Chapter One

The second she heard her mother bellow out, "Giavanna Rosalie Sperino, get your ass down here this instant!" she knew her outfit for the Mateship Ball had been delivered. Grinning to herself, Giavanna threw her bedroom door open and clambered down the stairs, nearly slamming into her sisters at the bottom of the steps. 

Anita Sperino smiled at her youngest daughter and ushered her older children aside so she could hand a heavy-duty black garment bag to Giavanna. Mia and Aria looked on eagerly, emitting high-pitched squeals of excitement as their little sister took the bag and hugged it to her chest. 

"What's with all this noise?" a gruff voice called from the kitchen, followed by the scrape of chair legs moving across linoleum tiles. A beast of a man appeared in the doorway, frowning as he tugged the end of his chest-length salt and pepper beard. He narrowed his gray eyes and asked, "Ball stuff?"

"Yes, Marco," Anita laughed, placing an arm around her husband's waist and nodding towards Giavanna. "The seamstress just dropped off her outfit."

His frown deepened. "Still don't understand why the three of you girls couldn't just have shared one outfit. And the nonsense of having to buy a new dress every year you attend is ridiculous. Your mate wouldn't have a clue you'd worn the same thing multiple times." 

"Maybe Giavanna will have better luck than Mia and I did and will save you money by finding her mate this weekend," Aria replied, rolling her eyes at their father's remarks. She gave the garment bag a gentle tug and asked, "You going to give us a little fashion show now?"

"Nope. You'll all have to wait until Saturday. Elsbeth should get here around 2 o'clock to start getting ready. She has every detail from facials to nail polish planned out," Giavanna explained. She wasn't a fan of having to spend 5 hours preparing for a social event, but she couldn't deny her best friend the opportunity to play dress-up with her. 

"Alright. Well, I need to meet Kyle for dinner and drop Aria off. Ian's got some romantic evening thing planned for her tonight," Mia teased as she gave her baby sister and parents a quick hug.

Aria giggled when she saw their father grimacing. "Dad, Ian and I have been bonded mates for four years now. It's well past time you got used to it."

Rubbing his shaved head, Marco huffed, "You three will always be my little girls. Just because I understand how the mate bond works doesn't mean I like hearing about it or seeing it from my daughters."

His eyes opened wide when his wife threw her head back and began to cackle. "How many times have you gotten caught being handsy in front of my parents? Even now? At least our girls are kind enough to refrain from most PDA around us." 

"On that note, we're leaving," Mia called as she pushed a laughing Aria through the front doorway. "Oh, and let us know when we can swing by to take photos before the ball, Giavanna!" 

Stepping forward to lock the door behind her siblings, Giananna couldn't help herself from snickering at the deep blush that had crawled up her father's entire face. Even though he was thoroughly embarrassed, he couldn't keep the besotted look of love off his face while he glanced at his giggling mate.

"So glad you enjoy humiliating me, Anita," her husband grumbled teasingly before slinking past her back to the kitchen. 

"Marco, you act as if your babies didn't grow up in a home where they saw firsthand how a loving mate should treat their partner. You're supposed to be grateful they are so adored," Anita cooed as she followed him. 

Readjusting her grasp on the garment bag, Giavanna smiled and turned towards the stairs. She could hear her parents gently make fun of one another and hurried back to her room. 

"This is it!" she thought to herself. 

After securely hanging the bag on a hook behind her bedroom door, Giavanna tugged the zipper down, slowly revealing the treasure inside. The tailored black fabric had a subtle sparkle to it, and the red silk felt like perfection under her touch. "This is gorgeous," she breathed aloud, her eyes lighting up with excitement as she removed the whole ensemble from the bag. A royal blue envelope fluttered to the ground when she slipped the bag from the hanger, catching her gaze. 

Giavanna quickly snatched it up, a puzzled frown marring her face. She slipped a nail under the seam and withdrew a piece of lavender paper. "My dearest little wolf, may our family not be foolish enough to ignore the beauty and power you emit while dressed in this finery. Should your mate be lucky enough to find you this weekend, they will be awestruck by their good fortune. Though ye be small, ye be mighty. Love, Aunt Rosalie."

Tears pricked her eyes as she stared at the written words, reaching absentmindedly for a tissue to wipe her nose. That was when she noticed the messy scribbled note on the other side of the paper. "Baby, this may be my most glorious creation. You are going to make howls erupt from every corner of that ballroom when your fine ass comes walking through the door. I legit feel bad for your mate because they won't be able to focus on your kindness, intelligence, and all-around bad-assness while you strut around like a snack. Let's be real. You're gonna be a whole damn meal. Hugs and smoochies, Auntie Charlotte." A loud snort burst forth from Giavanna, followed by peals of laughter. This had been the exact reason why she had accepted her aunts' offer to make her dream ball attire. She could feel the love and support the two had infused into the details of the garment. The solemn and logical aspects of Aunt Rosalie could be felt in the precise stitching and quality of the cloth. Auntie Charlotte's enthusiasm and playfulness was highlighted in the beadwork accents and handmade notions. Had Rosalie met Charlotte at a ball like most other mates instead of a shared fashion design class her senior year of college, Giavanna could see her wearing a slightly less ornate version of this exact outfit. 

After tucking her final piece of ball finery away into her closet, Giavanna lay back on her bed and stared at the ceiling. "Two more nights, and it will be here. My first Mateship Ball," she mused. Based on her family history, she didn't allow herself to fantasize too much about her mate. It had been several generations since anyone on her father's or mother's side had had any success in connecting with their destined partner until at least their fourth Mateship Ball. With the exception of Aunt Rosalie, of course. 

Her stomach suddenly clenched in a fit of nervousness. "What if they don't like me? What if I don't like them? What if I hate them?" Even though Giavanna's heart knew it was incredibly rare to remain unmated, her mind couldn't help but think about the few couples she knew who abhorred their mates. Humans weren't the only ones who had to worry about abusive partners and cheaters. Shaking her head, Giavanna stood up and decided to seek out the company of the most successful pairing she knew. A bowl of ice cream and a spirited round of poker with her parents sounded like the perfect way to distract her mind.