Chapter 1
Please be aware that this story is incomplete. It's been a hard year for me, and my passion for writing has gone. This is why it's taken so long to upload. Part One is complete.
I stand on my balcony, staring off into space. I remember marvelling at the view from my chambers when I first arrived. My balcony overlooks the gardens of the pack house, and at night, you can see pack members walking through the flower maze or up the path towards the pergola, giggling as they interrupt other young wolves making out there.
Growing up, I couldn’t wait to meet my mate. Like every young werewolf, we fantasised about who our mate could be and what it would be like to have a mate. And it was hard not to believe in mates when you went to pack barbecues and saw mates meet for the first time. Or watch the ‘Mate Balls’ on television, where single wolves would sign up to go on the show, hoping to meet their soulmate. And of course, there was the live streaming of Alpha and Luna mating ceremonies. Hell, my mating ceremony with my Alpha mate was televised.
Who wouldn’t believe in soulmates and love at first sight when growing up seeing all that? I wanted my happily ever after fairytale with my mate, just like what I saw my parents, friends and pack members having. And I thought I got that.
“Natalie,” my mate calls from my bedroom. I rub my flat stomach before turning around to leave the balcony.
My mate, Larson, sits on my bed, his hands rubbing his thighs as he waits for me. I take a moment to look at him. I loved him once. I thought he was the most beautiful man I had ever seen. Yes, he is handsome, with his dark hair and chocolate-brown eyes. He’s tall, with a broad solid frame packed with muscles. I used to love the way his rippled chest would show through his white V-neck t-shirts, and his thick thighs would fit tight in his jeans.
“Alpha,” I greet. I no longer call him by his first name. It’s Alpha now. Or Alpha Grey.
Larson stands and turns towards me. I know what is expected, what he wants. We’ve been doing this dance every three weeks since I arrived, when my fertility window is high. But tonight will be different.
“I’m pregnant,” I tell him. Larson’s whole demeanour changes. His face turns from sullen to surprised and then ecstatic.
“Are you sure?” he asks. I nod, a smile betraying me, happy that he’s happy.
“I missed my period, and I took a pregnancy test this morning. It’s positive,” I tell him.
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Larson cries, grabbing me around my waist and spinning me around in a circle. He cups my face and kisses me, showing me affection that I haven’t seen since our mating ceremony.
“Tomorrow morning, I’ll meet you and we’ll go to the infirmary, okay?” I nod in agreement and Larson grins.
“I’m going to be a father!” he says delightedly. I nod and watch as he practically skips out of my chambers and closes the door behind him.
I stare at the door and I remember how we got here. I look down at my stomach, where a new life grows inside me. I can’t love this baby. I’m only here to produce an heir, and once it’s born, I’ll be gone.
I sit down in the spot on my bed that Larson had occupied. Ten months ago, my world was different. I was in my home pack, living with my parents. I thought I was happy then.
Previously…
“Natalie! Natalie! Tell us the story about the tortoise and the hare again!” Mila, one of the pups sitting on the grass with me, asks. I smile and laugh as the young children look at me eagerly.
I had been working in the pack kitchens preparing for tonight’s pack barbecue when Mila and her friends accosted me on the way back from setting food on an outdoor trestle table. We were barbecuing meat, corn and toasting bread, and I was assisting with bringing it all over. At least I was assisting. Now, I’m sitting here with three books on my lap as a group of random pups sit around me in a semi-circle.
“Okay, the story of the tortoise and the hare,” I begin. I revisit the story of the tortoise and the hare, where the hare thinks he’s so good at running that he doesn’t even have to try to beat the tortoise in a race. But then the tortoise wins the race anyway.
“What is the moral of the story?” I ask the pups.
“Slow and steady wins the race!” Thelma smiles at me.
“No! It means you shouldn’t put others down because they might be better than you!” Mila corrects.
“Tortoises can live up to 150 years, like us. Maybe it means wisdom and experience exceeds youthful pride,” Quinn says thoughtfully.
“Maybe,” I agree. I pass the books over to Mila and get up.
