Chapter 1

Five Days Earlier

I am sitting in my chair finishing my homework. Having a single room is great, but sometimes, like tonight, it’s lonely. I’m glad I got to move into the pack house, but I miss being at home with mom and dad. 

My name is Elenor Charlotte Miner, but most people just call me Ellie. I am seventeen years old, a senior in high school, and I am a werewolf. I am a pretty typical teenage girl, except for my healing abilities and strength. 

I live in northern Ohio with my pack, the Seneca-Cayuga Pack. We don’t go all crazed at full moons, but we can shift into wolves whenever we want to.  

I am five foot six with golden blonde hair that goes to the bottom of my breast, and emerald green eyes. I have legs for days and a killer ass, if I say so myself. My breasts aren’t that shabby either. They are full C cups, and if I showed them off, I would probably get some stares. I don’t show any of my body off though, therefore no stares.  

My father, Adam, is the top warrior of our pack, so I have always trained as hard as the men and boys of the pack, causing the guys to always see me as one of them instead of girlfriend material. The girls’ train; most of them do so on different days and with another trainer. 

My mother, Scarlett, is the Luna’s best friend, and the most beautiful she-wolf I have ever seen. She stands at five foot eight with waist length blonde hair and sky-blue eyes. We all know my mother for being stylish. Basically, she is the total opposite of me. She always pushes me to put makeup on, wear dresses, or do my hair. She says I will end up turning into a boy. She thinks she’s funny.  

I am an only child, which has its pro’s and con’s, but mostly, it’s been great. The three of us have always had a great and open relationship and really enjoy spending time with each other and our pack.  

Growing up as a wolf in a pack of almost four hundred has been an incredible experience. Everyone is family, and we would do anything for each other. You can mind link your immediate family once you get your wolf. Basically, you can talk to each other through your thoughts, with no one else hearing. 

The higher-ranking wolves like the Alpha and the Beta can mind link anyone in the entire pack, or everyone at once. It’s funny to watch someone mind link someone else. Their eyes gray over and they zone out on something in the room. I don’t know what it feels like yet, though. 

In our pack we have an Alpha. His name is Lawrence, and we know him for being honest and just. He’s like everyone’s favorite uncle but will quickly turn into your father if you are out of line. We all respect him, and no one has ever challenged him for the position. 

Our Luna is Amara. Being my mom’s best friend, I have grown up knowing her as my aunt, but out of respect I still call her by her title. We see each other frequently and she has always been so kind.  

Lawrence and Amara have made no one in our pack feel like they were less because of ranks. In other packs, the Alpha and Luna’s use the Omega’s as maids and cooks. We are such a lucky pack to have them in charge. 

My best friend is Luke, he is the son of our Beta, George. He’s six foot one, has jet black hair and the most beautiful grey-blue eyes. The girls go crazy for him, but to me, he’s just Luke. Sure, we’ve fooled around occasionally since middle school, but it’s never gone further and has never been sober. Since he’s the Beta’s son that means he is the next Beta when Colin takes over as Alpha. He is also Colin’s best guy friend. 

UGHHH speaking of Colin. He is Lawrence and Amara’s son, and he is drop dead gorgeous. Standing just shy of six foot, with light ash brown hair, and the most intense hazel eyes you could orgasm from just by staring too long. 

Colin is the captain of the football team, obviously. He has warrior training on top of football practices, so he’s built like a brick wall and has a decent number of tattoos making him that much more of a wet dream. This is who the Moon Goddess chose for my mate. Which is just cruel. 

I turned seventeen last week and found out. Walking into Luke and Colin’s room for homework help, I felt the mate pull immediately. My heart sank. What a mean joke by the Moon Goddess. Sure, he is my quintessential high school crush, and I drool every time I see him. Unfortunately, he’s going to end up laughing when he finds out we are mates this Friday. 

That’s when his birthday is. I know he won’t reject me from my looks, but I have always been the “girl next door” or “one of the boys” for as long as I can remember, and it’s hard for the guys to look past that. Not to mention that we have grown up together, which is weird. 

Also, he’s with Victoria, and treats her like she’s already his Luna. They have been together since freshman year and have always assumed they would be mates with how in love they are. Hell, everyone thought that. It doesn’t matter, anyway; he is going to reject me. I just know it. My heart won’t be able to take it, so maybe I’ll can reject him first. 

“Um, do I not get a say in this matter? You know he’s my mate too, right?!” An unfamiliar voice speaks up, and I know it’s in my head because I am in my room, alone.  

“OMG!!! Are you my wolf?! What is your name!! I have been waiting to meet you! What do you look like?!?” I laugh at myself for how I must look from the outside right now. I am currently zoning out on a lamp in the corner of my room. 

“Yes, I am your wolf! I have been here your whole life, but once you became seventeen, I had to figure out how to communicate with you. It will be a learning process for both of us.” She talks to me like a best friend that I have always had, just never truly knew. 

“Oh, my goddess! I can’t tell you how happy I am right now! Please, tell me your name!” I am practically jumping up and down from excitement, and I am suddenly so glad that no one else is in here with me. 

“Sorry Ellie, my name is Leia. You will get to see what we look like once you shift into me for the first time. Can we please get back to your idea of rejecting our mate?” Her voice becomes stern and I am sure she is not happy with what I was thinking earlier. 

“Your name is so beautiful, Leia! It is nice to meet you, and it was honestly just a thought. I have no intention of doing that or ever talking to him again after his birthday this weekend.”

“Ok, well let’s just wait for his birthday this Friday and figure it out then. I need to rest for now.”

I roll my eyes and sense Leia smiling at me in return. We are going to get along perfectly.  

Since I was six years old, I have been dreaming of turning seventeen so I could meet my wolf and learn her name. As a werewolf, you have a wolf who you can talk to once you turn of age. It’s hard to say when your wolf will come forward. Some wolves do so instantly on your birthday, but some take a few days. 

My mom always described sensing her wolf, Serene, almost as a daydream. It is exactly like that, I can see and sense Lei’s actions in my head and her voice is like a second subconscious, only louder and sounds different from my own thoughts. 

I walk over to my bed, happier than I have ever been on a Monday night. I lay my head down, thinking about how it will feel to shift, or run. I am excited about pretty much everything that comes with being a werewolf.  

Besides having Colin as a mate, that just sucks. I lay down, pull my pillow over my head and groan into it. It takes a while, but I finally fall asleep.