True Mates

...HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Damon, destined to be an Alpha, has believed himself in love with Adena since he was 18. When she arrived at his father's pack, The Dark Moon Pack, he was 17, nearing his 18th birthday. Standing at 6'7", he had thick, wavy black hair that fell to his shoulders, a muscular build, a chiseled face, a straight nose, and piercing green eyes. Werewolves typically sense their mate around the age of 18. Adena entered the pack with her father Nathan, the new pack doctor, and her mother Azalea, a witch whom Alpha Roman, Damon's father, hesitantly allowed on his territory due to the need for a skilled doctor. Adena was 17, soon to be 18, when Damon first saw her. With brown curly hair, brown eyes, standing at 5'7", and a full figure, her appearance was otherwise unnoteworthy. Her face was pleasant, though not striking, marred slightly by a crooked nose. Her demeanor was off-putting, marked by a smug attitude. Initially, Damon thought little of her, repelled by her possessive gaze which made his skin crawl. His father warned him to keep his distance, distrustful of the way she and her mother watched him surreptitiously.

Adena persistently shadowed Damon, seeking solitude with him, but he consistently avoided her. She attempted to present him with gifts, which he invariably refused. On one occasion, just before his 18th birthday, she approached him at the river, away from his friends. He implored her to leave him be. In tears, she questioned his coldness, professing her love for him. He rebuffed her, declaring his heart reserved for his true mate. Accepting defeat, she agreed to cease her advances, asking only to bestow a birthday gift to him. Unbeknownst to him that it was crafted with her mother the witch's aid.

Adena promised that if he accepted her birthday gift and tried it on, she would leave him alone and stop bothering him. Reluctantly, Damon agreed, hoping it would persuade her to leave him alone. As she handed him the ring, he slid it onto his finger and muttered a brief 'happy,' intending to remove it immediately after. However, the ring wouldn't come off, and as he stared at his finger, a hypnotic glow began to radiate from the ring. Overwhelmed by sudden visions of Adena, he was consumed by an intense love for her. "Mate," he wept, pulling her into his embrace and kissing her.