I never liked going to parties. But tonight, I made an exception.
My best friend pulled me through the crowded room with astonishing determination, navigating through the sea of party-goers. I, on the other hand, threw my head back in unattractive laughter and enjoyed the ride. Eventually, we reached our destination: the refreshment table.
Faith and I had already visited the booze-station thrice before, and there was no end in sight. A variety of bubbling wines and dark-colored liquor lined the table, an impressive display that promised intoxication. But no one seemed to mind. Not even the lightest of light-weights. We were werewolves, after all.
Werewolves supposedly possessed immunity to the effects of alcohol, at least to some degree. But, at the moment, I seriously doubted the fact. My best friend, Faith, swayed drunkenly as she reached for another glass.
It was the Summer Solstice. The only night of the year when all four werewolf packs of our region came together to celebrate the beginning of the packs. Only adults pack members have access to the celebrations, and Faith and I each turned eighteen a few months ago. We passed the final examinations and graduated just in time to join the rest of our pack members.
Most werewolves regarded The Summer Solstice as a formal event, a time for the packs to mingle in peace. But that did not stop Faith and I from fully indulging in our newfound freedom.
My red-haired best friend downed another glass of champagne, burped, and offered me a sly grin, “Look Charlie, some boys from the Celestial Pack are checking us out! Can we please go talk to them?”
I glanced over my shoulder, hazel eyes scanning the crowds to find the boys in question. I could easily separate the packs based on their clothing—each dressed in their own pack’s colors. Finally, I spotted the boys watching us from a distance.
I wrinkled my nose in unashamed distaste, “You can go talk to them. I’ll stay here and laugh at you.”
The boys looked our age. Their silvery-blonde hair sleeked back against their heads, a bit too greasy for my taste. But the polished appearance and airy color pallet of their clothing came with membership with the Celestial Pack. I shouldn’t reject the boys based on their appearance…
Faith pouted, her lower lip jutting out. She knew I couldn’t say no to her.
I groaned, “Fine! Lead the way.”
Faith squealed and clapped her hands in quiet celebration before painting an award-winning smile on her pink lips. Once again, she practically dragged me over to the Celestial boys, whose eyes traveled up and down our bodies. I fought the urge to gag.
“Hello ladies,” One of them stepped forward, although his eyes were glued on Faith. “You both look gorgeous tonight.”
Faith rolled her eyes, activating whatever obscene powers the Moon Goddess had gifted her for talking to boys. “Ugh, gods no. These dresses that they make us wear…The oranges and yellows do not work with my skin tone.”
I looked down at my own dress, considering her words. Our pack, the Dandelion Prime, traditionally dressed in golden yellows and oranges, an array of colors that resembled the sunset. Truthfully, the warm colors had always brought me joy. I liked them.
The boys laughed and the same one smiled, flashing a row of hyper-polished teeth. “No, I like your dresses. But you would look even better in Celestial silver.”
Faith giggled, taking on the personality of an air-headed bimbo to gain their attentions. I’d have to have a talk with her later that evening about changing for a boy… Nonetheless, I couldn’t help the blush that crept onto my cheeks at their forwardness.
I dared to open my mouth, intent on trying my hand at a bit of flirting, but a sudden hush overtook the room. My eyes immediately flickered toward the ball room’s massive entry-way, where at least two dozen men and women now stood. They exclusively wore variations of black, and every soul in the room tensed. The Black River Pack had arrived to the party.
Their arrival visibly dampened the care-free celebrations, probably because the Black River Pack had been pushing boundaries lately. I’d heard rumors of violent border fights and brawls between Alphas. A few werewolves growled, confirming my suspicions. Even I found myself wanting to snarl at the sight of them.
A voice from across the room laughed loudly, an obvious effort to diffuse the sudden tension, “Why am I not surprised that you are late?”
I stood on my tippy-toes to see over the crowds, as the Celestial Alpha walked over to greet the newcomers. The male’s smile could have charmed anyone—except, perhaps, the Black River Alpha.
I could only see the back of the infamous Alpha’s head as the two males shook hands and muttered greetings. After a few long moments, the rest of the room seemed to let out a collective sigh of relief. Thank the Moon Goddess…
So occupied in my own thoughts, I didn’t catch that the Celestial boys offered to take Faith and I dancing. When I snapped back into reality, I realized that the trio were already pushing through the crowd toward the dance floor. Not a single one looked back to see if I was following, but I supposed I didn’t mind. Faith had always been the better dancer.
Having been abandoned by my best friend, I began to wander aimlessly around the huge room. I stuck to the outskirts, admiring the tall ceilings and various archways that decorated any entrances. Massive windows allowed the moonlight to shine into the room, and I leaned against the wall to admire the splendor of night.
Behind me, a group of adults reclined in their seats, leisurely discussing the new arrival of the Black River Pack. Their voices mingled with the upbeat melodies of a distant orchestra, creating a pleasant background noise.
“It’s such a shame that she is gone. She was so young and bright… only twenty!” One of the older werewolves stated, and her words piqued my interest.
“Alpha Sergio hasn’t been the same—not since she died,” A man’s voice agreed solemnly.
A pang of sorrow struck my chest. Everyone knew the story of the Black River Alpha’s mate. Except she was not just his mate. She was his Fate Mate.
