2-Mate Gala

~Hazel~

The venue is the most beautiful place I have ever seen. It's a palace on a large plot of land with freshly cut grass. My chauffeur opens my door for me, and I step out.

"Thank you." I give him a gentle hug to show my appreciation.

"It was my pleasure. I hope you find who you are looking for tonight." He hugs me in return, goes back into the limo, and drives away.

I make my way up the stairs to the entrance and take in the scenery. The floors are white marble with a soft golden glow from the lights along the walls. The hall is full of perfect people dressed to impress, and we're waiting on the second set of double doors to open. That must lead to the ballroom.

"Hello, gorgeous. May I have your name?" I turn to my right and see a tall, red-eyed, porcelain male model wearing a velvet blue suit, perfectly fitted. He is stunningly handsome and clearly a vampire.

"I'm Hazel. What's your name?" I offer my hand for him to shake, but he takes it and softly kisses my palm. It's amazing how different we are.

"My name is Mercy. It is a pleasure to meet you," He rubs my hand with his thumb and keeps eye contact.

"It's great meeting you too. How awesome is this place? I've never seen anything like it," Mercy shows off his flawless smile at my excitement.

"You are an interesting human. Not like the ones I have met before." So this isn't his first rodeo.

"I think I'm an alright person. It depends on who you ask, though." I give him a little wink, and he laughs, "How many of these have you been to?"

"This is my sixteenth time attending." Wow. I don't know why I expected a lower number. 

"So, you've met quite a few humans then, huh? I've never met a supernatural." He cringes.

"We do not like being called *supernaturals*. We prefer being called *mystical*. Supernatural suggests we are abnormal, and it desensitizes us. We are just as natural as mortal beings." I feel embarrassed.

"I am so sorry. I won't use that word anymore, and I'll redirect others who use it back home." The double doors open, and everyone goes quiet as we make our way into the ballroom.

"Thank you. Your heart is pure." Mercy is so sweet. I wonder why he hasn't found a woman yet.

"My mom always told me I have a pure heart. Maybe a little reckless sometimes, but I always have good intentions." That same perfect smile spreads across his face.

"I am selfish for this, but I hope you do not have a fated mate. I would love to get to know you more." Mercy is one smooth man, but the night is still young.

"I'm quite the catch, so I don't blame you." His laugh is like music to my ears, "Seriously though, you seem like a great guy. If I don't have a fated mate tonight, I'll give you my number, and we can get to know each other. If we can tolerate each other from now until the next gala we will meet back here. If we still don't find fated mates, I'll leave with you for good. Deal?"

"That sounds like a good plan to me." We finally enter the ballroom. The ceiling is much higher here than it is in the hall. I  feel my heart flutter with excitement as I look around at all the fancy decorations.

"It's even more beautiful in here." I look over at the table where The Royals are sitting. There are two empty chairs in the middle, but I'm not sure who they belong to, "What Royals are missing?"

"Lycan King Octavius and Lycan Queen Valentina are not seated. They are in the palace, though. I saw them leave the room right after we walked in." Mercy tells me which territory each Royal is from.

When we make it to the table, the first Royal introduces himself, "Welcome to the Mate Gala. I am Tribrid King Coolidge, and this is Tribrid Queen Olivia. May I get your full name?"

"Hazel Grace Jones. It's an honor to meet you both." King Coolidge writes my name on the top of peach-colored parchment paper. His handwriting is stylish and classic.

"Likewise. We hope you have a wonderful time tonight." Queen Olivia slides the paper to the next Royal after she writes on it below my name and gives me a warm smile.

"Hello, Hazel Grace. I am Alpha Apollo Dolph, and this is my Luna, Aubrie." They're the Full-Blood leaders. I also think they are the cutest couple seated at the table. They continue writing on the paper.

Each Royal gave me a friendly welcome and added to the paper except for the Lycan king and queen. I don't know what they have going on, but I hope they're okay. I'm sure they wouldn't miss the event unless it was important.

Mercy and I take a seat at a table and start to talk when the music begins to play. He stands and offers his hand to me.

"May I have this dance?" I take his hand, and our bodies begin to move in perfect conjunction.

"You can dance. I am pleasantly surprised." Mercy leads while I follow.

"I've been dancing my entire life. I'm sure I could teach you a thing or two; I'm letting you lead." Our playful banter makes us smile.

"Are you ready to dip?" Mercy has one eyebrow raised.

"Always." He twirls me around and quickly dips my body. When he slowly lifts me back up, our faces are only an inch away. The air is thick with tension as our eyes close, and our lips almost meet when a loud growl fills the ballroom. Before I even open my eyes, Mercy is at least six feet away from me with his hands up in surrender.

"It was an honor to meet you, Hazel Grace." His vibrant smile became sad. Everything happened so fast that I didn't process what was going on.

A hand wraps possessively around my waist and sends tingles all over my body. I have a mate. I turn my head to see the most ravishing woman. Her eyes are fiercely fixated on Mercy as he backs away further. My heart hurts for him, but my body is craving more of her touch. I have no idea what kind of perfume she uses, but I have never smelt anything more pleasant than her. My mate is a woman.

"Queen Valentina, control your wolf." A deep, strong voice grabs my attention. A tall, muscular man appears in front of us, and my heart squeezes, "Go sit at our table, Valentina."

She releases her hold on me and walks to The Royal's table. The sway of her hips has me captivated as she walks away, and I instantly miss the feel of her hands on me. Until the large man gently touches my cheek, turning my head toward him. He gives me the same feeling through my body that she does.

"Hazel Grace Jones. It appears my queen and I have a surprise mate. I am Lycan King, Octavius Storm. And you are ours." His eyes are dark with lust. My body feels weak under their simple touch. I can only imagine how they will make me feel when we're intimate. It's as if he can read my thoughts because a wicked grin spreads across his face.

"Are you reading my mind or something?" My blunt question catches him off guard, but the words came out before I could stop them. Laughter erupts from The Royal's table, and King Octavius joins. I keep a serious expression because it was a legitimate question. Mates or not, I'm always a straightforward person. He realizes I'm not joking and clears his throat.

He leans down and whispers in my ear, "I can smell you." At first, I'm confused. Of course, he can smell me when his face is so close to my neck. But then I realize what he means.

"Oh. I guess that would make more sense." I whisper back.

"We are going to have so much fun with you. We're leaving now." He pulls away from me, and his eyes scan over my body.

"There's something I need to do before we leave. I hope you don't mind." He nods his head, and I go to Mercy at the table we chose.

"Thank you for the dance and for becoming a friend. Don't lose hope, Mercy. She's out there." He deserves a proper goodbye, but I won't touch him out of respect for my mates.

"Thank you for your kindness. Your mates will take very good care of you." I wave goodbye before I take King Octavius by his outstretched hand. Queen Valentina joins on the other side of him, and we leave the gala.