Chapter 2

The celebration was in full swing by the time my mother and I had made the long walk to the Eastern field where it was taking place. A myriad of both familiar and unfamiliar smells attacked my senses and left my wolf on edge as we approached. So many different wolves from packs I'd never seen before cast curious glances my way as my mother and I floated through the crowds. I knew being one of the best trainees in my pack, that I held some sort of power wherever I walked; similar to how you could tell an Alpha was an Alpha by the power they held when they did.

I could feel a pair of eyes on me as we made our way to the area unmated wolves were to stay, refusing to meet them as I kissed my mother goodbye and received my name and rank on a small black name tag that would sit on my breast for the majority of the day.

I caught the eye of a few people from my pack and nodded curtly, sitting in my assigned seat and folding my hands on my lap. I eyed the large marquees off to the side that held most of the Alphas and the higher ranks, choosing to avoid it and looking for my mother in the audience that had gathered to celebrate with us.

The celebration started quickly and one by one those who had completed the mandatory training were called up to receive medals or badges that honoured us. I myself received three; one for best tracker, best infiltrator, and another that placed me in the top ten best fighters. My wolf thumped with pride as we were awarded, a large medal placed over our heads and two large trophies given to us. I searched the crowd for my mother again and seeing her dabbing at her tears and happily waving to me ignited a smile on my face.

I left the stage shortly after all the female wolves had gotten their recognition, weaving my way in and out of the crowd until I came to a stop, embracing my mother.

"I'm so proud of you, May." She said, squeezing me as my medal clinked loudly against her necklace. I laughed quietly, wiping away her tears and removing the medal, handing it off to her along with my trophies to keep before the mating part of the celebrations started.

I could still feel the eyes of whoever was watching me on my back as I kissed my mother again and began walking away, opting to get a quick drink and snack from the refreshments table before sitting back down again. I had begun to feel lightheaded on the stage; as the hot weather coupled with my nerves was not helping me feel better, and on top of that I hadn't had a fitting breakfast to settle my stomach and my wolf was bristling and whining to meet the eyes of whoever was on me.

I shuddered, feeling a wave of nervousness as I closed my eyes for a brief second to catch my breath. When I opened them and took a few deep breaths, my gaze fell towards the refreshments area, and I froze. Goosebumps erupted onto my skin and despite the hot weather I felt a chill ripple through me. Eyes were on me again, I could feel it, they were even closer this time and my wolf gave me a burst of curiosity as I searched the crowd to find them.

They landed on a man. A powerful aura that had my heart racing in my chest and my wolf whining to submit.

I didn't, however, for a split second I slipped up and held too much eye contact without thinking, entranced by his aura. I quickly cast my eyes down to the grass, cursing under my breath and wringing my hands together as I hoped he was not offended. I would just have to use the crowds to avoid his gaze, I thought.

But when I looked up to see what he was doing, I felt my breath hitch as he began to walk towards me, keeping eye contact the entire way.

I almost jumped out of my skin, eyes wide as he drew closer and I finally recognised him as Aether Shard, Alpha of one of the most powerful packs in the country, Silver Blood.

I was stuck in place, scared and unmoving as he quietly made his way towards me. I cursed at myself again for being so careless, but my mistake was mere seconds long, and it wasn't an uncommon occurrence. I would just have to hope this Alpha was lenient.

His power ebbed and flowed towards me in waves, creating a ripple effect of wolves curious to his actions, watching on and drawn away from their conversations as their eyes widened in realisation as to what was happening.

He finally stopped in front of me, with my eyes to the floor I made note of his expensive dress shoes opposite my mediocre heels, and the way the grass swayed in the cool breeze, choosing to fixate on that as I awaited his next move. All chatter had died down slightly as wolves held their breath in anticipation, no one dared to claim me as their pack member for fear of being roped into whatever punishment I was to get, so I stood alone and unmoving, hoping in my mind my mother wasn't too frightened.

"Look at me." He spoke, and I gulped down a sob as my eyes stayed firmly glued to the ground. My wolf whined and ducked in submission, no doubt my eyes were dark as she couldn't help showing herself in a bid to protect me.

A hand moved up to touch me and I jumped, startled as the Alpha lightly lifted my chin to meet his own gaze. I got a flash of DeJa'Vu to this morning, similar to what Ares had done, and wished I could go back to that time and warn myself to skip this whole celebration all together.

"When an Alpha tells you to look at them, it's in your best interest to do it." He spoke again, and my heart raced at his deep, gruff voice and the muscles that rippled under his expensive suit. I finally met his gaze and his eyes widened in shock before returning to their original, expressionless, almost angry facade. I shook with fear as he cupped my cheek, caressing me with his thumb as his eyebrows furrowed together and he whispered something I couldn't make out before speaking again.

"You're unmated, yes?" He queried, staring down at me with hard set eyes and a tight jaw before releasing my chin.

I swallowed my nerves and blinked up at him before both nodding and shaking my head, unable to correctly process what he was asking me.

He raised one eyebrow, "Yes, you're unmated or no, you're mated?" He asked again with anger in his tone, and I briefly caught sight of Ares behind him, a furious expression on his face as my Alpha and the rest of his family watched on in horror.

