I stared at myself in the mirror. Jade approved, but I couldn't bring myself to like it. How would I fight in something like this?

"Calm down, Chloe. It looks fine. If there was a fight, don't you think the entire pack gathered together would be able to handle it?"

I tried to ignore the little wolf voice in my head. No, this wasn't me. I tugged at the pink skirt in a vain attempt to cover my long legs, but the fabric had absolutely no give.

I would kill for a pair of shorts and a tank top. It might not be the fanciest, but it was perfect for my needs.

"Chloe," Jade lectured me again. "If you don't want to wear the blouse and a skirt, at least wear a nice dress. We might find our mate tonight."

The mate talk again. I groaned. Maybe the skirt would do. I wasn't completely comfortable in it, but it was way better than trying to wear one of those slinky monstrosities of a dress. Those damn things always were trying to force all the air out of my body.

"Chloe!" My mother's cheerful voice called from downstairs. "Your friend Kale is here!"

"We should probably not be around him tonight," Jade offered. "If our mate thinks that we're taken by another, maybe he will get upset."

I couldn't handle this mate-obsessed wolf for too much longer. We'd only been nineteen for a few hours at this point, not even a full twenty-four, and all she could think about was finding a mate to tie us down to and lock us away forever.

Seriously, who wanted that? I didn't. "Jade, drop it. We're not going to this party to find our mate. We're going to support our Alpha and Beta and to welcome them home. That's it. We just turned nineteen. I'm positive we'll have plenty of time to find a mate and settle down and be bored to death for the rest of our lives."

"Chloe, that's not what having a mate means. It's not the end of your life." Jade sighed heavily and I could feel her frowning at me. "It's the beginning of our story together. Besides, it'll be nice to have someone care about us."

"I've got Kale," I snapped back. "My best friend will always be there for me. What more could I need?"

"You'll understand eventually, Jewel." Jade huffed, then plopped down.

Maybe I'd won that one.

"Chloe!" Kale opened the door and grinned at me. He paused and scrunched his nose. "You look... pink?" he offered with a shudder.

I glared back at him. "This wasn't my idea. But Jade was throwing a damned fit if I didn't wear something with at least a skirt." I adjusted the black blouse. It clung far more than I liked, but still better than a stupid dress. At least I hadn't had to wear that frilly nightmare my dad had wanted me to.

"Yeah, I'm on your side about this one, Chloe. You look awful. But don't worry, I'm sure we'll be ignored, anyway. Well, you probably won't. You're always the life of the party."

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes at him but couldn't help but smile. "Come on, let's hurry up and get going. Jade will die if I'm late for this thing."

"What's crawled up her butt today? She's usually pretty chill." Kale offered me his arm, and I took it. "We can talk while we walk. Come on."

I couldn't argue against his logic and grabbing my stuff off the table, I dashed after him. "It's just since this morning, honestly. She thinks we're going to find our mate and be whisked away to some fairytale ending or something. It's gag-worthy."

Kale laughed. "I'm lucky Spina isn't like that. He hasn't cared about our mate yet. We'll find them when the time is right."

"You're not nineteen yet," I pointed out while sticking my tongue out at him. I frowned. The pathways were crowded. I wished we could have just taken a shortcut through the woods. None of these people would have bothered going through there. "This really is the entire damned pack."

"Yeah, they are going to be our Alpha and our Beta." Kale shrugged. "Don't know why you're so shocked.

I pushed forward and we finally squeezed into the house. I took a deep breath but the air was polluted with at least a dozen different heavy perfumes that the other women had spritzed themselves with in an attempt to get attention. Quinn was probably in one of those packs. I choked on the air and dragging Kale behind me I searched through the rooms until I found a small room with some workout equipment scattered around.

But at least there was no giggling moronic women in here. How could anyone be attracted to someone like Quinn? I sniffed the surrounding air. Something was off. I couldn't really explain it. "Hey Kale, do you smell that?"

Kale glanced around the cramped space. "The smell of sweaty males? Sure, I wouldn't really expect anything different in here."

I rolled my eyes and sniffed again. I smelled that too, but beneath it was the strangest combinations of scents. The sweet summery scent of watermelon and the spice of cinnamon.

"Mate!" Jade jerked to attention and pressed forward. If I hadn't been on my guard against her, she would have wrenched control away from me.

Instead of the joy she felt as my wolf bounded in my head, the only thing I could focus on was dread. No! I couldn't meet my mate like this! I should have worn that dress. I was going to be rejected at first sight. I wasn't mate material!

"Chloe? What's wrong?" Kale reached for me, but I slipped out of his grip.

"I'm sorry, Kale, I can't stay here. Something came up. Good luck!" I blurted before turning and pushing my way through the group still streaming into the big house. It was hard to work against the crowd, but I kept pushing and squeezing until I got through and into the fresh air.

