Omega's Second Chance (Second Chance book 1)

2

Jackson had grown up in the Silver Moon Pack, a pack well known for treating all wolves equally, no matter their rank. By the time his 18th birthday came around, he was nervous. Not because he was worried about how he'd be treated by his Goddess-given mate, but because he knew that once he met his mate, he'd have to move in with them and could no longer live with his parents. It was a tradition for all omega's in the pack.

Jackson and his parents were sitting on the couch in their family room, staring at the clock, watching as time dwindled closer and closer to midnight. He was seated between his parents, each holding one of his hands in both of theirs for comfort.

11:59.

Just a few more seconds before he would know whether his mate was in this pack. Just a few more seconds until he found out if he would get to stay with his parents for a little while longer, or be forced to live with someone else because of a stupid tradition.

10...

9...

8...

7...

6...

As the seconds dwindled down, Jackson clung tighter to his parents' hands.

4...

3...

2...

1...

0.

When the clock struck midnight, a strong aroma snuck into Jackson's nose. Sandalwood and cinnamon. Jackson let go of his parents hands, alerting them that something was happening. They stood up with him and followed him toward the door, where they gave him a quick hug and a "good luck" before he left to find his mate.

Jackson followed his nose through the pack, sniffing every so often to make sure he was on the right trail. The scent grew stronger as he neared the pack house. He stopped in his tracks when he heard a voice he recognized that caused his heart to skip a beat.

Dean Richards, the Alpha heir. Jackson had had a crush on him for years, but for some reason, whenever he attempted to start a conversation, Dean would simply walk away and completely ignore him as if he wasn't there. It was rather insulting to be honest. That's when Jackson realized it: the scent of sandalwood and cinnamon had been coming from Dean. His longtime crush was his Goddess-given mate!

"Go to our mate!" Phoenix ordered.

Jackson was about to do just that when Dean stopped talking, raising his head and sniffing the air. The direction of the wind had shifted causing Jackson's scent to travel toward Dean. The future Alpha turned around slowly until he caught sight of Jackson, and a strange smile appeared on his face.

Dean started to approach Jackson, who was rooted to the spot in shock that his crush was his mate. He came out of his trance when Dean was directly in front of him.

"Why do you smell like vanilla and caramel, Omega?" he sneered, dragging out Jackson's rank purposely as an insult.

Jackson's chest ached at the way his mate was speaking to him. "Y-you're my m-mate, Dean..." he stuttered softly.

"Oh we're mates, are we?"Dean asked mockingly. At Jackson's nod, he roughly grabbed Jackson's arm before turning back toward his group of friends he'd been talking to. Jackson hadn't noticed them before that moment, having immediately focused on Dean. "I'm gonna head home, guys. I have to go claim my mate," Dean said to his friends, causing them to snicker. Jackson didn't understand why his mate was acting so cruel toward him, or why his friends were laughing when he said he was going to claim Jackson.