"Is that Jacob?" my brother asked.

I nodded and put the mug in the dishwasher.

"I will see you tonight. Goodbye, Logan. Sienna." I said and gave my brother a kiss on the cheek.

Logan smiled at me, and Sienna gave me a cold stare.

I walked out of the kitchen and opened the front door. My friend Jacob was standing there, smiling at me.

I always had a crush on him. He was handsome, tall, muscular, and had black hair. His dark brown eyes looked like a pool of chocolate. And I loved chocolate. Sometimes I wished that he would be my mate. We would have been great together, and I knew he liked me. He told me himself.

We never dated or even talked about it. We saved ourselves for our mates. It wasn't forbidden to have sex with others, but it was frowned upon, primarily by our pack elders. The rest of the pack agreed that we should wait for our mates but turned away when they saw someone dating outside of a mate bond. Not all of us saved ourselves for our mates, though. I knew for a fact that my brother and Logan had their share of she-wolves. I was sure Logan even slept with Sienna, adding to her belief that she would become his Luna. Jake and I never talked about it, but I knew he slept with some she-wolves as well.

Jacob was 22, but he still hadn't found his mate. So maybe he was mine, and I was his. I would not be happy to know he slept around if he was my mate, but I didn't want to hold his past against him.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said and kissed me on the cheek.

"Morning, Jake," I said and closed the front door.

"Are you excited?" he asked and took my hand in his.

"Yes, I am," I said with a big smile on my face. "I can't wait to shift."

"It will be amazing," he said. "You will be amazing. I am really honored that you asked me to be there."

"Of course, I did," I said. "You and Amy are my best friends! I want you there."

"Maybe I will be something else to you as well," he said and winked.

I laughed. "Maybe you will."

We walked over to the training grounds together.

Amy was already there, waiting for us. She was a year older than me, and we met at high school. She introduced me to Jacob. They were cousins.

She and Jacob looked a lot alike. She had the same black hair as he did. Her eyes were a little bit lighter than his, though.

"Well, if it isn't my two favorite wolves," she said and smiled brightly.

"Hello, Amy," Jake said and gave her a kiss on her cheek.

She gave me a big hug. "I can't wait to meet your wolf tomorrow, Emmy. Our wolves will be best friends. I just know it. Just like we are."

"Oh, I am sure Alora will love my wolf," I said with a huge grin.

Our wolves had their own names. Amy's wolf was named Alora, and Jake's was named Jared. I couldn't wait to learn my wolf's name.

"Enough chit-chatting, girls. Time to train. I will see you later," Jake said and walked over to his training ground.

Jacob worked as a patrol wolf, so he trained harder and differently than us. Patrol wolves trained separately from the rest of us. Amy worked at a greenhouse. She was terrific with plants.

Jacob and I sometimes trained together. He taught me a little bit about what they do at their training sessions. He said he wanted me to know as much as possible to be able to defend myself. He wanted me safe.

After an hour and a half, we were done with our daily training session. Jake still had an hour left, so Amy and I went home to shower and change.

We would meet at the diner we always went to.

When I came home, Andrew was not there. He was out dealing with pack stuff. Being a Beta wasn't like any other nine-to-five job. There was always something to do. Especially when your Alpha was Logan.

I quickly showered and changed into a pair of jeans, a white sweater, and my black Converse sneakers. I dried my hair and let it fall to my waist.

When I reached the diner, Amy was already sitting at our usual booth.

"Hey, lady," she said. "You look amazing."

"Thank you," I smiled. "Not as amazing as you."

She was gorgeous, tall, and skinny but with curves in all the right places and totally confident. All the boys wanted her.

"So, tomorrow is the big day," she said, sipping her chocolate milkshake.

"Yes. I am so excited."

"Maybe Jake will be your mate, and we will be family," she said with a big smile on her face.

"I would love that," I said. "You know I love Jake. He would be a great mate."

"And he is totally in love with you," she laughed. "Most boys are, actually."

"What are you talking about?" I said and frowned.

The waitress brought me my strawberry milkshake, and I thanked her before sipping my drink. It was amazing.

"Come on, Emma," she said and rolled her eyes. "You are beautiful and hot. I can't believe you never noticed the looks you are getting. It makes Jake totally jealous."

"I always thought they were looking at you," I said and smirked.

Amy laughed. "Well, they do. But I am not the only one they are looking at."

I blushed and looked down at my hands. "Well, I don't care. I will wait for my mate."

"And here he comes," Amy announced and pointed at the door.

Jake walked in with a big smile and came over to our booth. He sat down beside me and kissed my cheek.

"Hey, girls. What are we talking about?" he asked.

"Mates," Amy said with a massive grin on her face.

"I can't wait to revisit that topic tomorrow," Jake said and winked at me.

I laughed and blushed. "Okay, stop making me blush."

Jake laughed and pinched my cheek. "Why? There is no prettier sight."

"Okay, love birds. Enough," Amy said and laughed. "Emma, when are we meeting tomorrow?"

