Fated to the Alpha

Shiloh

"Are you okay?" comes a small voice in the back of my mind. I smile, because the voice is one I recognize very well. It has been a constant source of comfort for the past two years, since the morning of my sixteenth birthday. A wolf's sixteenth birthday is every bit as important as the eighteenth, as it is the day when the inner wolf awakens and a wolf experiences their first shift. From that day on, a wolf is never alone, with their inner wolf being a constant companion. My wolf, Shiloh, is soft-spoken and comforting. She has been there, reassuring me about my doubts about Kyle, and about becoming the Luna of the pack.

"I'm okay," I reply softly, "I'm just nervous about today. What if it isn't Kyle? My parents have groomed me to be Luna my whole life, and it's all dependent on us being mated to an Alpha."

"Everything works out exactly how it's meant to. It won't do any good to fret about it, best instead to just get ready and go. If we're fated to be Luna, we will be." Shiloh is steady and strong, and as always, she's right.

I push my worries from my mind for now and focus on looking my best. I grab the dress I had laid out and hold it up as I gaze into the mirror. This isn't my favorite dress, but it's Kyle's favorite for me and so he asked me to wear it today. As I look at my reflection, I make the decision to dress for myself today. I replace the simple girly floral sundress with a deep red pencil dress that I had bought on a whim. It is a little more mature and definitely not my normal look. I take my soft golden brown curls that usually frame my face and pile and pin them up in a more sophisticated updo. After applying a little makeup and stepping into some strappy sandals, I assess the final look.

"It's perfect," comes Shiloh's gentle assurance.

I make my way downstairs and into the kitchen where the rest of my family is waiting. Their reactions speak volumes for the change to my usual look.

"Wow," my mother looks ready to cry as she comes forward to hug me, "I cannot believe this day came so fast. What a beautiful woman you've grown into, and we are so proud of you."

My father clears his throat and I look over to see his eyes misted over as well. "We should probably get going," he says, "we don't want to be late."

As we walk together to the packhouse, I try to sort through my feelings. I am nervous and anxious, and I have a nagging feeling that things are not going to go the way everyone is expecting them to go. We climb the steps and open the door, and I am immediately aware of the most delicious scent- like a combination of sweet citrus and sandalwood. I can't place the source of the scent, but I can feel my body being drawn toward it. I can feel Shiloh pacing in the back of my mind, ears perked up and nose in the air. I become aware of the fact that Kyle is there and moving toward me, but I am also becoming aware that he is not the source of that wonderful scent. There are other pack members all around the room, some eyeing Kyle and me expectantly, some paying no attention at all. When Kyle reaches out to touch me however, a thunderous growl brings the entire room to a stunned silence.

"Mate." Comes Shiloh's breathy whisper.

I feel the weight of the room as I look into the eyes of my mate. The source of the mouth-watering scent. The owner of that thunderous growl that holds authority over all of us. The steel-gray eyes of Kyle's father, Alpha Finnick.