Chapter 6: The Mysterious Girl

Arlo

“Aren’t you going to get ready?” Devyn asked while bursting into my room. I just finished training the newly-assigned pack warriors, and I wanted to take a quick nap before going over some paperwork.

“For what?” I asked, confused.

Devyn looked at me incredulously. “Have you forgotten? It’s Laura’s coming-of-age party! Didn’t you notice the decorations around the house?”

My eyes widened. “Oh, shit. Is it the 19th already? I thought that was tomorrow. Fuck,” I cursed. “Don’t tell Laura about this. She’s going to kill my ass if she knows.”

“Don’t tell me about what?” A soft yet intimidating voice asked.

My shoulders stiffened as I heard her voice from outside the door.

“Laura! My sweetest little sister is finally turning 18, hmm? Are you excited for your birthday? You look beautiful, by the way,” I said while looking at her dark red dress, a symbolism of the Blood Shadow pack.

She narrowed her eyes at me. “Hmm, you sound suspicious. Did you forget that it’s my birthday? Why aren’t you dressed yet?”

“What? No!” I denied excessively. “How could I forget such a monumental day? I was already in the middle of getting ready. You just caught me in a bad time.”

“You better have not forgotten, or else I’m holding a grudge,” she said while looking at me intently.

I smiled at her. “Of course not.”

She left the room, and I let out a sigh of relief. I heard Devyn chuckle next to me, causing me to look at him. “What?” I asked.

“You’re so tough on other people, but Laura could make you crumble down on your knees with just a few words,” he laughed.

I smiled. “Well, she is my little sister after all.”

“Then, chop chop! The party’s going to start in an hour, and you need to be there for our family’s entrance,” he said while walking out the door.

I sighed and brushed my hair back. Another party, huh? There was a tiny portion in the back of my heart hoping that maybe, just maybe, my mate would be at this party. But, I was still highly doubtful if that would happen considering all the time that has passed. 

I dressed in my black suit and blow-dried my hair. I roughed it up with some pomade, making it have an effortless look.

After getting dressed, I met my family by the staircase.

“You look so handsome, Arlo,” my mom said. I smiled. 

“That’s right. You’ve become such a handsome young man since the last time I saw you.”

I turned around when I heard a familiar voice.

“Uncle Dalton!” I exclaimed, surprised.

I went near him and gave him a pat on the shoulder. Uncle Dalton nodded towards my mom and dad, to which they just responded with a small smile. He decided to travel the world starting five years ago, so we don’t see him that often.

“It’s been ages! I thought you were in Russia or something," I started off. 

“Yeah, yeah. Somewhere along those lines. Let’s stop talking about me for a second and talk about you. Have you found your mate yet?”

I looked down on the ground and sighed. “Not yet,” I said.

He patted my back. “Don’t be so down. You’re still young! Meaning, you still have plenty of time to fool around before you find your mate. Look! We’re at a party, and there are plenty of other packs in here. With your looks and everything, I bet all the ladies would be drooling over you. Why don’t you give them a chance?”

“Oww!” He suddenly exclaimed. My dad hit Uncle Dalton on the back of his head. “What the hell was that for, Kairo?”

“Stop teaching my son your filthy ways,” he said.

“Geez. “ Uncle Dalton raised his hands in surrender. “It’s my first time here in months, and this is how you’re treating me? Talk about friendship. I was just teaching Arlo that it's possible to have fun without your mate.”

My dad scoffed. “You can do that all you want, but Arlo is waiting for his mate. Right, son?”

I nodded my head regardless of the hopelessness in my heart. “Right,” I muttered under my breath. “And while waiting for her, I’ll just focus on the pack.”

“You’re definitely your father’s son. I once thought you resembled me, but hearing you now, I’ve changed my mind," he said. 

“Shhh,” my mom interrupted us. “Our entrance is coming up next. Get yourselves ready.”

I cleared my throat and straightened my suit, already prepared to make my entrance. 

“Now, we all welcome the family of the birthday girl, the Ford family!” The host said, and we all walked down the stairs.

My mother and father went first, followed by uncle Dalton and Devyn. Being the Alpha, I went down last, and I heard other people whispering to themselves.

I understand why. It’s been a while since I made my appearance in the presence of other packs.

“Oh my god. Is that Alpha Arlo? He got even hotter.”

“Wow, this is the first time that I’m seeing him in person. He's so handsome!”

“Fuck, he’s really hot.”

“Ugh, it sucks that he isn’t my mate.”

I smiled discreetly when I heard what they were saying. It seems like I still got it.

We settled down in our seats and waited for Laura to make her grand entrance. As the music became louder, Laura went down the stairs in her elegant red dress. I smiled. My little sister looks really pretty. The other guests seemed to think so as well because I heard a collective gasp from the people.

I chuckled when I saw my dad tearing up in his seat. He tried wiping his tears away, but his eyes were still red. I’ll make sure to tease him for this later.