"Well, I will have lunch with my brother and spend the day with him, and we will meet at the shift site at 8 p.m.," I said.

My brother and I had a tradition of spending our birthdays together. No other people. Just him and me. We always had breakfast and lunch together. After that, we would watch a movie and eat as much cake as possible. I loved our tradition.

"Great. I can't wait to see if your wolf will be as small as you," Amy said and laughed.

Jake joined her as I glared at them. "You bitches."

"Oh, come on, Emmy," Jake said, laughing. "We love how small you are."

I frowned but joined their laughter.

We spent the rest of the day talking, laughing, and planning our first run together.

It was late when I came home, but Andrew was still out. I quickly showered, put on my pajamas, and got under my covers. I couldn't wait to see what was to come the next day.

'Good morning, Emma.'

I turned towards the door to greet my brother, but nobody was standing there. I was alone. But whose voice was that?

'It is me, silly. Your wolf.'

I flinched. Of course, it is my birthday. I got my wolf today. It was weird, though, to hear a voice inside my head.

'You will get used to it,' the voice said.

'It will take some time,' I responded.

'We have all the time in the world,' my wolf said.

'What is your name?' I asked her.

'Eliza.'

'I like it,' I told her.

'I know you do, Emma. Now, get up and go spend the day with your brother. Asher has already sensed my presence, and he can't wait to meet me,' She said.

I got up excited and full of energy. I couldn't wait to see Eliza.

I brushed my teeth, showered, and wore sweats and a hoodie. Perfect for a lazy birthday day with my brother.

When I came downstairs, Andrew had already made pancakes. It was our traditional birthday breakfast.

"Happy birthday, Emma!" he yelled and gave me a big hug. "Asher sensed Eliza. He is so excited to finally meet his sister."

"She can't wait to meet him too," I said and gave him a big smile.

I adored Asher. He was the best wolf there was.

"Come on, let's eat," he said and pulled me to the table.

After we were full, we went to the living room to start our first movie of the day. We always watched the Avenger series. Humans did a great job in those movies.

At around 1 p.m., Andrew and I went to the kitchen to start making lunch. On my birthday, we always had my favorite meal, lasagna. On his birthday, we had his favorite meal, pizza.

I started making the lasagna while Andrew sat down at the kitchen table.

"Maybe you will find your mate soon," he said.

"Maybe," I said, not looking up at him.

I didn't like talking to him about this. He was my brother, and talking about mating was weird. And I didn't want to leave him, ever. I knew that it would be tough for me to leave with my mate.

"Maybe it will be Jacob," he said.

I looked up at him. "Would you be okay with that?"

"Yes," he said and shrugged. "He is one of our best warriors, so I know you would be safe with him. And I know you like him already. It would be easier for you to go with him."

I walked over and sat beside him. "It won't be easy for me to leave. No matter who my mate is. You are my family. I don't want to leave you."

"I know, Em," he said and smiled. "I don't want you to leave either. But if you find your mate, you will have to. And we will be okay."

"Maybe I won't find him," I said and got back up. "You never did."

"Yes," he nodded. "But I have a pretty good feeling you will, and it will be Jacob."

I smiled and rolled my eyes. "We will see."

He got up and helped me finish our lunch. After we ate, we went back to the living room to watch another movie.

At around 7 p.m., Andrew told me to go and get ready. We had to walk for about 20 minutes to reach the shifting site in the forest.

It was a small clearing in the middle of the forest where all wolves went for their first shift. It was special because it was the only place in the forest where the moon could shine on you fully. Our forest was so thick that the moon could barely shine through the trees. The clearing was the only place it shone freely.

I put on my white dress, chosen especially for this night. It was the tradition to wear white on the night of our first shift. I put on my shoes and went back downstairs.

Andrew was waiting for me at the door. He handed me my jacket, and we left the house.

My heart was pounding in my chest. Andrew probably heard it because he grabbed my hand and pulled me closer to him.

"Don't be scared, Emma," he said quietly. "It will be amazing. And I will be there for you."

"Thank you," I said. "I love you."

"I love you too, little one," he said and gave me a side hug.

After about 20 minutes, we arrived at the clearing. My friends and Luna Gloria were already there, waiting for us.

Luna approached me first. "Happy birthday, sweetie. I can't wait to meet your wolf."

"Thank you, aunt Gloria. She is excited to meet you too," I said with a big smile.

Amy and Jacob came toward me with big smiles on their faces.

"Happy birthday, Emmy," Amy said and gave me a tight hug.

"Happy birthday, Emma," Jake said and kissed my cheek. "Now, let's meet your wolf. It is cold, and I don't want you to get sick."

He was right. It was December, and the only thing I was wearing was a dress. I did have a jacket, but it wasn't keeping me warm. The only reason I wasn't shivering was excitement.

"He is right, Emma," Andrew said. "Give me your jacket and stand in the middle of the clearing."

I did what he said and stood in the middle of the clearing. They all gave me an encouraging smile and turned around to give me some privacy to remove my clothes.

