Chapter 1
I wake up to the sound of curtains getting pulled back and the bright sun blasting onto my face. My eyes slowly open and I see both my parents bustling around my room. I push myself up onto my elbows and yawn loudly, glancing out the windows to see the backyard covered in fresh, fluffy white snow. Winter really is my favorite time of year. The crisp air, the way it's so quiet and peaceful in the mornings. Beautiful.
I shift in my bed, my back resting against the cold, wooden headboard as my eyes quickly dart around the room, following my parent’s fluid movements. I sigh and swing my legs out from under the thick blankets and onto the freezing wooden floor. Shivering, I quickly grab my white, rabbit fur house slippers and matching robe. Tying the robe's belt tightly around my waist, I shove my hands into the pockets as I shuffle over to my mum, placing a hand on her shoulder while gently digging my nails into her skin to gain her attention. She turns towards me and smiles kindly, her blue eyes shimmering. I yawn softly and mumble to her almost incoherently,
"Mum, where's the fire?"
Her laugh sounds like tinkling bells as she pats me on the shoulder and walks over to my father, placing a hand on his chest and looking up into his soft green eyes.
"Oh, Donovan, she's forgotten what begins today! Do be a dear and remind her for me."
My parents are the cutest couple I know, in the sense that they're complete opposites. They met at a Mating Ball that my mum attended when visiting Scotland. She met my father, fell in love with her mate, moved to Scotland to be part of the Udaya Pack, his home pack, and a few years later, had a daughter.
My mum is a short and perky American, with long, wavy brown hair, big blue eyes, a youthful face, and a carefree attitude. While my father is like a Scottish giant, tall and broad in a muscular way. He has a strong face that's slightly softened out with his bright orange beard, piercing green eyes, and a head full of crazy orange hair. He has scars cut deep into his left cheek and scattered down both his arms. A true hunter, and strict, like any proper General should be. But when he looks at my mum, he turns into a different type of giant. A giant teddy bear of a man; which is exactly what happens right now. He smiles at my mum and nods before looking back at me. He clears his throat and crosses his arms over his chest, looking down at me with a harsh expression; his voice is pleasantly rough, like two smooth rocks being scraped against each other.
"Jacelyn, how could you ever forget that today marks the beginning of the three days in which to find your mate, bring pride to the Udaya Pack, and pride to the McLaren Clan."
I groan loudly, walking towards my bed, before sitting down and sighing. Placing my head in my hands, I close my eyes. I know what he means by 'pride to the McLaren Clan.' Coming from a long line of warrior rankings from both sides, I have a lot to live up to. I was able to block this entire event, and the stress that goes with it, from my mind only to be reminded of it now. The Mating Ball comes around once a year during the winter and goes on for three days. I've gone every year since I was eighteen; this year, I've turned twenty-one and I've given up on finding my mate, my 'one and only.' Most girls find their mate the first time they go to the ball, but not me.
Of course not me...I doubt I'll ever have a relationship with a mate like my parents have. A love that runs deeper than just their wolves pairing. I know that not many do, but that doesn’t stop me from still wanting it. I hear my father clear his throat again, in annoyance this time. I quickly look up and smile charmingly.
"I'll try harder to make you proud this time father."
He nods curtly and points to my bathroom, gesturing for me to go get dressed so that mum and I can go out and have our annual spa day. As I stand tall and walk into the bathroom, I can hear my parents whispers before I even fully close the door,
"Donovan, I worry about her. What if she gives up and stops going one year? What if she never finds her mate here? I know she feels obligated to stay Don, so it's not like she's going to just pack up and leave!"
My mums voice quivers with worry as she speaks to my father, and I can hear his gruff voice respond to hers, "Don't worry too much about her Christine. Our daughter is a very strong young woman and she'll find someone who balances her out in every way. Her wolf won't stand for anything less than perfection. I know it."
I watch through the small crack as he pulls her into his thick arms reassuringly and kisses the top of her head before leading her out of my room. As soon as my parents leave, I quickly shut the bathroom door and lock it. I listen to their footsteps as they walk downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast and I lean against the door for a few seconds, staring back at myself from the giant mirror on the tile wall. I only see a mix of my parents staring back at me. Mums eyes, fathers hair. A mix of two people that has resulted in a scared and tired pale girl with slight muscles; a thin, pointed nose; freckles, like tiny constellations all over my face; sharp blue eyes with a slight tilt; and a mass of bright red hair staring back.
A mix of two warriors, but none of the strong woman my father sees in me. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, getting my nerves under control before walking over to the closet and flinging the doors open, deciding what my last comfortable outfit for the next three days will be.
After six grueling hours at the spa and salon with my mum, I'm back home, sliding into my outfit for the first night. It's nothing too fancy...yet. Just a black halter top and a white mid-thigh skirt with some gold jewelry. I work around my hair and makeup, making sure I don't mess up the art the salon did for me. Something that I've noticed every year is that, for the girls' outfits at lea, they start out simple the first night, a bit fancier the second night, and full on crazy the final night. It's as if all the girls seem calm on night one, but by night three, they're desperate to gain the attention needed to find their mate. Of course, I’m no exception. This year, I've gone to a whole new level of extreme for myself. One last bang if I can't find my mate. Although I’ve yet to tell my parents that. After all, my mums right. I don’t plan on going anywhere to find a mate.
Suddenly, I hear the front door open and close, then the sound of sneakers running upstairs to my room. The door flies open and a flurry of curly brown hair pounces on me, knocking me to the floor. Laughing, I push the other person off and look up at them. Two big, honey brown eyes stare back down at me as the other girl smiles brightly. She stands and brushes invisible dirt off her pants before helping me up again. I shake my head and straighten my shirt out before looking back at her and frowning teasingly.
