1 - Bastien

Bastien's POV

Arriving at her party almost 2 hours late, the guards wouldn't let me pass to the garden, telling me the princess had shifted and was running with her parents, that I could wait with the rest of the Alpha's and Beta's hoping she was theirs.  We were texting when she told me she was starting to shift, that her sister had shifted about an hour ago, I was stuck in traffic but still didn't let on that the surprise I had for her was me.  I leaned against the wall opposite from the garden doors anticipating her entrance, while ignoring the other she-wolves in the ballroom giving me looks and smiles.  The doors opened and her scent hit me like a freight train, jasmine on a summers breeze, my mouth is salivating as I push off the wall and take a few steps towards the door.  I freeze in place at the sight in front of me, her long beautiful blonde curls cascading down the front of Alpha Richard Moon's chest, her face buried in his neck, her tan legs wrapped around his waist as her body lays against his back.  Her father, Alpha Stephen, stands proud next to them as I stumble backwards into the gift table.  I can't breathe, my wolf growls in my head, "MINE!"  I shake my head as I turn, "how could I have been so wrong." I pull the wrapped gift box out of my jacket pocket and throw it on the gift table as I head to the pack house entrance.  My mind is whirling with crazy thoughts, my wolf growls at me, "GO BACK, SHE'S OUR MATE, OUR MATE IS THERE!" 

I pull out the keys to my rental, hit the key fob to open the door and get in.  My hands wrap around the steering wheel as I growl, "FUCK, I got to get out of here, I can't ruin this for her."  I pull out and press the gas pedal to the floor, gravel kicks up as I tear out of the driveway and onto the road.  I look in the rearview and she's standing there, waving her hands in the air, her long tan legs and a white t-shirt, her blonde curls bouncing around her body.  My hands tighten around the steering wheel more and my knuckles are white.  I whisper, "you're beautiful, be happy baby girl."   I drove back to the airport and caught a flight back to the Alpha Academy in Denver. 

I pull up to my cabin, it's early morning and just stare at the porch, my mind plays the memory of that night.  When she walked into the bar, my eyes never left her, I watched as her friend Rochelle walked with her to my table, leaving her with me as she went to use the restroom, Rochelle is a piece of work she placed her between my legs as she walked off.  Normally, I don't mix with the Alpha heirs under my direction, but Veronica caught me by surprise, she is beautiful, feisty and for goddess knows why, gets to me.  I asked her to dance, going against everything I've told myself I wouldn't do, but she captivated me.  After our dance I had to walk out of the bar to hide my hard on.  I spotted Rochelle and Veronica coming out of the bar and a guy walked over to them.  I watched Rochelle and the guy maneuvered Veronica between them, he was too close, and his head was moving towards hers.  I pushed off the car I was leaning on, my wolf Tiberius growled, “I’ll kill him if he fucking kisses her,” he took over.  Growling I stalked over, flinging the guy away like a rag doll and dragged Veronica by the hand to my car, I drove us here and we sat right there on the steps.  She was so adorable I couldn't stop myself from kissing her and to my surprise she kissed me back.  I shake my head to remove the memory, "she's not mine, she's his."  I sigh heavily as I walk into the cabin, I throw my keys onto the table and walk to my room, tearing off the monkey suit I was wearing for her birthday, discarding it to the floor.  I pull on my ripped up blue jeans, a black t-shirt and pull my saddle bags out of the closet, filling them with shirts, jeans, socks, underwear, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, towel and a bar of soap.  I pick up my cell phone, there's a message but I ignore it and type out 2 messages, one to the Alpha Carl of the Academy and one to my brother, Mason and hit send  “Leaving tonight, don't know when I'll see you again, phone is staying at the cabin, I'm off the grid.”  I throw the phone on the table and walk out, not bothering to lock the door and put my bags on my Harley, I rev her up and pop the clutch and head east, why east, I have no fucking idea, but that's where I'm heading.

I ride for hours, I find a town and a bar.  I enter, it's a dive, small, smells of smoke and despair, my kind of place, it has 2 pool tables, a few round big tables and a couple of small high tops, the bar is at the back along the wall, I order a few shots of whiskey and a beer, I sit at a high top just staring at nothing, there are people here, but I couldn't tell you what any of them look like, I close my eyes and her face is all I see, I growl inwardly and pinch the bridge of my nose.  I open my eyes and see a woman staring at me, her eyes look me up and down as she walks towards me. 

I stiffen in my seat as she stands at the other side of my table, "you ok honey?" 

I nod, "yea, just want to be left alone." 

She smirks at me, "sure, ok, do you need another beer?" 

I look at her and realize she's a waitress, "yea, thanks."  She walks away and then returns with a beer and set's in front of me.  I notice a few guys walk in, they're wearing leather jackets with patches on the back, they walk to the bar, order and then look around, their eyes land on me and a smirk crosses ones face, his eyes dance with mischief and I chuckle lowly, "bring it mother fucker, I would love it right now."