The Mist Wolves

Maeve The Mist Wolves call for their tithe in two days. My father’s words reverberated through my mind as a chill ran down my spine. I hid deeper beneath the covers, refusing to get out of bed. We were Earth Wolves. The Mist Wolves were sealed from the world in an impenetrable mist. Through extensive negotiations involving the witch Zelda, the Mist Elder had successfully persuaded my father to send an Earth she-wolf to their realm for balance. The decision about which she-wolf would be offered as tithe was still uncertain, but there were rumors that the Mist Elder had a particular preference for a royal she-wolf. Considering that I still hadn’t found a mate and was the most eligible royal, I was at the top of everyone’s list. And the Mating Ball would probably be my last chance to find my fated mate. “Get up, Maeve!” Joel pounded on the heavy oak wood door like a maniac. Goddess, why were siblings born? “Get up, nitwit! We’re running behind schedule. Mom and Dad are already outside waving off council members and relatives on their way to prepare for tomorrow night’s Mating Ball at the Yarlan meadow. Don’t you want to see them before they go?” Eyes still crusty and heavy from my nightmare, I ignored him and let out a groan. With every summer, the haunting dreams grew more vivid—the lingering images of a bruised boy with frosty eyes, trapped in a war-torn prison remained intense. It felt stupid to allow these dreams to keep affecting me when the war had been over for years, but I just couldn’t shake them off. My seventeen-year-old brother, heir to the most powerful werewolf house, the House of Mallory, was a relentless twit. “Do you want me to break your door?” I shot up in the bed. “Joel Mallory, would you let me be?” He obstinately pounded on the door until I finally dragged myself out of bed. I opened the door and was met with his piercing blue eyes, the only common feature we shared. He was tall at six feet, and I was… short, at five feet four. While he had inky hair, just like Mom, my hair was flaming red. You must be thinking it was like my dad’s. Well, no. My dad had golden hair. Red-haired she-wolves were rare, and when we shifted, usually we only had a touch of red fur on our heads. However, in my case, my wolf, Vesta, was completely covered in fiery red fur. I crossed my arms across my chest as he glared at me. “Go away,” I growled. “The Mating Ball will happen tomorrow night whether you want it to or not. You should be more concerned about it, Maeve,” he said with a wave of irritation as he walked past me into my room. “You’re twenty-four and still haven’t found your mate. Dad’s going to marry you off before you turn twenty-five.” He sat on my bed as I tipped my head up and asked the Moon Goddess for the strength to bear my brother’s nagging. He continued, “Do you want to get married to Evan Nestor? Because if that’s the case, I’ll go without you.” Evan Nestor was the heir to the House of Nestor. Very blonde, tall at six feet one, and had eyes for me. Last week, he had visited us with his parents and sister. They had subtly hinted to my father that he shouldn’t let me go to the Mating Ball. Though his polite advances didn’t sit well with me, I couldn’t ignore the fact that he belonged to the second most powerful House of the Earth Wolves. Eventually, I would have to marry him. ‘No, you don’t!’ Vesta growled inside my head. “I don’t want to go to the Mating Ball and I don’t want to marry Evan,” I said wryly as I strode to the washroom. “Maeve, Dad isn’t forcing you to marry him, but you’re hardly leaving him a choice. If you don’t find your own mate, he’ll choose one for you,” he pointed out. I sighed, knowing my little brother was concerned about me. While the Earth Wolves were progressive in their thinking, granting equal status and opportunities to their females, we royals were not so privileged. We were like pawns in a game, ready to be sacrificed for the sake of important mergers. I brushed my teeth as I listened to Joel’s nonstop babbling. “Can you please leave? I have to get ready,” I gritted when I came out. “Get ready fast,” he warned before leaving. “Or I’ll be back.” After taking a bath, I put on my low-waist jeans and a white top that fully covered my raised scar. I rolled my hair in a messy bun. As I looked at my reflection in the mirror, for the millionth time, I tried to figure out if I looked anything like my mom or dad. My lips had this natural pout on a heart-shaped face, which neither of them had. Stepping down the stairs, I was greeted by the bustling activity in the castle of the House of Mallory, filled with my cousins, council members, warriors, and the Omegas who served us. In the dining room, I joined my cousins for breakfast, the sound of laughter echoing off the walls. All of them were excited as hell to go to the Mating Ball. “Maeve!” Evie called me. I stifled an urge to roll my eyes. “Are you coming with us?” she asked as she curled her arms around my shoulders. Evie was the precious daughter of my father’s younger brother, and a strong contender for Evan Nestor’s hand. “Nope,” I replied with a pop sound. “I’m going with Joel and Kai.” “Whyyy?” she whined. Whenever we talked, she always had a way of prying into my feelings about Evan, only to later discourage me. If it had been up to me, I would have given her Evan, but I didn’t have that luxury. I realized I needed to know him better if we were going to get married. So at this Mating Ball, I was going to spend more time with him. “We have to stop somewhere on the way,” I said and got up to leave. Our families were gathered outside in the gardens, near a caravan of cars and jeeps, surrounded by our warriors in silver-trimmed blue uniforms. My eyes went to my mother. Luna Jennifer Mallory started out as an Omega, but her life took a different turn when my father, Alpha Hendrick Mallory, recognized her as his mate and marked her. “Ah, there you are!” Joel looked up at the skies. “Looks like we’re going to have a thunderstorm.” I followed his gaze and saw the angry clouds looming over the horizon, their dark shades casting a sense of foreboding. Something dark knotted in my stomach. A dread, a premonition of something bad to come. And it had nothing to do with the Mating Ball—held in the Yarlan Meadows, a beautiful clearing, located dangerously close to the Mist.