Coming of Age

"That's enough, Amari!" a voice barked, grabbing her attention, making her hesitate before landing a fatal wound to her sparring partner. She looked towards the wall-to-ceiling glass her father stood behind with a disapproving face. Amari gave him a bow and awaited her next orders.

"That's enough for the day. Get cleaned up and meet me in my office in an hour. We have much to discuss," he demanded in a chilling tone.

Amari waited until her father disappeared to let out a breath of relief. She peered down at her bloodied and groaning sparring partner and was itching to help him up, but according to her father, showing mercy to an opponent was a sign of weakness.

"Are you okay, Beta Marco?" she whispered to her beloved trainer of thirteen years.

"I'll live," he groaned, picking himself off the padded floor. Amari winced at the sight of Marco's dangling left arm.

"Don't worry. It looks worse than it feels," he expressed, reassuring her. In reality, he was thankful Alpha Winters stepped in, or that morning may have been the last time he would have told his pups he loved them.

"A-are you sure?" Amari asked, not convinced Marco was as well as he claimed.

"I'm fine. I'll be healed up in no time. You better quit lollygagging with me. You have to meet Alpha Winters in less than an hour, and you know how he feels about tardiness.

Amari's blood ran cold as she thought about the punishment she'd receive if she were late. Last time, she received ten lashes from a riding crop. She shivered at the memory of having to sleep on her stomach for a week. Usually, her wolf would quickly heal her, and the harm inflicted upon her would be an afterthought. However, her father wanted her to feel the brutal pain for days on end. He injected her with a serum of silver before her lashes. He insisted he was teaching her discipline and building her character.

Amari had been undergoing extensive training since the age of five, all for the goal of one day replacing her father as Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack. Today was her 18th birthday, and she wasn't even sure if she wanted to be Alpha, but the idea had been ingrained into her since she was a child. She questioned her father once about becoming Alpha and asked why her older sister, Camilla, wasn't training to become Alpha. Amari was backhanded with so much force that her jaw fractured. She never dared to question her father again and accepted her place in the Blood Moon Pack.

"You look like crap," Amari's sister, Camilla, teased once Amari made it to her room.

"Wow...and here I thought you would wish me a happy birthday," Amari sarcastically drawled.

Amari and Camilla's relationship had been on the rocks as of late. Amari noticed Camilla had become snappy and impatient with her. Despite Amari asking her sister what her problem was, Camilla would mumble something under her breath and storm out of the room. Amari felt Camilla's rude demeanor could result from her not finding her mate. Most wolves found their mate around their 18th birthday, but Camilla was 20 and still mateless. Amari could only imagine Camilla's wolf must be driving her up the wall.

Amari prayed she'd find her mate soon, but that would be difficult, seeing how she'd never seen the light of day. Beta Marco was the only one outside of Amari's immediate family who knew of her existence, and he was sworn to secrecy. Amari's father claimed she had to be kept a secret to preserve their bloodline and keep her safe from their enemies...the Dark Moon Pack. Amari became misty-eyed as she recalled stories from her father about how vicious the Dark Moon Pack was. In fact, according to her father, the Dark Moon Pack was responsible for her mother's death, forcing her father to raise a two-year-old and a newborn on his own. Again, Amari didn't understand why Camilla was allowed to live a normal life, but she wasn't. Wouldn't keeping Amari safe but not Camilla be a sign he loved one child more than the other?

Amari shook her head, erasing her troubling thoughts, and proceeded to shower. An overwhelming feeling flushed her while she bathed. Her nipples pebbled, and she felt the temperature of her body spike. The urge to touch herself was great, but she resisted.

"He's close," Amari's wolf, Titania, whispered.

"Wh-who's close?" Amari whimpered.

"Don't play stupid! You know exactly who I'm talking about!"

"My mate? Who is he?"

"I cannot tell you that. You must discover him naturally."

Amari rushed through the remainder of her shower, eager to meet with her father to let him know about the possibility of meeting her mate. Maybe then, he’d allow her to leave.

**********

"Sit down," Alpha Winters ordered as soon as she was given permission to enter his opulent office.

"Thank you, Alpha," she answered, quickly sitting in one of the chocolate leather wing-backed seats in front of his large mahogany desk.

"There are things I wish to discuss with you."

Amari waited with bated breath for her father to continue.

"You are 18 today. Congratulations for making it this far."

Amari's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She nor her wolf appreciated her father's verbiage. It almost sounded as if he didn't expect her to reach 18.

"From what I've seen and what Beta Marco has reported, you are highly trained and are more than capable of protecting yourself. With that being said, you are free to leave the house."

"Are you serious?"

"Are you questioning me, girl?" he asked with a raised brow.

"Of course not, Alpha. It just seems unreal. It feels like a dream. Thank you."

