Chapter 1
Chapter 1
The yearly mateball is coming closer and every unmated wolf from the age of 18 is invited. This is my second year participating. My name isNora and I live in my pack, Silver stream pack.
“Are you excited for this year’s ball, honey?” my mom asks me.
“Yeah” I say and roll my eyes at her.
This year our pack is hosting the ball and our luna is in charge of arranging it. So my mom and I are helping her and this year’s colors are silver and green, our packs colors.
The dress code of the ball is formal but we need to dress in each pack’s color so we can easier tell what pack we are in.
Mom has prepared my dress since she found out that our pack will host it but I´m not allowed to see the dress, hmpf.
“Hello Mrs J” a sickly sweet voice said and we turned around just to be greeted by the princess of thispack. Emily is the daughter of this pack’s alpha and luna.
My parents are the gammas of our pack. Their job is to protect the luna and her pups. So I basically grew up beside Emily, we were like bestfriends. The daughters of the alpha and gamma, no one would even dare to bully us and everyone wanted to be us, but all of that stopped three years ago when I turned 16.
At the age of 16 we gained our wolves and shifts for the first time on the next fullmoon except I didn’t. For our pack, the first shift is something special so all of us that will have to shift for the first time, will do it in a special ritual and all of us will shift at the same time and strengthen the pack. Except me, the entire night I stood and waited for my wolf and the shift but it never happened and I was shunned by
the pack. But since my parents have a high title in the pack the alpha and luna didn’t turn me rogue out of respect for them.
All my friends turned their backs on me and started to bully me, calling me names. One of the names got stuck though, wolfless. My parents told me not to listen to them and said that I will get my wolf, that I Am just a late bloomer.
I guess they were right. My father suggested that I should train with him and Build up my strength, so I started to train with him everyday. I didn’t understand what that could help but I found comfort in it. Doing the same thing everyday, like a routine, it kept the bad thoughts at bay.
When I turned 18, I heard her, my wolf came to me, I was so happy and relieved. She told me that I was too weak so she couldn’t shift, I needed to train harder so I could become even stronger.
As I trained with my dad I became stronger than him and he decided that I should train with the other pack warriors instead . After roughly a year I took the test of pack warrior and I defeated all the deltas and the alpha gave me the title of top warrior since I was too young to be delta.
But still I am too afraid to tell anyone that I have my wolf since she still thinks that we are too weak to shift.
I didn’t pay attention when my mom and Emily spoke so I also missed when my mom walked away and left me with Emily.
“Where did my mom go?” I asked out loud.
“To fetch more balloons,” Emily answered before smiling at me.
“So do you think you will find your mate tomorrow night? But then again, without a wolf you will probably not even sense the mate bond. I wonder if it’ll even hurt to get rejected?” she said while
circling around me and giggling.
I felt sad over the fact that she said those things just to hurt me. My wolf growled in my mind.
“Who knows” I answered with a shrug, refusing to let her see that she had hurt me with her words.
“ Yeah, who would want to have a mate with no wolf? And have more muscles than your typical warrior?” Emily shrugged back with a small laughter.
Before I could answer her back we heard my mom coming back and we turned around to look at her but she wasn’t alone. Emily’s mom and our Luna, Sandra, were with her, carrying a large box. I rushed over to them and took the box from her and she wiped my tears that were threatening to fall down from my eyes.
“I have some good news and you two will be the first ones to hear them” Sandra says and smiles at me.
“What is it mom? Is someone of high ranking coming? An alpha perhaps?” Emily says and practically jumps on the spot.
Emily truly believed that her mate would be an alpha or she would reject them.
“Oh my, so excited. Yes Emily, a few alphas are coming but I have been talking to the lycan kingdom and some of them are also coming to the ball” Sandra says with a bright smile.
“The lycans?” Emily squealed.
The lycans are coming? I don’t know much about them except what everyone else does. We are taught in school about the lycan king and his two sons. The queen and their daughter, the princess, died in childbirth, because of a witch and a curse that she placed on all lycans so all their females died.
“Nora? Nora, are you listening?” Mom said and I blinked. Noticing that all of them were staring at me. Damn I zoned out again.
“Sorry I was just thinking about the ball” I say.
My mom sighed and Sandra laughed while Emily rolled her eyes at me.
“That’s good Nora and tomorrow is your birthday too. Anyway I want you to show the lycans to their rooms when they arrive tonight and I also want you to choose and set up the rooms. This is a list with how many they are, their ranks and their names. Do you think you can handle this?” Sandra asks and smiles. Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.