“Here you go,” I tell her. The pups whine and I laugh.
“Go play,” I suggest, waving as I walk off.
“You’re so good with them,” my friend Jay tells me as I approach.
“They’re cute,” I agree. I look over and see that the pups have dispersed, some going over to the equipment to play and some going to their parents.
“I can’t wait till I have one,” Jay sighs. I look over at my friend and offer her a smile. She found her mate just after she turned eighteen. We’re twenty-four now, and Jay has yet to conceive.
“It’ll happen when it’s meant to happen,” I tell her. Jay nods.
“You’ll meet your mate when you’re meant to, too,” Jay says.
“Hmm,” I agree, jostling her arm with my own. I’ve been single for six years, as I’ve been waiting for my mate. You don’t have to, some people don’t meet their mates until their thirties, but I’m patient.
“Maybe you’ll meet him tonight,” Jay says, nodding towards the hills where a convoy of black cars can be seen.
“Maybe,” I neither agree nor disagree. Tonight, another Alpha visit our pack to talk trade agreements, which is why we’re having a pack barbecue. Our pack, composed of almost three hundred families, enjoy any excuse to get together and celebrate. The visiting Alpha’s first experience meeting our pack will be in form of this pack barbecue, held on the field behind our pack house.
“Look! They’re here!” an excited teenager screams near us. Her friends squeal and Jay and I look at each other and laugh. We were once like that. We follow the crowd towards the road.
There are five cars in all, and they stop outside the pack house entrance. From the angle and position on the hill, I can see the first car open, and men in military uniform come out. An excited buzz wafts through the air from the young teen werewolves.
“What are you doing?” Ewen, Jay’s mate asks, walking up to us.
“Looking at the new meat,” Jay replies. I laugh as Ewen scowls.
“It’s okay beast, I only have eyes for you,” Jay teases. I grin. When I first heard Jay call her mate ‘beast’ I almost vomited when she told me why. Now I just feel warmth at their happiness with each other.
The crowd surges forward just as tones of tropical fruit enter my nose.
“Mate!” my wolf, Eden, cries out. I don’t know which one he is as I scan ahead, but my mate is there, near the crowd.
I barely register Jay and Ewen call my name as I push through the crowd towards the peak. My mate is from the second car, and I notice my Alpha Couple, Alpha Jake and Luna Thalie, standing in the front.
People scoff and look at me as I push past, but I’m determined. I feel my wolf active in my head, both eager to meet the ones meant for us.
“Excuse me,” I hear his voice. It has a rich full sound, and my legs go weak. A male steps to one side of my Luna, and our eyes lock together.
“Mate,” We say at the same time. He’s beautiful. His dark hair and dark eyes give him a sexy brooding look. I smile.
“Hi,” I stammer, looking up at him. He’s taller than my Alpha… and leaner. His clothes look tailored, fitting him flawlessly.
“I’m Natalie Cross,” I introduce myself. He smiles.
“Natalie Cross, I am Alpha Larson Grey, of Embermoon Pack,” he grins. Larson. My mate is named Larson. I whisper his name, moving my tongue through the l, to the s and n. Larson smiles.
I hear Alpha Jake say something, but my concentration is on my mate.
“Come,” he says, holding out his hand. I nod and take it, tingles erupting from our touch. My grin is sore from holding it, but I can’t stop as Larson leads me away from the crowd and to the pack house. Without question, I follow him inside, through the foyer, up the stairs and down the long hallway where the guest rooms are.
He opens a door to an empty guest room and closes it behind him after we walk in. I’ve never seen the guest rooms here, and they’re well-appointed with a big queen-sized bed, a small kitchenette and a seating area, and a door, which I assume leads to a bathroom or closet.
I turn to look at my mate and am pleased that he is still smiling. He takes a step towards me and my entire body begins to buzz with his proximity. I watch as he takes me in, up and down, his eyes resting on my lips.
“You’re stunning,” he murmurs. I’m about to thank him when his lips suddenly meet mine, his kiss intense. He scrapes his teeth down the width of my bottom lip, pulling it, and when I gasp in response, he enters his needy tongue into my mouth.
