I awake in the morning to my mother yanking me out of bed. “Paige, you’re going to be late for your hair and makeup. Get up!”
“Ugh. What if I don’t want to get my hair and makeup done?”
“Then, you can explain to your father and Alpha Colin of Aurora Flame why you aren’t looking your best on your big night!”
Like I’m the one who asked for this party. My parents insisted on it. Peyton and I are turning eighteen, and they want to go all out for it. I’d rather hang out with Val. Why would Alpha Colin care what I look like anyway? I only remember meeting him once a few years ago, but he didn’t pay me any attention. He was following his dad around like a little Alpha puppy.
I groan and push myself out of bed. Every freaking muscle in my body hurts. I guess I’ve been overdoing it at training. With that thought, I push through the soreness and open my bedroom door. I call out for the she-wolves and my mother. They are quickly up the stairs and into my bedroom. My mother paces around while the she-wolves pull, paint, and yank on my hair and face. When hair and makeup is done, my mother helps me into a dark green strapless dress that hits right above my knee, my full bosom barely fitting in. It’s evident my mother didn’t pay attention to my size when she bought this dress. Doing my best to stuff my boobs in the dress, I finally get it to where I’m comfortable with the amount of cleavage I’m showing.
I turn to show my mother. “You look so beautiful, Paige.”
Before I know what I’m doing, my arms are around my mother, pulling her into a hug.
My dad and brother barge in to interrupt our moment. “Oh, Paige, you are beautiful.”
“Thank you, Daddy.” I kiss his cheek. “You look nice, Peyton. No buckets of water today?”
He gives me a distracted smile and shrugs. His eyes keep darting to the door. I guess he’s ready for his grand entrance. An Omega comes up to tell my family that guests are arriving. My parents exchange a nervous glance as we head downstairs. I can’t shake the feeling that they are expecting something to happen tonight. Peyton slows down before coming to a full stop on the stairs.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m nervous to see Claire.”
“Why? Have you not seen her all day?”
“No. I wanted to wait till the party. I wanted to be able to show the world we are mates.”
Putting my hand on his arm, I say, “You already know that you two are mates. There’s nothing for you to be worried about.”
We link arms to descend the stairs when our father starts to call us over. We make our way through the crowd, stopping for hugs and pictures with the many friends in attendance. My mother did a beautiful job mixing my and Peyton’s personalities together. There is black and green fabric draped over the walls.
I catch a faint scent of mint and cypress. The small scent reminds me of rainy days in the forest. Rain is my favorite weather. I’m inclined to believe the appetizers that are being passed around are the source of the smell. I wouldn’t have any doubts about that if Ash wasn’t on high alert. Her red fur is blurry as she paces back and forth.
The scent gets stronger with each timid step I take towards my parents. By the time I get to my father, the scent has completely invaded my body. I don’t even listen to my father introducing us. Instead, I’m staring at hazel eyes rimmed with gold specks. My eyes absorb the powerful man in front of me. His eyes burn into me as I scan his body, undressing him from his stuffy suit. I want to see his naked body. Woah. That’s a forward thought.
Ash is speechless until I force my eyes to meet his gaze again. The burning need in them sends Ash into a frenzy.
Mate! Mate! Ash squeals, jumping around.
Her confession echoes through my scattered mind.
“Mate.”
Did that just come out of my mouth? Damnit.
Colin
As we pull up to the Onyx Moon packhouse, I’m feeling restless. I haven’t been able to relax all day.
Dom is eager to get out and go into the packhouse like he knows something I don’t. I appease him by being the first to door. Waiting for my parents to catch up with me, I admire their packhouse. It’s not as large as the one I live in, but it couldn’t be more different in terms of looks. The Onyx Moon packhouse lives up to its name with its dark coloring and the crescent moon décor on the doors. As my parents finally make their way to the doors, a smell hits me. It smells like vanilla with a hint of cinnamon. It smells a lot like the cinnamon rolls my mom makes for me on my birthday. It’s intoxicating, and I have to hold myself back from barging into the door and finding the source of that scent.
“Are you going to knock or stand there drooling?”
