to another state to send them, hiding my tracks as best I can.” I had never told anyone this before. ```