"I'm..." I breathed out with a shaky breath, mumbling, "I'm unmated...Alpha."

"Aether!" Ares shouted from behind us, a hint of a growl present in his tone, "What's going on here?"

Ares stalked over to us, much to the objection of his parents who growled at him to stay out of it. I was thankful for someone to come and help me and met Ares' eyes briefly with thanks before looking back at Alpha Aether's.

He looked down at me again, an annoyed expression on his face. "Excuse me," He said, before turning to face Ares and walking in his direction. Ares didn't stop to address him, though, but instead brushed right passed him and came to stand with me, snaking his arm around my waist and holding me to him.

I gasped and froze, ragged breaths coming out as my wolf whined in my head. Ares cleared his throat as his parents rushed over, frowns apparent on their features as they glared daggers in our direction. Alpha Aether was glaring too, but not at me, instead at where Ares' arm met my waist.

"Ares, what are you doing?" Drew hissed at him, and I longed for a hole to open up and swallow me.

Ares shifted but never took his hand off me, instead pulling me impossibly closer. What was he doing? I was at this celebration to find my mate, what if they were watching this interaction and assumed I was mated to Ares already, ignoring the mate pull and leaving?

"I was just inquiring as to whether this female was mated." Aether spoke, authority present in his voice as another wolf came to stand behind him, presumably his Beta.

Ares, without saying another word, took his arm from my waist and opted to grab my arm instead, roughly pulling me towards him and away from both Aether and the crowd of wolves that were looking on. Ares' family shouted at him as he quickly pulled me away, and I turned to cast a last glance at Alpha Aether, who's face held the slightest curious smirk.

Ares led me to a quiet area with a few small tents and brought me inside, sitting me down on a large plastic chair and closing the tent behind us. He sighed, letting my hand go finally as he stepped away, running a hand down his face and pinching the bridge of his nose.

I was still shaking slightly with fear and confusion, taking large breaths to calm my wolf down as her fur was bristled and I too was on edge. Ares met my eyes and his hard expression softened as he walked over to me and knelt down to my height, our eyes level with each other.

I stared into Ares' eyes, too overwhelmed with emotion to wonder about submitting. He truly was handsome; with striking brown eyes, handsome features and golden, tanned skin. With a muscular, well-defined body he could easily find a mate in the many beautiful females that resided in our pack.

We stared at each other, a small smile adorning his face and his mouth open, about to say something when his family stormed into the tent and he pulled away from me quickly, cursing under his breath.

"Father, please-" He began.

His father, Alpha Warren, the current Alpha of our pack, growled lowly at him, a warning to be quiet as his mother, Luna Grace, cast a sympathetic look at me and Drew paced around the room.

My mother tugged at the tent's entrance, quietly entering. When she saw me, her face fell and she rushed over, pulling our bodies together in a hug. She placed a kiss on to my forehead, turning to face the Alpha and his family with a questioning, irritated look. No doubt her wolf was on edge after what just happened, demanding an explanation as her neutral, usually soft features transformed into a frown.

"What's going on here Alpha, Luna?" She asked, her eyes flicking between them.

Alpha Warren sighed, almost with defeat, and loosened the tie from his neck with annoyance before speaking. "It seems Alpha Aether has taken a liking to May." He said, nodding in my direction.

My eyebrows shot up in surprise and I studied Alpha Warren's expression, wondering if he was telling the truth. "I thought...he was going to kill me." I whispered.

Ares' eyes snapped to me and his fists balled at his sides in rage. "I would never let that happen."

My mother squeezed my hand as Alpha Warren looked at his son annoyingly, turning back to me. "May, I think you should leave, go and join the unmated females and continue on with the ceremony."

I rose to my feet, unable to disobey an Alpha's direct command, and hugged my mother before I left. Stumbling slightly as I left the tent, I felt even less secure and reassured than before, the overwhelming confusion on what had just occurred eating away at me and keeping my wolf in a perpetual state of hostility and unease.

Some of the pack cast sympathetic looks my way, others had looks of shock written all over their faces as they no doubt questioned how I was still alive after my ordeal with Alpha Aether. I thought back to what had happened just minutes ago as the ceremony began, feeling a twinge of distress and confusion.

Had Alpha Aether really taken a liking to me? And why was Ares so fiercely protective? I knew our pack had the tradition that all were to respect mates unless rejected, or your mate died, but why was he so angry?

I shook my head, banishing the thoughts for the time being. It was almost time for the unmated females to take our places on stage and I needed my head to be clear. I looked around at the other women, some had excitement etched on their faces, others had neutral expressions, all carried themselves in different ways.

One other female caught my eye; beautiful and regal, she sat with clear authority and power, her posture impeccable as she stared up at the announcer. I briefly recognised her as one of the top fighters, higher up in the ranks than me, then realised she was the neighbouring pack's Alpha's daughter.

I chewed on my lip nervously, still a little dazed as I turned back to face the announcer whose speech was slowly coming to an end. "And now, please may all unmated females wishing to find a mate make their way onto the stage."