Cassie POV:
My name is Cassandra Semberton. I go by Cassie.
I am a 21-year-old werewolf.
Werewolves –especially she-wolves—are supposed to dream of finding their mates, falling in love, and planning their weddings.
I’m not like most she-wolves. I’m broken.
For most of my life, my parents have used the hypothetical mate bond against me:
“Cassie, your mate isn’t going to want a fat mate. If you want a mate, you need to eat less and exercise more.”
“Cassie, your mate isn’t going to want to marry a tomboy. You need to wear dresses and heels to attract his attention when you find him.”
“Cassie, your mate isn’t going to want someone who studies science. You need to study fashion instead.”
“Cassie, your mate isn’t going to want a mate who cusses. If you talk like that around him, he will reject you.”
“Cassie, your mate isn’t going to want a messy mate. If you don’t learn how to clean house and keep yourself and your house tidy, he will find someone else who can.”
When I was younger, these sorts of comments really bothered me. My father had rejected his first mate, so the possibility of a mate bond being rejected was a very real concept for me. I also knew my parents didn’t really like me, and the idea of a mate who accepted me for me and loved me for me was very appealing.
As I got older, my perspective began to change. There were a million things about me that my parents didn’t like, and those were all things they said my mate would hate me for as well. The closer I got to age 18 –the age that werewolves can first sense their mates- the louder and louder my parents’ criticisms became. On the eve of my 18th birthday, I realized that I needed to make a choice: I could change who I am so that my mate would accept me, or I could make no changes and take the risk that I would be rejected by my mate and eventually die lonely and alone.
Neither of those options sounded appealing to me, so I picked Option C: I moved to the human world. Living in the human world would make it highly unlikely that I would ever find my mate. I could date and have relationships the same way that humans do, without the pressure of a mate bond. And, on the very off chance that I found my mate, I would simply reject him before he could reject me. Easy peasy. After all, if I was never going to be good enough for my mate, my mate would never be good enough for me.
You can probably imagine how my parents reacted to my decision to move to the human world: not well. I naively thought they would be relieved that they didn’t have to have their shameful daughter around, so they could focus on my obedient younger sister. I was wrong. They didn’t like giving up the shred of control they had maintained over me, and they threatened to disown me. They never actually carried out the latter threat, but after three years in the human world, my relationship with them is anything but roses and butterflies.
My life, on the other hand, is great. I haven’t found a human male to settle down with, but I have had a series of boyfriends. All of them were handsome and fun to hang out with. Most were pretty good kissers. None could hold my attention long enough for me to want to get serious, but I’ve never felt unusual for not settling down; it is rare for humans to marry or settle down at age 21… especially humans who are enjoying the college lifestyle.
Oh, and that is the best part of my new life: Thanks to taking classes in the summer and taking a few classes in high school that gave me college credit, I am about to earn my college degree in psychology. I haven’t totally decided what I want to do with my degree, but I know my future is bright.
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Future Cassie POV:
Oh, 21-year-old Cassie. I remember exactly how I felt back then. Little did I know what was around the corner.
Yes, my future would be bright. But it would also have some rough times. Oh, and that mate I wanted to forever avoid: yeah, no such luck there. I wanted to avoid mates, love, and weddings, but surprise, surprise: my path to true love began with me fighting with another she-wolf about a wedding dress. Yes, really.
Buckle up, younger self. It’s going to be a rocky ride.
Cassie POV: I wasn’t sure what to think when my younger sister Megan called me shortly after her 18th birthday. She was upset, and she told me that she needed to see me right away. Megan had always been my parents’ golden child. Unlike me, she followed my parents’ rules to the letter. She did not date, choosing to save herself completely for her mate. She wore the clothes my mother picked out for her, and she even seemed to enjoy the endless supply of pink and feminine prints my mother insisted upon. She obediently took home education classes in high school, and she made sure to practice her socialization skills by becoming a cheerleader and homecoming queen. My parents had not allowed Megan to visit me in the human world. They believed my bad influence had the potential to corrupt their precious daughter. So when I got over the shock that my sister wanted to meet with me, her request that we meet at a coffee shop in my human town was a ve
Chapter 2 Cassie POV: Megan’s wedding was ultimately scheduled for the third week in June. This was about a month after my college graduation, so the timing worked out fine for me. As soon as Megan left the coffee shop, it occurred to me that the plan to get married would only work if Megan’s mate wanted to get married. I went home feeling worried and guilty, afraid that Megan would be devastated if her mate didn’t like the plan. Thankfully, that apparently wasn’t an issue. I’ve now met her mate, Mike, a few times and he seems just as happy and in love as Megan is. According to Megan, my parents were not surprised when Megan and Mike announced that they wanted to get married fast. They had apparently winked at each other and commented that “Virgins are always eager to seal the deal with their mates.” If only they knew. Anyhow, planning a wedding in 6 weeks was not without chaos. My life quickly turned into an end
