Chapter 1: The party.

Jenna's POV: 

I closed the door to the small apartment where I lived with my dad with a resounding click, shutting it gently to avoid waking him up. I had finally gotten him to sleep after what seemed like forever.

Shrugging my thick jacket against my body, I stole into the night, the moon overheard casting a bright glow below.

It was a full moon. It was also my birthday, the big twenty one, the second most important point in one's life where one could find their mate. I had been unlucky at eighteen and I did not put much hope in this one either. I was heading to the mansion of the Alpha. I had an important job now.

Alpha Collin, leader of Dark City pack was throwing a huge full moon party tonight and I was going there, not as a partaker, but as a servant to ensure the smooth flow of events during the feast… or risk his wrath.

My breath came in short gasps as I ran as fast as I could, trying to reclaim back lost time. I was awfully late already as the feast had begun two hours back.

I swept my long mane of hair backwards, wishing I had the speed and agility that came with having one's wolf. Such hadn't happened yet, just another one of the unlucky things about me.

The moment I arrived, Alpha Collin's mansion was lit up beautifully, with hundreds of werewolves milling about and spilling out from the door. I pushed past the wolves and snuck in through a route through the back of the building that brought me straight into the kitchen.

Two hands immediately drew me aside. "You're late." The voice snapped.

I looked up into the face of one of the fellow servants in the Alpha's home, doubling also as my friend.

"Sorry Amir."

He was still scowling. "You owe me one. I've been covering for you all evening."

"Thanks a lot. It's my dad actually… "

"Oh. He had one of his episodes?"

"Yes." I said simply.

Amir was one of the few people who showed concerns on the difficulty that came with taking care of a father who was more or less an overgrown baby.

The story was pretty simple, he never recovered from my mother's death a few days after my birth, becoming an empty shell of his former self, before completely losing his mind a few years back.

I dropped out from school to escape the bullying and to look after him better, juggling different menial jobs in between, in a bid to survive. Such had been my life for five years now.

As for my dad, his health steadily worsened. Now tasks as simple as eating became a hassle and I was forced to spoon feed him to keep him alive, as had been the case today.

I sighed tiredly at Amir. "Today's my birthday, you know. And it's not going fine."

"No time for self-pitying." Another loud voice came, interrupting us. Mira, my second and last friend had joined us, a tray of glasses in hands with the champagne swishing inside.

She thrust the full weight of the plate in my hands without mercy. "Get to work before the chief notices you've been slacking. We've tried enough for you."

Without another word, she turned away, moving deeper into the kitchen.

"Thanks Mira." I called at her retreating figure.

I turned to Amir who shrugged and hurried after her.

With a sigh, I balanced the tray properly and turned away from them, heading to the big hall where the feast was happening in full. Loud booming music greeted my ears as I stepped into the large halls with its walls stretching very high up.

Everyone was dressed in their very best, contrasting greatly to the shabby garb I had on. I mean I would have considered it one of my best outfits but it paled horribly in comparison to the others around me.

I wound my way round the room, weaving in and out the werewolves and watching out for those who needed a drink.

A smirking young man palmed me in the ass before deftly picking up a glass from my tray. I gritted my teeth in anger as I swept past the offending fool. I hated this job but I had no other choice. I had to cater for my dad and myself.

The elevated dance floor was a cluster of so many bodies, swaying and grinding and vibing to their perfect lives. I sashayed towards it, eyes darting in every direction.

Then from the far end, someone waved me over. Even from afar, I knew the woman who desired a drink was very pretty to look at. I changed route and walked towards her. On getting closer I saw that she was seated on someone's lap - the Alpha's lap.

Suddenly, an otherworldly scent hit me, from the same direction. I might have appeared to be heading towards the woman on Alpha Collin's lap, but my steps were guided by the direction of the scent, which tugged at my heart and pulled me in, closer and closer… to where the two of them sat.

His eyes were on me now.

And I gasped in realisation. My mate was… Alpha Collin. Unable to stop walking if I wanted, I closed the gap, entranced by his gaze. I barely noted the woman peeling herself from his laps and coming for her drink.

The music, the bodies, they melted away into the background. Nothing else mattered now. I could only concentrate on the man in front of me.

I had underestimated what a mate bond could do, it was a really powerful thing.

A loud crash jolted me from my half dreamy state. It took a while to register that the crash had happened right in front of me. My eyes widened, as the tray flew out of my hands, glasses shattering on impact with the floor.

There was immediate silence all around me. Someone shrieked and I turned to see the woman who had summoned me for a drink. She had bumped into me. Or I had bumped into her rather.

She stomped on my foot hard with her heels and I screamed out in pain. The music came to a stop as every head turned to the unfolding scene.

"You bitch!" The woman spat. "Useless thing, you can't even watch where the hell you're going!"

"I'm sorry." I muttered, eyes downcast. Her hand came flying to my cheeks. Smack. My ears rang from the impact of her hands on my cheek.

"You deserve that and more…"

"Enough." A cold voice commanded, carrying across the room.

The woman turned sharply to the speaker. "But Alpha you saw what she did!"

"I said enough." He had gotten to his feet and was advancing towards us. I looked down at the ground when he was very close.

I did not have a wolf, but I knew without question that this man was my mate.

"Look at me." He commanded.

I obeyed, immediately struck by how handsome this man was. With golden coloured eyes and dark red hair parted at the centre, he was an epic Greek god model.

"The moon goddess must love to mess with me." He whispered, but it made no difference, everyone could hear him. "You as my mate? How laughable!"

Shocked gasps issued from every mouth in the room as they took in the Alpha's words. I felt the blood rise in my cheeks as I stared at the shards of broken glass on the ground in shame.