Some Mate You Are...

It had been a few weeks since my birthday and I had not caught another whiff of my mate anywhere. I had gone out running, the same time, every morning since that day. I hoped that I would catch him out there again. But there had been no sign of him. I was beginning to seriously think that he may be a rogue and perhaps he was just passing through when I scented him.

If that was the case, it was probably better that we did not meet. I did not want to face a rejection and I certainly did not want to go rogue. This way, we could just forget the other one existed and move on with our lives. If we never saw each other, then it would never be a problem.

“Marvel, sweetheart, are you in there?” My mother’s voice called from the other side of the door at the same time that a knock resounded.

“Yeah, mom, come on in.” I called back.

The door swung open slowly and my mother stepped into the room. She scanned the space before speaking, likely searching for anything out of place. Every time that she came in here, she would start cleaning, even if the place did not need it. She would even fold the blankets on my bed, blankets that I was clearly still using.

Sometimes I think that her and my father really should have considered having more children. I know my father was a very busy wolf, but there were times that it seemed like my mother had too much time on her hands. Time that always seemed to be far too focused on me.

“I just wanted to let you know that we’ll be hosting guests over this next weekend. You are to be on your very best behavior.”

“Of course, mom.” I responded, rolling my eyes.

It was not as though I usually went out of my way to misbehave when there were other wolves in the pack house.

“Who is coming?”

“The future Alpha and future Gamma of the Blood Moon Pack.”

“Why are they coming here?”

I had heard of the Blood Moon Pack before, but I could not imagine why they would have any business in Crescent Falls. We did not have any kind of alliance with them, as they were not any of our direct neighbors.

“They are searching for their mates. Alpha Harm seeks to take over for his father and allow him to retire, but he needs his Luna to do so.”

I nodded my head at my mother’s words, I should have suspected as much. This was not unusual, especially for an Alpha. They needed their mate in order to take over their packs. Otherwise, they had to wait until the current Alpha passed away. This was pack law, and everyone followed it strictly, on this particular matter.

“Make sure that you keep your room clean and make yourself presentable. You will be expected at the Welcome Dinner.” My mother explained. “You never know, maybe you will get lucky and Alpha Harm, or his Gamma, will be your mate.” My mother’s eyes twinkled with joy as she said those words.

I knew that she would love for me to be mated to a strong wolf, such as an Alpha, or even a Gamma. However, I was not excited by the prospect of leaving my pack for another. I would prefer to stay in Crescent Falls, where I had already built a life. If my mate is a ranked wolf in his own pack, then I would be forced to move to that pack. As the lower ranking wolf was always the one expected to change packs. I am the Beta’s daughter but other than the respect that title has afforded me, I am not technically a ranked wolf in the Crescent Moon Pack.

“Yes, mother. Of course.” I agreed, not expressing to her my fears about meeting a mate from another pack.

There was nothing that she could do about it and there was not anything that I could either. If my mate was from another pack then he had every right to request that I move to be with him. It was simply the way that things were done. I could not avoid fate forever.

A couple of days later and I was busy readying myself for the welcome dinner. I wore my hair down with some large waves and applied just a hint of makeup. I chose a simple red, knee-length, cocktail dress in a vintage style with a sweetheart neckline. There was nothing spectacular about it, but it fit great and showed off my assets well. I felt that it was just formal enough for the dinner without crossing the line to being overly dressed.

As soon as I entered the formal dining room, I could feel someone’s gaze burning into me. I looked around and my eyes quickly found a pair of dark green ones staring back at me. I did not recognize this particular pair and wondered of their intentions. I did not have to wait long as I heard my father calling me over towards him.

“Marvel, I would like to introduce you to Alpha Harm and Gamma Sergio of the Blood Moon Pack.” My father offered the introductions. “Alpha Harm. Gamma Sergio. This is my daughter, Marvel.”

Alpha Harm quickly grabbed ahold of my hand and brought it to his lips. He lingered a moment too long as he stared up at me. He made his intentions immediately clear and I could not deny that I was flattered. Catching the eye of an Alpha was a privilege; not to mention, he was not bad looking either. I was not usually attracted to red-heads, nothing against them, my best friend Aida was a red-head and she was absolutely beautiful. It was just not in keeping with my typical tastes. However, there was something about Alpha Harm that I found intriguing. Maybe it was his power or his confidence; maybe it was his rough good looks. But I decided right then that I was going to enjoy the attention that he was giving me. There was certainly no harm in a bit of flirting.