Where the path unfolds

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.