I was really surprised that she chose me for this task, usually it would be Emily’s job.
“But mom, what about me? I want to meet them first” Emily whined loudly.
“Well I can’t have Nora working on her last.. I mean on her birthday so I will give you another task til tomorrow, okay sweetie?” Sandra says and looks at me and mom nervously. Then she took back the box from me and grabbed Emily’s hand and walked away.
I looked at mom and she smiled sadly at me.
“The alpha is kicking me out tomorrow if I don’t shift right? Turning me rogue.” I said and mom nodded.
There have never been secrets between my parents and me before.
“Mom I need to speak with you and dad tonight about something I have been hiding from both of you.” I say but she shakes her head at me.
“No Nora, we already know about your wolf and so does our alpha.” Mom says and looks like she is on the verge of crying.
I just stared at her, they know? And the alpha too? I hugged my mom and she hugged me back.
“Go on and fix their rooms, honey” mom said and I nodded.
Releasing each other, I smiled and then turned around and walked to the packhouse. I was relieved to have something to do, so I didn’t have to think of unnecessary things that would bring me down.
As I walk into the pack house, I look at the guestlist, ten lycans are coming. I know that there are more lycans but not all can come. With their auras no one would be able to breathe normally. But ten lycans in the pack house? No, I need to find the beta or his mate.
I make my way over to the beta quarters and I am in luck as the female beta, Jessica, is there when I arrive.
“Beta Jessica, I need your help with something.” I tell her and she nods and smiles.
“What can I help you with Nora?” Jessica asks.
“Uhm yeah, well we will house some VIP guests for the ball but they will come tonight and I don’t think the pack house will be comfortable for them or us. So I was thinking if I could house them in the guest mansion, if it’s available?” I explain and watch her tilt her head.
“VIP? Hmm how many are there? The guest house is available otherwise.” Jessica says.
“Ten” I answer
“I will double check, wait here and I will fetch the list.” Jessica says and goes to her office.
I mindlink Sandra, hoping that I don’t disturb her.
*Luna? I’m sorry if I disturb you but I’m speaking with beta Jessica about our guests. I thought the pack house would be too stressful for them and us. So I thought that the guest mansion would be better as
it’s closer to the forest but beta Jessica explained it’s occupied. Can I tell her that the guests are lycans so we can arrange it?*
*Okay. I’m on my way over to you. Are you in the beta quarters? Tell Jessica that I would appreciate a cup of tea* Sandra answers and I could hear that she was tired.
*Yes I will ask her* I responds
*Good, I will see you soon then.* Sandra says before closing the link.
“The luna is on her way and she asked for some tea” I told Jessica that I noticed it was back and waited for me to close the mindlink.
“Okay, I will go make some tea, please take a seat in my office.” Jessica answered and walked toward the kitchen.
While beta Jessica is making tea, I walked into her office, knowing my way over there even if I have never been inside the beta quarters before. The beta quarters and the gamma quarters are identical as well as the delta quarters, except for the furniture and colors.
Beta Jessica’s office was decorated with light brown and blue furniture while mom and dads office had mahogany and green furniture. But usually we would have this meeting in Luna Sandra’s office but with all the preparations for the ball, it’s overflowing with decorations and besides beta Jessica’s tea is delicious.
I take a seat in one of the blue armchairs in the corner. The office had two desks beside each other and in one corner were two blue armchairs and a blue couch with a low round table in the middle.
Beta Jessica comes in with a tray in her hands, I help her set the table just as Luna Sandra comes in. Luna Sandra sits down on the couch and we drink some tea before she explains the situation and why I
couldn’t say it directly.
“Oh my, well of course they will have the mansion. I will rearrange for the other guests then” beta Jessica says.
“Who were supposed to stay there in the first place?” I asked her.
“The alpha of the silver stone pack and his guests” Jessica answers and shivers.
The silver stone pack is known for their warriors but their alpha is known for not wanting a mate. It’s rumored that he killed his first mate and every female he has had in his bed. No one in this pack wants to be his mate.
“Oh my, well then place them inside the pack house in the blue quarters” luna Sandra said.
The blue quarters are usually reserved for her family members when they come to visit. Luna Sandra comes from the Silver flower pack from the beginning.
“That should do the trick and the mansion can house the VIP’s. What about the villa?” beta Jessica asks.
“The villa?” I am confused.
