Chapter 2

“Good Morning!” I heard my bedroom door open and people walk in. Oh my! It is my 18th birthday! Opening my eyes, I sat straight up to see my parents standing over my bed with a present in their hand.

“Wake up, sleepy head!” 

“I’m awake!” I yawned as I smiled at them. They came around and sat down on the edge of the bed. Today was going to be a long one, best one yet of all the birthdays that I have had. 

“Happy birthday!” My mom gave me a kiss on the forehead as my dad smiled at me. They weren’t my biological parents. They adopted me after they found me in the woods, but they raised me as their daughter and loved me as such. “Here, open your present!” 

My mother, Gwen, handed me a bag that said ‘Happy Birthday’ with every color on it with yellow tissue paper sticking out of the top. Ripping that off, I found a small black velvet box. Picking it up, setting the bag down and opening the black box to reveal a pair of pearl earrings. “These are beautiful!”

“I’m glad you like them, sweety. They have been passed down in my family for generations. Hopefully tonight you will find your mate and you will have kids you can pass them down to.” Mom started getting teary-eyed for the third time this week. Mom and dad are Alpha and Luna of the Midnight Moon Pack. You can only find your mate on the full moon at midnight when the room is the highest in the sky. Fortunately, that night is tonight, on my birthday. So, we are having a large dance, for two reasons. One, so I can find my mate and two, hopefully most people will be able to, too. Mates are becoming harder to find since you can only do it at a specific time and people are just giving up. 

Mom is worried that when I find my mate, I will have to leave. I tried telling her that he may not be an alpha-to-be so we could stay here. I just have a feeling that is completely untrue, but it was hard to see her cry. 

“I will defiantly do that!” Jumping up, I gave them a hug. 

“Now, time for you to relax and get ready with a day of pampering and laughter.” My mom smiled through the tears as she plastered a smile on. 

“Yay! I can’t wait. I am going to go shower. Samantha said she would be here around 9 am with brunch and the massage therapist will be here around 9:30.” 

“Well, it is 8:50, so you better hurry!” Dad laughed. They started towards the door. Placing the earrings on my night stand then jumped up and ran to the shower. I heard my bedroom door shut, so I knew my parent’s left. I have been waiting for this day for years! Just the thought of being swept away, off my feet, into the arms of my mate. It is a dream I have had since I was a little girl. 

Showering quickly, I just towel dried myself off when I heard my bedroom door open again. “Samantha?” I yelled out as I started dressing.

“Yeah! It’s me! I brought the food!” Samantha’s sing song voice called out. I could hear the squeaking of the wheels from the cart before the smell of eggs, sausage, and so many other things assaulted my nose. I dressed in a simple button up silk night set with matching shorts. The summer was in full gear in July. No clouds in the sky and the sun was shiny. This was promising to be at least 100+ degree day. Just what I like. 

Walking out to the livingroom part of my bedroom, I saw Samantha sitting on the couch with a bowl of fruit on her lap. She turned 18 back in April. She looked like a model with her legs for days and her strawberry blonde hair that does to her waist. She was wearing something similar to me. Walking to the cart, I grabbed some yogurt, strawberries, and granola.

“I am so excited for tonight. I really feel like I am going to meet my mate tonight!” I exclaimed. 

“Me too! Someone tall, dark and handsome!” Samantha licked her lips. We have both saved ourselves for our mates and never even kissed a guy before. Someone has pursued heavily us both but other than a few dates, it didn’t go anywhere. With her being the beta’s daughter, she was watched just as closely as I was. 

“I agree. I have pictured a guy with tattoos and dark hair, muscles that line every inch of his body and a look that makes your knees shake.” Plopping down on the couch, we daydreamed about what our mate will look like. 

Knock knock knock! Three quick knocks sounded from the doorway. Must be the massage therapist!

“Come in!” I yelled. 

In walked two ladies in their 60s that have been doing massages for the pack for years now. They were talented and heavily requested. Nodding, they set up their tables. It only took a few minutes for them to do so and laid a sheet over it. Since nudity isn’t a huge deal in the werewolf community, it didn’t faze us to strip to our underwear and climb on the table and under the sheet. The ladies had turned their back to us and allowed us some privacy. 

“Okay, we are ready!” I said. For the next hour, they massaged every inch of our skin, kneading out the tension that had built over this week from planning. My mom and I planned this whole event, invited and decorated everything. I have been learning Luna’s duties for a while now and I feel like I have a good handle on things. 

Six hours later, we had pampered ourselves more than we ever had before with manicures, pedicures, facials and a full makeover. There was a happy hour starting at 5 pm and then dinner at 6 pm and a dance that followed. This gave everyone a chance to mingle and see if they can pick out their mate. Rumor was that there was a pull that drew you to them even before the moon was at its highest. 

“Are you ladies about ready?” My mom had come into my room to see how we were doing. She was wearing a cherry red ball gown that reached the floor. It was a sweetheart neckline that was strapless and the corset top made her look even skinner. Her hair was pulled back into a low bun, showing off her mark on her neck. 

