chapter 1

Luna Alex

"Dad hurry I was supposed to be there 30 minutes ago to help set up," I yellerd as I rushed to put on my gold strappy sandals.

Today was my gradu day and I was once again gonno be late. I hated being late but when I woke up 20 minutes late I knew I would be. I tried rushing but I still wanted to look decent enough, after all, I was valedictorian and had to give a big speech.

"Relax we'll be there in 5 minutes." My father Mel said as he stopped in the car and pulled on his seat beat he started the car. I quickly put on my seat belt before pulling down the mirror to see if my makeuo was uo to par.

Once that I saw that everything was in place I checked my phone to see multiple texts from my friends asking me where I was. I quickly responded to them that I would be there soon.

"Dad, I can't  believe I'm late for my own graduation," I whined. Today was the most important day of my life and I was gonna be late. If it wasn't for all my friends insisting on going out on the town one last time before high school was over I would have never woken up late.

"Honey relax."  He speed down the street. We were 5 blocks from my school and if they hurried they would make it just in time for the graduate entrance. Shit!" He cursed when the light turned red forcing him to slow down.

"Dad!" I huffed. He ignored me and continued focusing on the road.

He could have made it. I thought now I was going to be at least 5 minutes late, and probably end up interacting ceremony.

Soon as the light turned green he hit the gas making me jerk forward. I was about to yell for him to slow down for someone got hurt when I saw a truck headed towards  us, seconds later we were hit from the driver's side. Glass shattering everywhere.

"Dad?" I called out just as the airbags burst.

"Dad?" He still hadn't responded.

I looked over at him and I knew right then and there that he was gone. I let out a sob, I blamed my self if I wasn't rushing him none of this would have happened.

"Ma'am are you okay?" I was too shocked to respond to the stranger. All I could do was cry, the only family I had was gone. And it was all my fault.

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Alpha Ryan

"Shit," I said as I walked out of the new Elite pack house.

This had been the third packhouses I'd been to in the last month in search of my mate. I was starting to belie I would never find my mate. This had been my fourt year as Alpha of the Red Bloods pack and I wanted nothing more than to finally have my mate beside me where she belonged. Once I made it back safely to my territory I stopped at the local bar which for the last fee week had been my usual hanf out spot after a rough day.

"What can I get you?" The blonde bartender to give her attention.

Moments latee she handed him a glass that was filled with scoth. Its that all?" She winked.

"Yes, that will be all." I turned around so that I was facing in the opposite direction of her. Clearly making it known that I was not interested.

"You su-?"

"I though you'll be here." The bartender was cut off by the sound of my cousin Ellie's voice. Ellie was taller than the average girl and had the same pale blue eyes as my late uncle. She wore a plain t-shirt with black tights and light cardigan sweater over it and black Ugg boots.

"Thank God," I mumbled as she made her way over to me. She was the daughter of my dad's only brother. She was just a month older than me and since we haf grown up lives we quite close.

"Well, you guessed right," I smiled and order another scotch from the bartender. She scoffed, obviously hurt that I wasn't playing attention to her.

"Ryan you really need to slow down. I don't und why you're so stress over all of this, it not like you'll never find your mate." She sat down next to me and order an apple martini from the pissed off bartender.

"I should have found my mate years ago. Aren't you even the least bit worried?" I asked.

Wolfs typically found their mate around the age of 16 or 17. I had surpassed that age by years and yet I still hadn't found my mate.

"No. I don't want a mate." She shrugged as if that was the most normal thing in the world .

"What's wrong with you? How could you not want the person who you're destined to be with you?"

Besides Ellie never had I met somene who didn't want to find there mate. "I don't like feeling... vulnerable. I don't like the fact that a person can have that much power over me. I'm my own person and it time I start acting like it." She looked down in shame.

"Ellie you're not your mom." I place my handa on her shoulder, comforting her.

"I know, and I will never be." She quietly promised herself.

"You can still have a mate and not do what she did. You choose your destiny."

I wanting Ellie to find her mate was for a selfless reason. I knew that people that never found their mate will always feel incomplete and I didn't want that for her. Not to mention that her mate will always protect her and knowing how impulsive Ellie could be I knee that she would eventually need protection.

"And I am."

"But why not with a mate."

"My mom killed herself over her mate, right in front of mex she didn't even think twice about me. She abandoned me. All because of her mate.

"What she did  was wrong and I get that. But Elliex you can't keep living in the past. I'm sure your mom is looking down and she's proud of you of everything that's you've accomplished.

"Which is nothing. I haven't done anything with my life besides graduate high school." She finished off her drink and then fiinished off the rest mine. "Her dream was to become a painter ya' know." She said referring to her mother. "When she met my father she dropped her dreams like a bad habit an did whatever it was that would please him. She wasn't even readynto have kids she was just 19, but he did so." She shugged.

"You making it seem like he was a bad person, he loved your mother," I was getting upset at the fact that she was potraying him this way.

My uncle was a good guy and a very traditional one a that. He made it now secret that he wanted a stay at home mate but if that wasn't what Ellie's mother wanted I'm sure they would have  comen to some sort of compromise.

"I never said he didn't. He did, he loved her. But she lost herself when she met him that's what happens when you meet your mate.

"So you think going on this year long vacation will help?"

I was referring to the traveling thaf she wanted to do all over the world by herself. It was quiet common for wolves to travel a lot but only when they've been mated. That is why I was hesitant to actualy agree to let her do this. But I trust Ellie and I know that she can take care of herself.

She shook her head. "No, Ryan this isn't about me, it's about you. You need stop drinking your problems away." I began laughing, " What's funny?" She asked.

"I drink my problems away and you run from yours, we're really fucked up, you know. " She laughed.

"Yeah we are and since we're her." She waved the bartender over and ordered s bottle of 1987 cognac. She helf her glass up, "To sending a big fuck you to our problems."

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Two hours and many drinks later I called my Beta Tyler and my Gamma Daniel to come pick us up since we had been drinking.

"Now. Who idea was this?" Tyler asked as he Daniel helped us out the bar.

"Not mine." Ellie giggles pointing towards me. She was clearly drunk, me on the other hand, was tipsy. Most off, I just didn't trust myself to drive.

"So I take it you didn't find your mate," Daniel asked.

"What do you think pup?" I growled making him laugh.

"Let's get you, crazy kids, home" Tyler muttered as he helps me into the car.