Chapter 1 Eve
"Jesus, Eve!” My brother Caleb sighs with frustration, running his fingers through his short brown hair.
I shrug.
“What?”
“Don’t what me! I promised Dad you would be there on time, presentable, and in one piece.” He gestures to my body as a whole. “This! This is none of the above!”
“My bad. We got a little carried away with training,” I reply bending and stretching out my leg muscles. Reece, my sparring partner in crime, chuckles from the bench he is cooling down on.
“Understatement,” Reece says. “You kicked my ass.”
I grin at him.
“I’m supposed to and you deserved it. You ate my slice of cheesecake that I'd hidden in the fridge!”
“I was doing you a favor. I can’t roll our head warrior into battle,” He says with a laugh, wiping his blond hair back out of his eyes and sending me a wink.
“You're a dick, you know that! Besides a slice of cheesecake is hardly going to turn me into a whale.”
“Eve! For the love of God, the party has already started! You're sweaty, bruised, blood-smeared, and certainly not presentable!” My brother snaps at me, bringing my attention back to him. “Hit the showers. I’ll get Kasey to bring down some clothes and hopefully, she can cover your face with enough crap to hide the marks. Reece, I’ll deal with you later!”
"Like I could have said no to her,” Reece huffs. “Girl could convince a nun to be a hooker! Besides she's the only one that can beat my ass! I need the challenge.”
“You better believe it!” I say, jumping onto Reece’s back and nudging his sides with my knees like a horse. “To the showers before Caleb has an aneurism!”
Caleb shakes his head, a smirk on his face, and walks off, while Reece pretends to gallop us to the showers. While in our shower stalls, we joke around about who will succumb this year to the dreaded 'mate curse.'
Last year we had both drenched ourselves in perfume, keeping all sensitive noses away from us. Reece and I had a blast, dancing the night away and drinking ourselves stupid. This year we will be arriving beyond fashionably late. Hopefully, all the cursed mates are coupled up and the unsuccessful ones are licking their wounds at the bar by the time we arrive. If we're lucky they'll also be drunk, too drunk to notice either of us as a potential mate.
Mates are supposed to be a blessing, a true soulmate, or in extremely rare cases, it can sometimes be two true soulmates. Poor bastards who had to juggle more than one. Reece and I called it a curse. Once a year the pack held a party and all those of mating age (twenty years upwards) attend from the pack. Outsiders from allied packs are also allowed in, to broaden the chances of finding their true loves.
But for Reese and I, it was the most ridiculous thing ever. Watching complete strangers move towards each other in awe, whispering ‘mate’ before collapsing into each other's arms. Who the fuck wants that! No choosing, no falling in love as you get to know each other. This was speed dating extreme style.
I was jealous of the already mated. They would be heading out to party, or wine and dine in town with the exception of those already rostered for patrol duty. The Alpha couple (my parents) and their heir (my dumbass brother) would oversee the proceedings. Kasey, Caleb's mate would stay at home. She won’t be wanting to be too far from my brother and certainly won't want to party, with her baby due very soon. My mother I imagine will probably stay with her, forfeiting the party to make sure she lifts nothing heavier than a feather. I, however, do not want to attend.
I don’t need a mate, don’t want one. I have Reece. I have been head over heels for Reece since I was eighteen. He is my everything and my biggest secret. As I was the Alpha’s daughter and Caleb the next Alpha in line, we are expected to lead by example. Thankfully, my brother found his mate two years ago and is the perfect Alpha in waiting. Dad was happy, and paid less attention to me, focusing on training my brother. At twenty-five, I was in my fifth year of successfully evading my mate, Reece his sixth.
If Dad knew what we were doing.... well let's just hope he never does. As far as Dad knows, Reece is nothing more than my best friend, my sparring partner, my second in command, and my drinking buddy. The day I hit twenty was both the saddest and happiest day of my life. So infatuated with each other, we were positive we were mates. I had raced down the stairs and out the door when I woke, running to Reece’s cabin.
He was waiting on his porch, catching me with a laugh when I launched myself at him. I felt the usual warmth and excitement I got when in his presence, his intoxicating smell of fresh pine and coffee, wrapping around me. But I had pulled back as abruptly. There were none of the famous tingles I had heard about. I had stared at him wide-eyed in disbelief. Reece had recovered fast pulling me back in. Holding me tight he had growled into my ear that it changed nothing. I was his. While I shook my head dumbly. He has spent every day since proving it.