"Makayla...you really need to work on being absolutely silent. A deer would have heard you from a mile away."
"Oh, come on Jace, that's why I'm a healer, not a hunter like you. Besides, I'm psyched for the ball!"
She laughs softly and throws her bags onto my bed. Last year was Makayla's first ball and on the year of my first ball, we started the small tradition of having a three night sleepover. The mating ball is a huge annual event that is held all over the world, where all eligible werewolves gather to find their mate. Of course, to hide what is actually occurring from those who aren’t like us, the ball is disguised as a gala for the richest families in that region to mingle and ‘talk business’.
I watch her small frame slink across my room and to the window, sitting on the sill.
Everything about my best friend is small, except her personality, that is. Her stature, her voice, her gait, small. Her personality, the largest thing about her. I've known Makayla since she moved here from America when she was five and I was seven. Luckily, she was part of our Alphas cousins pack so her family was able to move here easily.
Most of the time, members of a pack can’t move into new packs, but her family had special circumstances. Her mum died while giving birth to who would’ve been her younger sister. Sadly, the baby was lost too. In packs, the death of a woman during childbirth is a sign of a cursed family, so not many people know the real reason why Makayla and her family moved here.
She moved into the house three down from mine. I first saw her when I went outside the first time that spring, heading for the woods to train with my father. She was running around the front yard. Chasing after her four older brothers, it was easy to tell that she was the runt of the family.
She stumbled slightly and almost fell, I laughed slightly and her head whipped towards me. Her lips curled back slowly and she started sprinting towards me, as she leapt, she shifted into her wolf. I screamed as she pinned me down, her brown, black, and white wolf snarling. She quickly jumped back and paced slowly until she calmed down and shifted back. Apologizing profusely, it was explained that her wolf is ‘easily excited’ and she hasn't had enough proper training to get her under control. Ever since that day, we were inseparable.
Shaking the thought from my mind, I open one of her dress bags and see a beautiful short maroon dress with long lace sleeves. I pull it out and chuckle. It's a bold color, but I know that it will look great with her rich tan skin tone. Makayla glances at me and holds out her hand. I roll my eyes and drop the garment into her hand. She stands up and starts taking off her clothes, I see a slowly healing cut down the center of her back.
"Um...Kayla? What happened to your back?"
"Oh, it's nothing...I got into an argument with my brother over his mate...she treats him like a slave."
I pat her gently on the back once she slides the dress over her shoulders and zips up the back. She smiles and winks playfully before swaying on her heels that add five inches to her 5’2” height, over to the lighted bathroom mirror to touch up her makeup. Once she's done, she spins around dramatically, strikes a pose, and pouts slightly before breaking down laughing. Together we walk downstairs, take pictures, and slide into the limo that's waiting outside. We have the driver blast our favorite music. We talk and laugh the entire way to the hotel that hosts the ball. But, I feel the need to ask her what most would consider to be a stupid question.
"Hey. Are you nervous about meeting your mate? Like, he won't be what you expected?"
"Of course I am...isn't everyone? I know it sounds like a stupid cliche, but we have to trust our wolves. They know what's best for us and they won't let us get hurt."
She sighs wistfully and smiles, resting her head on my shoulder. She tilts her head up and stares at me happily.
"Besides, I'll always have you in my corner. You know, you're like my sister. Which is why I'm going to let you in on a big secret. A new Alpha is coming to the ball tonight, from the Menodora Pack."
I gasp when she says Menodora. The Alpha of that pack is feared by many. He's known to be a cruel and vicious person. Luckily, I know for a fact that I don’t have to worry about being mated to him. Alphas rarely mate with wolves who aren’t also descendants of Alphas. But still, I'm definitely going to be staying away from that beast.
We soon arrive and step out of the limo to face a giant, shining hotel. Luckily, it’s warm for a mid-winter night. There are multiple young men and women walking through the grand front doors. We look at each other and giggle before walking in. I inhale sharply and look around the ball room. It's absolutely beautiful. Synthetic icicles all over the ceiling and the pure white marble floor, countless candles around the entire room, and fake trees scattered across the floor. It's like they brought the perfect winter night into the ballroom. I look around the room in awe, seeing a lot of people that I would love to mate with, trying to make eye contact with any and all of them.
A few hours into the ball and I've danced with almost thirty different men; my age, younger, and older. I sit down at one of the many tables and rest my chin in my hand, slowly sipping the wine from my glass. I’m about halfway through my glass when the scent of the Oceanside and camp fires floods over me and I feel a large, hot hand on my shoulder. I look up and see a tall, olive skinned man with a cold, attractive face. I feel my wolf squirm slightly as his sky blue eyes bore into mine. I bite my lip, worried about what I'm feeling. His gaze flickers between mine and my glass of wine. The corners of his lips turn down slightly as he speaks, a husky, posh British accent evident in his voice.
"Are you old enough to be drinking that... Suvana?"
I gasp softly when he says that name, my wolf's name. No one knows my wolf's name except for me, my wolf, and...my mate. I push my shoulders back, clear my throat, and narrow my eyes, slightly glaring at him.
"I'm eighteen, thank you so much for your concern."
"You will not use that tone with me. I demand your respect and nothing less. I'll see you at the end of the ball, mate."
I snarl slightly and tear my shoulder away from his grip. He growls softly yet menacingly and walks away. I hear heels quickly click over and Kayla quickly plops into the chair across from me. She grips both of my shoulders tightly and looks at me with concerned eyes.
"Do you realize who you were just talking to? That was Ezra Harrison! Alpha of the Menodora Pack?"
"Oh shit..."
She tilts her head, confused by my reaction of pain, not terror. I look down and back into her eyes, this time with the fear that she expected. I grab her hands tightly and whisper with a shaking voice.
"He's my mate..."
