Chapter 2

As the sun began its descent in the west, I finally got the green light to leave the hospital. I had the next two days off, and I was looking forward to some much-needed rest. But more than that, I was buzzing with excitement about the upcoming ball.

It was my first Moon Ball since I turned twenty-two, and I had this gut feeling that I would meet my mate that night. I rushed home, my heart pounding with anticipation.

My sister Karen was already at home, eagerly waiting for me. She had found her mate, Thomas, at her second ball and was thrilled about the possibilities that awaited me. She had promised to help me get ready for my first ball.

Karen’s best friend, Brisa, was also there. Over time, she had become a close friend of mine, too.

“Finally, you’re here! Go take a shower and wash off that hospital smell,” Karen said, giving my butt a playful pat as I walked in.

“But it’s not that bad,” I protested, laughing.

Then I sniffed my clothes.

“All right, I’m going to shower,” I conceded, heading toward my room.

As I showered, Karen and Brisa began setting up my makeup, while I tried to soothe my nerves with the hot water.

When I emerged, wrapped in a towel and robe, Karen was busy curling her light-brown hair, and Brisa was putting the finishing touches on her makeup.

“Lett, start by drying your hair, and I’ll curl it later,” Karen instructed, holding up a dress she had brought. “Which dress did you pick?”

“A navy blue one with a bit of sparkle,” I replied, a smile playing on my lips as I ran my fingers through my damp hair.

“Ooh, flaunting those curves,” Brisa teased, applying her lipstick. “I hope I finally meet my mate at this ball. I can’t stand being alone anymore,” she said, laughing.

But I knew her laughter was a mask for her frustration. She was four years older than me and still hadn’t found her mate.

“Your last relationship was with Alpha Christopher, right?” Karen asked.

“Yes,” Brisa sighed. “I’m still so confused. When we broke up, he said we had no connection.” She grimaced.

“I don’t know, I sure felt a connection. He was the best sex of my life. I miss it.”

Oddly enough, when Brisa mentioned the alpha, I felt a strange reaction in my body. It was as if my heart raced just like when he’d walked into my office. I swallowed hard, trying to hide it.

She laughed, but I knew it was a sensitive topic for her. Brisa hadn’t taken the breakup well.

Alpha Christopher was already over thirty. He had found his mate five years ago at the ball. They mated, and it was a dream wedding.

Once married, Violet, his mate, became our pack’s luna. She got pregnant within a year, and everyone was thrilled for them. But then tragedy struck.

She had complications during the pregnancy, and she, along with their child, didn’t make it.

That loss shattered him. Alpha Christopher was always reserved and authoritative, but after that, he became cold and even more closed off.

Rumor had it that he faced pressure from the pack to find another luna—a second chance at a mate. He tried dating, but he refused to get involved with anyone he didn’t feel a connection with. At least that was what Brisa told us.

“You need to try to forget about Alpha Christopher,” I said. “He clearly wasn’t ready for a relationship, and you are. I know you will find your mate, the one chosen for you by the moon.”

Brisa shrugged, and I started drying my hair.

Just then, Tiffany peeked in the door.

“Can I get dressed here?” she asked.

Tiffany was my brother Robert’s girlfriend. It was her first ball tonight, too. I was glad to see her. I wasn’t sure if she would want to join us or not, since she was dating Robert.

“Of course. Come on in,” I said. “I wasn’t sure if you’d want to go with us tonight.”

Robert and Karen were twins. While Karen and I had both followed our mother into the medical field, Robert had gone to work in the pack’s administration with our father. He’d met Tiffany there, and they’d started dating this year.

She had confessed to me that she was terrified of discovering another mate at the ball and ruining everything with Robert.

It was really rare to have a connection with your mate before the ball, so that was why it wasn’t common for wolves to date. We mostly waited until the ball.

“Whether or not I’m Bob’s mate, I still want to be your friend,” Tiffany replied with a half-smile.

“Do you think you would reject your mates to be with each other, you and Bob?” Brisa asked, and I felt a pang in my chest imagining myself in Tiffany’s situation.

“We haven’t really talked about it. We’re just going to see how things play out,” Tiffany replied.

“That sounds exactly like something Bob would say,” Karen said, rolling her eyes as she walked toward me. “But don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

With Tiffany’s help, I quickly got dressed. When I turned around, Karen and Brisa gasped in surprise.

“Sis, if you don’t find your mate tonight, you definitely won’t go home alone,” Karen said, grinning.

“She’s right,” Brisa agreed.

We finished getting ready and headed downstairs. Our mother was waiting in the kitchen.

“You look beautiful,” she said, pulling me into a hug. “Are you excited for your first ball?” She was a tall woman, with brown hair and very blue eyes; Karen was almost her spitting image.

I hugged her back tightly, then slowly pulled away, nodding my head.

“But if it isn’t my girl ready for her first ball,” my father said, walking in from work. I let go of my mother’s arms to hug him, and he hugged me back tightly, planting a kiss on the top of my head.

My father was tall with blond hair, brown eyes, and a wide smile that I adored. He had just come from the pack’s house, where he and my brother both worked.

“Where’s Bob? I’m going to need him now,” Dad said, releasing me and turning to Mom.

“He’s in his room getting ready. Why do you need him, Ronald? Bob needs to go to the ball soon.”

“Alpha needs to adjust some things for the council’s trip, and the logistics sector is Bob’s department,” Dad said. “We need to adjust the security guards and the entourage after today’s attack. And it’s not even Bob’s first ball. Why does he need to go early?”

