Name: Hate to Love
Rating: 4.8 (19 reviews)
Author: M. Syrah

Summary

"You'll be my mate when we're older right Julian?" I said to my brother's best friend when I was only 6. "That's not how it works." He chuckled "But there's no one I would want more Alice." Alice's brother Charles disappeared without a trace two years ago leaving her his position as Gamma in their pack and an impossible rift between her and Charle's best friend, Beta Julian. Now that she's about to come of age and find her mate, all this feelings resurface. Even more when she finds out who her mate is... Will she be able to make it work and maybe find her missing brother?

Genre: Romance,Fantasy

Author: M. Syrah

Status: Complete

Chapters: 40

Rating: 4.8 (19 reviews)

Age Rating: 18+

1

Alice

The sun was hot on this summer evening. I was enjoying the cool breeze while lying on the warm grass. My eyes were closed and I was totally relaxed. I sighed of content when I heard a chuckle not so far from me. A smile spread on my face, I knew that voice.

"Here you are." I said.

"I was wondering what my future Gamma was doing and here I found you." Jasper said.

He was my young Alpha. Jasper was barely three years older than me but he was already acting as Alpha for the pack more or less while waiting for me to fulfill my role. The role of Gamma should have fallen to my older brother but... He disappeared two years ago leaving me to take the rank.

Jasper was nice, strong and reliable. He was perfect to be Alpha. Aside to that, he was a looker. He was tall with long dark brown hair and piercing green eyes, a muscular body for a 21 year old with still some room to grow. All the females in the pack were crazy about him. I had to admit that I would not mind being his mate. I still had some time to think about it because my 18th birthday was right around the corner.

"She’s being lazy as usual." Julian said.

I clicked my tongue out of anger. Julian. He was our Beta but I hated him. He was as tall as Jasper with messy, dirty blond hair and dark blue eyes. He used to be my brother's best friend and I had a crush on him as a kid but now... There was only resentment. He blamed me for the disappearance of my brother and that was just so unfair... I opened my eyes and threw him a dark look.

"Please behave, Jul." Jasper said, used to our banter. "I thought you would be home to prepare your birthday."

"I’m taking a break." I said, settling back on the grass. "My birthday is in 2 days so I have time. Plus, you know that I’m well organised so everything is ready."

"Great." Jasper nodded, sitting down next to me. "Are you looking forward to being of age and finding your fated one?"

Jasper was close to me considering our future role, I knew that I could talk to him about that matter. I was not happy that Julian would hear as well but I could ignore him as long as he did the same.

"I’m anxious about that actually. I don’t want to leave the Pack so I hope my fated is here." I confessed.

Julian snorted at that and I gritted my teeth. He knew that it would be bad for the Pack if my fated was not here because it would mean that I would need to leave. Wolves took the highest rank of their mates so I might be mated to a Beta or an Alpha and that would mean that I would leave my Pack without a Gamma. Jasper sighed between us and turned his gaze to me.

"You don’t need to worry about this Li, I’m sure it will be all right." He said reassuringly.

"I hope you’re right." I sighed.

"We would manage either way without you." Julian said matter-of-fact.

He was just so impossible. I whipped my head to look at him and he was staring right back. That just annoyed my wolf further but he knew that and he was probably doing it on purpose. The jerk. We were both dominant but he was dominant to me which meant that I would never win in a fight of dominance against him. He was twice my size and width anyway and he knew how to fight.

I stood up and started to walk away before I would jump at his throat. That bastard could not let it go and I did not want to let him have the pleasure of seeing me furious. I ignored Jasper’s plea to stay and walked towards my home without looking back.

There I let out the deep breath I held every time I would see Julian. It was physically painful to see him when I remembered all the good time we had as kids. His words from two years ago just shattered it all and left my heart even more broken than it was after my brother's disappearance.

Charles... Look what you've done to us.

The Pack had searched for him everywhere but we never found him. We were still looking and still getting reports from our allies just in case but I was starting to slowly lose hope. What could he be doing that was so important that he could not tell us where he was? If he was still alive? Why would he go alone too?

We used to be so close and do everything together, Julian, Jasper, Charles and me. The boys used to say that I could not follow because I was a baby but Charles always said that I was more of a wolf than he would ever be and he was to be Gamma, the first born, the heir to my parents.

My father trained me to take his place when Charles disappeared. He never took it well but he was moving on as if nothing happened. I knew better but we never talked about Charles anymore. He only talked about him with Alpha David, Jasper's father.

I looked at the kitchen I just entered and all the things that my mom got ready for my birthday. I could barely feel happy about it. My brother was still missing for my coming of age and I would maybe find my mate or not. That scared me a lot more than what I told Jasper.

I could not leave and put my parents through it all again. Please Moon Goddess, make it that my mate is in the Pack. If you truly love me, make it Jasper too. Praying a bit could never hurt.