It’s finally the end of the day and I am so happy to be out of school. Talia, Rose, Mona and I are going to the mall to get outfits for the big pack birthday party. The party is this weekend. It falls on my birthday. I am so excited. We like any excuse to have a party. Eighteen years ago, our pack had a big baby boom. Ten of us were born days apart. Ben, the future beta, and I were born on the same day. The future alpha was born 2 days before us. His birthday is on Thursday. Nathan’s birthday is Friday. Ben, Rose, and my birthday are this Saturday. All the ranked wolves had babies close together. It must have been something in the water that year.
The girls and I head to the mall to shop for our dresses for the big birthday party. Every year the party is a major fashion event. Everyone is dressed formally or semi-formally. It’s the one time of the year that the pack gets to see me all dolled up.
“Rose, you should try this dress. This shade of blue looks good on you.” I say, holding the dress up for her.
Rose is Ben’s twin sister. She is also a high-ranking warrior. Although Ben is the next beta, Rose also has the strength of a beta wolf. She is smart, funny and an amazing cook. Rose looks at the dress I held up. It is strapless with a cinched waist. Rose is mocha tan, with curves in all the right places. She can wear just about any style, but this dress will look amazing on her. Rose is tall for a female. She is about 5’10. She is the tallest in the group. Talia is next. Talia is about 5’9, with long wavy hair. She has medium tan skin. The boys say her skin is sun-kissed; whatever that means. Mona and I are about the same height. We’re about 5’6. All of us are fit. Mona is not an elite warrior, but she can hold her own. She is my cousin, so she has Gamma blood in her. Mona is more a diva than a fighter, but we love her just the same.
We went through almost every store in the mall before all of us found what we were looking for. I wanted to dress differently from my everyday tomboy look. I chose a teal off-the-shoulder tea-length dress. Talia chose a red and cream short dress that looks amazing on her. Mona chose a royal blue dress that looks tailor-made for her. It was a one-shoulder number with pearls embedded in the neckline. Of course, the diva had to have a little sparkle.
We shopped until we were ready to drop. We all have different styles and tastes. I think we visited every store in the mall, some twice. I lost count of how many gowns I tried on.
“Girls, I can’t believe it took that long to find what we wanted. For once in my life, I am not looking forward to training in the morning. Shopping was a workout in itself.”
“So true,” Rose answered. “Let’s stop by the diner and get a bite to eat on the way home.”
As we enter the diner, we see the boys sitting in the back. Most of us have been friends all of our lives. I was contemplating going over when I saw Trevor looking at me with a scowl on his face. I can’t believe he is still not over me beating him in sparring. It’s been a year already.
“Look Seleste, there are the boys. Do you want to go over?” Mona asked.
“No, let’s get our own table. Trevor looks like he will have a fit if I sit with him.”
“Who cares what he thinks,” Rose replied.
“I don’t. I just don’t want any trouble tonight.”
“Ok,” Rose answered.
We walk to our table on the opposite side of the diner from the boys. Just as we are getting comfortable, Ben gets up and storms away from the table. Shana and the crew walked in as Ben was leaving. From the look Ben gave Shana, you can tell that she is not his favorite person. It’s not surprising. Ben hates stupidity. Ben should have been born alpha.
“Look at Trevor, he is practically running over himself to get the STD crew to sit at his table.” Rose says as she shakes her head.
Like her twin, Rose has a low tolerance level for foolishness. Mona looked at Trevor and the crew with disgust.
“I can’t believe Trev asked that plastic barbie and the other matchsticks to sit with him.” Mona said.
“Maybe Shana is his mate. He could be feeling the pull towards her since it is close to his birthday.” I stated.
“I hope not,” Mona stated. “Can you imagine that airhead being the Luna of our pack?”
“OMG, I can’t even imagine. I think I would have to transfer to a different pack. I pray to the moon goddess that if Shana becomes Luna of this pack, my mate is from a different pack so that I can move.” Talia stated.
“Guys come on; It won’t be that bad,” I stated. “We still have a great beta and an awesome Gamma to keep the pack running, not to mention the Elite 12. The Luna can’t change that, some things work outside of the alpha couple. We all know that our pack is respected because we make it that way.”
“Seleste, always the peacekeeper,” Mona says. “You are taking up for the person who disrespects you the most, but you wouldn’t be you if you did anything else.”
Little do they know; I feel the same way as Talia. I pray that if Shana is our Luna, please moon goddess, let my mate be from a different pack so I can transfer.
“She is NOT my Luna,” Tamaska says.
“Come on guys, let’s just eat our food and enjoy the rest of our night,” I say.