"Do not thank me yet. You are the future Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack, and you should act accordingly when in the public eye. Do not disappoint me, Amari, or you'll find yourself back in the house for another 18 years. Camilla will escort you around the grounds to give you a feel of everything. She will also introduce you to some esteemed guests."

"Guests?" Amari questioned with a tilt of her head.

"I have invited Alpha Alexander Beaumont of the Artemis Pack and his subordinates to our pack land. As you know, we are in alliance with the Artemis Pack, and if we're lucky, you might find your mate amongst them. Camilla will get you ready for the party later. Your dress has been picked out already. Don't embarrass this pack, Amari. You're dismissed."

"I won't! I promise!" she squealed, jumping out of her seat.

"AMARI!"

"I apologize," Amari lowly whispered, calming down her excitement before exiting the office. She rushed to her bedroom, where she found Camilla sitting on her bed with an annoyed expression on her face.

"I get to go outside! I can't believe it! And there's a party for me tonight!" Amari shrieked.

"Calm down, will you? You're gonna bust my eardrum yelling like that!" Camilla spat, annoyed with her sister's behavior. It didn't take much for Amari to get on Camilla's nerves. Over the past couple of months, the disdain Camilla felt for Amari grew and grew as the days went on. Deep in her heart, Camilla knew their father loved his precious Amari more. He'd do anything to keep Amari safe, and Camilla was tired of hearing Amari's name on his lips every time she turned around. The fact Camilla was not even considered to take over the Blood Moon Pack angered her and filled her with jealousy. She couldn't wait to see Amari fail just so she could rub it in their father's face. Now, they were throwing an elaborate party for Amari, and Camilla prayed it was a complete disaster.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm just so excited. My mate is close!"

"What?" Camilla asked in disbelief.

"My mate is close. I can feel him."

Camilla could feel her claws extend as she tightly gripped Amari's comforter. Of course, Amari would find her mate before she did, Camilla thought. She continued to stew in her hatred and devised a plan to steal Amari's mate right from under her.

"That's excellent news," Camilla said as she approached Amari's closet.

"What are you doing?" Amari asked curiously.

"I'm getting quite bored with my clothing and haven't gone shopping in a while. I'm just taking a peek at what you have. Do you mind if I borrow this?" Camilla asked, holding up a flowy white summer dress.

"Knock yourself out. I don't think I can fit it anymore. It's a little tight at the top, if you know what I mean."

Camilla frowned. That was another thing she hated about Amari. She couldn't stand that Amari's body was fuller and more developed than her gangly body. While Camilla's chest was barely a B-cup, Amari was sitting heavy at a full D.

"Thanks. I'm just going to change in your bathroom."

Camilla locked the bathroom door behind her and quickly changed into Amari's dress. She ran Amari's comb through her hair several times, hoping to pick up Amari's scent. The Artemis Pack was visiting, and what if their alpha was Amari's mate? Well...he would be hers now. Camilla was about to exit the bathroom when her eyes landed on bloody gauze in the bathroom trashcan. Camilla giggled softly as she stuffed the dress's pockets with the bloody gauze. Surely, Amari's mate would catch her scent.

"Hey. I'm going to run a quick errand, and I'll be back to pick you up. You might want to do something with your hair."

"My hair? What's wrong with it?" Amari asked frantically.

"You just might want to do something a little more...impressive. Just in case we run into your mate."

"Right. Good looking out, Sis."

"No problem. What are sisters for?"

Camilla rushed out of the house and immediately called James, a mutual friend of Alpha Beaumont.

"Hello?"

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"Nothing much. On our way to the packhouse."

"Who are you with?"

"For now, it's Alpha Beaumont and me."

"Great. I'll meet you there. We can have a drink and catch up."

"Sounds good. We'll be there in a few minutes."

Camilla sprinted towards the packhouse and could smell James's familiar scent once she approached the house. She entered the house without further hesitation. James and Alpha Beaumont were deep in conversation when Alpha Beaumont stopped mid-sentence and began to sniff the air. A malicious grin spread across Camilla's face when his eyes landed on her. His eyes flashed silver before returning to its usual cool pools of blue.

"Mate," he whispered, making his way towards Camilla. He stared down at her for a few intense seconds and leaned in to smell her jasmine scent. It wasn't an overpowering scent, but it was there. He could tell Camilla was his mate. Alexander's wolf, Titus, was on high alert and was attempting to gain control. Alexander had to work overtime to keep his wolf at bay.

"DON'T!" Titus called out in a last-ditch effort.

"Mate," Camilla whispered back to him.

Alexander couldn't hold back any longer. He gripped Camilla's slender waist and sank his teeth into her neck. The amount of love he felt for Camilla was overwhelming. He could feel their souls intertwine. It was enough to bring tears to his eyes. Alexander thought he was destined to remain mateless after not finding his mate for seven years. All this time, she was right under his nose.