But I didn't stop there. I ran with every drop of strength in my body for the woods and didn't stop until I was surrounded by the trees, and then only long enough for me to shift. I took control of Jade who only wanted to go back and search for our mate but I would never allow that.

With full control I ran. I didn't know where I'd end up, but I'd at least not have to face him and be rejected.

Not yet.

Andy

My head pounded from the loud music and all the giggling of the women around me. They pushed against me but I had little interest. There was really only one in this crowd that could draw my attention. She was in the center of the group and currently ignoring me as she tended to all the males clustered around her like she was the queen bee.

Quinn Lotzel

The most beautiful woman in the school and since I had stepped foot back, the only one I couldn't get my mind off of. I retreated to the balcony to watch her. She ran a hand through her flawless golden hair and laughed at something Jahmal said to her. Her voice was like twinkling bells.

Ugh. How could a woman have me thinking such sappy things? I turned my back on the crowd and leaned against the bannister. She was pretty and sexy as fuck. I didn't need to be some weak sap. I was an Alpha for God's sake. If I wanted her, all I had to do was take her.

"Andy," Zed jerked to attention. "Do you smell that?"

I wasn't close enough to Quinn to get a good whiff of her. "No."

"Not her," Zed snorted. "No, from our room. It's faint, but you have to smell it."

I groaned. I didn't want to leave my place. I wanted to go down there and corner Quinn. But I knew Zed. If I didn't go check this out, he'd never leave me alone about it. I met Jahmal's eyes and glared at him. I needed him to keep his paws off the woman I'd decided was going to be mine. The perfectly sweet and innocent woman that had saved herself for me for years. Jahmal scowled at me, but he nodded in acknowledgement.

Now I'd go inspect what had Zed so worked up.

I walked to my room and sniffed. My window was cracked open to let a breeze in. I froze in place. Zed was right. It was faint, but there was an intense sweetness calling to me. It was a mix of vanilla and peony.

"Mate!" Zed screamed.

My mate? But the scent was fading. I whirled. I had to find who it was.

The stairs were packed with the party-goers going up and down. If I tried to go down that way, I'd lose precious time. I vaulted over the balcony and landed in a clearing not too far off from Quinn and her throng of followers. For once, though, my attention wasn't on her. I wanted to find my mate. I needed to see her.

I let my nose guide me and I turned this way and that until I detected the faint scent leading me into one of the little-used rooms on the first floor. My gym. Her scent was stronger here, but she was missing. My fist clenched and my stomach tightened. Whoever she was, she couldn't have gotten too far from me. I had to know who she was, and she had run.

"Andy?"

I looked up as the door to the gym closed and it clicked as it was locked. Quinn tossed her hair and smiled at me. She leaned her head back and exposed her long slim throat to me. The familiar urge to grab her and kiss her washed over me, but Zed's calls for us to hurry overrode the usual hormones. "Sorry, Quinn, I can't stay."

I reached to set her aside so I could reach the door, but she grabbed my forearms and leaned against my chest. Her perfume that I had always thought was the sweetest scent out there stung my nose. She rubbed against me. "Please, Andy, I've got something I want to tell you. Something I've wanted to tell you for years."

I looked at the top of her head as she snuggled against my chest, then back to the door. The scent was so faint now. Would I even be able to find her? "Quinn," I resisted her advances. "This is important."

Quinn slipped her hand up my shirt and traced her fingers upward. Our skin made contact, and I groaned. With the scent of my mate so faint, it was easy to focus on this sensation. She chuckled and leaned close, nuzzling beneath my chin. "Andy, I want to be with you. I saved myself for you. While all those other sluts were giving their bodies away, I waited. I didn't want to be like that whore Chloe and throw my body at the entire pack of warriors. I've only wanted you."

I groaned. I was losing any will to follow after my mate. Maybe I could run into her again or maybe I'd never cross her again. Quinn, the woman I'd longed for and had so many wet dreams about was in my arms. "Quinn," I whispered. "Are you telling me the truth?"

She glanced up at me through her full eyelashes and reached into my pants and squeezed my semi-hard erection. "You'll find out when you take me, Andy. I've never let anyone touch me, or even see this." She pulled away to shimmy her expensive blouse up and her pale creamy skin and rosy nipples were exposed to me. "Touch them," she whispered to me.

"Andy!" Zed complained. "Our mate!"

I couldn't help myself and I grabbed both of Quinn's breasts in my hands and squeezed them. Her soft voice filled my ears as she moaned my name and writhed against me. "Andy," she panted.

"Andy!" Zed snapped again. "Now!" Reluctantly, I helped Quinn lower her shirt. "Quinn, don't take this as a rejection. But I have to go find someone before I can spend time with you." I grabbed her hands, and she looked up at me with tears brimming in her eyes. "Wait for me," I begged her.

