Emily resides in a Diamond Crescent pack and is a werewolf.She is a powerful woman on the inside and out, determined to achieve her goals, and she is the head of the warrior's daughter. She is old enough to attend the annual meeting ball this year, even if the last thing she needs right now is a mate. Will Emily succeed in getting what she wants and leave the ball single, or will her partner locate her and drag her into a life she isn't ready for? Will her year of training be insufficient to prevent her from caving in to his will, or will she be able to resist him if her mate does find her?
Chapter 1
Emily pov
I woke up to the sounds of nature spilling into my room. It was early but I enjoyed walking in the sun. The soft rays gently caressing my skin and the cool breeze coming in through the perpetually open window gave me a peaceful feeling. This was my favorite way to start the day.
I lazily stretched in bed and grabbed my phone. Waking up the screen, I saw that it's Thursday. Only one more day before I was shipped off to the annual mating ball. This will be my first time attending as my eighteenth birthday coincides with the first day of the ball. Only unmated wolves between eighteen and twenty-nine are permitted to attend. Once a wolf turns thirty it's usually assumed their mate found someone else to mate with or they're dead. Most unmated wolves don't make it that far though. The majority of the mating ball attendees are between eighteen and twenty-three. After twenty-three the pull to mate is so strong that most wolves find someone convenient and passable to be their chosen mate. A chosen mating is nowhere near as strong as a true mating but it gets the job done.
I didn't feel nervous about possibly meeting my mate tomorrow. I knew it wasn't a guarantee. I'm honestly pretty apathetic towards the idea of a mate. I'm generally a happy-go-lucky, flow kind of person. Don't get me wrong, I could beat the crap out of just about anyone. It's just that I like to live life believing everything is as it should be. I know I'm strong enough to handle anything that comes my way. If I don't meet my mate this weekend, then it just isn't meant to be. I will continue living my life and working towards my goal of being the strongest female pack warrior. I won't lie, I've had my share of heartache in life, but I keep telling myself that good things eventually follow pain.
After going through my messages, I rolled out of bed and decided to prepare myself for the day. I always try to start with a run around the perimeter just to make sure everything is in order. My dad is the pack's head warrior and taught me from a young age to have pride in our land and the people who live on it. He is the smartest and strongest man I know. I have learned so much from him through the years and I am a better wolf because of his lessons. After mom was kidnapped twelve years ago, he could have broken down, but he became stronger and I idolize him for that strength.
I went to my dresser to grab my usual workout gear. I slipped on my leggings and sports bra and headed down the stairs. The pack house was still quiet this early in the morning and it's soothing to breathe in the fresh air of my empty surroundings. Only the lingering scents of wolves from the night before was present in the room. I was the first one up in the pack house, like always.
The feeling of utter peace hit me as I opened the heavy oak doors into the cool bright morning. The tree line isn't far from the pack house and I could sense the early morning activity out in the forest. Our pack isn't the biggest, but it certainly isn't the smallest either. We're located on a large plot of land in the middle of a vast forest. We like the secludedness of the area as we are far away from prying human eyes but there are enough packs close enough to our area that we could rely on each other as allies. We are a peaceful pack, but we are known for our ruthlessness in battle when necessary.
I did a few stretches and exercises to warm up my body before I took off for the pack border. I loved the feeling of freedom I got running through the damp forest. I could feel the earth move under my feet as I pushed myself to my limits. I dodged trees and jumped over bushes as I neared the border of our pack.
All the guards around the border knew of my morning routine. As I passed them, we exchanged waves or greetings. My dad's best friend was on duty this morning and he gave me a big smile when he saw me break through the thick bushes towards his post.
"Can't keep you away from this life, can we Emily?"
"Not even if you tried, Dustin." I replied with a giant grin as I sped past him.
I hear his chuckle slowly evaporate into the air behind me. Dustin and my dad have been close since they were pups. They earned the rank of pack warrior together and Dustin was my dad's biggest supporter when he achieved the position of head pack warrior years before I was born.
Lucky for me, Dustin has a daughter my age and we were able to keep up the tradition by being best friends as well. Suze is basically my sister. We do everything together and because I only have brothers, a little girl time is definitely needed in my life.
As I finished my round, I jogged back to the pack house sweating lightly. I won't get closer to my goals if I don't push myself every day. Along with my daily runs, I train every day after school for four hours and twice a day on weekends. When my dad is free, he'll run my training sessions, but we've been working long enough that I can take care of them myself when he's busy.
I took one last look at the sun slowly rising in the sky before I went back into the pack house to start my day.
