Chapter 1

Danielle

“I shouldn’t have come here.”

I lamented to myself as I looked around the huge hall used for the main event of the mate-matching festival. A festival held annually for unmated shifters to find mates. A festival that I have attended every year for the past eight years ever since I turned twenty-one. Eight years. Eight whole years of trying to find a match and eight years of failing.

“I am sure you will find a mate this time.”

I wanted to laugh out loud when my best friend’s words flashed into my mind again. Those were the words that convinced me to come this year even though I already gave up hope after last year’s fail. I have got everything else going in my life except the one thing that seems to matter the most to the society I live in. a mate.

A fucking mate. Twenty-eight and I have dated quite a handful of men already but not one of them matched as my mate. Let’s just say that I haven’t really been lucky in that aspect of my life and that’s why I told myself last year that I won’t show up for the festival this year.

Still, here I was, sitting alone and watching everyone else have fun and make friends. Usually, it would be me and my best friend but last year, Martha finally matched with someone and that’s why I was alone now.

“I should have just stayed! What’s the point?”

The sadness inside me was huge but not only because I couldn’t find a match this year either but because I know that I might never find a match. It wasn’t me being negative. It was just fact. Most unmated shifters want full breeds so hybrids like myself always have to settle for each other or pray for a stroke of luck to find someone we truly like.

I haven’t been lucky at all. not even with my kinds. Who the fuck has both bear and wolf parents these days? I love my parents but sometimes I wonder why they even fell in love and decided to have me. again, I love my parents but a bear mating a wolf? Yeah, very crazy combination.

My parents love each other and they love me but still, sometimes, especially at times like this, I kind of wish my parents mated with their kinds instead of with each other, that way, I would not have to live myself as the weird one. I have always been the weird one because bears and wolves rarely mates.

“No, thanks.”

I sighed as I waved off another one-night stand looking shifter. Yes, I know damn well what all shifters that have approached me tonight wanted. One night. Usually, I would be up for it but not tonight. I wasn’t in the mood.

Twenty-eight. Twenty-fucking-eight. I am not one to be sentimental but tonight is just different. Maybe because everyone else in my friend group already has mates and some even have kids already. Glory and Marian already two kids reach. Helen is currently pregnant with her first and my best friend told me last night that she and her mate are trying.

Everyone else already has the life that I wanted yet, here I am, still looking to match with someone. The majority of people around the party were either teenagers or mostly in their early to mid-twenties. Only a few were in my age group and even fewer were older than me.

Why did I let Martha talk me into coming here? All week, I avoided everything related to the festival because I didn’t want to be reminded only for my little date with my best friend to change my mind.

“I should leave.”

I whispered to myself and looked around one last time. Maybe if I were still twenty-one or probably twenty-five, I wouldn’t feel so downcast. When I was younger, I had my life all figured out by fourteen, and by my plans, I should be mated already with the love of my life and should be on baby number three.

Laughable. I know. everything else I planned happened. A third year resident doctor at the Argenta oriental general hospital. Career wise, I am doing fine. In fact, doing better than most. Other aspect my life too. I have a house, my personal car and everything else a woman my age should have and honestly, I am contented.

I am but still, everyone dreams of having a family. A lover and a companion. I want those things. I have wanted them since I could tell what intimacy was. I shouldn’t be struggling to find a suitable mate. If it were the good old days, I would probably have found a mate at eighteen.

It doesn’t work like that anymore. There’s no ‘mate’ designed for you by the moon goddess, that’s bullshit my parents honed in my ears until I could see through their bullshit. Good for them that they found each other but in this day and time, that doesn’t exist anymore. Mom told me I would feel that pull when I finally met my ‘fated’ one and at one point in my life, I actually believed that it would happen until I didn’t believe anymore. It didn’t take long for that to happen.

I went to school with the richest of the richest so I knew what it takes to find a suitable mate. It wasn’t a pull or love or any of those olden days, nonsense. Nowadays, we match. That’s what we do. The only thing is that those who have a great family background tend to find mates easily. The rich and influential always mate with the rich and influential. The middle class and working class go for their class or higher but never lower.

That left those in the lower class to either fight out of their low place or mate with each other to continue the cycle. You might be wondering where I belong, well, let’s just say I am way above the middle class and almost in the rich category which leaves the question as to why I haven’t matched with anyone yet, right?

Well, you see, there’s this thing called full blood and hybrids and I am unfortunate enough to be a hybrid. Mom is a wolf who fell in love with a bear. So yeah, no one wants that kind of impure family dynamics even though being a hybrid doesn’t make me any less of a wolf or bear. It’s complicated, okay?

“I am done!”

I let out a little loud which got the attention of the group of friend nearest to me. I smiled politely at them and made my way towards the entrance of the big hall. The party usually go crazy at this time and I wanted to be out before it all began.

The main matching already happened and I didn’t find anyone so what’s the point of waiting around and feeling sorry for myself? I felt sad and alone. It was pathetic and I know I will be over it in a few hours but the weight of accepting the reality that I would never find what everyone else remained heavy on my shoulder as I walked out of the hall.

No one spoke to me or even acted like they knew me even though I recognized a handful of them as I walked by. some bumped into me and before I could even speak, they walked passed me like they didn’t even do anything wrong. I sighed deeply and continued on my way out. I was almost at the door when someone else bumped into me.

No, it was I who bumped into a person. I lifted my head to apologize when I realized it was my fault and whatever I had to say caught in my throat when I realized who I had bumped into. Beta Manuel. My beta and a no-nonsense man.

“I am so sorry, Beta.”

I croaked and tried to move away from him but then I was pushed back to him when a group of people rushed passed us. I tried to break away from him fast but that didn’t happen because more people stared passing by and I had no choice but to just remain close to him. I inhaled deeply and my nostrils filled up with his manly smell.

I had to physically stop myself from not moving my nose closer to sniff him. my beta. Such a nice man. Okay, he wasn’t the nicest person in the world but he wasn’t as terrible as everyone in our clan tried to paint him. he was just strict and I like strict people.

I lifted my head and our eyes met. My breath caught in my throat as his deep ocean blue mesmerizing eyes trapped mine. My throat suddenly ran dry as a shiver of excitement jolted through me.