Hazel and Eva walked in together. The birthday party and surprise engagement was at Alpha Liam’s Woodson house (It's not a house though; a mansion would be the safe word), it was more like a casual get together in the lawn.

The pack house where all the pack activities take place was a few yards from the mansion.

“Happy birthday, Eva!”

They wished Eva personally and fails to noticed that it was also Hazel birthday.

They spotted the others and joined their tables. Eva greater some of her friends.

Hazel felt out of place.

You know, the feeling you get when you are invited to an even full of people you don't really know, but you’re forced to go to out of courtesy, just like they were forced to invite you out of courtesy; yeah, that's how Hazel is feeling too.

She hardly knew the faces of people around her.

“Hazel!” She heard a familiar voice. She raised her head to see Gina.

Gina was an Omega. The most unfortunate and weakest of the pack. Omaga’s are treated cruely and were made as servants who will serve the pack.

Everyone treated her cruely expect from Hazel and Eva.

“Hi Gina….” Hazel said, a smile spreed on her lip. Now she see someone she knows.

“Alpha Derrick came back with a girl……” she said and I shrugged.

“Aren’t you surprised?” She asked amused and I nodded.

“How did you…….oh yeah.” She muttered and turned to Eva.

“She might have told you!”

Gina said and Hazel nodded.

“Her name is Mabelle. I heard he’s engaging her tonight. I can’t believe Alpha Derrick is giving up on his mate?.

What if he bumps into his mate after the engagement ?"

Gina asked and Hazel shrugged.

"He won't leave Mabel for his mate now" Hazel said.

"She's gonna reject her once he find her. “

She concluded.

"I know, it's the mate I'm worried about. Well, she better hide in whatever cave she's been hiding in for the past 6 years" Gina said "It'll be good for her to never bump into her soul-mate"

"Amen" Hazel raised a toast to that.

"You guys are something else!” Eva laughed.

"I hoped this Mabel of a girl is 'someone elegant, graceful and kind, someone who will serve our pack along with him” Hazel quoted "the opposite of me"

"How do you know?. I just met her few minutes ago when I was cleaning the alpha’s room and indeed she had those qualities. How come you knew when you’ve never met her?” Gina asked.

Eva burst into an uncontrollable laughter.

She was holding her stomach, laughing "Yes, yes, yes" she grinned

"Wow, really? He found her?" Haz said, impressed.

"That's some goal clarity" She was amazed, he knew what he wanted in life at such a young age and I still don't have an ideal type. Duh.

"After his engagement, Derrick is taking over alpha's duty in a week from now, before his wedding!”Gina said.

“You sure knows a lot.” Eva said and she grinned.

***

Eva left to welcome her guest and Hazel was left alone with Gina. Soon, a strange feeling occurred to her as she sat down with her back to the center stage. It was as if something very important in her life was passing by, she only had to turn and look at it and everything would fall in place. Something inside her was begging her to look.

Hazel felt so uncomfortable. She sense a strong intoxicating scent. It filled her nostrils, almost making her to go crazy.

Her wolf woke up in attention, focusing on the only other heart that matched the rhythm of her heart.

Mate.

The realization took Hazel breath away. Her heart beat was picking up its pace and she could feel her body warming up, she was shaking.

She closed her eyes. Breathe in. Breathe out.

She opened her eyes slowly. He wasn't there, not in the line of her vision. She relaxed, letting out the breath she didn't realize she was holding.

Hazel smiled at Gina. she didn’t know whether to tell her or not.

Her mind was, at this point, blank. She was trying to kill time.

"They're here" Gina whispered to her.

Huh? She realized, everyone was looking somewhere behind me. Oh, the engagement, Derrick and Mabelle.

She turned, scanning every face along the way, until her eyes stopped at him.

*****

"Hazel, are you awake, baby"

“Eva? “ Hazel blinked twice as she opened her eyes and tried adjusting to the light ray.; Eva was sitting beside her, worried?

She looked around. She was in the pack hospital. No, she didn't have the luxury to forget, she remembered.

"I'm fine, Eva"

"How can you be fine, you fainted, chipmunk" Eva reprimanded her.

Hazel didn't have the energy to talk.

"I just need some sleep Eva, I couldn't sleep well last night. Can I go home?" She begged her.

"No, The doctor still have to run some tests on you" she said.

"Consider me as your father at this moment, not your best friend, so your puppy looks won't work"

"I want to sleep"Hazel turned away from her.

"Get some rest Hazel. I’ll be right back. “ she said and left me alone.

***

The moment Hazel eyes stopped at him, her heart stopped too.

He had on a black suit that clung to his body while making him look hotter than any of her memories of him. His eyes seemed to have gotten sharper and even more beautiful, he had always had beautiful eyes anyway but it seemed like he now knew how to make them look more appealing. His black hair had been left to grow a little bit more than she remembered but all in all, he looked dashing.

At that moment, Hazel felt complete.

She don't remember how long the moment lasted, but it soon came crashing down on her, his identity.

Derrick.

She could see it, the change in his eyes, the panic. She could feel her own head getting lighter by the second.

The shock was so huge that her body reacted before her brain registered it. She fainted.

Derrick, the most perfect man she ever met, was her mate.

Derrick , the boy she laughed at for not finding his mate at 18, was her mate.

Derrick, whose mate she pitied for ever being born, was her mate.

She had cursed, laugh and mocked herself.

She still couldn’t believe it. All these years, she was laughing at herself?

She pitied herself?.

Her wolf howled inside of her, a sob left her mouth, She had to get away.

*****

She opened the window of the hospital room that overlooked the forest and jumped off it.

She shifted, letting her wolf shred the dress that she wore to the party into pieces.

Hazel let her take over, She let her mourn.

Around midnight, after hours of aimlessly running around the entire forest, She could hear voices inside my head. They were looking for me

'I'm fine' I inform them and immediately shifted. She don't want them in her head.

She look around, this is the farthest in their land that she have ever been. This was the mountain that overlooked the lake. She stop at the sound of a loud growl coming from her left; She wasn't alone.

She turned to look at the source but was instead hit with a bunch of clothes right at her face.

Ah! she was undressed. But this time it was her turn to growl as the scent from the clothes hit her.

"Derrick"She whispered.

His back was facing her, She could hear him take a deep breathe. He pointed at the clothes in her hand.

Hazel obliged.

"I…. I…" She wanted to tell him that she was clothed, but her tongue were tied just like her legs. She wanted to listen to him, despite her senses telling her to run away.

She wanted to look at him, today, the closest he will ever be. Her wolf purred inside her.

She looked up at him as he turned to look at her. He was handsome, not that she hadn't noticed it all these years; but now her eyes were looking at his perfectly sculpted face with different emotions. The moonlight reflected in his green eyes was the most soothing view ever, her wolf wanted to lie down at his feet in submission. Was that the power of the alpha?

He stopped a few inches away from her. What was he doing?

Sitting down on his knees, he looked up at her. His eyes were filled with emotions.

A fire began to burn her heart as her face heated up in realization; pity, her mate pitied her.

"I'm sorry" those were the first words her mate spoke to her. Hazel froze as she heard that deep masculine voice. It was slightly different from what she remembered his voice to be, it sounded more masculine, deeper, and more hot.

“Mate!” She uttered in tears.

“Mate…” He uttered back

END OF FLASHBACK.