Cassie POV: At noon, I met my mother, Mike’s mom, Mike’s 8-year-old sister Mallory, and my sister’s best friend Bethany at the wedding dress boutique. My mother wanted to me to drive with her to the boutique, but I decided I cared more about my own sanity than dealing with mother for an extra 25 minutes in the confines of a closed vehicle. The appointment started off just as swimmingly as you might imagine. Mallory innocently asked if I was the “old maid” who was going to be modeling Megan’s dresses for them. Yes, that’s right. At 21 years old, I am already considered an “old maid.” Might as well invest in some extra cat litter now. Whatever. I politely told Mallory that -while yes, I would be the one modeling wedding dresses for them today— there is nothing wrong with being 21 and unmarried. In fact, it is perfectly OK for a woman to be much, much, much older and unmarried. Many women intentionally choose to never get married
Cassie’s POV: I stood in the middle of the store trying to catch my breath. The thoughts in my brain were going a mile a minute. I seriously think my brain processed an entire set of encyclopedias in 30 seconds, which is an especially impressive feat given that my wolf was whining loudly in my brain. First things first, I needed to tune my wolf out. Block up, check. Next step, I needed to calm down and think rationally. Take a deep breath, Cassie, I told myself. We will be OK. Nothing bad is going to happen. Everything is going to be fine, Cassie. But was any of that true? I never wanted to meet my mate, but here he was. And he smelled great. He looked great. He exuded power. This couldn’t be that bad a thing, right? Lots of werewolves meet their mates and live happily ever after. In fact, most wolves meet their mates and live happily ever after. Why was I worried? Just because my parents were a
Jason POV: (24 hours earlier) I wake up from a blissful sleep to a mind-link. “Jason, report to Alpha’s office in 10 minutes.” “Huh?” “Dude, you can’t still be asleep. It’s 11 am.” “I had a long night, Man.” “What’s her name?” “Natalie. No, Sarah. No, Melanie. I don’t know, Man.” “Seriously? You don’t know her name and you slept with her?” “Like you have never done that yourself.” Silence. “OK, fine. You’ve never done that. But you are boring as hell and need to get a life.” “Jason, I’m not talking as your best friend. I’m talking as your future Alpha. Get your butt up and out of bed and meet me in the Alpha’s office in 10 minutes.” “No.” “Jason.” “Urgh. Fine.” I roll over and look at the naked woman beside me in the bed. I nudge her gently. “Wake up, Melanie. It’s time to get the
Jason’s POV: After a long drive, Josephine and I finally arrived at the wedding dress store. As we got out of the car, my wolf began to get excited. “I think our mate is in the store!” he told me excitedly. When he said that, I began to get nervous. I had joked about picking up women shopping for wedding dresses, but I never expected to pick up my own mate. I wasn’t sure how to feel about it. On one hand, I have dreamed of meeting my mate. Wolves can meet their mates as early as 18, and I was already 25. Seven years is a long time to wait. On the other hand, I’ve enjoyed seven years of bachelor fun. Sex with different women every night; freedom to go and do as I please. Was I ready to give all that up? Yeah, yeah I was. If I was being honest, none of the women I’d slept with had ever really satisfied me. That was why I kept trying different ones. The idea of spending the rest of my life with one woman who really, truly loved me… and with whom I could have the kind of r
(Jason’s POV): I noticed that one of the sales clerks had a mating mark on her neck, but the other one did not. She therefore became my target. I approached her at the desk, and immediately asked her name. “Candy.” “Oh, what a beautiful name for a beautiful girl.” She blushed. I gestured to where Josephine is sitting. “Do you see that lovely lady over there? She is getting married to my alpha, and it is really important that I make her happy.” “Oh, so she isn’t with you?” Candy asked, expectantly. “No,” I confirmed, giving her my best charming smile. I looked Candy up and down. “I like the ladies a little bit different than Josephine. Red hair is my favorite.” Candy smiled, and gently pushed her long red hair back, so that I could see her un-marked neck. “It is?” “Yes.” Candy looked into my eyes, and blushed again. “I wish I could make plans to take you on a date tonight, but my alpha won’t let me go anywhere until I’ve made his bride happy. Is there anything you t
Chapter 8 Aaron POV: I was working in my Dad’s office when I heard Josephine and Jason return from their shopping trip. I was praying to the Moon Goddess that they had been successful. I mind-linked Jason asking him to come see me. When he came into the office, I could tell immediately that something was wrong. “How did it go?” I asked. Surely it could not have gone that poorly. “Well, Josephine found a dress she liked.” My eyes widened. “That’s amazing!” As I said that, even I realized how crazy it was for me to be this excited. I am a grown man, who likes sports, cars, and working out. I am an alpha-to-be who will soon be in charge of a pack with over 2500 wolves relying on me. I normally could care less about dresses, shoes, and anything traditionally female. Yet, due to circumstances beyond my control, I find myself highly dependent on Josephine finding a wedding dress she likes. “She didn’t get it.” “Why not???” “There was only one. It’s one of a kind. It wil