Hey let me first of all apologise for the awful summary I hate writing them but need them to keep myself on track of what needs to be done. This is not my first story on fanfiction and have another account on here known as Hidden-In-The-Shadows, but I am now on my tablet and my tablet doesn't like that account so here I am :)

This story contains no Lemons or Smut even though the title may make you think that. It is just to refer to the wolves mating system so don't worry.

Please review as it means a lot and it means I can get suggestions from readers. Thank-you, please enjoy!

Jacque

"Hey that one is cute" Jen told me looking over at one of the guys who had just walked into the main hall of our home and I had to admit he was. He had short, spiked, brown hair and matching brown eyes. Only he wasn't my type. None of the good looking guys in my pack had been lately.

"You can have that one" I said and sat back sighing. It wasn't Jen's fault that I was in a rut. It was the fact that I knew mating day was coming up and I was dreading it. Mating day was never something to look forward to. Everyone over the age of 18 was made to go to a packs mansion and have a ball where you would either find someone to mate with or someone would be selected for you and you were expected to mate with them and stay with your for the rest of your lives. Which could last up to 650 years.

Jen sighed and flicked a strand of her blonde hair off her shoulder with a smile. I knew why she wasn't worried about finding a mate. She was beautiful. Long blonde hair and gorgeous blue eyes followed by pouty pink lips and tanned skin. She was every man's ideal woman. Unlike me. I shrugged my shoulders and Jen looked at me tapping me on the arm.

"Hey you listening?" she asked and I sighed shaking my head

"Sorry I was thinking" I told her and she smiled shrugging. She had become used to my daydreams by now.

"I said are you still upset about being made to go to this thing?" she asked and I sighed. I knew I shouldn't have been. I should have been happy. Many men were going and many of them were wealthy and good looking men, even alphas, went. But I didn't want to have my mate chosen for me. I wanted to meet him by accident and fall helplessly in love with him uncontrollably. Not to be told who I should love.

"I just..I don't like that I will be told who to marry" I told her and I saw her smile as she sipped her hot chocolate and I knew I was in for some kind of smart ass remark that usually came with that look from Jen.

"Look, I don't know what the hell is wrong with you. We are going to be in a room with some pretty good looking man wolves who want us too. How bad can it be?" She asked and I shook my head.

"I just, I don't want them to tell me who I am going to spend the rest of my life with. I mean come on. Who would want that?" I asked and looked at her. I knew I was being ridiculous but something just wasn't right about this.

"I am not okay with it either. But I know that I am not going to mind if I find someone to spend my life with, it is what we have been taught since birth. We mate and we produce children to keep the species going" sally said sitting down next to me wrapping an arm around me.

Sally was also gorgeous. A nice figure with mousy brown hair that seemed to complement her really well. She was also normally one of the most wanted females in our pack.

"See, sally the amazing compromiser" Jen said once more breaking my thoughts. In truth I knew we were all worried about the day. We would have to meet the person we would be spending out whole lives with without knowing who they really were.

"So what do we have to do on this thing then, surely they can't just say here you go here is a woman" I asked looking at Sally. Out of all of us she would have researched the day and she would know.

"I know it was made up about 10 years ago when males complained that the species was dying out because there was not enough mating pairs." She said making Jen and I scoff.

"Of course men would complain about not getting any" Jen said and we all laughed.

"Anyway, I know you have to spend some time at the mansion like we do here. There will be other males and females from packs from around the world. There is then a ball at the end of the two days and then you will be given a name of your mates. After that you will meet with them in order to get to know them. You will then be expected to notify your packs alpha and you will go to live with your mate" she said. I knew what bothered us all more than anything. We would be losing each other.

I had known Jen and Sally since I was a baby and now they could be taken from me because the council wanted the species to grow. Which meant we were really only mated to have children and I knew all of us had heard stories about how when mated pairs didn't conceive they were split up and made to mate with someone else.

"I suppose we should go and pack" Jen said and stood up. I sighed and agreed standing up with her. This situation was so not ideal but I could not make a scene here not with my parents. They had too much on their plate right now.

I walked into my room and sighed sitting down looking at the empty suitcase. I didn't even want to think about packing it but I knew I had to. I had to seem like I was strong, like I was capable of doing this. My parents would have been strong. They were both Betas with more than enough strength to become alphas if they wanted. All my life I had wanted to make them proud and now it was all hanging in the balance depending on how I handled this.