Fate Mates were an extremely rare phenomena. Typically, two werewolves fell in love and then decided to declare themselves mates, either through marriage or another means. But the love bond of a Fate Mate gives the werewolves no choice in the matter. I’d heard it described in stories and fairytales. When you find your fate mate, and you look at the person for the first time, the entire world stops. The one thing that keeps you alive is that person. And separation from that person would mean losing a part of yourself. Apparently, after a few months of blissful love, something went terribly wrong with Alpha Sergio’s mate. Nobody outside of the Black River Pack knew exactly what happened, but the young woman died. Every pack felt the impact of her death, but none of us could begin to imagine the despair that Alpha Sergio felt. I’d heard stories that he went away for months, secluding himself from the rest of his pack. A girl in my graduatin
I don’t know how long I stood there in silence, with every eye in the room trained on me, before, suddenly, a pair of rough hands grabbed my arm. I let out a small shout of surprise as nails dug into my skin.It was my brother, Jeremy, whose face was distorted in anger as he tried pulling me away from Alpha Sergio. But before Jeremy could get me far, a menacing growl erupted from Alpha Sergio and, in an instant, Sergio wrenched Jeremy away from me.Now, Sergio stood in-between my brother and I, shielding me from my brother’s fierce, brown gaze. Sergio’s hand lightly grazed my arm, sending an electrifying chill down my back.Jeremy stared at me for a second, looking slightly betrayed, as if I had a choice in Alpha Sergio choosing me. The look he gave me made my insides twist and I attempted to walk around Sergio to reach Jeremy, but Sergio gave me a dark look, and held me back with a shaking hand.
I woke up to the sun creeping in from the window, extending across the bed and warming me up after a cold night’s sleep.I groggily opened my eyes and looked around, and, at first, a feeling of panic arose inside of me as I took in my new surroundings, but then the previous night’s events caught up to me and I calmed down.The room was large, with an off-white theme and black furniture. The bed I was lying on was huge and nicely decorated, with great pillows and blankets surrounding me like one great cushion.Glancing across the room, I saw a girl with long, brown curly hair watching me intently, a small smile on her face as I woke up, “Great! You are awake… I will go tell Sergio.”I must have looked confused because she laughed slightly, “I am Sophia, Alpha Sergio’s little sister and greatest advisor.”I nodded slightly, “Er
“Iris,” his husky voice made me blush slightly, since no one really called me Iris other than my dad. I opened my mouth to tell him to just call me Ris, but my throat caught and I quickly closed it once again. He gave me a hard look when I said nothing, his intimidating gaze sweeping down my body as if he was inspecting me. “How old are you?” He asked in a cold voice, his tone surprising me. “I’m eighteen…” I said quietly, unsure of how he would react to my youth. Sergio’s eyes hardened slightly when I spoke, and I was unsure if it was because of my reply, or just my voice.He looked almost ashamed of himself and I couldn’t help from wonder his age. To me, he looked like he was in his twenties, but looks could deceive. Sergio took a few steps closer to me, and I could feel the space between us closing, making my heart skip rapidly. But before the distance between us clos
“Um no… well, not at will,” I restated, trying to make myself sound less pathetic. “It sort of happens randomly. Less and less as I’ve gotten older.”Sophia laughed, but there was nothing malicious in the sound. “That’s insane! Does Sergio know?”I grimaced. “I doubt it. And I’d like to keep it that way. Don’t want to give him another reason to hate me.” I tried to act like it was no big deal, and Sophia seemed taken by my façade.She shrugged. “To be honest, I think he is scared of you. He thinks that there is something wrong with him because he found another mate right after his last one died.” Before I could say anything else about the subject, she smiled. “You want me to help you pack for your trip tonight?”“I don’t have anything to pack.” I failed to hide
I then realized that tears were streaming down my face rapidly as I gasped for air, “They j-jumped in front of the c-car and…” I tried to explain what happened, but I couldn’t get the words out as I shook from my sobbing.“Shhh,” he hushed me in a soft voice, one I had not heard from him before, “Let’s get you out of here.”“It’s my seatbelt. It’s stuck,” I began to blunder with the restraint again, but he reached inside the car and placed a hand on mine.“That’s okay,” he murmured, “Place your hands on the roof and brace yourself.”I did as I was told, and he reached across me, his arm wrapping around my waist as he unfastened the seatbelt with ease. Momentarily, I was suspended in the air, and then, in one fluid motion, he caught me with one arm and lifted me out of the car with ease.
“Ouch!” I complained loudly as the same doctor, the woman with the gray eyes, wrapped up my stomach and ribcage in a gauze that made me look like a mummy.“Sorry, sorry,” she, whom I learned was named Trudy, muttered as she busily finished treating me back at the pack house in the doctor’s wing.The second we had arrived back at the pack house, Sergio ordered for somebody to take me up to the doctor’s wing so that I would be ready to depart for the witch doctor that evening. The accident had not phased Sergio’s plans of leaving that night to discover whether or not we should be mates.Trudy did a few more tests on me before patting my leg and taking off her gloves, “There you go, dear. You are all set. Remember to take some aspirin if you start to hurt anywhere.”I smiled at her gratefully, “Thank you, do you know-“
Suddenly, a wolf appeared on the side of the road and déjà vu hit me as I gasped, “Look out!”He smiled smoothly and slowly returned his eyes to the road, but not before easily deviating out of the way of the wolf.“What is your problem?” I was incensed that he was messing around so recklessly, “We almost wrecked again!”“Relax,” he rolled his eyes, “That was Rafael.” Although he was acting carefree, I could sense a hint of annoyance radiating off of him because of my tone.Somehow, his voice made me feel like a child and want to shrink back, “Oh…”However, he did slow down to a reasonable speed.We rode in silence for what seemed like forever, and I longed for him to turn on the radio or something to fill the vacant silence.The muteness began to