Astra’s pov:

“Ugh…this pain. It just won’t leave me alone!” I pounded my palm on my head and closed my eyes. A thought had been gnawing on my mind for the last couple of weeks. I reached out for the glass of water on the table beside me. My hands shook and the glass dropped with a huge crash. Pieces of sharp glass remained shattered on the wet floor. I stepped into the pool of water. An especially large piece of glass was right in front of me, its sharp edge pointing right at my toe. I continued to stare at it as if I expected it to move away from me on its own.

“Astra! What was that sound? I heard something really loud,” my mom came in running as soon as she heard the sound of the glass breaking. I looked at her.

“I was trying to get some water but the glass fell from my hand and it broke,” I said, coolly. Mom rushed towards me and held my hand, checking it.

“Are you alright? Did you get hurt? You should be careful. What if you had been cut?” she asked, worried. I pulled my hand away slowly.

“Don’t worry, mom. I am fine. I did not get hurt. It’s just that my head hurts a little,” I said.

“Are you still thinking about your mate?” she asked, staring at me.

“Please don’t call that guy my mate, mom!” I snapped at her.

“Sweetheart, I know that you don’t like him. But the fact that he is your mate remains. Nothing can change that…” she said and sighed.

“Yes! I know that it cannot be changed, no matter what I do. That is the reason why my headache is getting even worse. Why did my mate have to be him, of all the wolves out there?” I complained. The wolf inside me growled in agreement.

Three weeks ago, I turned 18. A week after that, my wolf started acting really excited and that’s how I knew we knew we were about to find out who our mate was. Since we were females, we could sense our mate a little before him. When I found out who our mate was, I felt a sharp pain crossing my heart. It stung. My wolf felt the same. ‘Why did it have to be him?’ I wondered. “Oh, boy! This is going to be bad. This is going to be really bad. I mean it. I really do,” my wolf had said. I completely agreed with what she said. Then I saw him, he was looking around. I knew he had found out I was his mate. As his eyes met mine, I saw the happiness in his eyes. I turned away quickly and pretended I did not see him. I glanced at him once again and saw the look on his face. He was hurt. Really hurt. But I could not do anything. I ran away from there and was relieved that he did not chase me.

"Don't! Don't cry, Astra. We're already over it," I told myself but my emotions got the better of me and I sat there, crying, wishing my heart didn't hurt so bad.