Chapter 1

Everything has gone blurry because of the tears. I wrap my arms around myself and am now on my knees on the ground. I don’t remember falling? My stomach hurts so bad, as if I can’t get the tears and words out fast enough. “I can’t choose one or the other… so I choose… neither.” I think I’m going to be sick.

ADAM

It is a huge bonfire and even from the distance I’m at, I can feel the heat. Winter is finally over and based on the number of people in attendance, I’m not the only one who has cabin fever. The alcohol is flowing freely; a group has formed and are playing an assortment of instruments, so now there’s dancing. A couple of the females approach and ask me to dance, but I politely decline.

Not interested.

“Hey man, you do know we’re still allowed fuck’em, right?” says my best friend, Liam. Yet I notice he’s turning them all down too. Liam and I became friends in spite of the fact that we are from opposing Packs, me from Moon Stone, he from Shadow. Never really buying into the political bullshit, we found that we shared similar interests and over the years our friendship has grown. Our fathers: Alphas for each of our respective Packs, tolerate it, but neither is thrilled. Too fucking bad.

Of course, it’s easy to say that now, with no responsibilities on our shoulders. But we have both vowed to change things when we become Alphas ourselves. Instead of this centuries-old bullshit feud between our Packs; there will be, if not friendship at first but at least business interactions, idea exchanges – and eventually someday, blood line variation. It’ll take time, but relations can improve.

In the meantime, we each answer to our fathers, dreading the day it comes our turn to take the helm. At 27, we’ve both had more than our share of companionship over the years, and now my father is pressuring me to find that ‘special someone’, He doesn’t want me to wait for my ‘Luna’, because the odds of her arriving are slim to none. My father’s Luna did not appear for him, so he constantly reminds me that he and my mother have a perfectly happy existence together, and that love isn’t everything.

What kid doesn’t want to hear his parents discuss their marriage like that? Fuck’s sake.

An Alpha and a Luna are destined to find one another – the ultimate bond mates. In the past, when Wolves weren’t so spread around the world like we are now, and the world’s population wasn’t so high, it was easier to find one another. But now, over the centuries, we have expanded into other countries, onto other continents - so the odds of finding one another are so remote as to be almost impossible. In our Pack, it has been countless generations of Alphas and their mates. We haven’t had a Luna in centuries. Neither had Liam’s Pack, but at least his parents seemed to like one another.

LIAM

There is nothing wrong with any of these females – and I can smell that many of them are attracted to me. But I’m not interested in just screwing around anymore – I’m ready to find Her. I don’t know who She is, or where She is – fuck, for all I know she lives in like – Australia or something, so low are the chances of us meeting. But I’ll wait, not only because I want to, but the fact that I’m pissing my father off royally makes it even better. Such is the life of an Alpha, or in my case, an Alpha-in-Training.

Adam and I are just talking shit, drinking our beers when everything changes. And I mean – everything. The fire is burning hotter and glowing brighter, the music is louder, and everyone seems to be moving in fast-forward. Fuck – I’m drunker than I thought. I’m going to black out like a goddamned teenager.

Then silence and dark everywhere – except for one spot of light. Holy shit.

ADAM

I’m facing Liam when all of the hairs on my body – I’m talking every single inch of me – stand at attention. I’ve never had this feeling before – like fingertips lighting tracing all over my skin. It feels fucking amazing, and suddenly I feel like an addict – I want, need more.

More.

More what?

I turn around, needing to find out the source of this intensity I’m experiencing. It takes only a second to home in, and –

Sweet Jesus

It is happening. It is real. Everything I have ever heard.

Yesssss….

SHELBY

I really don’t want to be here. There are too many people and my ass has been grabbed three times in the crowd. As soon as I find Grace and tell her I’m leaving, I’m so gone. It is times like this I really hate being so short! There’s no point shouting, she’ll never hear me unless she’s standing right next to me. Maybe I can just leave and text her la-

Gooseflesh covers me from head to toe. An involuntary shiver races up my spine, almost like a lover’s caress. I can feel my nipples harden. There is that delightful tug in my abdomen and I can feel a tickle of moisture between my legs. What the hell is happening?

I wrap my arms around myself, hopefully hiding my arousal. I don’t understand what’s going on, but my body is – um, well, yeah, I’m turned on… Yeah, fuck this party. So turning into the crowd, I head to my car. I’ll text Grace later, I need to go home.

The gooseflesh won’t leave – even when I turn the car on, and the heater. God, the heat between my legs is incredible… I scan the darkness around me and see no one. Fuck it – I’m not waiting until I get home. This isn’t going to take long anyways.

I lay the car seat back and undo my pants. I have no need for lube – as soon as my hand reaches the lips of my labia, I’m pleasantly surprised at how wet I am already. Knowing what I like, and how I like it – my fingers quickly bring me to orgasm. I bite down on my other hand firmly to keep myself from screaming out loud.

Nice one, Shel. Nothing like wanting to scream out your own name I think smugly. I have to lay here for a minute before I can drive – my entire body feels like a limp noodle.