“Almost!” I yelled out. Pulling up my shimmering silk tight dress. It was white/silvery in color with a sparkle to it so when the light hit me, it was shine anywhere I went. It was strapless, with a sweetheart neckline and a slit that came all the way up to my upper thigh. It was the most sexist thing I have ever worn, but I wanted to look good for my mate. 

Samantha was wearing a sapphire colored dress. It stopped mid-thigh and was a halter top. She was a bit buster than I was, so it contained everything she was packing. “And…I am ready!” 

Samantha walked out of the closet and did a twirl for my mother. She had pulled her hair into a tight ponytail and had a winged eyeliner. 

“You look amazing!” My mother said. 

“Thank you! Ivvy, are you done yet?” Samantha yelled. 

“Yes!” I went by the name Ivvy as my nickname, but my real name was Ivory. It meant pure white, so I chose this dress as a kind of nod to my name. I placed my dove necklace around my neck. The pearl earrings finished my look. I pulled my hair back into a similar low bun, but mine had braids woven into it and it was more of a messy bun. Loose hairs were down and curled, framing my face. With my porcelain skin, I looked a vision in white. 

Walking out to the living room, I saw my parents and Samantha’s parents standing around talking. “I’m ready!” I said, getting their attention.

“Oh honey! You look so beautiful and grown up!” my mom was trying not to cry and mess up her makeup. 

“My little girl is all grown up.” My dad pouted, but his face was beaming with pride. He was wearing a black suit that matched his black hair. Everyone knew they adopted me, as I looked nothing like them. They got a lot of negativity for it, but never let me feel any different. 

Samantha’s parents each gave their approval and soon we head to the ball. Walking outside, the heat assaulted us. It felt so good on my skin. Welcoming the rays as we walked toward the party. They placed a tent on our training grounds. There was soft music playing and voices talking and laughing. A slough of guards were stations around the tent and more so scattered in every direction. Being one of the largest packs, we had a reputation for being fierce. Just looking at this made you feel both intimidated and safe. Dad didn’t take our safety lightly. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Alpha Nathaniel and Luna Gwen, and beta Mason and his mate Carol and their daughter Samantha. Please give a warm welcome to the lady of the hour, Ivory!” An applause broke out as we walked in. I felt every eye on me as we walked to the front of the tent where our table was. It felt like eternity as we made our way. I felt really eager for some reason but I kept a smile on my face. As soon as we reached our seats, my dad gave a speech. 

“Thank you all for coming to our daughter’s 18th birthday! We have used this as an excuse to get everyone together that is of age to see if we can bring back the most prized possession a wolf can have; a mate. The Moon Goddess has bestowed us with this gift and making an effort to find that person is the least we can do. Depending how this goes, this might become a tradition!” Cheers and applause broke out. After it quieted down, he continued, “Please enjoy the drinks, and dinner will be served shortly. After dinner will be music and then at midnight, we will all come together in the middle of the field and see if we can’t find some mates! Enjoy yourselves!” 

Everyone clapped, and the music started back up again. Samantha and I grabbed eachother’s hand and went to the bar to get a glass of wine before finding out friends at a table. Ditching our parents was something we were good at. Not that we got into trouble, but you can enjoy yourself when you aren’t under the direct vision of them. 

Sitting our red wine down, we each took our seats. Next to me were Molly, Carter and Paul. Molly was 19, Carter was 18 and Paul was 20. None of them have found their mates yet and were all hoping to do so. Paul set one of his body builder arms on the table as he chugged his beer with the other. He was a ladies’ man, where Carter was more reserved and didn’t date around. Molly has always been a shy girl. She was shorter with brown hair but has always felt like she was connected to Carter. She has sworn she was his mate since she was little. Carter doesn’t believe they are, but still did anything to hurt her feelings. 

“Hey guys! What do you think?” I asked, smiling as I sipped my wine. 

“This looks amazing! You did great!” Molly said, already a little tipsy. She had a red drink in her hands. It takes a lot to get a werewolf drunk, unless they add something to it. “I am so excited to meet my mate. There are so many sexy guys here!” 

“I hope I don’t. I want to comfort all the broken hearts that need a little extra comforting tonight!” Paul smiled as he moved his eyebrows up, looking around the room. 

“I feel sorry for whoever you mate with! What if she finds out about your extracurricular activities?” Molly asked with a disapproving look. 

“I will just show her how good I can be…” Paul trailed off. “Excuse me, I see a few ladies that I need to introduce myself to.” 

I finished my drink as we continued our small talk. “I am going to go get another glass. I’ll be right back!” I announced as I got up and started walking towards the bar. 

I suddenly had a terrible feeling come over me. Stopping in my tracks, my back stiffened, and I felt a tap on my shoulder. 

“Excuse me, I would like to introduce myself.” A deep voice spoke, so low and so grave that it made every warning bell go off.