Half an hour later and I was still laying on my bed. My suitcase still wasn't packed and I knew I would be late if I didn't start packing soon.

"Lets get to work" I sighed and sat up pulling my suitcase onto the bed. Most of the clothes I had were new for the event. We had been told we would need about four days' worth of clothes including a formal dress for the ball and my mother had decided that I would need a completely new wardrobe.

Unfortunately Jen had thought the same and had brought all three of us some brand new, well fitted, underwear to use to "lure in the man wolves". I had already decided that I probably wouldn't wear them but I knew she would be upset if I didn't take them. So I had decided to keep them in their bag and put them at the bottom of my case followed by the skirts, tops and new fitted jeans my mother had got me.

I couldn't complain. The stuff was actually amazing and I was lucky to have people who did things for me because otherwise I would be going in my old jeans and t-shirts and I was sure that would impress nobody. Not that I would mind of course.

A knock at my door stopped me from my train of thought and I walked over to open the door leaving my case open on the bed.

"Mamma" I smiled as I opened the door to my mother. I knew calling her mamma was something a lot of people didn't understand. Here in Texas it was mom, mother or ma. But I had never liked any of them names. She was my mamma and no one else needed to dispute that.

"I came to check on your packing" she smiled and I nodded showing her the neatly packed suitcase.

"See I am doing it" I smiled and she laughed. Everyone knew my mother was beautiful. She had long red hair like mine except hers was straight instead of a mess of tangled curls. She also had beautifully tanned, well not as tanned as maybe Jen but she wasn't as pale as a normally red headed girl but then again neither was I. My father had always said that he had fallen in love with my mother because of her eyes. They were a bright green that seemed to make you incapable of looking anywhere else but her eyes. They drew you in and I could see why when she was younger she was the pursuit of many men. But only my father had captured her heart. She had married him within a month and I was born a year later.

"I knew you would" someone said and I smiled. I should have known with my mother coming to see me my father would not be far behind her. I smiled and turned and hugged him like I would as a child. Clinging to him not wanting to be let go.

Some part of me wished I was still a child. Not having to go through with any of this. I didn't want it. I wanted to still be their baby girl. Their only child. Not the girl who was now going off to be given her mate because that meant that I could never see them again.

"Hey, what's all this about Jacque?" He asked me stroking my hair.

"I don't want to go" I whispered a tear leaking from my eye. "I don't want to leave you and mamma." I told him and he hugged me tight kissing my head.

"I know darling I know but you are growing up so much and you will be happy I promise" he said and I sniffed more tears rolling down my cheeks and I knew behind me my mom was crying and I felt selfish for letting her down and making her upset but I didn't want to go.

"I am sorry daddy" I whispered and pulled away from him wiping my eyes.

"Don't by sorry Jacque. You are always going to be my baby girl. Your mother and I love you so much and we want you to be happy. I promise you we will always come and see you or you can come and see us" he said stroking my hair back from my face and kissed my head.

"What if I don't love him?" I said looking between both of my parents.

"You will. Trust me. It will take time, and patients and a little bit of care but one day you will love him" my mother told me and wrapped her arms around me before going to my dad.

I looked at my parents and smiled. I could do this I had to.

"Okay" I whispered nodding going back to my case putting the last of the clothes into the case and closing it. I needed to make them proud and would put on a brave face until they were gone.

"Come on we will take you down to the car" my dad said picking up my case for me and I knew this was it. I had to go and find my mate.

Even if I didn't want to.

Fane

Waiting was getting tedious. I knew there were a lot of packs coming but I didn't want to wait anymore. I wanted this thing over and the fact that my home was hosting meant that I couldn't escape no matter where I went.

I knew though that this was necessary. I needed to find my mate so I knew that I could become alpha. So the council knew that I was ready. Even if inside I didn't think I was. I had to find her and make her want to fall in love with me even though I knew many of the women today would be resistant against me and many of the other males.

When the last of the guests arrived from Texas I knew there were many potential women who I could fall for. Perhaps even want to mate with. Being wolves all of them were stunning and I knew many would want me to be with them. Being with the son of an alpha such as my father was likely to give social standing to any family.

I would just have to hope the council thought I was worthy of a match.

Thanks for reading please review