Since then, we have gone out of our way to ensure neither of us finds our mates. Usually, we turn up and stay on the outskirts, until Dad has seen me several times, before escaping. Although he has already told me this year, he will be personally escorting me over to the unclaimed males, much to both Reece's and my dismay.
As I face the spraying hot water in the shower, letting it soak into my abused muscles, I hear Reece's quiet footfalls, padding over to my stall. Soon he is leaning against my back, brushing lips against my neck, wrapping an arm around my waist and one firmly holding my throat.
“Who do you belong to?” He demands quietly in my ear. I close my eyes, melting my back against him.
Reece and I know the risk we face tonight. As head warrior, daughter of the Alpha, and an unclaimed female, Dad has demanded my attendance. No excuses tonight. No perfume tricks. He wants me hog-tied to a mate.
“You,” I breathe out, trying to soothe his worry. “Always yours.” A throaty growl rises from his chest as he spins me towards him, simultaneously fisting my hair, pulling on it to angle my head up, and claiming my lips. The kiss is possessive, full of need and promise. My arms go around his neck as his hands slide down my body, stopping at my ass and lifting me, so I can wrap my legs around his waist.
He walks us forward until the shower wall presses against my back. Reece pulls his lips away to stare deep into my eyes. He shifts my weight for a moment as he lines himself up, before swiftly sinking into me, watching my eyes widen and dilate with pleasure. The small hitch of my breath is all the encouragement he needs for a smirk to curl his lips and his hips to start moving. His movements are fast, knowing time alone is limited. His hardness rubs swiftly deep inside me, exactly where I need it to be and my climax approaches fast.
As my eyes begin to roll back, one of his hands goes to my mouth, his palm quick to cover my lips and muffle my scream as I come hard. Then my own shaking hand covers his lips to stop his own growl of pleasure from echoing through the shower room, as he comes just as brutally. He slowly sinks to his knees, still buried inside me. We sit panting, hearts racing, foreheads pressed together, as we attempt to come down from our highs. Giving a shuddering breath, he pulls out and kisses my forehead.
“You're like my own personal drug Eve. I can never get enough. It just keeps getting better.” His thumb caresses my lips before he sighs and helps me to stand. We quickly scrub each other down before grabbing our towels and drying off. We are lounging on the bench by the lockers, still wrapped in towels, giving each other grief over the new bruises we have given each other in our sparring session when Kassy waddles into the lockers with a garment bag and makeup case in hand.
"Oh, for fuck sake Reece, did you have to go so hard on her face!” She exclaims, dumping out her makeup and hunting for the heavy-duty concealer. Reece turns his head her way and she laughs.
“Never mind. I see you got it returned three-fold! Now piss off and get dressed, I have to get Cinderella ready for the ball.”
Reece grumbles but gives her ever-growing bump an affectionate rub before he slinks off to chuck on shorts and heads off to the pack house to make himself presentable. As the door closes behind him, Kassy returns her attention to me. She unzips the garment bag and I cringe.
“That's a bit short Kass, don’t you reckon? Maybe some leather pants and a nice top would be better?” I say. Kasey raises an eyebrow and pulls out high heels as well. I quickly back away. “Oh, hell no girl! You can shove your toe crushers where the sun doesn’t shine!”
"Alpha’s orders sweetie,” She smiles evilly. “You are to come dressed as a woman, not a warrior tonight, or daddy dearest is going to set your mom loose with that poofy pink dress she wants you to wear.” We both shudder in memory of the dress from hell my mother is so obsessed with.
“Fine. One hour in it and then I get changed,” I bargain.
“Three hours and I tell your mom I misplaced the tiara she sent,” Kass counter-offers.
“Tiara...What?......Oh, you are good! Deal! Burn the damn thing with dragon fire,” I relent. She rolls her eyes and quickly goes to work.
Thirty minutes later, my bruises are covered and my hair is dried and brushed. I shimmy into the tight dress, buckle up the shoes of doom, strap on my thigh belt (with a few throwing knives already sheathed in it), and stomp out of the lockers. Reece straightens up from his leaning position by the gym exit and lets out a low whistle of approval.
“Jesus Kass, you made her look like a real girl. Now, how's she supposed to be one of the guys?”
“Even as a real girl, she’d still kick all your asses,” Kassy snipes back. I sigh impatiently. “Come on, clocks ticking, your three hours have already started, let's get this train wreck over with.”
“That's the spirit!” Kassy says. “This year is your year. I can feel it!”
“Nope,” I say with a shudder, striding off into the dark toward the music.
