The Unchosen Mate

Perrin"This fucking blows."I toss my quarter-staff to Ethan, watching him catch it with ease, despite being out of breath. "It could be worse!" he said with a grin, taking another swipe at my side. "If I got as many dates on my own volition as you do through your father, I'd be in Heaven."I grunt and quickly jump out the way. "Yea, except Heaven is a place you actually WANT to be. My dad insists on picking the weirdest places for these set-ups. The last time it was at a tea parlor.""A tea parlor?" Ethan swings another jab my way but I deflect with my forearm. "What the hell is that?""My point exactly," I sigh."Was she at least good looking?" I grunt in response. Ethan grins, wiping silver hair off his sweaty forehead. "Must have been a real looker... did Jasmine know this time?" "Good session. Let's call it a day." I say, cutting him off. Jasmine knows that my dad has been trying to set me up

I usher out a quick "thanks" to Kira and jump out of the car. Rushing towards the packhouse doors, I barely have time to acknowledge the Guard as I dash inside, sprinting up the stairs, trying to reach my room. Knowing my father, he and Beta Mark are keeping tabs on how long it takes me to get to the restaurant. I almost bite it in the hallway--someone's recently mopped and the floors are a slippery mess. I save myself from falling by grabbing onto the only thing nearby--the arm of the pack Luna. "Perrin, are you alright?" Deidre steadies me with her other arm. "I'm fine, Luna," I shake her off, careening down the hall as fast as I can. Of course, running into my step-mother is just what I need right now. She'll have my father on speed dial in a heart beat. Once in my room, I shed off my shoes, shorts, and dash into the shower. I don't really have time to shower, but given that I'm torn between the clock and my own mental refusal to meet Leila, I decide it's ok. The shower is hot,

JasmineI can smell Perrin before I can see him. His smell is stronger than usual--just like after he works out or has a training session with Ethan. I can hear him now--running. That must be why. Running because he knows he's late. I check my watch. 9:30 p.m."You're lucky that I waited for you." He comes out of the trees and into the clearing, slightly out of breath."I know..." he says unevenly, catching his breath, bent over with hands on his knees. "I came as fast as I could." He gathers himself and stands erect, looking at me, finding my eyes.Everytime I stare into those eyes, when it's just the two of us, I'm totally lost. And I can't believe they're mine. I'm lucky I found him early. As the Alpha Dauphin, Perrin's practically pack royalty. We were just classmates at first. He was gawky and awkward as a younger pack member, so we started out as just friends. But the more I got to know him, the more I became attracted

Kira I've spent most of the evening preparing for the arrival of the Chiyads. Tomorrow, the challengers for our pack's Alpha Title will formally arrive and take residence within our borders. It's a really big deal and there's a formal welcome ceremony. My mother, Mistra, and I have been out gathering wildflowers for the welcome bouquets to the mothers of the challengers. Honestly, it's super old-fashioned but Alpha Jason likes tradition. So, we're out trying to find whatever kind of wildflower blooms the night before the Spring Solstice just to keep him happy. But I guess when you're Alpha, you get what you want, right? I can hear my mother foraging a short distance away from me. She always picks lavender if she can find it, but it may be too early. We do live in a rather temperate climate most of the year, but the extra snowfall this past winter killed off the early roses I was hoping to find.... and, I admit, take a few for myself. I love r

There are monitors, tubes, and medical equipment everywhere. The room is silent except for my own footfalls and the sound of a "Beep.... Beep...." from the heart monitor. I take a step towards Ethan's bed. My blood turns cold. With the exception of his silver hair and knowing that it was him, it was hard to recognize him. There were claw marks deep across his forehead and his eyes, spanning his face. Gauze was covering most of it but it looked deep. His chest was equally marred, as if a wild animal--or wolf--had tried to tear him apart. Gashes stripped his arms. The smell of blood was overwhelming. It wasn't Ethan's blood either. We had trained for long enough for me to recognize when my partner was hurt. This was someone else's. I didn't recognize it. I looked away, uncomfortable at my own queasiness. I found the medical chart, wishing I had just a little bit of Jasmine's knowledge to interpret what I was seeing. The paperwork doesn't make sense to me at all. Terms I don't under