Chapter 1 Chap 1

Chelsey's point of view.

'Hey, babe, are you home? Josh's text distracts me from my homework. Our pack house has a school, and I know he should be studying.

'You should be studying,' I replied.

'Oh sweetie, that's the beauty of being best friends with the Alpha-to-be. I'm not required to study. I've been preparing for this my entire life. Come on, sweetie, put down the books and go for a walk."

Oh well. 'One hour.'

'Done. 'I'm standing outdoors...' His message makes me roll my eyes. He constantly finds a way to get around me. I take my jacket and make my way down the stairs, where I see my father sitting with his bear in hand once more.

"Dad... I'm going out for an hour..." all I can say is grunt and raise my hand. I sigh silently, wishing my mum was still alive. I put on a happy front and open the front door, ignoring the hollow feeling in my chest. When I meet Josh, my smile doesn't last long since he's as attractive as ever with his boyish smile and crooked chestnut hair, his eyes matching his hair a soft warm brown. I haven't met his wolf yet, but in my dreams, he's that same warm chestnut brown. I'm counting down the days till I get to meet his wolf. Our wolves are asleep until we reach the age of eighteen. Josh turned eighteen last month and experienced his first shift. I can't wait for my birthday to finally meet my wolf; we want our wolves to meet for the first time as a surprise. It's very uncommon for wolves to share birthdays because most she wolves become pregnant during the season, when shewolf go into heat and the males go crazy for us. It is not uncommon for males to fight over females, mates or not, and a male wolf will go crazy for any shewolf in heat.

"Hey there, love." His voice is mild, but it has a profound vibration.

"Hey... you're very distracting, you know." He gives his boyish grin and smugly shrugs. We've been friends our entire lives, we know everything about each other, and nothing escapes our notice. We began dating a year ago, figuring that our connection represented the underlying mate bond.

"Well, that's all part of the charm, I suppose." "Come on, come on." He extends his hand for me to accept and leads us, well, the entire pack, into the woods that back up to my house. Individual housing is available for families with older children, such as me. My father never wanted to live in the pack home, and I doubt others wanted him drinking in front of their pups.

"How's your dad?" I make a glum expression, and he knows not to ask again.

With my first shift approaching, I need to pace myself after a few miles.

"Hey, I need to get home; will you walk me back?" His brow furrows as he considers something.

"Listen, I wanted to ask you something..."

"OK..." he comes to a halt and softly pushes me back against a tree, kissing me sweetly before attempting to deepen the kiss, and I turn away.

"All right, come on... I know we've been waiting for your first shift to do anything, but we already know we'll be friends. Why won't you just give me a small taste, Chelsey?" His eyes darken, which is unusual for him, and I push him back hard, which was clearly the incorrect move.

"For God's sake, Chelsey, come on!" Stop being so tense..." he rushes back towards me, and I quickly sidestep him, causing him to growl.

"You're not thinking straight, are you?" We've discussed it. "I'm waiting for my mate," he says as he smacks his fist into the tree, splintering some of the wood and making me yelp.

"No one can hear you out here, you know... I'd have taken you by now if I were any other wolf!" He yells, and terror rushes through my veins like ice.

"Josh, please don't scare me... All I want to do is go home..."

We hear a long straining wail in the distance, and his nose lifts to the air. I can't detect any wolf's scent without my wolf, which makes me nervous. He returns his gaze to me, his eyes still dark, indicating that his wolf is in command.

"Then leave. If you don't want to mate with me, I'll find someone who will; you're not that special, Chelsey. There are a lot of she-wolves that would give their lives for a night with me. I am the beta for the upcoming Alpha! Being with me entails a fucking status. One that you clearly do not deserve. Go. "Run back home to your drunk old daddy." My eyes well up with tears as a result of his unfair insults.

"You're not saying that. That's your wolf speaking!"

"Leave." His voice is deathly quiet, yet I can sense his rage emanating from him. When I don't move, he scoffs and looks me up and down before bolting for the trees and vanishing into the undergrowth. I flee when I hear a deep, terrifying howl. I sprint the rest of the way home, not daring to glance back. What in the world happened to him? It must be the approaching season, it has to be. He'd never be so vicious to me... it had to be his wolf, he can sense my change coming up and wants a taste of what he thinks is his. The fact is that I don't know if we'll be mates just yet; there's no way to know until I get my wolf. He's definitely upset, and perhaps he'll calm down before my shift; I need him with me if this happens. The only way I'll know whether we're mates is if his wolf crosses paths with mine. His stinging tongue causes tears to pour from my eyes. He's never been so harsh... is I wrong to keep refusing him after being so close for so long? I know I'd feel at ease with him physically... or at least I think I would. He's always been willing to wait, not just tonight. When I reach the edge of the woods behind my house, I glance up to the beautiful sky and see the moon just a sliver short of full.

"This is entirely your fault..." I mutter coldly, wiping away my tears and gathering my breath before returning to the house. I know my father won't notice anything, but it's better to be cautious than sorry.

I was right to suppose that after I was safely in bed, my father wouldn't notice anything because he didn't look up from the television. I'm thinking whether to text Josh... surely he'd be home by now... assuming he went home... I brush the thought away and send a quick message.

'I hope you arrived safely home... I apologize for everything. Love, Chelsey.

I push send and wait for a response that never comes. I'm wondering how he's doing. I know he should be the one to apologize, but with Josh, it's always easier to apologize first and then get one in return. Eleven o'clock at night and still no response... I place my phone on my nightstand and turn off the light. I wait for the text, which does not arrive until I fall asleep.