Our hands are everywhere. He explores my body while I weave my fingers through the soft tendrils of his brown hair. Larson pulls at my shirt, and I take help to take it off. Next goes my shoes, socks and shorts, leaving me in my plain cotton underwear. I attempt to undo the buckle of his belt, which he covers with his large hands and finishes for me. In a flurry of movement, our last scraps of clothing hit the floor and we’re on the bed, naked.
“I want to taste you, but I need to be inside you,” Larson says, his voice creating wetness straight to my core.
“I need you too,” I admit. It’s exactly like everything we’ve learned growing up, the extreme pull towards our mate and the need to procreate. Our most primal instincts: to meet, mate, and mark.
Larson smiles and kisses me again, his tongue duelling with mine when I feel him push into me. I pull away and gasp as he slowly slides into me, stretching me for the first time.
“You’re a virgin?” Larson asks as he takes his time for me to get used to his girth.
“Yes,” I say, nodding vigorously. Larson smiles and finishes pushing himself all the way in, and we both sigh together, making us laugh.
Slowly, Larson begins to move, sliding his cock in and then out. I close my eyes and savour the sensation, lifting my hips slightly to meet him. He peppers kisses down my neck, and I moan when he gets to the sweet spot between my shoulder and neck. My nerves explode as his teeth scrape against my skin, and I feel myself get wetter with anticipation. Instead of biting down on me, he sucks, drawing my skin into his mouth. I moan and clutch the back of his head.
“Oh god,” I cry out. I can’t help but make a noise with each thrust into me. Every nerve is alight, every touch falling between pleasure and pain as my body wants more.
“Larson!” I moan, “Faster, harder!” I plead.
“Yeah, Natalie?” Larson asks between moves. I nod, and when he moves faster, I moan in pleasure. Larson begins a crescendo of movement, and I reciprocate by meeting him each time. Sweat pours down my back as we move, his balls slapping on my arse cheeks when we meet. I love the sound it makes, and I love the sound I make as my body fills with pleasure.
It doesn’t take long for my body to tense up, teetering over the edge. I try to relax, and as Larson continues to pound into me, I let go. It’s when I let go that my body explodes. My vagina grips onto Larson’s cock as my orgasm ripples through me. Larson pumps a few more times before he stops, panting over top of me. I smile up at my mate, and he joins me as our breaths regulate together.
“Is it always like that?” I ask. Larson shakes his head.
“No, not always.”
“You didn’t mark me,” I pout. Marking occurs when your mate sinks their teeth into the curve between your neck and shoulder, allowing their saliva to mingle with your blood. This exchange fuses your DNA, creating an unbreakable bond that lets mates sense each other’s emotions. It’s a powerful ritual, usually taking place during your first time together, sealing the connection in both body and soul.
“No. We have to wait for the mating ceremony,” Larson explains. Oh, that’s right. When an Alpha meet their mate, marking occurs in front of the pack, after the handfasting ceremony.
“Is that okay?” Larson asks. I never dreamed that I’d be mated to an Alpha. I was hoping for a Delta wolf, those who worked on the police force or security.
“It’s okay,” I agree. Larson smiles, then rolls onto his back next to me.
We lay there for a few moments when my stomach growls.
“Was that you?” Larson asks.
“Yeah. I haven’t eaten. We’re at a barbecue, remember?” I smile, turning to look at him.
“Then we should go, eat,” Larson smiles, getting up from the bed.
“Not like that,” I giggle.
“Like what?”
“Naked!”
“Oh, you mean we should dress first?” he teases. I nod. Larson smiles and throws me my clothes.
“Should we shower first?” I ask as I begin to dress.
“No. I want everyone to know you’re mine. I want you to smell like me,” he grins. My stomach growls again and Larson shakes his head with a laugh.
“Come on, let’s get back to the barbecue so I can feed you,” Larson says, holding out his hand. I’ve finished dressing, so I take his hand and let him lead me back to the party.
