Harper

“There, you are done,” Katie, my best friend, declared and turned me around to look in my full-length mirror. I gasped at the sight of myself. I looked amazing, like really amazing. My normally boring straight brown hair cascaded in curls, framing my face and gracing my bare shoulders. My makeup, which was all silver and white, accentuated my features, from my prominent cheekbones with iridescent sparkles on them to my blue-grey eyes that looked bigger with the silver shadow. And all this was complete with my white lace dress that was fitted to my top and flared out at the waist and fell to just above my knee.

“Oh, Katie, I love it!” I squealed and hugged her.

“Anything for the birthday girl.” She winked as she admired herself in the mirror. “You never know. The entire pack is going to be there tonight. Your mate could be one of them.” I squealed again at her words.

The thought that my fated mate could live here in town right under my nose was enough to send goosebumps fluttering down my skin. And tonight was the night of the midsummer ball. It was a big deal and the Alpha and Luna of the Midnight Moon pack went all out. And it just so happened to fall on my eighteenth birthday.

When a werewolf turned eighteen, they could detect the mate that the moon goddess Diana decided was their perfect mate. It was called a fated bond, and there was nothing that compared to it in power.

“Oh, I hope my mate likes me.” I was suddenly worried. I mean, I was no one special. My family didn’t hold any sort of special rank in the pack, and I wasn’t beautiful like Katie, with her mass of blond waves, piercing blue eyes, and ample chest size. Or even smart like my other best friend Louise, who was currently laid on my bed, refusing to get ready for the ball.

“Why would he not love you?” Katie exclaimed. “You are stunning and loyal. He would be lucky to have you.”

Louise scoffed over on the bed but remained silent.

Katie stalked over to her. “And you, missy, need to get your sweet behind ready. We leave in an hour.” Louise gave her a sideways glance.

“Told you I’m not going,” she stated. “I don’t see why I have to dress myself up for the lecherous dogs of this town to paw over, hoping they will get into my panties.” Katie rolled her eyes, and I giggled. Louise was a firm believer in equality and hated pack life and pretty much anything werewolf. She thought the pack ranks favoured patriarchy, and the concept of the fated mates was supernatural mind control. She often declared that she planned on rejecting her mate if, and when she met him. She made her opinions very clear, loudly and often. I suspected she might have been kicked out of the pack if her father wasn’t the pack Gamma.

“Louise, it’s my birthday,” I put on my best whiny voice. “Please come and spend it with me.” Louise glanced at me and scowled.

“Fine,” she gave in with a sigh. “But do not expect me to enjoy myself.”

“Oh, we wouldn’t dream of it,” Katies said sarcastically. “Now up and ready, lady.”

***

Forty-five minutes later, we were all downstairs in my small living room, with my mum taking pictures of us and my dad telling me how beautiful I looked. The pack colours were black, white, and silver, so all the balls and events had that colour code, and we were expected to comply. My father had a simple black suit with a black tie that held the pack seal in silver. He also had a silver seal on the collar of his jacket, which signalled him as a pack employee. My dad was the bookkeeper for the pack, and whilst there were no rank privileges, it gave the family enough money so that my mum and I were comfortable. My mum wore an elegant black evening gown that hugged her figure and ended just above her silver stiletto heels. Katie wore a silver-grey dress that left nothing to the imagination, and Louise had on a black fitted knee-length dress that showed her long legs.

We were all ready apart from one other person. I looked around

“Where’s Tommy?” I asked. My mum rolled her eyes, and my dad scowled.

“Probably getting in trouble,” he scoffed.

“Oh dear brother, you injure me with your words.” My uncle Tommy walked in wearing a black tux and white shirt. He was my dad’s much younger brother. In fact, he was only a year older than my sister Susie, who no longer lived with us. She had found her mate in the Star Dawn pack and moved there almost a year ago. Tommy looked at us and whistled.

“Damn ladies, you are looking good tonight.” I rolled my eyes. Tommy had that James Dean bad-boy-type vibe going on, and the girls in our pack went crazy for it. I couldn’t count the number of times girls tried to friend me because they wanted to get close to my uncle. I heard giggling and looked round at Katie, who had the biggest crush on him, which I found totally gross. I mean, he was twenty-five. That age gap was just creepy. But Katie had declared that she and Tommy were mates, and she was eagerly anticipating her eighteenth birthday to confirm it.

Tommy winked at Katie, which just made her blush, and then grinned at Louise, who just rolled her eyes. He then turned to me.

“Happy birthday, kid,” he said as he pulled me into a hug.

“Not a kid Tommy. I’m eighteen now,” I scoffed.

“Sure you are,” he agreed. “But you’ll always be a kid in my eyes, sprinkle.” I glared at him, which earned me a laugh.

“Ok, let’s get this show on the road,” he declared. Tommy was our designated driver, while my parents would take their own car to the pack house. We all filed out into the warm midsummer night with Katie calling shotgun.

The drive was only about five minutes, and before long, we entered the grand hall in the pack house. It was decorated stunningly with silver and black cloth draping from the ceiling and white tea lights and lanterns leading out into the back gardens where the dancefloor was set up. Tommy held his arms out.

“Ladies, may I escort you to the ball?” he said in a mock chivalrous tone. Katie giggled and latched herself onto one arm, and he looked expectantly at Louise, who just glared at him and stormed on ahead. I noticed the brief look of hurt flash across Tommy’s face before the smooth charm replaced it.

“Come on, my lovely niece, let’s see if we can find your prince charming.” I smiled and looped my arm around his, and we walked into the party.

The room and gardens filled up within the next half hour. After dragging Louise away from arguing with her dad once again, we managed to get a couple of dances before Alpha Daniel Chambers made a speech about the time of the year. He also said that even though the moon governed us, it was important that we must also give thanks to the sun. He talked about the balance of duality, which earned a loud, sarcastic comment from Louise, who was promptly pulled out of the room by the Gamma. Everyone, including the Alpha, laughed. They were used to Louise by now.

As the Alpha was coming to the end of his speech, I heard a noise from behind and saw the Alpha’s son Damien sauntering in with his usual group. Of course, they were late because they could get away with being late. I rolled my eyes and turned my attention to the stage when something stopped me.

There it was, the most beautiful scent I had ever smelled. I sniffed again, and my senses were slammed with that rich pine leaves and rustic fire smell, and I knew there and then that my fated mate was in the room somewhere. The smell seemed to get stronger every time I smelt it, and my wolf was going mental in my head, begging me to go find my mate. But I couldn’t leave while the Alpha was talking. It was disrespectful and grounds for punishment.

The scent was so strong that I was struggling to concentrate on the words the Alpha was saying, and I was feeling like I was going to pass out. Then I felt people pushing in from behind. I turned and almost growled as they pushed right in between me and Katie. When I saw it was Damien, the Alpha heir, I lowered my head in submission and hoped he didn’t notice my almost feral glare.

I tried to breathe through the scent. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to get through this when I felt someone’s hand on my arm. The touch sent electricity running through me, enough to make me gasp, and something came alive in me. I closed my eyes as I felt the hand trail down my arm. Whoever it was slid his hand into mine, entwining our fingers and gently squeezing.

“Breathe, Strawberries,” a husky voice whispered in my ear, and I took a deep breath. I could feel his breath on my ear. “Open your eyes, let me see you, mate.”

Shakingly, I opened my eyes and looked at the owner of the hand that was stroking his thumb along mine to calm me. Standing next to me was Colton Stokes. Best friend to Damien Chambers and the future Beta of our pack.