I stand beside Maggie waiting to board the plane the next morning. I'm so overwhelmed, twenty-four hours ago I was getting ready for graduation, thinking of nothing more than the normal life I would be having. Now here I am about to be shipped off to Romania like a child when I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions. As excited as I am, I still din't think it's fair that my parents decided this long ago without even discussing it with me.
"Flight Sixty-Four," the intercom sounds.
"That's us." Maggie states. I sighed then nod my head. Here we go, our lives are about to change forever.
Amy stood up and embraced us each a big hug. "Girls, you may not see it now but this is a good thing. It's your destiny. I love both of you," she says with tears in her eyes.
I hug her back, "I love you too, and thank you. For being like a second mother all these years." I smile.
"Oh honey you were a blessing to this family!" Amy grins, giving me another hug.
"Uh-hem," Maggie coughs, "remember your real daughter over here?"
Amy rolls her eyes. "Oh hush you know I love you too. Now you two better get going, have a safe trip and call me when you land!"
"We will! Bye Mom!" Maggie and I wave our goodbyes before boarding the plane. Here we go, I think.
We arrived in Romania at 3:00 am the next morning. I am exhauste,d but every nerve in my body is still buzzing with excitement.
"Excuse me, but you two must be Meredith and Maggie," a voice sounds behind us after we exit the plane.
I turn to face a tall man, probably 6'4, with a strongly built form and a handsome face. He looks to be in his 40's, but I'm under the impression that he is older than he looks. He seems to be radiating power, and I find myself baring my neck without even realizing it. Hm, perhaps the "How to Be a Werewolf" handbook explained this.
"Oh, um yes. I'm Meredith," I fumble, "and this is Maggie." I gesture towards her and she gives a small wave.
"Ah, welcome to Romania. I'm David Lupei, the pack Alpha. I hope you're flight was good?" He asks, looking genuinely concerned. Alpha, I think to myself. I know that means he is the leader of the wolves, so maybe that explains the alluring power.
"Yes sir, it went very well. No trouble at all." Maggie says, holding his gaze only for a moment before dropping her eyes.
"That's good. Now I'm sure you girls must be feelings very tired, the pack mansion is only a few minutes from here. Your bags are already there. Please feel free to sleep in as long as you would like, we can catch up when you have rested." He smiles warmly.
After we arrive at the mansion he guides us to our rooms. Everything about the place screams expensive; it's very modern, but seems to be very old at the same time.
"There's a door that connects your suites, please make yourself at home. If there's anything you need just ring the bell." David nods curtly before leaving us.
I open the door and my mouth instantly drops open. Everything looks to be of the highest quality, from the king sized bed in one corner with a soft, plush comforter to the rich dressers and other pieces of furniture in the room. Even my bathroom is luxurious.
I quickly walk to the door connecting Maggie's room to mine. She carries an expression every bit as shocked as mine.
"Well this definitely beats the college dorm room we were planning on." She finally says.
"Yeah," I chuckle, "My mom forget to mention that they're rich. This may as well be a castle!" I shake my head and yawn.
"Okay well I don't know about you but I'm dog tired." I say, earning a snicker from Maggie.
"Don't you mean wolf tired?" She says innocently.
I roll my eyes. "Okay enough with the wolf jokes. Just remember that we're in a castle full of werewolves who might not enjoy your sense of humor as much as I do."
"Oh please you don't even enjoy it at all." Maggie snorts.
"My point exactly," I say. "Night Mags, come wake me up if you get up before me."
I turn and close the door. I decide to wash away the clingy scent of people and airports, so I take a long shower.
An hour and a half later I lie in my bed unable to keep my eyes shut for longer than a second. I toss and turn, but can't seem to get comfortable.
I sigh before finally getting up and wrapping a plush robe around myself. I quietly slip into the hall, unsure of where I am going, but certain that I need to walk around some.
I stroll through the glorious mansion, embracing the view of the spiral staircases made of marble, and the beautiful paintings that dance across the walls. I even come across one room that appears to be a ballroom with the walls decorated in winter tones and the silhouettes of wolves.
Suddenly hearing voices, I turn and hurriedly make my way back to my room, but stop at a slightly cracked door.
"Well what did you expect? Did you think they were just going to smile and agree like little kids? Father these are Alphas!" A male voice speaks in a very frustrated tone.
"Silence!" A voice I recognize as Davids booms. "You forget that I am the most dominant of all Alphas, and leader to the largest Grey Wolf pack for over a century! I knew the risks when I spoke the other Alphas. I hoped they wouldn't react like this, but I assumed they wouldn't be nice about it."
Wait, did he just say over a century? Maybe he meant this pack had been going for over a century. He doesn't look a day over 45, so there's no way he could be over a century old.
I reluctantly turn and head back to my room. I feel a strange tugging sensation, like my wolf wants me to go in there an confront whoever it is David was speaking to. I shake my head, it must be the jet lag getting to me.
When I finally make it back to my room, I am thankfully able to rest soundly, allowing the male's voice that I had just heard carry me to sleep.
"Meredith," a voice coos, "Meredith, wake upppp," it calls again.
I groan and roll over to my other side. There is silence for a few moments and then suddenly I am drenched in ice cold water.