“Hmm yes, the villa perhaps… yes, book the villa for the silver lake pack and for the guest house we can house the silver mountain pack.” Luna Sandra says and tilts her head.
I watched as beta Jessica wrote everything down and nodded for herself.
“Nora, come look here” beta Jessica said and I got up and walked to her and double checked the papers.
“It looks good but how will we deal with all the alphas in one place?” I ask both beta Jessica and Luna Sandra.
“Oh, good question, should we arrange runs or something?” beta Jessica asks.
“What do you think, Nora?” Luna Sandra asks.
“Well with that many alphas in one place plus our VIP’s, there will be a lot of aura fighting so how about som actual fighting? In the arena I mean.” I say and smile.
“That’s really a good idea, Nora. Thank you. Shall we have them before or after the ball?” Luna Sandra says.
“The day after the ball would be good. If they have found their mates then they can show off infront of them and those who haven’t found theirs can let out the frustration.” I say and immediately stay quiet. Luna Sandra and beta Jessica nod.
I felt myself become sad and the room became cold. My wolf urged me to tell them.
“Luna and beta, can I tell you something but it has to stay between us?” I ask them and beta Jessica gets up and closes the door before sitting again.
“Yes of course Nora” Luna Sandra says.
“Well as you both know my wolf didn’t come to me on my 16th birthday but she did however come on my 18th birthday. But she did tell me that we weren’t strong enough to shift, so that is why I have trained so hard. My parents and even the alpha knows of this but at midnight tomorrow the alpha will turn me rogue if I don’t shift.” I tell them.
It went quiet when I suddenly felt someone hug me and I looked up and noticed it was beta Jessica and I hugged her back. When she let me go, we looked at Luna Sandra and saw her eyes glazed over, showing she was mindlinking with someone, when she suddenly growled and we jumped slightly.
“Jessica, thank you for the tea, I needed that. Nora, you should go and prepare the mansion, take some omegas with you. I will go and talk to my mate.” Luna Sandra said and took my hand and practically dragged me out of there.
“Thank you for the tea, beta Jessica.” I called back for her and she waved at me with a sad smile.
“Call for Mia and Josh, they will help you. I will make dinner tonight, tell your parents that all of you will be eating with us at eight tonight” Luna Sandra said and hurried away.
Dinner tonight? Why?
I walked downstairs confused and sad, to the kitchen to find the omegas but both Mia and Josh were already waiting for me.
“Hello Nora. Luna mindlinked us so we prepared the bedlinen. Which house are we preparing for?” Mia smiled and asked.
“Good day to you also. We are preparing the mansion for at least 10 guests.” I told them and they nodded.
“The mansion? I have never been there before” Josh says excitedly.
Josh is really cute for being a 12 year old boy and Mia is his mother. Her mate died five years ago and Josh was the only one that kept her alive.
“Yes, so we will borrow one of the cars to get there, okay?” I say and smile at him
“Good, Josh, go and put the boxes in the yellow jeep” Mia tells him and he skips outside.
I wonder when he will notice that he forgot the boxes. Mia shakes her head at her son.
“He looks happy” I say to Mia and she nods.
“Yes, Luna said that he could help at the ball with some serving and doing some dishes.” Mia smiles.
I nod my head and bend down to take one of the boxes and Mia does the same, just as Josh comes running back and says he’s sorry. We laugh a little as he takes a box and we all help to load up the car. Then we drove to the mansion, all singing in the car.
When we arrived at the mansion it was quiet and unlocked, nothing unusual but still, I sweeped the house before letting Mia and Josh in. Even if all pack members got to train, the omegas are still the weakest in the pack and our instincts tell us to protect them.
Mia had brought green bedlinen with them and at once we started to work. I asked Josh to check all the kitchen gear and electricity. Mia went to help him as I set up the last room when I heard a scream followed by a whimper.
I rushed down the stairs and searched through the kitchen when I heard Mia whimper from outside. I sneak outside through the backdoor in the kitchen and to the front of the mansion where I see Mia holding Josh, sitting on the ground.
A large built man was standing with his hands up, showing he meant no harm to them.
“Mia, Josh, are you okay?” I ask while walking cautiously towards them.
Both nodded and showed their n e c k s in submission. I put myself in front of them looking at the stranger. I didn’t recognize him but he certainly was handsome.
“Hello, how may I help you, sir?” I asked him.
I almost gasped when he looked me straight in the eyes, he is a lycan!