Chapter 1

Kayla Dawson stirred as she opened her eyes to the sound of the birds chirping outside. She could tell, even before she fully opened her eyes, that it was already bright outside.

She sat up on her bed, yawning as she looked at the window which was slightly opened, just the way she liked to leave it, and smiled.

In just a few hours, she was getting married, and to the man of her dreams.

Dean.

Dean McHoward.

They had been fated mates before they had even been born as their families had agreed to get them married to strengthen the already strong bond between them. And it helped greatly that they had both grown to be fond of each other and love each other so much that not one voice had been raised against their marriage.

Kayla smiled as she thought of just how sweet Dean had always been to her, making sure she was protected and loved.

Even when there had been questions about what was going to happen if they had found their mates, it had all worked out for the best as both had turned eighteen, then twenty-two, and had found out that they were mates. It had to have been one of the happiest days of her life.

With a sigh, Kayla got off her bed and headed to the bathroom where she tied her long curly brown hair into a bun on top of her head and just stared at the mirror.

As per pack tradition, she wasn’t going to see Dean until the very next morning, which was their wedding day, and she already missed him greatly.

“Stupid tradition!” Kayla spat as she rolled her eyes irritably, thinking of just how boring her day was going to be without seeing Dean, or at least hearing from him.

She picked up her toothbrush and got to work brushing her teeth.

Once she was done, she once again stared at the woman looking back at her in the reflection and smiled.

Grey eyes, curly brunette hair, oval-shaped face, and a plump pouty pair of lips. Really basic. But Dean had made sure to tell her how beautiful she was, every day.

Hah!

She rolled her eyes and pulled off her oversized tee, baring her body completely. She never wore anything underneath to bed. In fact, it was on rare occasions that she even wore any item of clothing to bed.

Kayla felt her cheeks grow warm as she thought of how her married life was going to turn out with such a habit. Just thinking of Dean seeing her completely naked for the first time was enough to send blood rushing to get cheeks in embarrassment.

And she wasn’t normally a shy person.

The rush of warm water over her equally warm body did nothing to calm her down as thoughts of what her first time with Dean was going to be like.

They had been intimate before, but never past touching each other. And even that had its limits as Dean had sworn to wait till their first night together before making her completely his. Something she had agreed to, mostly because she had had no other choice.

Kayla was still lost in thought, when a figure walked into her vision, leaving her a second away from letting out a blood-curdling scream before she saw who it was.

Her wolf had already been ready to come out and fight whoever the intruder was, that is until the person spoke and she just purred and settled within her.

“It’s been ten minutes since you started running that shower, and you haven’t even touched the soap yet.” Bella, her sister, said with a scrunched-up nose while standing in front of her with her hands on her hips, looking as impatient as ever.

Kayla was about to say something when she realized that the temperature of the water had changed and was very well heading to cold water.

“I didn’t invite you to take a shower with me.” Kayla retorted, finding her voice as she picked up the soap and proceeded to have her actual bath while her sister just stood there and watched.

Knowing Bella. She was going to stand there whether Kayla liked it or not.

They weren’t exactly very close like sisters should be but had a way of tolerating each other’s presence. At least enough to have an actual conversation. And seeing Bella in the shower with her, Kayla was sure she needed something.

“Why are you here?” Kayla asked as she began to rinse off the soap from her body, eyeing a quiet Bella who was sitting at the vanity, intent on putting on her makeup.

If she was uncomfortable with her sister touching her makeup, she didn’t show it, as it was only going to get her into trouble. And that was the last thing she needed on the day before her wedding.

Bella had always been the favorite daughter amongst the two of them. And their parents had always made that clear.

She was the one who had to be shipped off for marriage, while Bella enjoyed all the privileges of being the daughter of the Alpha. Cruising around the town with the latest cars and clothing accessories, Kayla was bred to be the dutiful wife of the future Alpha of the pack.

Sometimes, she wondered why it was her marrying Dean and not Bella. But she hadn’t said a word, as she found her relationship with Dean, to be the only good thing in her life. And then again, there was the fact that they were mates.

Bella turned to face her at the round of her voice and cocked her head to the side as if mulling over the question. There was no sign of malice in her expression, but Kayla knew that her sister wasn’t what she appeared to be.

Years and years of favoritism had driven them apart and made what was supposed to be a loving relationship between sisters, a competition.

“Well, I have come to spend the day with you. Just as it should be. It’s our last day together before you become the wife of the future Alpha.” She answered with wide blue eyes.

Kayla could see the gold rings appear around her pupils and then disappear.

Her words were not what she had expected, and for some reason, she felt something drip in her stomach in reaction to what her sister said.

With a slight frown, she cleared her throat and switched off the shower, stepping out and grabbing a white fluffy towel.

“And why would you want to spend the day with me? Don’t you have other important things to do? Or places to go?” Kayla asked in the nicest way possible, making sure there was no trace of malice in her tone as she spoke to her sister.

She didn’t want to set her off, despite the alarm bells ringing in her ears.

Bella never, ever, spent time with her. Except it was required.

Bella looked at her with her wide eyes, seeming to look confused. “Well, I want to spend today with you. You are getting married tomorrow, and I just thought it would be a great opportunity to do some things together, as I won’t be seeing you around so much again.” She replied with a tone that Kayla couldn’t describe.

Her words and the way she put them made Kayla look at her sister, trying to determine where it was coming from.

With a two-year gap between them, this was the first time her twenty-year-old sister was telling her that she wanted to do something “together”, with her. And why that would be good news to others, all it did was set off more alarm bells and make Kayla’s stomach churn.

She wasn’t sure what was happening, but she just needed to be careful around her. And try not to anger her too. An uncaring Bella was by far better than an angry one.

Fuck! Even her wolf was restless.