Little wolf

Chapter Three - Anaya's birthday

A few days later...

CALISTA GRACE

Jude and I walk through the woods in our wolf forms. We've been running for hours now, and we finally slowed down and started walking.

"Are you excited to find your mate?" Jude asks me through mind link.

"Yes." and no. But I don't tell her that part. Of course, I want to find my mate...but I wouldn't want to be rejected for being a certain ranking.

"I can't wait for my eighteenth birthday. To find my soulmate, my other half." Jude tells me.

She's fifteen so she has three more years, but it will fly by faster than you'd think.

Suddenly there's a low growl from behind us. Maeve quickly pushes Vivian, Jude's wolf, behind her and lowers her body and snarls.

It's a jet-black wolf with silver eyes, signaling he's of Alpha blood and from our pack.

Maeve and the wolfs eyes meet and the wolfs ears perk up and he tenses.

Then he takes a small step closer and sniffs the air before making a breathy sound and turning around and sprinting away.

What the hell?

"What was with him?" Jude mind links me.

"I have no idea." I say, as Maeve faces Vivian. "We should go home." I tell her and Maeve and Vivian sprint back towards our house.

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"Are you ready sweetheart?" my mom asks from outside my door.

Tonight was Anaya's party. She was eighteen today.

"Almost. I'll be downstairs shortly." I answer.

My last curl was finished, and I finger brush my long black hair. I look in the mirror and check my mascara and light blush before slipping on a knee-long blue dress that matches my eyes.

I put on dress sandals and check the mirror once more.

I make my way down the stairs to see my family in similar attire.

My dad and Parker have dress shirts on and nice pants.

Jude and my mother both have dresses on.

The usual attire for an eighteenth birthday.

"You all ready?" my dad asks, glancing at everyone.

"Yup." Jude says, making her way to my side.

Parker just nods and my mom smiles at my father and says, "Yes. Are you?" He smiles gently, love shining in his eyes.

I force myself to tear my eyes away from them and blow out a breath and lead Jude out the door.

As we drive the short distance to Anaya's home, I can't help but think how different my life would have been if my dad wasn't my mom's mate.

I've always loved my family. My parents love each other dearly but my mom's an alpha. Originally. Werewolves are... sexist. If you're a woman and your mate is from another pack you leave your pack and go to his pack, leaving your title behind.

But that doesn't eliminate the Alpha blood running through her blood. It just masks it.

Most of our pack doesn't know because my father is Omega making us the least important in the pack.

It's a stupid rule but it's something I can't change.

When Anaya's house comes into view, I force myself out of my head and to focus on her.

She might find her mate tonight.

Once my dad parks the car Parker, Jude, and I step out first with our parents behind us.

The music and lights tell us where we need to go, and we walk around her house to find people laughing and dancing, eating and talking, and other things...

There's a lot more people here than I thought there would be.

"One of them could be our mate." Maeve says making me recoil.

Right. My birthday was in three days. I turned eighteen in three days. I could find my mate in three days.

"Cali!" Anaya squeals from across her backyard. I jog toward and hug her.

"Happy birthday!" I say as we hug.

"Well, you're not my mate and neither is any of your family." she says with a grin.

I laugh. "Imagine if we were mates though, that would be crazy." I say still laughing.

She chuckles and says, "We would have made it work." with a wink.

I glance around to see most of our pack members dancing around. Some of the unmated males glancing at Anaya curiously but I can tell they aren't her mates when the disappointment hits their eyes.

"Not everyone's here yet but... what if I don't find my mate?" Anaya asks me, all joking gone.

"Then you'll have to wait and it'll be okay." I say patting her shoulder. She frowns at me.

The same feeling of someone watching me takes over and I turn quickly.

Just as I suspected, Rhett, Amberlyn, Wren, Raina, and Amberlyn's brother, Alexander, walk into the party.

I catch Rhett's eyes and look away quickly.

"Happy birthday honey!" Amberlyn says, pulling Anaya into a hug.

"Thanks. I didn't know you were stopping by." she says with a tight smile on her face.

"Of course we would. The uppers got to stick together don't they." Amberlyn says making a pointed look to me.

She's lying. It's no secret that Rhett, the Alpha's son, hasn't found his mate yet even though he's eighteen. There here for him. Because he can't get his title without a mate, fated or chosen. He's seeing if his fated mate is here where a bunch of wolves are in one place.

"Happy birthday." Raina tells Anaya as her and her group walk away from us.

Raina and Anaya were friends for years before Amberlyn decided that Raina was good in her group. Her and her twin Wren are the Delta's daughters, third in command.

Anaya was asked to join "the uppers" to but ultimately chose to stay friends with me.

"Mate." Anaya suddenly says looking behind me.

I turn to see a tall man with dark hair standing completely still, staring right at Anaya.

I look back at Anaya and see her eyes wide and reluctantly she looks at me.

I give her a look signaling for her to get her mate.

She smiles before running up to him and jumping into his arms.

"Mate." comes out of the man's mouth. and I can't help the smile that takes over my face as the party erupts in cheering and clapping.

Anaya's parents, Gamma and Lady Gamma walk over to their daughter and her mate and say a few words.

Gamma Tucker turns around and says, "To my daughter, Anaya Tucker, and her newly found mate, Jayce Lindsey!" The crowd erupts in applause.

And that stupid feeling takes over again but this time I don't turn I know who's watching me.

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AUTHOR NOTE

Thank you so much for reading chapter three.

I hope you enjoy.

Please leaves comments and feedback and I'll see you in chapter four.

<3