Chapter 1

Nervously, I stroke the outside of my soft silky robe. Even being alone with Rosemary, my best friend, can't calm me. She watches me as I pace back and forth making aimless zigzags in the small tent. I can tell she is waiting for me to speak. Rosemary is always there, when it counts, ready to lend a listening ear. But I can't even collect my thoughts.

Usually by now she would jump in and tell me that it's not a big deal and to calm down. But today is a big deal. Today changes everything. Today is my 18th birthday. It's the day that I finally shift for the first time. In this very hour I could meet my wolf.

"What if I can't change? What if my wolf doesn't talk to me?"

"She will" Rosemary, my best friend reassures.

She startles me with her words. I hadn't even realized that I had spoken out loud.

"What was it like? Meeting your wolf for the first time?" I ask Rosemary

She thinks for a second. " Bitter or sweet" she asks. It was our own way of saying do you want the truth or do you want it to be nice and sweet.

"Bitter" I answer in the most confident voice I have had all day.

She pats the gold and red ornate bench next to her until I come and sit down right where her hand was.

"Honestly,at first it was overwhelming. Once the moon touches you everything moves so fast and so slowly you get all these new feelings and sensations. But when you come back you feel stronger than you ever were before. Then you know there's another soul in you that is so familiar, it's like you are with yourself even if it's not yourself."

My mind tries to process what she said but it doesn't make me feel better or worse. All the nerves stayed exactly how they were.

She looks at me with sympathy. "I can't imagine what it will be like doing that in front of a crowd. For me it was just me and my mom. "

Rosemary's mom, Melody, was one of the sweetest women I knew. My parents and I don't get along well but Melody was the one adult I could go to for anything and she would take care of me. She is the mother I wish I had. She cared about me so much she even gave me a key to her house so I could come over whenever for whatever reason. I wish she were here now. But with her cooking skills. She has always been the pack caterer. She would probably stop just to watch me change and rush back into the kitchen to put everything out for the banquet. Plus my mother would never let a woman who was born an Omega back here. Even if Melody had married my Dad's first Beta. The only reason my mom even let me hang out with Rosemary was because her Dad was a Beta.

"Lucky for you you're in great shape." She continued" If I had your body I'd actually get in the lake" Her gaze wishful.

" Thick thighs save lives," I joke.

My mind suddenly remembers the most horrifying detail of all. My entire pack is going to see me naked. Why did she have to bring that up?

As an athlete, I have defined muscles. I am especially proud of my 6 pack that took all of spring and most of summer to get. To my mother's horror, I got my father's height of 6'2. I have been eye level with my father for almost a year. When my father noticed there was an obvious shift in him and our relationship. To make maters worse, when I started changing from my slim 5'8 frame to my current size, my mother started putting even more pressure to be and look like a "proper young lady, ". She even went as far as to try to take me out of all my sporting activities, and regulate my meals in the hopes that my body would go back to how it was. I resisted and fought at every turn. My body is perfect to me, but what isn't perfect is that it will be out for everyone to see because of some outdated ceremony. The second I change, I am open for marriage in the eyes of the Alpha, the Luna and the Pack

I turn 18.

I find my mate.

He becomes the Alpha.

I have a son and my father's legacy continues.

That's the plan my parents put in motion the moment they found out I was a girl and there would be no more cubs for them.

All of my attention shifts back to Rosemary as she moves away from me towards the entrance of the tent, and crouches next to the folds of the fabric. I watch her as she squeezes her eyes shut to listen for our que. The ceremony hasn't started yet, but I can hear the crowds just outside chatting loudly and excitedly. The tent is getting darker so the sun is finally starting to set.

I have been in this tent for hours waiting ,but the closer it gets to the start the more different emotions begin to build. My heart is beating so hard I can feel it in not only my chest but in my head as well.

Rosemary's eyes flash open just as she stands and turns to look at me. She motions me forward next to her as she grabs the cord.My clenched hands tighten around my robe.

Rosemary gives me a little smile and a pat on the back with her free hand. I take a deep breath trying to relax at least my body if my mind won't comply. My arms fall to my side and I draw myself up with fake confidence. It must be working because Rosemary begins to smile with pride.

I can hear my father start.

" Thank you for coming to this joyous event. Today is a special day for me and my Luna as We celebrate our daughter Astra Calida coming of age." His deep voice commands attention and is so loud he doesn't even need the microphone he is holding. The crowd bursts into cheers.

Rosemary pulls the cord, The flaps fly open. I let my robe slip off as I step into the night..