I would give Zed his hunt. We'd follow that bewitching scent and try to find who it belonged to, but if we couldn't find her. I'd made my choice. I'd wanted Quinn for far too long to just turn this opportunity down.

Chloe

I stared at the toast on my plate. Was there any way to make this breakfast take longer? I'd stretched it into an hour already, but it wasn't nearly long enough. I was running out of excuses to stay at the table. My entire day had been a slow one. When I'd gotten home the night before I hadn't been able to sleep. I had just tossed and turned in bed and was haunted by the knowledge that I'd almost met my mate. The one person that the Moon Goddess had chosen especially for me.

Even when I'd finally gotten my sleep though, Jade had been bounding through my dreams. My wolf was ecstatic. I couldn't blame her. I understood the importance of it all.

I'd found my mate. No, we'd found our mate. Jade had almost gotten the chance to meet the wolf that she'd be forever linked to. The one that we'd likely ran into today.

Chances were since he'd been at the party yesterday, he went to the same school too. I could run into him today. I could be less than an hour away from coming face to face with my mate. Our entire life was about to change in the course of one day.

Nothing would ever be the same for me again.

I forced down another bite of the dry toast. Everyone else had already finished their breakfast and carried on with their lives. I had no need to tell them that mine had changed. Nothing would ever be the same for me before.

"Chloe, will you stop acting like you're being sentenced to death? We found our mate! We're going to talk to him today. We're going to be together just like the Goddess always meant for us. This is a happy day. You should be telling everyone, not hiding it all like this."

I ignored her and finished the last of the toast. My juice glass was empty, and the clock ticked on. I had run out of time to lag behind. If I didn't get going now, my mom would drag me to school by the ear.

Why couldn't I have gotten some sort of sickness from the party yesterday?

A knock on the door tore me out of my struggles and, sighing, I went to go answer it.

"It's about time," Kale complained. "You never called me last night, so I didn't know if you made it home okay. What happened, Chloe? You just ran off. I tried to follow you, but I lost track."

I hadn't wanted anyone to follow me. "Sorry. Is it school time already?"

"Yes, and if you don't leave in the next five seconds, you really are going to be late this time. Come on!"

I sighed and nodded. It was time for me to go face my destiny. I wasn't completely against meeting my mate. I did want to know who that delicious scent belonged to. Who had the Goddess picked out for me? But I still couldn't squash the doubts that plagued me. No matter how many assurances Jade whispered to me.

I was not mate material.

"Why are you so quiet, Chloe? What's going on?" Kale looked down at me and frowned. His normal smile was nowhere to be seen.

"I smelled my mate yesterday."

His eyebrows jumped. "Your mate?" he whispered. "Damn, Chloe. I didn't think you'd ever find that. Congratulations! Who is the lucky bastard?"

I shook my head. "I don't know."

Kale tipped his head to the side. His eyes scrutinized me. "Let me get this straight. You smelled your mate, but you didn't meet them? How did that happen? They run away from you?"

I swallowed. This was the part that was hard to admit. "No. Actually, I ran from them."

"Oh, that's why you were acting so weird yesterday." Kale dragged me after him, picking up our pace so we were jogging more than walking. "Sorry, we don't have time to be slow, Chloe. We really are going to be late today."

I couldn't care less if I ended up late. Still, I didn't want to cause any problems for Kale so I picked up my speed and we pushed ourselves to the level we did in our training and we raced into the school even earlier than we had the day before.

Kale bent over, gasping for breath. "Damn it, Chloe. If you have that in you, why are we always almost late every single day? Don't you think you could show me that kind of speed any other time?"

I chuckled at him. He looked funny, doubled over like that. I wasn't even winded. "You need to work out more if that's enough to exhaust you, Kale. I didn't train you to be that weak."

"Ha," he spat. "Well, now that we're here on time, you can get in class and go get prepared for that chemistry test of yours."

I groaned. I had almost forgotten about that test. I'd rather have a combat or fitness test than mess with chemistry. The last time I'd had one of those tests, I'd created some sort of thick slime that had gotten in stuck in Kale's hair. I'd had to shave him bald, and he'd complained for a month straight about it.

"Don't create anything weird this time," Kale scolded me.

I rolled my eyes at his back as we strolled down the hallway.

Wait.

There it was again. The strong scent of cinnamon tickled my nose, and I sniffed the air, enjoying the spice and the subtle undertone of watermelon.

"Mate!" Jade screamed again, her voice rebounding in my head.

The scent was coming from directly behind me. Kale turned to check what was behind us and his body straightened.

Who was it?

I slowly turned on my heel like someone else was controlling my body. I came face to face with the future leader of my pack.

The soon to be Alpha.

Andy Cain.