Conflicted Love

Double Bond

Returning from my shower, I faltered slightly at the realisation that Lacey had turned my bedroom into some kind of pop-up boudoir.

"Sit down and surrender to style!" she exclaimed, before whipping out the dreaded hair-drier, as well as an assortment of products and brushes. She was the kind of girl who relished in made-up appearances. Not shallow, by any means - there was a lot more to her than met the eye. But she saw hair and make-up as an art form, spending hours practicing hair styles and trying out different eyeshadow colours.

We were soon joined by our mother, who spent more time emotionally cooing than anything else, but seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the experience. It was nice to see her relaxed and enjoying herself. Her happiness was infectious and slowly, I began to forget my nervousness over the party.

~*~

Once Lacey had finished working her magic, I barely recognised myself. The usually wild waves of my hair had been tamed into sleek, sexy curls that accentuated the shape of my face, falling in soft, staggered ends right at my bosom. I was wearing more make-up than I ever had in my life, yet I looked naturally youthful and glowing. Lacey had used neutral colours to bring out definition in my cheekbones and a darker slick of liner on my eyelids to define my thick lashes. A deep red lipstick was the mature centrepiece of the look she had created.

I wore a strapless, floaty ballgown of deep purple, which clung to my body in all the right places. It was elegant and sophisticated. For once, I almost felt alluring!

"Mother... am I over-dressed?" I fretted.

"No love," she answered, "Of course not! I know that basically this is a glorified BBQ & the guests are all in smart-casual clothes, but today YOU are the star. You are the one we're here to celebrate and it is expected that you dress brilliantly!" I nodded, focusing on my breathing as the nerves threatened to derail me once again.

Mother handed me a small, gilded box and motioned for me to open it. Inside were a stunning diamond and pearl necklace, with matching drop earrings. Surprise was written all over my face.

"They were your great-great-grandmother's and I want you to wear them today," she smiled gently, trying to make sure her eyes didn't leak down her freshly-finished face.

I put on the earrings and mother had just finished fastening the necklace on me as Lacey came around the corner from dressing in her own mini ballgown, and stopped in her tracks.

"Erin, you look truly beautiful," she whispered.

"Come on!" mother announced shakily, "Let's give your sister a minute to herself, while we prepare the guests for her entrance!"

She ushered Lacey downstairs, shooting me one last, doe-eyed glance as she went, before all of a sudden I was stood alone in deafening silence. The dull roar of the festivities outside barely penetrated my consciousness as the weight of what I was about to do came plummeting back to me. I made my way downstairs to the back door of the house, concerned that my trembling legs would soon betray me. I reached for the door handle and paused for breath. This was it. This was my big moment as the Alpha's daughter, in the eyes of our people. They were all hoping for a pairing today.

I couldn't hold off any longer, taking one last look at my innocent, unclaimed reflection in the hallway mirror, I plunged down the door handle, striding out into the sunshine with a confidence I hoped would mask my utter terror.

A small path had been made with mixed flower petals from the door to a point to one side of the marquee, where my parents stood waiting for me. Elijah and his wife, Freya, stood offset behind mother and father; Lacey and Logan again offset slightly behind them. I was flattered to see that even Logan had made an effort.

Heads turned as I walked down the petal path, a number of pack members clearly impressed by my transformation at Lacey's hands. A few whispers met my ears, but I couldn't discern what they were saying over the thunderous sound of my own pulse. Being the centre of attention was not in my comfort zone at all.

As I neared my father, he held out his arm and addressed the pack, "Ladies and gentlewolves! I am so glad to see you all gathered here this afternoon to celebrate the coming of age of my first beautiful daughter, Erin. I am as proud of her today as I was the moment she came into this world. If she finds her mate, I will feel blessed. If not, I will look forward to the day when she does meet that lucky wolf!" I had reached him by now, given him a small bow as he spoke, which he returned, and with my shoulders enveloped by his strong arm, I turned to face the gathered guests as he continued to speak, "Please join me in raising a glass to her transition to adulthood! To Eri-"

I didn't hear any more of my father's words, as he was cut off by two voices yelling in my mind.

MINE!

Two male voices echoed through the open mental link all wolves had with each other. The intensity made my head swim. Other members of our pack flinched and the happy chatter died off.

What on earth is going on?! I squealed internally.

Wolves don't have two mates, it's not possible. Wolves are mated in pairs, until death parts them. Widowed wolves can find mates again once their grief has progressed, but it's unheard of that one wolf shares two living mates at the same time. And yet, these two males of our pack were both frozen to the spot, staring at me with a primal hunger in their eyes. Breathing heavily, trying to figure out what their next move should be, their gazes barely shifted from me.

My own breath hitched as I took in the scene before me; two fit and healthy males who wished to claim me for their own. Ordinarily, they would be on their knees before me, declaring why they would be the best mate I could ask for. They'd plead their case to me, even though werewolf legend states that mates are fated and there is no fighting the bond. The males still feel the need to prove their worth to the females, until she bows her head and accepts them as her own.

The males periodically broke their gaze from me to glare at each other and slightly bare their teeth, even in their human form. My throat felt dry and I swallowed slowly. Even such a small physical response from me had their undivided attention once more. This was insane.

A small, deeply-hidden part of me grew warm and aroused at their avid attention, as much as I tried to ignore the stirrings in my intimate area. Under the gaze of these strong, powerful males, I fidgeted unintentionally. They were wearing smart, formal shirts. That instinctual part of me was internally drooling over the muscles bulging against the material. The outlines of their torsos against the soft cotton made me want to shred those lovely shirts to pieces. I daren't even look at the tailored suit trousers.

Looking over to my father with pleading eyes, I closed the werewolf mind link from the rest of the pack to ask for help. Daddy, what's going on here? I can't cope with this. What the hell do I do now?!

He barely shifted his stance, but leaned his stare downwards slightly, to meet my gaze, Do none of your instincts tell you what to do? Do you not feel drawn to one male over the other?

No! I answered, struggling to keep my emotions in, I feel nothing except fear and confusion right now, father!

I blinked away tears as the uneasy atmosphere spread and grew stronger through all our guests. The pack were realising what was happening here and the rarity of the occurrence had them scared. A couple were backing away towards the front of the house, hoping to leave.

The two men in front of me looked as though they never wanted to go. I took a small step back and their eyes tightened slightly. My father cleared his throat.

"Apparently, there has been some kind of misunderstanding here. Please do not be alarmed, carry on with the party. My family and I will convene inside with the two... gentlemen," he put great emphasis on the word, to which they looked up, "And we'll straighten this out before we return to you. Thank you!"

He quickly ushered myself and my mother inside. Elijah took it upon himself to follow, whilst Freya did her best to assure Lacey and Logan that all would be fine. This was the first time the two men had moved their feet since their unified declaration - to follow me inside.

They passed uncomfortably close to me as we all piled into the house. Their scents filled my nostrils and goosebumps sprang up all over me. The hunger in their eyes intensified as I rubbed my arms in an attempt to prevent my skin from giving me away. I didn't know what sort of reaction was acceptable on my part.

Stepping calmly but intentionally between myself and my two "suitors" - if that's what I could call them - my father took a dominant stance and spoke calmly, but deliberately.

"Now then, boys... let's get to the bottom of all this, shall we?", his Alpha tone shining through.