After her grand entrance, the servants started serving food, and the guests started speaking among themselves. I only ate a little bit, then proceeded to talk with other people.

A group of girls went over to my seat and tapped my shoulder.

I turned around and smiled at them. “Yes, how can I help you?”

I saw them blush as they nudged one another to respond to me. “Can we take a picture with you?”

“Sure,” I said.

I stood up, and they all squeezed in next to me. I moved away a little bit because I didn’t like how one of them kept touching my arm.

She was quite disappointed when I moved away, but there was nothing I could do. She’s not my mate.

After taking the picture, the girl who kept touching my arm was pushed by her friends to the front. She shyly bit her lips and went closer to me. “Umm, Alpha... I’m staying in one of the guest rooms. Do you want to—“

“Arlo! Come and meet my close friends!” My mom shouted from a distance.

I internally sighed in relief. “I need to go see what my mom’s up to. Sorry,” I said and swiftly walked away. Talk about perfect timing! 

“Mom,” I said as I went over to where she was.

“Oh, Arlo! There you are! These are my very close friends from when I was pregnant with you,” my mom gestured towards the couple.

“Meet Cy and Saran." 

I turned to the smiling couple and also flashed them a smile.

“Oh my god! Is this Arlo already? You’ve gotten so big since I last saw you,” Saran exclaimed.

“Well, he is already twenty-two. The last time you saw him was when he was four!” My mom said.

I smiled. “I’m sorry, but I don’t recall our meetings. However, it’s nice to see you once again.”

Cy patted me on the shoulder. “You’ve become such a proper young man, eh? So different from your father when he was young.”

I looked at him and laughed. “I had heard from my mom about my dad’s atrocious mistakes when they were young. I was surprised that she even had the heart to forgive him.”

“I know, right? I wouldn’t have forgiven him if it was me,” Cy joked. “How about you? Have you already met your mate? Who's the lucky lady?" 

I looked down on the ground and smiled bitterly. To be honest, I really didn’t want to answer his question. It feels like I’m going to seal my fate if I do.

Thankfully, Devyn interrupted our conversation. “Mom, you might want to see this. Dad is having an emotional fit.”

Mom’s eyes showed concern. “What— why? What happened?”

“See for yourself,” Devyn said and led us to the middle of the hall.

“What happened?” My mom asked my dad, who was wiping his tears for the second time this night.

He pointed towards the dance hall, still with tears in his eyes. I let out a chuckle, but it quickly halted when I glanced in the direction where my dad pointed to.

There she was— Laura, in the middle on the dance floor, dancing with a tall, skinny boy, wearing a servant outfit.

“Did she find her mate?” I asked quietly.

“It seems so!” My mother exclaimed in joy. “Oh, I’m so happy for her.”

“I can’t believe this. My little baby is growing up too fast,” my dad wailed.

I, on the other hand, stayed silent while looking at the scene.

“Hey, are you okay?” Devyn said worriedly while nudging my shoulder.

I faked a smile. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

Although I said those words, Devyn’s eyes remained worried.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine, really. I’m happy that Laura found her mate so... early. Tell her my regards," I said while preparing to walk away. 

“Where are you going?” He asked.

I cleared my throat. “It’s a little bit stuffy in here. I’m just going to have some fresh air.”

“Alright. Take all the time that you need,” he said softly.

I turned away from the scene and walked out of the hall. The entire time that I was walking away, a hundred questions popped into my mind. Why haven’t I still met my mate? When will it finally be my turn?

I used to joke around about my little sister finding her mate before me, but to think that it would actually happen. I mindlessly walked over to our front balcony, feeling melancholic about the situation. 

I only stopped walking when I felt cold drops of water fall upon my forehead. I paused and wiped the wet drops with the sleeve of my suit. I looked up to the dark night sky and let out a deep breath.

Moon Goddess, if you’re out there listening to me, then please grant my yearning— please let me meet my mate.

“Ah, fuck. Why did it have to rain all of a sudden?”

My thoughts were interrupted when a beautiful and silky voice spoke. Just then, a girl wearing all-black clothes climbed over the balcony and started wiping her clothes dry. She was facing away from me, so I couldn’t see her face, and it seemed like she hadn’t noticed my presence as well.

She looked a little bit strange, with her all-black clothes, cap, and mask. I was about to head inside and leave her to herself, but I suddenly smelled the most wonderful scent in the entire world. It was a mixture of the fresh scent of orange and peppermint paired with the sweet smell of honey. I sniffed the air and couldn’t get enough of the delectable scent. My senses followed the scent, and my eyes widened in shock when I noticed that it came from the girl in front of me.

In a trice, she removed her mask and stuffed it in her pocket. I watched as her figure froze, and I waited in anticipation as she slowly turned around to meet my gaze.

Her hair and half of her face were covered with her cap, but I still felt like she was the most beautiful being in the entire world.

“Mate.”