*Fiona*
"Well, that went as well as I could hope," I said sitting on the couch in my office placing my legs across David. I was not happy that the King had managed to worm his way into the pack, but at least we were ready to take him on. This might also prove useful for me to gather information on the King. I was naturally distrustful, but even so, something about the King just seemed off to me. Not that would tell Alpha Astor or his Beta that. Skylah was pacing inside me, which made me nervous. She only got that way when big things were about to happen. She had a sixth sense about things, although they were always feelings and never anything concrete. I was left to guess why. This time I chalked it up to nervous excitement for David's birthday tomorrow. David spoke; his words kept me from wandering off with my thoughts.
"I don't like this" David said rubbing circles into my leg absent-mindedly. I'm not sure if it was intentional but he seemed to be moving his hands every so slightly higher. "The way he looked at you..." He trailed off.
"I didn't notice anything odd" I brushed off David's comment "Men tend to have that look". David look offended pressing a hand to his heart and huffing in protest. I put my hand on his and leaned in, "yes even you sometimes."
"Well we're going to be mates so it's different" he argued taking my hand in his and pressing his lips to it. When his hand returned to my leg it was positioned even higher than before.
"We don't know that for sure" I sighed. Goddess, I hoped we'd be mates. There was no one I trusted more, who proved their devotion so many times. Since we were young, everyone told us we were fated to be mates so we had come to believe it as well. I had always had a crush on David growing up, he was always my protector, finding reasons for me to stay over in his pack so I could get away from my father and brother. To put it mildly, they were not kind to me. Although now I could protect myself and didn't need saving. David, now, was always was a calm presence, he made me feel safe and helped me learn to trust people. I trusted him with my life even if he could be over possessive. From what I knew about male wolves, they were all possessive.
"Do you not want to be my mate?" He said worry spreading across his face. I reach for his face, bringing it to mine. Our foreheads touched and I reassured him:
"That's all I want," I said kissing him to try and convey how felt. When we parted I sighed and continued: "You know that the Moon Goddess cursed m..."
"Don't say that" he interjected "she blessed you with amazing gifts. You're fated to change the world. Look you are already the first female Alpha." I am sure David wanted to reassure me, but he refused to listen when I would claim the goddess had cursed me, not bless me. There were just too many misfortunes I'd suffer for anyone to do think I had been blessed.
"There are few blessings for those making history," I said plainly. Those tasked to make a change typically, only can do so through necessity and pain. Before I could continue on my line of reasoning, David started nibbling on my neck. I yipped, as my brain rapidly shifted focus. David always knew how to redirect my thoughts. He laughed at the sound and spoke softly into my neck:
"We're fated, I know it," he said. His hand reached the hem of my skirt and was playing with the hem.
"D-d-David" I spoke shakily, placing my hands on his and pushing them down a bit further. I focused hard on what I was trying to say, as David continue to kiss each sensitive area on my neck. "Not yet...we need to know if we're mates."
"We'll know tomorrow," He said in a low voice and sultry voice, as he used one hand to turn my face in for a kiss. His other hand, pushed up my leg, pushing up my skirt as high as it would go.
"David," I said trying to break the kiss but being drawn back a few times "Not until we know". I pushed his hand down again. He placed his forehead against mine, his arm holding onto the back of my neck. We made eye contact and he sighed.
"Ok, tomorrow." he whispered, "I will come by after midnight and we can celebrate together." His tone was thick and lingering.
"We will celebrate together” I agreed and kissed him once more. Before we went too far, I remembered that I had gotten him a birthday gift.
"And your birthday". I jumped up remembering, " I got you a gift". I pulled a brightly coloured bag with a cake on it from behind my desk. "It's a 21-year-old whiskey." I spoke excitedly "I wanted to get you something as old as you are turning." Not even caring I spoiled the gift I placed it on David's lap. His smile stretched to its limits. He had always wanted to have an expensive whiskey. 'A mark of a true man and Alpha' he would say. David was always concerned about being a true Alpha-male. I always teased him about it, saying I was more Alpha than he was. I was definitely stronger.
"We'll have it tonight to celebrate being mates" he beamed looking up to me "when I come around after midnight."
" Be careful" I warned playfully "if you wake me up when I'm sleeping, I'll smash your cake straight into your face at your party."
"You wouldn't dare" he grinned mischievously getting up and slinking towards me.
"Try me" I shot back, trying to move away. I was too slow and David grabbed me around the waist lifting me so my chest was in his face. We looked at each other for a moment and kissed again. By tomorrow morning, years of waiting would be over and David could tell me if we were mates. Maybe then I could move on from the past.
*Cyrus*"She's late" I mind-linked Dante at the dinner table. Normally Dante and I would joke about our insatiable appetites. Werewolves had high metabolisms and could eat a lot, but Dante and I, well even for a werewolf, ate a lot. The Omega who stocked our kitchen in the Golden Moon packhouse learned that my idea of a snack was more of a meal for a small family. After months of pulling his hair over how much we ate, he finally gave us a separate fridge, which we'd still clear out daily. Today was different though. All the food in front of me look delicious, the pack had done their homework and had a lot of my favourites. Yet, I couldn't find my appetite. I pushed around a piece of brisket on my plate, not wanting to be rude. "Dinner has barely started" Dante replied via mind-link. 
