, his scent giving my head a spin. He doesn't look back at me like I would for him, he

minute, still sta

what I do not want to hear. It's shouting at me,

o an Alpha? What a joke! If the girls were here right now, they'd sure get a

o smack myself fo

ete idiot, but I will also now have to watch girls flirt and dance, maybe even discover their mat

g my sixteen-year-ol

one hundred and one females, and

before walking towards it,

f voices fills the air, and the music pulses, making the whole scene feel alive. It's a mix of excitement and nerves, but it only makes me feel like an outsi

move through the crowd. I'm not here to make connections or talk to peo

mates, unlike myself. When my mother tried to teach me, I forced myself to ignore her, not wanting to get excited about something I would never have. Now I just have to make su

to talk to someone, get some answers, even if they don't make sense to me. I can't shake the feeling that something is wrong, like I'm missing a key piece

ng among themselves, and I slip through the crowd to bother

up and try not to be a bother, b

r before the blonde on

does one experience when one has discovered one's Mat

nd down, their express

my mouth. "I mean, like, what happens? How do you know? I

not' looks. Then the black-haired girl beside the blonde

chest intensifies as my heart thuds in my ears. It's not real. This isn't real. I haven't fou

at. "No. I just... I was curious." I wave my hand, attempting to se

eyes. "Right," she says, voice dripping with doubt. "And

just..." I glance around, trying to distract myself from the rising panic. "I don't kno

l don't know, folds her arms and s

could feel him, and then everything inside me was screaming. It was like... like I couldn't ignore it. But I

So, you're saying you m

ing like I might implode. "I d

's not always obvious, Rae. It's like... a gut feeling, something deeper than just

my chest. "No," I say firmly, even though my heart is not convinc

Rae. No one can predict it, not even the strongest Alphas. Just... pay attention to what y

Stacey's right, but I don't want to believe it. If this is real, then what does that mean for me?

fog of confusion. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that mayb