It doesn’t take long for a woman, not much younger than me, to open the door. She introduces herself as Amber, the Beta’s daughter. She lingers in our handshake for too long. Her touch feels like tiny needles stabbing my hand. It’s uncomfortable, to say the least. I politely pull away and scan the room.
The entrance to Onyx Moon is grand. The gray hardwood floors tie into the light gray room well, and there is a large set of stairs in the middle of the room that I suspect leads up to the living quarters. On the stairs is a striking girl. She’s in a sea-green dress that barely touches her knee. The neckline reveals a distracting amount of cleavage, and I find myself lost, wishing I was the guy she’s talking to right now.
The feeling of jealousy surprises me. I’ve never even been interested in a girl, I mean woman, before. Not until this enchanting redhead captured my eyes. I’m pulled from my thoughts as my dad hits my arm, letting me know that the Alpha is trying to introduce himself.
“Sorry, I’m Alpha Colin.”
“No problem. I appreciate a man who can admire good artisanship.”
“That’s not what I was appreciating. Who is that?”
He raises an eyebrow. “That’s my daughter, Paige. The man next to her is my son Peyton, the future Alpha of Onyx Moon.”
I let out a big sigh of relief as Alpha John calls them over. I can’t seem to take my eyes off Paige as she walks over to us, linked arm in arm with her brother. I find myself jealous again. I have to clench and unclench my fists to keep Dom reigned in.
As she gets closer, the smell hits me again. I’m praying that it’s coming from her. Dom bounces around like a nervous child. He’s confirming what I already thought.
“Mate.”
The world stops. I can’t hear anything over the loud pulse in my chest. Relief and excitement wash over me at the same time. I finally found her. I can’t believe it. She’s more beautiful than I imagined. All my restraint leaves my body, and I run to her. I pick her up off the ground and hug her. Touching her feels like lightning is pulsing through my veins. I feel so alive. Just hugging her feels amazing. I can only imagine what mating with her would feel like.Much better than your hand. Dom laughs.I’m betting you’re right.“I’m Paige.”“I’m Colin.”“Could you put me down?”I put her down quickly but grab her hand. I look down at my mate to see a hint of fear in her eyes. My thoughts begin to swirl as I try to decipher her body language.She’s not going to reject us, human.You don’t know that.Our parents are staring at us in disbelief, the Beta’s daughter is seething with jealousy, and there’s a boy standing next to her who looks like his world is crumbling. For a second, I wonder
I inwardly groan. Colin has met Paige, his mate. Our plan for the Alpha just got a lot more complicated. He’s head over heels for her too. I could see it the second he saw her. I need to talk to James. The plan needs to be changed. This girl is innocent and doesn’t deserve what we have planned for Colin. I’m not so sure Colin deserves it either, if I’m being honest. The nerves are getting the better of me. I just need to remember that this is the only way to get Charles out of the way.“You okay, little brother?”“I’m fine. It’s great that Colin has found his mate.”“I don’t know. She seems to be opinionated and strong-willed. You know submission is needed in a good Luna,” he says, taking a big swig of his whiskey sour.The anger boils in my blood again as the memories of Charles breaking Nicole’s spirit. She, too, was once opinionated, but as time went on, Charles made her submit. He violated the mate bond in the way he treated her. He sleeps with other she-wolves to keep Nicole in l
My mother decides to stay with Tasha’s family to help them plan a memorial while the rest of us head home. Each of us trying to wrap our brains around what just happened. As we reach the house, my father resigns to his office, slamming the door hard enough to knock a picture from the wall. Peyton to his room. Colin walks me to mine. “Stay, please.” I ask as Colin turns to leave. You do like him! Ash barks. I just don’t want to be alone. I lead him into my large bedroom. Mentally high-fiving myself for making my bed this morning. “Did you know her?” he asks. “We trained together. She’s a pack warrior, though we weren’t close outside of that.” He wipes my tears from my cheek, and his warm hand sends shocks to my skin. He feels so good. I’m not sure I have the restraint to avoid kissing him. I stand up from the bed, trying to put some distance between us. “I’m, uh, going to change. I just realized that you have nothing to wear to bed. So run to your room and grab something.” “W