This week is going by so fast. It’s Wednesday already. Tomorrow is my birthday. I’m both excited and terrified about finding my mate. I hope it is Shana, but honestly, I don’t feel a pull toward her. Convel has been fixated on Seleste. I must admit, I do feel a small connection to her. I just have to ignore it and stick to my plan. After Monday night at the diner, I asked Shana out on a date for the next night. I took her to a pleasant restaurant. My prospective mate deserves and expects the best. I hinted to her I may feel a slight pull toward her. We plan to hang out together tomorrow night just to see if she is my mate. I plan to ask her to be my chosen mate if the moon goddess doesn’t do right by me. “You better not,” Convel yells in my head. “I want my mate! No one else will do. If you even think about rejecting my mate for someone else, I will never speak to you again! Convel says. “I don’t care. I am doing what is best for our pack, no matter what. You can’t stop speaking to
Today was a rough day. I got slightly injured during training. I sparred with one of the Elite 12 today and although I won; he made his presence known. “Come on, Tim, is that all you got? Come at me again,” I yell. Tim runs at me again. I step aside, kick him in the stomach and punch him hard in the face. Tim goes down and out. Another win for me. My dad walks over and looks at me. He is the only one who noticed me flinching. “Let me see Sweet Pea,” my dad says. “Dad, don’t call me that in public. Come on, someone might hear you.” My dad laughs and looks at the bruise forming on my left side. “Well baby girl, Tim got you good. Looks like you have at least two broken ribs and maybe more.” Although I’ll heal quickly, my mom made me stay home today and maybe tomorrow to heal properly. I don’t mind. I’m enjoying the time to myself and Tamaska is being quiet today. Plus, I get to spend a little time with my mom. My mom brought me breakfast in bed. “Are you excited that you get to fin
Today is my birthday. I’ve been walking around the school hoping to smell that wonderful smell of my mate and, so far, nothing. I never even considered that my mate may not be from our pack. I think I have been in contact with almost every she-wolf under 25 in our pack. Shana ended up not being my fated mate After All, but we plan to still hang out tonight; especially since I have not found my fated mate amongst our pack. “I told you she was not our mate, but do you listen? No, you don’t. Instead of planning a date with a random she-wolf, you should look for our mate. Why did I get a human like you!” Convel says in a huff. “Look Convel, I know you want our mate. I want her too, but she may not be in our pack. We may not find her right away or she may not be the right one to be Luna, so I will keep dating Shana until I or she finds our mate.” I hope Convel will see things my way soon and stop fighting with me. Why can’t he understand that I just want to do what’s right for the pack?
After lunch, my day seems to slow down. Everyone is either asking about my mate or parading themselves in front of me to see if they were the lucky ones. I swear even a few males paraded themselves in front of me. Sorry boys, I don’t swing that way. I can wait for this day to be over so that I can go to the fireworks display my parents have planned for me tonight. Maybe my mate will be there. The fireworks started at sunset. The fireworks look amazing. It’s been a long time since my parents had fireworks. With us living deep in the forest, I guess that makes sense. I’m glad that they decided to do this for me. “Mom, dad, thank you so much. This has been a great birthday. You guys always make sure my day is special.” “That’s because you are special,” my mom says, hugging me. “So, do you have anything to tell your father and me? Do I have a new daughter yet?” “Not yet, mom. But Convel seems to think that we will see her soon. I’m not sure if she is a pack member. If she is, she wasn’
It’s still early, just 10:30 pm. I don’t feel like going to bed, so I take a walk. There is this beautiful clearing close to the packhouse. The moonlight is perfect there. It’s my favorite place to go and think. Maybe Convel and the guys are right about me deciding out of hurt pride. I just want to do the right thing for my pack. As an alpha, I have to consider the needs of my pack. I just don’t believe that a Luna that puts herself at risk during a battle is right for the pack. I have a lot to think about, so I walk and think. When I make it close to my spot, I smell the most amazing smell. It smells like strawberries and rainbows. I know rainbows don’t have a smell, but if they did, they would smell like this. Convel sits up and starts wagging his tail. He starts yelling “Mate, Mate, Mate! Hurry up and get to mate.” I start running. I’m excited to finally meet the one the moon goddess has made just for me. As I make it to my favorite spot, I see the last person I wanted to see. The
Now I need to put my other plan in motion. I texted Shana to see if she was still awake. She said she is, so I’m going to her house and ask her to be my chosen mate. “You ruined everything Trevor,” Convel yells in my mind. “Shana will never be my mate. She just wants to be Luna, anyway. No one will love us like our mate would have. I can’t wait till I can leave you. I will never forgive you for rejecting and hurting my mate.” “What are you talking about Convel, you can’t leave me? We are one, so stop being dramatic. I’m getting you a new better mate.” “Hump, we shall see. You are going to be so sorry when you finally realized what you have done.” Convel goes to the back of my mind and balls up in a tight little knot. I know he is hurting about his mate. I’m hurting too, but I did what had to be done. I call Shana when I get to her house and ask her to come out to the car. I say it’s because I don’t want to wake her family, but the truth is, I don’t have the strength to get out
I decided not to go to the fireworks tonight. It’s Trevor’s birthday, so I’ll let him enjoy the fireworks and the company of our friends. Sort of like a silent birthday present. Once I explained my reasons to our friends, they understood and stopped trying to get me to come. My parents also understand why I chose to sit this one out. I know Trevor will never appreciate how I think of him and try to keep the conflict down. For some reason, he always misinterprets my motives and finds fault in everything I do. I wish things were different between us. I miss being friends. Maybe in time, we can rebuild our friendship, but for today, I’ll watch the fireworks from my balcony. Our home is centrally located in the pack. I’ll be able to see the entire display from here. The firework display was jaw-droppingly awesome. The colors were bright, like a rainbow exploding in the sky. The entire sky was filled with lights, spirals of color, and starbursts of greens, reds, orange, purple, and yellows
Once I make it to my house, I run to my mom and cry my eyes out. My mom keeps asking me what’s wrong. My dad comes in and tries to talk to me, but I can’t stop crying enough to talk to them. I can’t say the words. At least not yet. My mom calls Mona to come to be with me and to help calm me down. After crying for about an hour, I’m finally ready to tell my family what happened. Wiping my eyes, I begin the story of my life right now. “I don’t know where to start. I’ll try to keep it simple. Tamaska was feeling restless, so I went to the clearing the grandmother used to take me to. As I was basking in the moon, Trevor walked into the clearing.” I see my mom and dad stiffen when I mention Trevor’s name. Mona just looks at me with concern. I think she knows what I’m about to tell them. “It turns out that I am Trevor’s mate,” I say with a sigh. “I don’t understand,” my dad says, “if you found your mate tonight, why are you crying? Did something happen to you or Trevor?” “Dad, Trevor rej