The Change ( Fated Series: Book 1 - Completed )

Chapter 2 - And now....

Chapter 2- And now

(Word count 4150)

(Edited 2019)

(Picture on the side - Vanessa Heinsfeld in her little black dress)

Nessa

(Twenty-five years old or seven years after the rejection)

Rover Grove Pack House

Nessa headed into the Pack House to pay her respects to the Alpha and his family. It was the right thing to do. The avoidance policy, she perfected over the years, could only get her so far. Avoid the matter, avoid the pain. It was easy to stay away, but hard to move on.

Closure was well overdue or so she thought at the time. But the closer she got to the main entrance, the jitters made her doubtful.

Could she do it?

Rover Grove would always smell like home. It was her pack up until she moved away for college and now that she was done with all possible degrees, it was time to return.

Crowded, indoor gatherings were challenging for shifters. Their heightened senses became overloaded by the difference scent of each individual overlaid by that of their pack. Shifters often choose to block their olfactory perception instead of risking a migraine. Nessa remembered how difficult it was to concentrate on ignoring nature's urge to take a deep sniff. But now she missed the effort. It was a reminder of how withdrawn her wolf had become.

Nessa had lived with humans long enough to not miss her heightened senses. She didn't need to identify her human friends by scent or to be on the lookout for rogues. Humans were simply too noisy for their own good. They also did not rely on their noses for survival. Social cues and words were their weapons. Curiosity ran deep in their veins, but they never looked down at you if you were alone at age twenty-five. Humans were now Nessa's people as her wolf was so withdrawn she was as close to them as a shifter could get.

But now that she was here, she missed the effort. She missed her superior hearing and sight. She still longed for that big romance she was promised from cradle. The only difference was she knew it wasn't going to be with her Fated. Taking a chosen mate was like dating in the human world. It was difficult. Messy. Complicated.

All thanks to Brandon, who stood proud by Juliet's side at the doorway, greeting the arriving guests. His eyes followed her approach and Nessa tried to maintain a blank look. Juliet regarded her with a friendly, yet distant smile. They were no longer the close friends they once were.

Vanessa looked at them and instead of pain for the first time ever, she felt disappointment. She wondered if Brandon ever told Juliet about her. It seemed like a thing they would discuss before jumping into bed with each other. It wasn't like Brandon didn't just roll out of bed with Nessa. Juliet had to had known they slept together yet said nothing. They were perfect for each other if that was the case.

"Alpha. Luna," Nessa greeted them with respectful bow of her head. It was the proper way to greet high ranked werewolves. Her downcast eyes landed on a little boy peeking behind Juliet's skirt. Nessa smiled at him just as his huge brown eyes, shining bright with puzzlement and mischief, caught hers.

"Vanessa, it's good to see you again," Juliet greeted her.

"Welcome home," Brandon muttered then lifted up the little boy who was trying to catch his attention for some time now. "This little brat is Roland, your future Alpha."

Nessa eyes widened in surprise, which she hoped could still pass as astonishment. Nessa's wolf stirred, whimpering as an acknowledgement. Once she moved on her temporary leave to Blackwood, she had cut all contact with anything that might remind her of Rover Grove. In retrospect, Nessa should have expected for them to have children. Yet, the little boy's existence was another nail piecing her heart. While she was getting over Brandon, Nessa was still stuck in self-pity and jealousy she missed on having a family.