His hate for the opposite sex could be compared to nothing, he pukes at the slightest contact and would go as far as killing any female that comes close to him. Kendrick Chase is the devil's name; his family is the most feared in the city. Though he is dangerous, ladies can't help but drool over him, he's just too good-looking. Tatiana Garrett dared cross his path after she found out he could have something to do with the death of her twin brother. What will be her faith when she willingly walks into his lair and now she's trapped? Why Kendrick hates the opposite sex no one knows! Why did he trap Tatiana, mystery? Despite his power, he has a weakness that only his friends know about
For two years, Ashton had poured his heart into his marriage, yet Emalee's heart remained cold. Despite his dedication, Emalee presented him with divorce papers. She bluntly stated she could not remain married to a man whose net worth was less than a million dollars. Ashton signed the papers, closing one chapter of his life and stepping into a new beginning. Then, Ashton revealed his secret identities: a music mogul, a medical expert, and a martial arts master—each persona impressive enough to stun the world. As Ashton’s true capabilities came to light, Emalee was overwhelmed with deep regret.
It was supposed to be a marriage of convenience, but Carrie made the mistake of falling in love with Kristopher. When the time came that she needed him the most, her husband was in the company of another woman. Enough was enough. Carrie chose to divorce Kristopher and move on with her life. Only when she left did Kristopher realize how important she was to him. In the face of his ex-wife’s countless admirers, Kristopher offered her 20 million dollars and proposed a new deal. “Let’s get married again.”
In their three years of marriage, Chelsea had been a dutiful wife to Edmund. She used to think that her love and care would someday melt Edmund's cold heart, but she was wrong. Finally, she couldn't take the disappointment any longer and chose to end the marriage. Edmund had always thought that his wife was just boring and dull. So it was shocking when Chelsea suddenly threw divorce papers at his face in front of everyone at the Nelson Group's anniversary party. How humiliating! After that, everyone thought that the formerly-married couple would never see each other again, even Chelsea. Once again, she thought wrong. Sometime later, at an award ceremony, Chelsea went onstage to accept the award for best screenplay. Her ex-husband, Edmund, was the one presenting the award to her. As he handed her the trophy, he suddenly reached for her hand and pleaded humbly in front of the audience, "Chelsea, I'm sorry I didn't cherish you before. Could you please give me another chance?" Chelsea looked at him indifferently. "I'm sorry, Mr. Nelson. My only concern now is my business." Edmund's heart was shattered into a million pieces. "Chelsea, I really can't live without you." But his ex-wife just walked away. Wasn't it better for her to just concentrate on her career? Men would only distract her—especially her ex-husband.
Everyone thought Lorenzo truly loved Gracie, until the day of their daughter’s heart surgery. To Gracie’s utter shock, Lorenzo gave the precious organ needed by their child to another woman. Devastated, Gracie opted for a divorce. Fueled by her need for revenge, Gracie joined hands with Lorenzo’s uncle, Waylon, and orchestrated Lorenzo’s downfall. In the end, Lorenzo was left with nothing and consumed by remorse. He pleaded for a reconciliation. Gracie thought she was free to move on with her life, but Waylon held her back in a death grip. “Did you think you can just walk out on me?”
On her wedding day, Khloe’s sister connived with her groom, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. She was sentenced to three years in prison, where she endured much suffering. When Khloe was finally released, her evil sister used their mother to coerce Khloe into an indecent liaison with an elderly man. As fate would have it, Khloe crossed paths with Henrik, the dashing yet ruthless mobster who sought to alter the course of her life. Despite Henrik’s cold exterior, he cherished Khloe like no other. He helped her take retribution from her tormentors and kept her from being bullied again.
I received a pornographic video. "Do you like this?" The man speaking in the video is my husband, Mark, whom I haven't seen for several months. He is naked, his shirt and pants scattered on the ground, thrusting forcefully on a woman whose face I can't see, her plump and round breasts bouncing vigorously. I can clearly hear the slapping sounds in the video, mixed with lustful moans and grunts. "Yes, yes, fuck me hard, baby," the woman screams ecstatically in response. "You naughty girl!" Mark stands up and flips her over, slapping her buttocks as he speaks. "Stick your ass up!" The woman giggles, turns around, sways her buttocks, and kneels on the bed. I feel like someone has poured a bucket of ice water on my head. It's bad enough that my husband is having an affair, but what's worse is that the other woman is my own sister, Bella. ************************************************************************************************************************ “I want to get a divorce, Mark,” I repeated myself in case he didn't hear me the first time—even though I knew he'd heard me clearly. He stared at me with a frown before answering coldly, "It's not up to you! I'm very busy, don't waste my time with such boring topics, or try to attract my attention!" The last thing I was going to do was argue or bicker with him. "I will have the lawyer send you the divorce agreement," was all I said, as calmly as I could muster. He didn't even say another word after that and just went through the door he'd been standing in front of, slamming it harshly behind him. My eyes lingered on the knob of the door a bit absentmindedly before I pulled the wedding ring off my finger and placed it on the table. I grabbed my suitcase, which I'd already had my things packed in and headed out of the house.