Our Mates were chosen from birth, they say. But we do not feel the bond until both have turned twenty-one. Daphne says it’s because the bond makes the couple so desperate for each other that many become pregnant within a few months and having a baby before her body can cope with the labour can be fatal to a woman. Very dramatic but Daphne is the pack doctor. When a pack member turned twenty-one, a party was held with all unmated pack members over twenty-one attended in the hopes of the birthday wolf being their Mate. The first hour mainly involved a hunt for Mates but once it became clear who had the bond and who didn’t, it became a lot more fun. For me, the real fun came the next day, but I’m getting ahead of myself. I grew up as part of the Forest Wolves Pack. We lived in the woods outside Seattle. Our territory stretched miles, giving us freedom to run for hours in any direction. While most of us lived in the main Pack House, a few mated pairs liked to live alone. We had

Adrian took me to a large building that smelled of horses. Inside was a beautiful huge riding arena and rows of stables. “Aricela?” He called. A pretty blonde popped up from behind a friesian who was chilling in his stable. She smiled sweetly at Adrian but scowled when she spotted me. “Oh. You brought one of the dogs.” “This is Kate. She does… horse things. I thought she could take Misty’s spot.” “I really do need to replace Misty. Get Vanilla ready. Everything’s labelled. Bring her into the arena and I’ll test you.” “Is she your ex?” I asked. “One date doesn’t count as an ex.” Adrian said. “It does if they really like you. In fact, if they really like you, eye contact counts.” “You werewolves are far too complicated.” He sighed. “Go and ride. I have things to do.” “Coward.” I snapped. The horse I’d been given was a flea bitten grey. Someone had already groomed her but I cleaned her hooves to be on the safe side. She wore beautiful brown leather and a bright blue