“It’s not his first ball, but it’s her first ball,” my mother said, her teeth clenched and her chin pointed at Tiffany, who was watching all of this with wide eyes.

“He can go later, Martha. It’s his job, and the alpha expressly asked,” Dad said.

“I’ll go with the girls. It’s no problem. I’ll just meet Bob later,” Tiffany said shyly.

“Where are we meeting later?” Bob asked, stepping into the room. His breath hitched when he saw Tiffany all dolled up.

She was a vision of beauty.

Bob was practically a carbon copy of our dad—tall, blond, with brown eyes. He had a few of Mom’s features, and his eyes were a shade lighter than our father’s deep-brown ones.

Essentially, Karen was a mirror image of our mother, and Bob was a spitting image of Dad. They were twins, but not identical. And then there was me, the perfect blend of both our parents, born a few years later.

“Bob, meet me at the ball. Alpha needs you now,” Dad instructed.

Bob’s gaze shifted to Tiffany. “You look stunning. I was hoping to accompany you. But it seems I’m needed elsewhere. Can I meet you there?” he asked Tiffany, who responded with a sweet smile and a nod.

“Indeed, darling, you look stunning,” my mother chimed in, smiling at Tiffany.

I nudged my brother’s shoulder and gestured to my own dress.

“What about me?”

“All right, all right, you look pretty cool too, Lett,” he chuckled.

“Thanks,” I retorted, nudging him again.

“Let’s go, Bob. We’re expected at headquarters,” Dad said, heading for the door. “Goodbye, girls, see you later.”

“Have you talked to your sister, Scarlett?” my mother asked me, smoothing out my dress.

“Yes, she did, Mom. I’ll cover her shift tomorrow in case the pretty one finds her mate and wants to spend the whole day in bed with him. And she agreed to cover for me tomorrow night,” Karen interjected.

“Perfect. We’ll sort out the rest of the month’s schedule next week,” Mom said, grabbing her bag from the table. “I’m off to the hospital to finish some paperwork. You girls enjoy the ball.”

With a blown kiss, Mom was out the door.

As we entered the banquet hall, the room was a spectacle of snowflakes and lights. The winter ball theme was executed flawlessly by the committee. It felt like stepping into a fairy tale, and something told me that my happy ending was just around the corner.

We found a table, and Brisa headed to the bar to fetch some drinks.

“Tiffany, I know you’ve already got your eye on someone tonight, but let’s take a stroll around the room so I can scope out my options,” I suggested.

Tiff nodded, and I extended my hand to help her up.

We took a brief tour of the room, enough for me to spot several potential suitors. There were many handsome wolves, some unfamiliar, but others I recognized. Two nurses and a resident I worked with were still mateless.

I received a few lingering glances, but I decided to wait and see what the moon had in store for me.

A guard, also without a mate, beckoned Brisa over, so Tiffany and I returned to our table with our drinks. As the time for the revelations drew near, I could tell Tiffany was anxious, with Bob still not at the ball. The peak of the full moon was at midnight, and that was when the moon would reveal the mates of the night.

“Don’t worry, Tiff. He should be here any minute,” I reassured her, giving her hand a comforting squeeze on the table.

She responded with a worried smile.

As if on cue, the hall doors swung open. Some guards entered and held the doors open, and then Alpha Christopher made his grand entrance. He strode into the hall, adjusting the sleeves of his tuxedo.

His mere presence seemed to suck the air out of the room, and my mind started spinning. My heart pounded in my chest. I tried to regain control.

I needed to find my mate tonight, and these strange feelings were only complicating things.

Following him were more guards, then my father, brother, and Uncle Michael. Tiffany let out a sigh of relief.

Bob joined us at our table, and Uncle Michael accompanied my father to the bar. I watched as the alpha ascended the stage, and the band fell silent. He positioned himself in the center, and his deep voice echoed throughout the hall.

“I hereby declare the Moon Ball open,” Alpha Christopher announced. “May luck and prosperity bless the couples that will form tonight. Enjoy the party.”

He descended the stage and took his seat at his table, which was situated in front of the stage, where some pack leaders were also seated.

I felt a hand on my back and turned to see my mother, smiling.

“Just in time!” she exclaimed, just as the roof of the room opened up, revealing the full, radiant moon. As midnight struck, I took a deep breath, hoping to feel a change within me, but I felt absolutely nothing.

The sense of fulfillment, of pure joy, of peace and harmony that I had anticipated simply didn’t come.

Then I noticed a movement beside me and saw Tiffany’s eyes change with her wolf. I followed her gaze, my heart pounding with fear that it wasn’t my brother.

They knew the risks of dating without knowing their mates, but I was rooting for them so much.

And then I saw Bob walking toward her. His eyes held his wolf too, and in the next moment, they both shifted, and their wolves materialized in the middle of the dance floor. There, in front of everyone, their bond was confirmed.

The alpha’s voice echoed shortly after.

“Mates, long live your love,” he toasted, raising a glass of whiskey, and we all followed suit.

My brother’s wolf nuzzled Tiffany’s wolf, and they exited the room, their joy palpable and infectious. A few more couples formed, and I began to think it wouldn’t be my night. I took another sip of my champagne, and then I felt a tingling sensation in my legs.

I nearly choked on my drink as I turned toward the dance floor. The tingling intensified, and when it reached my chest, I was overwhelmed by a surge of passion, happiness, and love.

A wolf appeared in the middle of the crowd. Was this him? Were these the feelings for my mate?