CHAPTER 1

It has been a traditional practice in our pack, The Lunar Furs, that all women upon reaching the age of eighteen must undergo a physical examination. I just turned eighteen so I was required to be examined. While other girls my age were excited about it, I was nervous as hell! My father, Roger, would probably become furious as a mad man if he would discover the truth!

“Let’s go, Bethany!”

His voice startled me, and my eyes widened upon seeing him standing in front of me. He was the alpha of our pack, and I was supposed to inherit everything from him. However, something terrible happened that night, and I couldn’t tell him about it. Well, not yet!

 “Father, I can manage, really, I will be fine…alone,” I tried to sweet-talk my father who wanted to accompany me to the clinic. “There will be a lot of girls there, so I will be fine. Besides, who would dare to hurt me? I am your daughter,” I claimed proudly but Roger Middleton seemed to be not convinced.

“Exactly. I am your father, so let’s go,” Roger Middleton insisted, and regardless of my protest, he wouldn’t change his mind. “Is there something wrong, Bethany? Why do you seem so nervous about the physical exam? It’s a normal thing for every female in the pack!”

“I’m not nervous, father. I’m just worried. What if I can’t find my mate?” I invented a story, but it looked like he was convinced this time. He snorted in response but he didn’t say anything.

“As my daughter, you don’t have to worry about it, darling. Come on!”

I nodded my head and followed him. Once outside, I adjusted my dress, before glancing around. Then, I stopped and observed how beautiful our home was. Roger Middleton was a good provider, and definitely, he was a good father despite him being strict sometimes.

“Why are you dillydallying, Bethany? We can’t keep them waiting,” he reminded me once more that I should hurry up, but how could I do that?

Honestly, I just wanted to skip the examination, but it would embarrass my father. Also, it would put my position at risk. “Hmmm, can I just do it some other time? I don’t really feel good today, Father.”

“Then, you have another reason to see the Doctor. He can prescribe you something for what’s ailing you right now.”

Damn!

My plan boomeranged, and it didn’t look good. Of course, I could come up with an alternative excuse, but he would surely become suspicious. So, I just took a deep breath and prayed that everything would be alright. If the Doctor would try to question me, then maybe, I would just tell him that I loved to play with myself. It would be embarrassing, but the other scenario was more humiliating!

“Hurry up please!”

“Coming, Father,” I replied and immediately sprinted to walk beside him. While we were on our way, he talked to me like an equal. He could be sweet sometimes, but it would have been better if he could maintain that demeanour. Sometimes, his domineering attitude was annoying. Actually, not just sometimes, but most of the time!

At my age, I was supposed to experience a lot of things that women around my age were doing, but he wouldn’t allow me. If I would dare to defy his order, then the punishment would be waiting. I wanted to break free, and it must have been the reason why I did something that may ruin my life.

The doctor’s office was cosy, and I saw some of my friends there. “See? Their parents didn’t come with them,” I informed my father, and also told him that there were a lot of things more important than being in the doctor’s office with me.

“I know but there’s something I wanted to discuss with him before the physical exam would start,” he stated.

Suddenly his statement alarmed me. I narrowed my eyes at him, and asked, “Are you sick, Father?”

He shook his head in response, but the sadness in his eyes bothered me. Then, he forced a smile and answered, “I don’t know yet, darling, and that’s why I need to speak with her.”

“Oh okay,” I replied, but although he tried to assure me that he would be alright, I couldn’t help but become worried. What if there was something wrong with him? No, it couldn’t be! The pack needed him, and I wasn’t ready to take over. How could I be ready when I didn’t shift to a wolf yet?

At first, I thought he would go first, but then suddenly, his phone rang, and he asked me to go on. Cold shivers ran through my spine, and I bit my lower lip to mask my nervousness. “Good morning, Doc,” I greeted the person who was wearing his light blue scrubs under a white coat.

“Good morning, Miss Middleton,” she replied with a smile. “Nervous, aren’t you?”

I wanted to deny being nervous but what if she could tell that I was only lying. It would be embarrassing for sure, so I nodded my head before saying, “Yes, I am.”

“Well, everyone is nervous, and it’s normal. Ready?”  

I nodded without saying anything, and when she gestured for me to sit somewhere else, I just followed her order. Then, she smiled before telling me to relax. After she checked my height and weight, she said to check my blood pressure, and immediately placed the sphygmomanometer around my upper arm, and then she started to inflate it. I could feel how the equipment squeezed my arm, but before I could complain, she was done.

“One twenty over eighty,” she announced.

“Doc?” I asked in confusion because I didn’t understand at first.

“I said you have a normal blood pressure.”

“Thank goodness,” I muttered in relief because honestly, I was worried about it. Lately, I consumed a lot of unhealthy food, thanks to my cravings. Afterwards, she examined my vision, and I got twenty-twenty vision. Well, should I say that she examined almost every part of my body! Head, eyes, ears, nose and throat. Everything was checked, and I was so relieved when she said I was good.

I thought it was over! However, we didn’t get to the most exciting part, but rather, the most terrifying part for every young woman! When she announced that I needed to take off my underwear and to lie down on a single gatch bed inside the clinic.

“Excuse me?” I asked because I thought I just misheard her latest instruction.

“I can’t examine it with your underwear, Miss Middleton.”