Chapter Two

Narrowing my eyes, I glanced at both of them. Approaching the sink, I  dropped the spoon with a clatter. When my mother had mentioned the pack mating ceremony, I had thought that my coming home had just happened to coincide with the event and that she wanted me to attend at the spur of the moment. Judging by what my brother had said, my mother had really put a lot of thought into the event. 

I spoke slowly. "By selecting a dress, what exactly do you mean?" I asked Lucas. No one answered. "Well, I want to have you all know that I have no intentions of going to the mating ceremony or whatever such nonsense."

My mother dumped some dishes into the sink and scrubbed them a little too vigorously. I who knew her so well could tell that she had a lot to say, but was keeping it in. 

I sat at the kitchen table, my chin in my palm, staring sulkily at the floor. My mother finished cooking. She began dishing the food into plates. Seeing I made no move to help, Lucas assisted her. They carried the food on trays to the dining room. Reluctantly, I followed. 

My father was scrolling through his phone. At the sight of my mother, he put it away, looking expectantly at the food. We all got seated and she served the food. I relaxed in my seat, beginning to be hopeful that the topic was forgotten. I took a bite of the meatloaf and sighed in pleasure. As expected, it was delicious. My mother sat down, drawing her plate towards her.

"You are going to the mating ceremony," she said in a tone that brooked no argument. My fork fell into my plate with a clatter. "You have to. This ceremony is compulsory for all females your age."

"Mum, I am twenty- one." I reminded her. "I have lived here all my life. If my mate was here, I would have found him ages ago."

"Don't forget that you left the country six years ago." Lucas chipped in.

I threw daggers at him with my eyes. He ate his food, unconcerned about the trouble he was causing. 

"Your brother is right."

"Still does not change anything," I insisted. 

My father gave no sign that he was aware of our conversation. He methodically ate his food. 

"Oh it does, you have no idea how much it does, Emma."

I shook my head in refusal. Bantering words with my mother was useless, she would always want to have the last word.

She turned to my father. "Dear. . ." she said, an unspoken plea for him to intervene. 

Sighing, he leaned back in his chair and turned to me. "You have to go. Besides, you are not even 25 or 30 yet. It is an instruction given by the Alpha and rules cannot be broken even for  you, my daughter."

I gasped in disbelief at the order. I met Lucas' eyes and he had the good sense to look away. 

"Is this the reason why you invited me back home? What happened to the 'we are not going to pressure you into finding a mate' part? Huh?"

I stood up. Angrily putting my hands to my forehead, I closed my eyes. 

"Damn! I was such a fool," I screamed. "I can't believe you tricked me into coming back home so I could attend a shitty mating ceremony."

"Emma," said my mum in a shocked tone. "Watch your language." She pointedly looked at my father. 

Angrily, I stormed out leaving them staring after me. 

***

I was deep asleep the next morning when my door was flung open. It hit the wall, effectively waking me up. The impact made the framed picture of Lucas and me on my dresser topple over. Opening one eye, I saw my mother coming towards me with a determined expression on her face. 

Her hands on her hips, she surveyed me, giving a light shake of her head. She marched to the Venetian blinds and pulled them open, letting in the bright morning sunlight. 

"Hey," I protested, turning away and looking towards the side of the room away from the light. "What was that for?"

For an answer, she pointed at the ornate clock hanging on the wall above my bed. I looked at it twice to be sure.

"But it is just 8:30 mum," I complained, glaring at her. "The ceremony starts by-" I trailed off, realizing that I had not even asked for the time of the commencement of the event.

My mother completed my sentence. "10a.m, Emma." 

"10a.m? Then why am I to get up at 8:30 mum? There is still a lot of time."

"No, there isn't," she insisted. "You may likely find your mate there-" I rolled my eyes at that. Fat chance of that happening! "-so you have to be there early- 9:30 at the latest. Besides, your hair and makeup need to be done."

I groaned at that. "C'mon mum, cut me some slack." 

"I will cut you some slack. I'll fix your hair and makeup myself." I opened my mouth to protest and she held up a warning finger. "Or, I could tell your father you are being quite stubborn this morning." 

"Fine," I said, giving in. I could not stand the thought of another lecture from my parents. Since my mum was the only one handling my makeup, I hoped she would get tired quickly. 

"Are you still lying there?" my mother asked in disbelief. "Go and shower immediately so we can get to work."

Dragging my feet, I made my way into the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and showered. I sluggishly sat in the high-backed chair she had brought in, my mother voicing her disapproval of my attitude all the while. While I was in the bathroom, she had made a lot of space on my dressing table and laid out the makeup neatly. Looking at the array of products, I knew it was going to be a long hour and a half.

I leaned back in the chair, trying to make myself forget where I was at the moment as my mother did her thing. 

"Open your eyes dear," she said finally. "I'm done and it's just 9:20."

Tentatively, I opened my eyes, hardly recognizing the beauty I saw reflected in the mirror. My mother unzipped a plastic bag she had brought in with her, revealing a sleeveless, silk evening gown with a daring slit at the side. She wordlessly handed me the gown and put it on. It fit me as if it were a second skin. 

"Beautiful," my mum exclaimed as she turned me this way and that. 

I scowled, not wanting to acknowledge the fact that I looked stunning. The door opened as my brother looked in. He looked at me appreciatively.

"Hey, Emma. I have to go right now. I will meet you there. The males are allowed to come in later than the females," he announced "Catch you later, sis." He shut the door behind him.

Lucas was more evidently more excited about the ceremony than I was. He had not found a mate yet and I could tell he hoped this was the day.

A few minutes later, I set off for the pack house. I turned back to find her looking at me. Perhaps she was worried that I would run away. I didn't have far to walk. I could see figures ahead of me. The enormous gates of the house were strung with hundreds of silver lights. The trees on either side were neatly trimmed. As I made my way to the pack house, thousands of lights strung around huge statues lit the way. I blinked, awed at the sheer beauty of the house before me.