Chapter 1 : Pilot

"I now pronounce Beta Samuel Hunters from Mountain View pack and Ariana Rivers from Green Valley pack as husband and wife", the elder declared. Both pack members cheered and congratulated the couple. Few of them were present in their wolf forms for security purposes. Cheers and Howls of delight filled the entire hall.

Serena stood near one of the tables sipping wine with her friends, completely oblivious to the number of eyes watching this gorgeous beauty. Her soft brunette locks flowed from her petite frame till her back, complimenting her caramel-coloured eyes and olive skin. She was looking exceptionally fabulous in her pastel lilac gown. Dimples formed on her cheeks accentuating her grace as she smiled with her friends.

"Gosh, I'm so jealous of her. I have only two days left till I turn eighteen and yet I haven't found my mate", her friend Sharron spoke with a crestfallen look on her face.

Indeed, their friend Ariana was remarkably blessed to have found her mate. If a she-wolf does not find her mate till eighteen, the mating bond vanishes. For the male wolves, twenty-one was the limit. Males being the dominant gender, it was crucial for them to find their true mates and become more powerful. Naturally, they get more time to find their mate. But given the pack rivalry and territorial disputes, there were very few wolves who found their true mates.

In the history of werewolves, for the last 100 years, there had been only two alphas, Alpha John and Alpha Markus, who found their true mates and they were the most powerful ones till date. Both of them were now old. Also, Alpha Markus lost his mate in a rogue attack so he was not as strong as before. But both Alphas were revered throughout the continent.

If a wolf doesn't find his mate by the age limit, he or she can mate with any wolf. This is what was happening for generations. Most of the werewolves in all packs never found their mates till eighteen or twenty-one. Smaller packs never got a chance to visit any of the bigger packs. The Bigger packs were all enemies of each other and they didn't care to even look at smaller packs.

As all the girls were discussing their mates, Serena's naive heart started weaving dreams about her mate. She only had a month left before she turns eighteen. But she still had faith.

"Everything happens for a reason. Maybe you might get someone from Green Valley Pack. I heard their gamma is pretty cute", she tried to cheer her friend.

"I call dibs on their captain", Lillian cleared it to the girls.

"Hey, that's not fair", another girl yelled at her.

Serena was an innocent and humble girl. She made a decision if she did not find her mate before her eighteenth birthday, she will mate with the one chosen by her father and Alpha of her pack. When she saw the love pooling out of Beta's eyes for Ariana, her heart was filled with longing. She desired the same unconditional love for herself. She wanted her mate to fill the void in her heart with his warmth and love.

'Moon Goddes, I am turning eighteen next month. If there is even the slightest chance, please help me find my true mate', she prayed the deity along with her wolf.

"Ya, you are correct. Oh my god, he's looking this way. I'll be back", Sharron winked at the girls and left for the gamma. They both took off towards the woods.

"Looks like someone's going to have a nice time", Lily chuckled along with everyone.

A couple of wolves from the Green Valley pack were ogling at her. She flashed the ring on her left hand but muscle-headed wolves did not seem to take the hint.

"Supposedly, this trick only works on humans", Serena added and everyone started laughing.

***

Mountain View was a small pack. Surrounded by snow-capped mountains and coniferous trees on all sides, this small settlement had around a hundred wolves. Serena was happy in her small pack. She worked as a librarian in a nearby human town and also used to assist in the pack Nursing Home. The library was the only social life for her to interact with other packs. Wolves from the other packs sometimes used to come there but regrettably, none of them was her mate. She was proposed many times by many wolves from the other packs for mating but she still hoped to find her mate.

All the pack members were present in the main hall for breakfast. The three huge tables were filled with fresh berries, eggs, milk and bacon. Everyone was waiting for their alpha to come.

The Alpha of the pack, Alpha Vincent seemed kind and caring to all the pack but under that pretence was a shrewd selfish man. Even though the pack was small, nobody touched this pack since his father was one among the great five elders.

The she-wolves from the Mountain View pack were not only known for their beauty but also for their feminine docile nature. Their alpha never used to take she-wolves to any other packs or for any social events so as to minimize the chance of them finding a mate. Once they turn eighteen or are close to eighteen, he arranges for she-wolf to get mated with the high ranking members of the bigger packs. This ensures not only the safety of his pack but also gets him powerful allies. In all these years, the biggest haul he ever got was Gamma of the Silver Streak pack for his niece. Serena was his jackpot. Her beauty stood unrivalled. She was sure to land a Beta of the most powerful packs.

