Chapter 1
England, 1662
“My Lady? Time to wake up!”
Lady Sofia Graves rolled over in her bed and blinked, rubbing at her eyes as the sunlight streamed in from the large window nearby. It was going to be a perfect day. It was her day, the day she’d been looking forward to for months now.
Her personal maid, Mary, moved to the other window and opened the heavy curtains, allowing more sunlight into the gold and white room.
Sofia sighed. She’d been having a wonderful dream, and had been about to meet her mate, but she had woken up before he’d turned to her. They’d been downstairs in the ball room when she’d caught his scent and saw him standing with his back to her. She’s approached him, admiring his muscled back in his dark frock and his brown hair. He’s started to turn and then she’d heard her maids.
It wasn’t the first time she’d had the dream, but it always ended the same, leaving her disappointed that she never saw the face of the mysterious man who was meant to be hers. All she knew was that he had brown hair.
“My Lady, we have brought up breakfast for you. Then we must start preparing you for the ball,” her other personal maid, Laura, said. Mary and Laura had been with her family most of their lives and had both been her personal maids since she was a child. They were both she-wolves and members of her pack.
Sofia sat up in her bed, and Mary immediately adjusted the pillows behind her back. A tray was placed in front of her, and Laura pulled the cover off her meal. Bread with marmalade sat on one side of her plate, while bacon and eggs were on the other. A bowl, filled with porridge filled the room with its scent, and she breathed it in deeply.
The maids bustled around her bedroom while she ate in preparation for the ball. A large tub was brought in and set before the fire, and several maids paraded in, carrying hot water for her bath. While most humans rarely, if ever bathed, werewolves did so much more frequently because their sense of smell was much more acute. And it was a special day.
Once she’d broken her fast, the tray was removed, and Mary and Laura helped her undress and into the tub. They made quick work of bathing her body, before moving on to her luxurious black curls.
She let her thoughts wander as she sat through their ministrations. Tonight, a ball was being held in her honor since she had reached the appropriate age to finding her mate. Guests had been arriving for the last two days, but Sofia had been restricted from seeing any of them. Her parents wanted her to find her mate at the ball, and not before. Knowing he could be in the house right under her nose made Sofia giddy, but she would go along with her parents’ wishes.
Tawny, her wolf, kept assuring her that he wasn’t there yet. ‘We’d be able to smell him if he was here.’
Sofia wasn’t sure how she felt about that. A small part of her was concerned that he wouldn’t show up at all. It was quite possible. It would sort of defeat the purpose of the evening.
Laura helped her out of the now cold water and wrapped her in a towel, drying her off. She shrugged into a dressing gown, and the maids returned for the tub, removing it from her room. She sat down in front of the fire again and Laura began to brush her hair.
Sofia was an Alpha’s daughter. Her father was also an Earl in the English aristocracy, and she had always had a life of privilege. She was pampered and spoiled, but despite that, Sofia still maintained a sweet disposition. Everyone who met her couldn’t help but like her.
She wondered if she would be disappointed if she didn’t meet her mate tonight. She knew the Werewolf Summit was in a few weeks, and she would have another opportunity then to look for her mate. The Summit was hosted by the Alpha King every five years, and wolves from all over the world would attend. Sofia believed her father would be disappointed though if his daughter wasn’t mated to an English Alpha. Not that she would mind. Traveling to another country to live would be a grand adventure.
Hours passed as the maids spent time working on Sofia’s hair as it dried. A late lunch was brought in, then they would begin the tedious process of dressing her for the ball.
Her father had ordered fabric and lace from Paris and brought in a well-known seamstress to create the gown. It was green and gold and it was absolutely stunning. She was so excited to wear the beautiful creation. She’d loved trying it on while the seamstress had been working on it, and now she was excited to meet her mate in it.
There would be eligible Alphas or future Alphas below, waiting to see if the daughter of the Alpha of the Northumbria pack, one of the largest and most powerful in England, was their mate. She was the prize, and all eyes would be on her tonight.
She had spent the past few months daydreaming about her mate, her knight in shining armor. The man who would sweep her off of her feet, love and adore her. She sighed happily. Hopefully she would give him many pups.
No expense had been spared for this event. Her mother had spent almost a full year planning it, wanting her eldest daughter to have the perfect day. Her ball was the event of the season. Coveted invitations had been sent out, and even the Alpha King himself would attend her ball.
Sofia sighed dreamily. Every girl she knew wished to be mated to the Alpha King. She had met him once, five years ago at the previous Summit, and had immediately developed a crush on the handsome wolf. He’d been kind to her, his blue eyes twinkling. Perhaps tonight, she would get the chance to dance with him. She was very hopeful since the ball was being held in her honor and he would be the most important guest in attendance.
Mary and Laura began the tedious process of helping Sofia into her undergarments. She sat down to allow them to put on her dainty little golden slippers that would probably never be worn again. She hoped to dance the night away on her mate’s arm. Music crept up from the ballroom below, and Sofia hummed along to the tune.
“Let’s get you into that dress, my lady,” Laura said, pulling Sofia out of her musings. She stood and walked over to the beautiful gown, eyeing it appreciatively.
The seamstress had spent hours laboring over the dress, and it would highlight her green eyes, dark hair, and fair skin. The dress was a masterpiece, and she couldn’t even begin to fathom how much her father had spent on it. She stood quietly as Laura and Mary dressed her in the exquisite gown. Once the dress was on, she twirled around in delight. She loved how the new fashion included bare shoulders. She felt like a princess in the gown, and tonight hopefully her handsome prince would come to take her away to his castle in the clouds.
‘Mate is here,’ Tawny suddenly spoke up, interrupting Sofia’s thoughts. She’d been quiet all day, more so than usual, seeming to monitor everything going on, though Sofia could feel her excitement.
‘You’re sure?’ Sofia asked her. She was excited too.
‘Yes, I can feel his presence,’ Tawny wagged her bushy tail in delight.
“You look beautiful, my lady,” Mary gave her a smile, bringing her attention back to what was going on.
“Thank you. I’d better go. It’s almost time.” She turned to the door as Laura opened it. She could hear the music below, and excitement swept through her as she walked out of her room and headed towards the stairs. The scent of her mate briefly reached her, and she breathed him in deeply. Excitement bubbled up even more in her and she wanted to dance her way down the hall, but she resisted the urge. She was an adult now and couldn’t do that. She stopped at the steps, took a deep breath, then began her decent.
