Chapter 0001

Layla’s POV

“I forbid you to take one step out that door.” Lucas says to me in a stern tone and it infuriates me that he thinks he is the boss of me. He might be the Alpha of our pack, but he is still my brother and he has no say in what I do.

“You mean like this?” I asked him as I took my right foot and placed it over the threshold of the doorway as I crossed my arms over my chest, egging him on.

A growl rippled from his chest as I did so and I could tell that I hit that nerve that I always do. It was actually quite amusing rowling my brother up and I sort of got my kicks from doing so. Right now I was not playing with him as my friends waited in the car parked outside for me to go to the senior party that was happening at the lake tonight. It was our last ruha before the mating ceremony that was happening this weekend. Plus, there was the fact that it was also my birthday, and I would possibly find my true mate and I wanted one last night with all my friends before we all went our separate ways.

“Layla, don’t provoke me, I said you weren’t going and that is final.” Lucas said to me through gritted teeth as he stepped towards me and grabbed me by the arm and started to pull me back inside the packhouse.

“Let go of me Lucas, I am going with my friends and you aren’t stopping me.” I said to him as I tried to free myself from his hold, knowing that I didn’t have a fighting chance against his grip on my arm.

“Oh yeah, looks like I am stopping you.” He now says to me as he is pulling me towards the grand staircase.

Pulling my last line of defense against Lucas, I began to yell, “Mother!” Lucas quickly tried to put a hand over my mouth, but it was too late and our mother came rushing into the room.

“Layla, what is wrong?” she asked as she made her way to us and then she saw Lucas’s arm on mine. “Lucas let go of your sister immediately.” Mother said scorning him and I couldn’t help but get a smile on my face as Lucas let go of my arm and I stepped away from him, knowing that he was in for one.

“What is going on here?” Our mother now asked as she looked at both of us with her hands on her hips.

“Lucas is trying to boss me around again. He is forbidding me from going with my friends.” I explain to my mother, who is now giving Lucas a stern look.

“Lucas it is a party. They are celebrating their graduation. You were once her age and did the same thing.” Our mother tells him and he quickly responds, “Exactly and that is why she isn’t going. I know what happens at those parties and she isn’t going to partake in it, period.”

“Give your sister some credit. She knows not to get involved with that kind of behavior.” Mother tells him and he leaves out a growl of displeasure.

“I won’t have one of those mutt’s paws on her.” Lucas says and I know exactly what he is afraid of. He doesn’t want me to lose my purity before he can mate me off on Saturday to get rid of me from his life.

Anger begins to fill me what this is all over and before I could think what I was saying it was coming from my mouth, “Well that doesn’t stop you from taking Brittany every night in your room.” Mother’s mouth dropped open and Lucas let out a growl that rattled the room and I knew at that moment I might have taken it a bit too far, but in all honesty, he started it.

“Lucas, how could you do that to that poor she wolf?” My mother asked in shock and disbelief that her son would stoop so low.

“Mother if you must know, I am twenty-four and I haven’t found my mate. If it doesn’t happen on Saturday, I plan on announcing that I have chosen Brittney as my mate and the next Luna of this pack.” Lucas says to our mother and now my mother isn’t the only one in shock.

“But Lucas what happens to Brittany if you find your true mate?” My mother asks him and the sound of a horn from the car outside waiting for me fills the room, but I stay where I am wanting to hear Lucas’s response.

“Well then it is too late. I have already grown an attachment to Brittany, and I want to make her my Luna. I honestly don’t think a bond with another she wolf would compare to what we have already.” Lucas explains to our mother, and I can’t believe what I am hearing.

“So, if you find a mate Saturday at the ceremony then what?” My mother now asks him and I stay right where I am standing even though the horn honks again.

Lucas begins to shake his head and I could see that he was conflicted in what he was about to say. Finally, he says to our mother, “I would choose what I felt was right. I love Brittany and I couldn’t imagine loving someone else more then I love her.”

Wow, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing from my brother. He was in love with Brittany and he was willing to let go of his true mate to be with her. The horn honked again and I turned to look at the open door waiting for me to escape out it now that my mother was here. But my heart began to ache at his words and I wondered why I felt so affected by them. It’s not like I knew who his mate was, but it was as if I was feeling her pain, knowing that this could happen to me on Saturday.

I pondered just going to my room since I had this feeling inside of me now, not really wanting to go to the party, but I knew if I did that then he would win keeping me here. Rose then appeared in the doorway and when she saw me, she said, “Are you coming?”

Turning back, I look at my mother who gives me the okay, but then I look at Lucas who has his jaw locked into place giving me a stern look and all my heart aches for him and his mate disappeared with that one look to me. Looking Lucas in the eyes, I say to Rose, “Yeah, I’m coming.” I then turned and walked out the front door with her, leaving Lucas to stew that I had won.