*Cyrus*Everyone was quiet for a moment, looking at the ground. Fiona inhaled deeply, the anger clearing from her face. When she spoke it was in a neutral tone."This garden honours her legacy and reminds us what happens when a pack is run with greed." She said it with finality, shutting the book on the conversation. "Let me show you the inside of the community centre," quickly shifting focus back to the tour. "We offer classes for pack members who want to learn new skills. We teach everything from art courses, trades and courses to help pack members who wish to attend university. It is all run by volunteers from the pack who want to support growth and wellbeing. Normally it's older pack members looking to explore new horizons, but we will get some high schoolers who want to study something beyond what is offered at the school."
*Cyrus*"If she wasn't your mate," Dante mind-linked me when Fiona stepped out of her office the next morning for a break. "I would have a few choice words to call her." A growl from Blaze shut him up, but I knew Dante was right. Surely, it was just the stress of answering to the King. Fiona had been snippy all morning as we looked over her income reports. There were a few times she outright glared at me, not needing words to get her message across. To be fair, they were times when I would be trying to flirt or make 'unintentional' contact. In the most recent offence, she simple threw her hands up in the air and walked out, leaving Dante and me staring at each other, wondering what we had said to offend her. There was a knock on the door and an Omega girl came in with a platter of snacks and a pot of coffee."Alpha Fin asked me to bring yo
*Fiona*I felt odd sitting on the plush couch in my closet, letting two near-strangers go through my clothes. It was a little exciting despite the situation. I wasn't allowed to have friends inside the packhouse growing up, and even when I became Alpha, I found my time for socializing limited. It was even stranger to me that two male wolves were inspecting my clothes. I didn't think they would agree to it, honestly. It felt like I was the main character of a movie, having her big glow up montage to win the man of her dreams. I mean I was, wasn't I. Alpha Astor and Beta Clifford were helping me find a dress to woo David. It was a nice distraction from the anxiety growing in my stomach. Why hadn't David shown his face at midnight or even called me? It was odd for him to not do something when he said he would.Beta Clifford had brought a
*Fiona*When we arrived at the party, my nerves were at an all-time high. I was glad that I had asked Alpha Cyrus and Beta Clifford to come. I had not expected the King's Alpha and his Beta to be so down to earth. Beta Clifford kept the mood light, making jokes with Liz during the ride over. Liz had been keen to come as well. She had not left the pack in three years, neither had I. We'd been so busy training and building the pack from the ground up, tonight felt like a new chapter, one where we could let loose a little. Liz even agreed to be a sober driver that night. I took her up on her offer seeing as we manage to polish off a few bottles of wine, during my 'make over' as Beta Clifford called it. While Beta Clifford was the life of the party on the ride over, Alpha Cyrus was relatively quiet, deep in thought."So much for being a party animal," I thought."Ma
*Fiona*I stood at a tree, out of view of the tent silently crying. The image of David kissing his mate burned into my brain. Skylah had gone silent and disappeared. Before she left I could feel her sadness. I was tempted to shift and run home, leaving quietly without a trace. After all, I hadn't officially made an entrance, so few would have realised I showed up at all. With Skylah hiding, however, I wouldn't be able to shift. I didn't have the energy to try and convince her to resurface."Fiona?" Called a voice growing closer."What?" I snapped at Alpha Cyrus as he approached. Without a word, he pulled me into a hug. At first, I stood there rigid, but he held on tight. After a moment my muscles started
*Fiona*Instead of heading for the dance floor, as I originally planned, I turned to go outside. I didn't make it very far, however. I blame my stupid heals, making it hard to run. Cyrus wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me up."No fair" I pouted sticking out my lower lip as Cyrus turned me to face him. His face was unreadable, eyes dark. I swallowed hard. Before I could speak Cyrus kissed me. His lips were hard and demanding, at first at least. The kiss was different from anything I had ever felt before. I melted into the moment, placing a hand on Cyrus' neck giving into the kiss and returning it. His lips softened as he pulled me closer. I could feel a fire in my stomach growing. His lips had been the match to the kindling inside of me. Then it was over. 
*Cyrus*The next morning I woke up with a small headache, but as I went to wake Dante up, I realized I faired pretty well comparatively. He lay sprawled out in his bed groaning his head was being crushed. I laughed, as the image of Dante attempting to climb on the tables to dance reappeared in my brain."It was a wild night for you," I commented, "how much of it do you remember?""Uh, Fiona came back to join the drinking game," he said "Then it's pretty blurry.""Nothing about dancing on tables?" I teased. Dante groaned again."I remember you and Fiona were getting quite cozy." he said "Did you finally break through her icy exterior?""I hope so," I said as contemplated the events of last night "She was really pretty broken up about not being David's mate."