Our first night wasn’t the magical one I had hoped for. But waking up next to her almost makes up for it. Dom hounded me all night to mate her, but I resisted. Paige wasn’t ready for that, and I want it to be special. I wrap my arms around Paige as she stirs next to me, wanting to feel her as much as I can before she pushes me away. She opens her giant green eyes and inhales a deep breath, breathing in my scent. I wonder what I smell of. “What are you thinking about?” she asks. “What my scent smells like to you. You smell of vanilla with a smidge of cinnamon.” “You smell like a rainy spring day.” She laughs. “More specifically, it’s mint and cypress.” Her laugh sounds like a perfect symphony. I lean down to kiss her lightly on her lips, pulling away to resist deepening the kiss and making Paige feel pressured. I find my way out of bed, not missing the glimpse of sadness in her eyes. Dom tries to push me back, but I fight him. “I’m sure you’re getting hungry. I’ll go change, and t
I wake up with a heavy mind because of last night’s events. I waited all night for Claire to show up, but she never did. She never responded to my texts or calls, either. I was drowning my sorrows when I first heard the howls. Following my father to Tasha’s body, I sobered up exceptionally quick. The sight of Tasha’s body made my stomach churn. I stood frozen, just staring at her.My father and Colin went into Alpha mode, my father ordering everyone to do something, including ordering me to find a sheet to cover her with. I also accompanied him to tell Tasha’s family. The entire night left me feeling even more unprepared to be Alpha. I’m just an eighteen-year-old kid. My wolf is worried about the position, too. Neither of us feel like an Alpha.A light knock on my door pulls me from my bed. The scent of the person behind the door has me throwing the door open with more force than I meant to.Mate. Mate. Mate!Claire stands before me, her eyes cast down as she tries to explain herself.
It’s lunchtime before I push myself off the bathroom floor. My face is still puffy from my pain. I was considering skipping lunch when I hear a knock at my door.My father pops his head in. “Meeting in the dining hall.”“I’m not feeling well. Save me the cliff notes.”“It’s mandatory,” my father orders.He never speaks to me that way. Something must really be going on. Announcing Tasha’s murder wouldn’t have him so angry. Curiosity pulls me out of my bed and out the door. Following my father to the dining hall, almost everyone has gathered, but I don’t see Colin. My father pulls me to the front of the dining hall to join my mother, brother, and Claire. I smile at them. I knew they were mates. I’m glad that is working out for one of us. I swallow the hurt that pierces my chest when I see Peyton and Claire looking so happy. My father waits for Colin’s family to enter the room and settle. His body tenses, but his eyes never meet mine. I guess the guilt is eating him alive. Good.My fathe
Paige blew me off this morning and then proceeded to ignore me at the meeting. My annoyance builds with each second that I’m away from her. This girl is destroying me little by little. I’ve been waiting outside her bedroom for ten minutes when I see her walking up the stairs. She stops when she sees me, and I feel her rage flood into me.“We need to talk,” I say.“Go talk to Amber.”I raise an eyebrow. What is she talking about?“What? Why would I want to talk to her?”“Why wouldn’t you talk to the half-naked girl you took to your room right after leaving mine?” She sheds one tear before she opens her door and slams it shut.My heart hurts, partially because whatever Paige thinks I did is hurting her and partially because she
I held Paige in the dining hall for as long as she would let me. I only let her go to help her to her room. Now, we lay here in her bed. She’s asleep with her head laying over my chest and my arm wrapped around her. After Val’s big show in the dining hall, I realized I was being just as stupid as Paige was. I was choosing not to communicate with her, and that was hurting her more. My heart stopped when I saw her cry. I couldn’t take it anymore. She believed me when I said I never touched Amber. That put me and Dom both at ease. We’re going to have to work on communication. We lay wrapped up together until the early afternoon. “Wake up, love,” I say. Paige stirs and opens her eyes. “That was the best nap I’ve had in a long time.” “I hate to cut this short, but I have to pack.” I’ve been dread