Chapter 14 The Pull Of Fate

• The days in the human town had started to blur together in a rhythm of normalcy I hadn’t expected. For the first time in what felt like forever, I was able to breathe without the constant weight of the pack's judgment pressing down on me. No one here knew who I was. They didn’t know my past, my failures, or the pain that I carried. I was just another face in the crowd, a young woman trying to make a living and survive in a place that wasn’t bound by the rules of my pack.
• My routine had become comfortable—almost too comfortable. I woke up early, worked at the small café, and spent my evenings tending to the little apartment I’d rented. I hadn’t expected it to be easy to slip into this life, but somehow, it had become second nature. The simplicity of it all soothed something inside me. I no longer had to pretend to be something I wasn’t. No longer had to fight to be seen, or worse, to be invisible. Here, I could simply exist.
• But on that day, as I walked through the bustling streets of the human town, something shifted in the air.
• It was supposed to be an ordinary day off, one I had looked forward to. I wandered through the shops, peering into windows and thinking about maybe buying something, though I didn’t really need anything. The townspeople around me were going about their usual business, oblivious to the chaos inside me. But then, that feeling returned.
• It wasn’t the kind of feeling you get when you’re just lost in your own thoughts. It wasn’t the thrill of discovering something new or the mild excitement that accompanies shopping. No, this feeling was deep, primal, and unmistakable. It was the same feeling I had when I first learned that Nicolai was my mate. It was as if the earth had shifted beneath me and the universe had realigned in that one, impossible moment.
• But that couldn’t be right. Nicolai had rejected me—twice. He was gone from my life, leaving me with only a faint connection that haunted my dreams. The bond was still there, a quiet thrum in the back of my mind, but he was gone, and that’s all that mattered. So why was this happening again?
• I stopped in my tracks, suddenly overwhelmed by the strange sensation that crawled under my skin. It was more intense than before, but there was something else to it—something unfamiliar. Something that didn’t feel like Nicolai at all.
• My heart raced, a twinge of panic surging in my chest. I had learned about the concept of a second chance mate, but I wasn’t ready for that. I wasn’t ready for anything like that. After everything with Nicolai, I couldn’t even fathom the idea of opening myself up to someone new. Especially when I wasn’t sure what this pull even meant.
• And then, as if on cue, my gaze landed on him.
• He was standing across the street, leaning against a brick building, his arms crossed casually. At first glance, he looked like just another person in the crowd—ordinary, even. But something about him drew me in, pulling my attention like a magnet. He was staring directly at me, his expression unreadable, his posture relaxed but somehow... predatory.
• He wasn't a werewolf, I was sure of it. There was no telltale sign—no sense of power or aura that usually radiated from Lycans. He wasn’t like Nicolai, not even close. But then why did I feel this intense pull? Why did my heart flutter in a way I didn’t understand? Why did everything in my being scream that this person was important, even though I had no reason to believe that?
• I didn’t know him. I had never seen him before, not in my life. He wasn’t part of my pack, and certainly not part of the human town. He was... a stranger.
• I stood there frozen for a moment, just staring at him. The pull I felt only seemed to grow stronger, more insistent, and yet, the man didn’t move. He didn’t approach me. He didn’t even smile or try to make a move. He simply stared, his dark eyes studying me with an intensity that sent a shiver down my spine.
• It didn’t make sense.
• I thought about Nicolai’s rejection, the pain it had caused, and how I had managed to push it all down over the past few months. I couldn’t afford to let this new feeling distract me, especially if it was just some cruel twist of fate. Maybe I had been so starved for affection, for connection, that my mind was trying to create a new bond where there was none.
• I turned my head away from the stranger, trying to shake the sensation from my mind. I forced myself to focus on the shops in front of me, pretending like nothing had happened. Like I hadn’t felt the world shift when I looked at him.
• But it was impossible to ignore. The pull, the connection—it was too real.
• And just as I was about to keep walking, I caught myself looking back at him.
• I couldn’t stop it. My eyes were drawn to him like a magnet, and when I looked, I saw that he hadn’t moved. He was still standing there, his eyes locked on me with a strange, unreadable expression. But this time, something in his gaze shifted. It was as though he knew what I was feeling, as though he was aware of the bond I could barely comprehend. And yet, he didn’t approach. He didn’t call out to me. He didn’t even move a step closer.
• For a moment, I felt a strange sense of frustration. Why didn’t he come over? Why wasn’t he doing something about it? Why was he just standing there, leaving me to question everything I knew about myself?
• I could feel my heart racing, my breath shallow, as I realized just how unprepared I was for whatever this was. I wasn’t ready for a second chance mate, or some new bond I couldn’t understand. I didn’t know if I even wanted another bond. Not after everything with Nicolai.
• Suddenly, everything felt overwhelming. The emotions swirled inside me—confusion, fear, longing. It was too much. I wasn’t ready to deal with it.
• Without thinking, I turned and walked quickly in the opposite direction, my pace quickening as I distanced myself from the stranger, from the pull that was threatening to swallow me whole. I didn’t look back again, even though I could feel his presence lingering in the air behind me, like an echo I couldn’t escape.
• By the time I reached my apartment, I was panting, my chest heaving with every breath. I slammed the door shut behind me and leaned against it, trying to steady myself.
• “What is happening to me?” I whispered aloud, my voice trembling.
• I didn’t know the answer. But one thing was clear—I wasn’t ready for whatever this was. I wasn’t ready to face the possibility of a second chance mate, especially not when I couldn’t even make sense of the first one.
• I slid down the door, wrapping my arms arou
• nd my knees, and closed my eyes.
• What did it mean?