I carefully removed my dress, underwear, and shoes and folded them neatly into a pile. I stood back up and looked up at the moon.

'Are you ready, Emma?' My wolf asked.

'I am,' I responded. 'How do I do this?'

'Just let go. It will hurt. But don't fight it. It will be over soon. Let go and give me control,' she said.

I did what she asked. I took a deep breath and let her take control of my mind and body. I started to feel my bones break. I let out a little scream and fell to my knees.

"That's alright, Em," I heard my brother's voice. "It will be okay. Just let go."

The pain was unbearable. It was like breaking all of your bones at the same time.

I fought the urge to throw up and focused on letting go of my control.

A few moments later, I stood on all fours, my white fur shimmering under the moonlight. I took a deep breath and lifted my head proudly.

My friends and family turned around and gasped.

"She is white," Luna Gloria said.

I looked at her and cocked my wolf head. Is that something special?

'We are a pure white wolf, Emma. Nobody is a pure white wolf,' Eliza said.

'What do you mean?' I asked her. 'There are white wolves. I have seen them before.'

'Yes. But none of them are pure white,' She said proudly. 'They all have a spot in a different color, or their paws are different. We are all white.'

"What does that mean?" Amy asked quietly.

"I don't know," my brother said, not taking his eyes off my wolf, "but she is beautiful."

"She is," Jacob said quietly.

I looked at him and immediately felt disappointed. No sparks. No connection. He is not my mate.

'We are not his,' Eliza said. 'We belong to somebody else.'

'What do you mean, Eliza?' I asked, surprised. 'Do you know who our mate is?'

'I do,' she said,’ you will know soon.'

'Who is he?' I asked. 'How do you know?'

It wasn't expected for a wolf to know who his or her mate was. They only knew when they saw them. But not before. What was going on?

'I am not talking to you about it,' Eliza said. 'Now, stop thinking about this and focus on your friends and family. Andrew is trying to mind-link you.'

I pulled my focus away from our conversation and focused on my brother's voice inside my head. Now that I shifted, I could mind-link the entire pack.

Emma? He called me. Emma, can you hear me?

Yes. I responded. Sorry, I was talking to Eliza.

You are beautiful, Emma. He said proudly. Do you want to go for a run?

Yes! I said with excitement in my voice.

My brother told the rest of the group to shift, and we all went for a run. Eliza met all the wolves, and I could tell she loved them all. And they loved her. Especially Asher. He was attentive and careful with Eliza, just like Andrew was with me.

When I had enough, I mind-linked Andrew to tell him to go back. All the excitement and nervousness got to me, and I was tired.

We got back to the clearing and took our clothes into our mouths. We all went behind a tree to shift and change.

Shifting back hurt as well, but not like the first time.

'Each time we do this, it will be easier,' Eliza said. 'After a while, it won't hurt at all.'

I returned to the clearing, and my friends and family were already there. They hugged me and gave me a lot of kisses. They were proud of me and happy that I finally had my wolf. Nobody mentioned that I was pure white again, so I just decided to forget about it. It was nothing special. I was nothing special.

Luna Gloria left first. We stayed at the clearing for a while, just chatting and laughing. After a few minutes, we started walking back.

Jacob walked beside me, and Andrew and Amy were in front of us.

"So, we are not mates," he said with sadness in his voice.

"I guess not," I responded, not looking up at him.

"That doesn't mean we can't be," he said. "I would choose you as my mate. I love you, Emma."

I looked up at him, surprised. But before I could say anything, my brother interfered.

"Jacob, no," he said strictly. "At least not yet. I know you love my sister, but she is only 18, and there is a chance she will meet her true mate. If she doesn't in a few years, and if you don't find your mate by then, you can make her your chosen mate. If she wants to get a chosen mate. But not before she has had a chance to find her true mate."

I looked between Andrew and Jacob.

Jacob wanted to fight, but he knew my brother was right. I loved Jake, but I deserved a chance to find my true mate.

After a few seconds of Andrew and Jake just glaring at each other, Jacob nodded and lowered his head.

"You are right," he said quietly, "but I will wait for her."

"I am sorry, Jake," I said and took his hand in mine.

"You have nothing to be sorry about," he said and gave me a small smile.

Amy was quiet the whole time, but I could tell she was sad. She really had hoped Jake and I would be mates.

We continued our walk through the forest, and soon we were back at our house. Jake and Amy bid their goodbyes and went home.

Andrew and I went back inside the house, and I looked at my watch. It was 10 p.m.

"Hey, do you want to watch another movie? It is not too late," Andrew asked and took off my jacket to put it away.

"I would, but I am so tired," I said.

He smiled. "Yeah. The first shift does that to you."

"I will just go to bed," I said. "Thank you for today. I loved it."

"I loved it too, little one," he said with a big smile. "Asher and I love your wolf."

"We love you too," I said and smiled.

I climbed upstairs, and Andrew went to the living room.

I hopped into the shower and put on my pajamas. I got under the covers and closed my eyes immediately.

I don't think I had slept for long when I was awoken by a loud knock on our front door.