"Hey!" I exclaim, rolling back over to slap Maggie.
"Finally, it's about time you woke up." She says with a proud look.
I glare at her. "You didn't have to get me wet to wake me up!"
Maggie opens and closes her mouth a few times before we both bust into laughter. Maggie has been my best friend for as long as I could remember and had since then corrupted my mind to turn any comment into something dirty.
"Oh trust me, as soon as you get up and get ready you won't need me throwing a bucket of water at you to get wet. I wake up this morning after a beautiful night's sleep and look out my window to see a huddle of drool worthy men working out. Seriously Mere, I had the perfect view!" Maggie said dreamily.
I snort and cock an eyebrow, "You didn't think to have the good grace to wake me up so I could see for myself?"
She sighs, "Well, I tried to, you see, and then you just wouldn't wake up so I had to resort to this handy ice bucket. But of course now they're gone, so really this was kind of pointless."
"Really now?" I mutter. I sit up and yawn, "What time is it anyway?"
"A little past eleven, and I'm starving. So hurry up and make yourself look presentable so we can find David and demand he feed us." Maggie says seriously.
I quickly rush to get ready, wearing my usual minimal makeup. I pair my favorite jean shorts with a plain blue t-shirt that goes down to my elbows. I slip on my black converse and wait for Maggie.
"Ready to embrace your inner wolf?" Maggie chirps a few minutes later.
"Ready to embrace your inner gypsy voodoo?" I say back.
"I'm ready to figure out which of those werewolves is mate less so I can pounce." She says as she casually checks her nails.
"You do realize that just because you're entitled to a true mate doesn't mean you get to pick who it is?" I question.
Maggie huffs, "Of course, Meredith. I'm fully aware of the whole 'there's only one true mate out there for you' thing, but there's no rule that says you cannot engage in a reasonable amount of fun until he makes himself known."
I stare at my friend in astonishment. "I thought gypsy healers were suppose to be pure of heart and whatnot?"
Maggie chuckles, "Oh, I never specified the type of fun."
"Okay, anyways," I continue, "I thought you were hungry."
As soon as we walk out of my room we run into a petite woman with honey colored hair.
"Oh! I'm sorry, but I was actually just on my way to check on you two!" the woman says. Then she gives us a warm smile that seems to calm my buzzing nerves, "I'm Delilah, David's mate."
"I'm Maggie, you have a lovely home." Maggie grins.
"Meredith." I say, raising a hand. If she was David's mate then she was an Alpha in her own right, and that was very intimidating.
"Please, follow me. Both of you must be starving. You can eat and then we'll introduce you to the rest of the pack later." Delilah says.
A half an hour later we had finished our sandwiches and are walking to one of the gathering rooms with Delilah.
"Everyone here understands that both of you are new to pack life so you won't be expected to know proper protocol just yet," Delilah explains.
"Proper protocol?" I ask, confused.
She glances at me. "Don't worry about it for now. After you meet the pack we will go to David's office and he'll explain everything to you."
I look at Maggie and she just shrugs. We enter a large room and I immediately feel like crawling in a corner. I instantly tell myself I will not be intimidated. These people are going to be my family and friends from now on, I can't act like a weak and scared child. I am a werewolf, I can do this.
Everyone's heads turn to us and the room gets quiet. Many, if not all, the people bare their necks towards us. "Pack," Delilah says, "I would like to introduce you to these ladies here, Meredith and Maggie. Meredith is a full blooded werewolf, descended from the Amherst bloodline. Her friend, Maggie, is a gypsy healer." All across the room curious faces change into an expression I can't quite put my finger on. It's like they recognize my bloodline, and know something about it.
Delilah continues to talk to the werewolves standing before us as I let my mind drift elsewhere. Towards the back of the room a door discreetly opens and someone walks in. I tune in to my wolf hearing, and hear a familiar voice. It belongs to the guy I overheard speaking with David last night, and once again I feel a tugging sensation, like my wolf wants me to go find him. I look in the crowd, and my eyes quickly find the man that had just walked in. His back is turned, and he's speaking to someone.
I suddenly feel like there is another presence in my mind. My wolf is screaming at me, urging me to approach the guy. I instantly realize what is happening and imagine a wall in my mind, blocking out the person from entering my it. My breathing suddenly begins to increase and I glance at a very concerned looking Maggie. She tilts her head as if to say, 'What's wrong?'. I look back at the boy who is now starting to turn around. No. There is no way he can see me, if he does he would know exactly who I am in a heartbeat. That is not about to happen. As a wolf I have a natural instinct to fight or flee a dangerous or stressful situation, so I do the only thing I can do at this point.
I turn and begin to walk briskly out of the room. Once I am out of sight I take off at a full on sprint to my room. I reach it in a matter of minutes and rush inside. I can't breathe. The walls are closing in. I run to a window and push it open, gasping as the fresh oxygen enters the room. I close my eyes, trying to take a few deep breaths. This isn't suppose to happen, at least not this soon. I'm suppose to get settled in, figure out my parents secrets and why they left the pack, then maybe in a few years start looking. This isn't planned, and I am in no way prepared for this.
I just found my mate.