As the alpha entered downstairs, everyone stood up and greeted him by showing their neck. He motioned them all to sit down.

"Good Morning everyone", the alpha greeted. He was in a very good mood. "The council has called for a meeting next week. I will be away with elder Ho for the council. Beta Sam and Gamma Mark will stay here and protect the pack. Serena dear", he smiled towards the innocent girl, "You will join us this time. You are turning eighteen soon correct. This is a good chance to find your mate". Serena blushed and her parents seemed very happy and they thanked the alpha. But nobody knew his true intentions.

He was a sly fox under a wolf's coat.

"I am very grateful. Thank you Alpha", Thanks Moon Goddes, she thought to herself. And continued her breakfast.

***

The day finally arrived. Serena joined with Ashton and two other pack warriors in the first SUV. The alpha and the other warriors were in the second SUV. Serena was thrilled. This was the last chance and she had high hopes. She looked as pretty as ever. There was no dress code and everybody else was wearing casuals so she also chose a pink button-down shirt with denim. Sharon urged her to put on some makeup but she did not want to stand out.

"Serena, if you don't find your mate, I am willing to marry you" Ashton winked at her and she giggled. Ashton was a pack warrior. He was a handsome blonde but he was younger than Serena. Also, Serena had always thought of him as a friend.

"Who knows you might also get to meet your mate today" she smiled at him and the other guys burst out laughing. Serena being the naive innocent girl wondered what was funny.

Ashton spoke, " Have you ever been to such councils?" Serena shook her head, "It is full of males. The only females you can see are the Lunas and sometimes the female warriors. We rarely see any unmated females at the Council".

She started to think about her mate and again was exhilarated how her alpha brought her along. When all the others were busy talking and sleeping, she glanced outside the window taking in all the cool fresh breeze on her face.

A few hours later, they finally reached their destination. When she saw herself in the rear-view mirror she realised her mistake. Her hair was a mess and her skin was sticky and wet. She made a mental note to find a ladies room before the meeting.

The council was a big building near the highlands of the northern area. The Terrain was similar to that of the Green Valley Pack. As they got out of their cars, they saw that there is a heavy security check at the entrance. There were multiple queues for men and a single queue for women. " Serena, this is your pass you can meet us on the third floor ", the Alpha handed over her pass and everyone proceeded towards the men's security check. This was very strange for her as she never heard from any of her other friends who previously went to a council meeting.

Serena moved toward the women's security. There were two women ahead of her. The first was a very elegant woman. She looked like a model with a red long slitted gown that displayed her long legs. She had pale skin, long blonde hair and a voluptuous figure. Her aura seemed like she was some high-ranking she-wolf.

"How dare you touch my bag. Do you even know how much this bottle cost?", the woman shouted at the lady-guard.

"Luna Hazel, this is the procedure. We have been strictly ordered by the elders to check each and every wolf whether it is an Alpha or a Luna", the guard was a hefty woman. She was not frightened by Luna's sass. She seemed rather angry.

"Ok, whatever...Just be careful. You might break them. Each thing's worth is ten times more than your whole year's pay", the Luna spat at the woman. For a pretty face, she sure was foul-mouthed, Serena thought to herself.

When the Luna was done getting checked, she swore colourful profanities at the lady guard and marched her heels towards the elevator. The lady-guard was not intimidated by the slightest. The next woman ahead of her looked like a businesswoman. Her muscles perplexed from her tight white shirt. She paired it along with the tie and pairs of trousers. Serena was impressed seeing her. This woman was not an ordinary woman. She thought to herself this woman might be a warrior. She took a quick glance at a pass. Her name was Lizzie Anderson. The lady-guard asked Lizzie to remove all her weapons and keep them aside. When she was done, more than 15 weapons stood on the table. Serena wondered why she must be carrying all those over here.

Seeing the way those two dressed up, she felt very self-conscious about how her attire. She took a deep breath and stepped forward.

The guard checked her quickly and ask looking at her, "You don't have any bags full of weapons, Missy? "

'No', she shook her head.

The lady-guard was checking her thoroughly, "That would save a lot of hassle. Move your hands up. Turn around. You look neither a Luna Nor a Warrior. What are you even doing here? " the guard asked.

She felt embarrassed at the lady's comments but chose not to answer. She handed over her pass and soon as it was done, she left running in search of the ladies room.