A Heart That Holds Two

  Caleb POV     It's like all of the air had been sucked out of the room and replaced by the most amazing scent of cherry blossoms and lilac. I have to find out where that smell is coming from.     Devin, my wolf, is squirming around in my mind and I can't figure out why he's so excited. Since he is my wolf, we are technically one in the same and can communicate through our minds.  --What's going on with you Devin? This isn't like you.-- --Follow the scent and you'll find out!-- he was almost screaming.       Devin has been with me for the last four years, and I have never heard him this enthusiastic. I have to find out what's going on before his enthusiasm gives me a massive headache. I am currently at a party celebrating the 18th birthday of the New Moon Pack's princess. She's not really a princess; she is just the daughter of their Alpha, which is basically the equivalent.  I have never met her before, and honestly don't even remember her name from the invitation. I am only here because when a fellow Alpha asks you to attend a social gathering, you try your hardest to attend, it's just good politics. The party is taking place on the entire first floor of the Pack Event Center; and it is full of werewolves, in their human forms of course. A shifted werewolf would never fit in here. The crowd was so thick, it  was making it hard for me to move freely.     The color scheme of the party was teal, black and gold; and there was an abundance of balloons and streamers everywhere. There is a gigantic chandelier hanging in the center of the main room above a raised stage. On the stage is a golden throne with hundreds of gifts on either side, clearly someone is spoiled as hell. Against the back wall was an elegant five tier cake that matched perfectly with the color scheme; on the smallest tier sat a glittery gold cake topper that simply read 18.  Though I was distracted momentarily by the amount of time it must have taken to plan out a party with as much detail as this, it still didn't change the fact that there is something that doesn't quite belong... that smell.     The sweet aroma wasn't in the air when I first arrived at the party. It is something that showed up suddenly and has not faded at all, it is just as strong as it was when I first began  to smell it, maybe even a little stronger. I slowly began to follow my nose through the event center toward the cherry blossoms and lilac. With every step I take, the fragrance gets more and more irresistible, I was drawn to it and there was nothing I could do to stop myself from locating its origin.     After more "excuse me's" than I care to count, I had walked through two rooms and out the backdoor to the patio. It is a clear night, and the fact that we are in the middle of  the forest away from city lights, allows me to see every twinkle of the stars. The scene is enhanced by the glow of the crescent moon; the moon goddess had created a truly magical atmosphere. The patio is lined with dull white string lights, and all of the tables are covered with loose hanging white tulle. There was a truly romantic feel to the night. I close my eyes and take a deep breath somewhat expecting to get a whiff of the cool night's air, but instead my nose was filled with that sweet sweet aroma I was already beginning to love. Judging by the strength of the scent I knew I was close. I opened my eyes, and that's when I saw her....     The one that heavenly fragrance is radiating from. She stands just above 5'; 5'2" if I had to guess. Her long thick black hair cascades over her caramel colored shoulders and lands at her waist. A strapless, sequin covered, teal colored dress hugs her hourglass figure and is amplified by the gold heels that complete her outfit. Her makeup is kept to a minimum, and her lip gloss accentuates the curves of her lips.     This mystery woman is standing with a group of ladies, I can only guess are her close friends, judging by the way they interact. Her friends were so busy laughing and talking that they didn't even notice when her involvement faded away; and her eyes began to scan the patio, darting rapidly from side to side. What is she looking for?      I watched as she searched for something that no one else knew she was even looking for. Then her eyes fell on mine, she had been looking for me! My world began to spin as I locked eyes with the most amazing green eyes I have ever seen. I froze, but Devin didn't, he is turning circles and doing back flips in the back of my mind.  --Go, go, go! What are you waiting for?-- Devin asked.  I ignored him, there was nothing I could say. The emotions I am feeling right now staring at this stranger are completely foreign to me. I can't move, I am cemented to this spot by her gaze. "Mate." The words had escaped my lips before I even had a chance to think. All movement around me ceased as everyone took in what I had just said. The music faded into the background and I could no longer see anyone else. The only ones who exist in this moment are me and her. Her eyes widen at the realization of what I've just said, and my heart began to pound so hard I could hear it in my ears.     I have been waiting for my mate to reveal herself to me since I turned 18 years old; and now at the age of 22, I have found her! I couldn't be more excited, but it's hard for me to get a read on her. Does she feel the same way, or am I going to be rejected before I can even learn her name? The moon goddess has planned every wolf's life before they are even born, and she has taken her time to pair each wolf with the perfect mate. However, she does not step on anyone's free will and every wolf has the option to reject their chosen mate. There are very rare occasions when the moon goddess allows a rejected wolf to receive a second chance at the love that was lost at rejection, but those instances are few and far between. For almost every wolf, they receive one chance. That doesn't mean that a rejected mate is destined to be alone, they will just never know the pure love that comes with being attached to their true mate.     Her movement pulls me out of my thoughts; she puts her drink down on the nearby table, stands and slowly begins to make her way toward me. I have no idea what to do, so I stay exactly where I am waiting to follow her lead. When she is no more than a few feet away from me, she picks up pace and launches herself in the air toward me. Landing against my chest, she wraps her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist, catching me completely off guard. "Mate!" she yelled and crashed her lips into mine. I ran my hands up her perfect thighs and let them rest once they had found her flawless ass. I returned her kiss with the same amount of passion, my tongue begging for entrance to her mouth. She granted me access and I took full advantage letting my tongue swim into her mouth eager to taste all that it can. Our lips have been intertwined for what feels like hours and I am fighting my primal instinct to pull off her clothes and f**k her right here, right now. Letting the world know that she is mine and I am hers.      We finally broke our kiss and came up for air. I carefully placed her on her feet and raised my hand to gently brush her hair from her face.Allowing myself the opportunity to stare down into her emerald green eyes. I knew in that moment that I could gaze into her eyes every minute of everyday for the rest of my life.      How can I love someone so much and not even know their name? I guess it's just the pull between two werewolves that the moon goddess has destined to be mated. I've waited four long years to find her, and I couldn't love her more if I tried. "Hello to you too gorgeous! We have a lot to talk about, but how about we start with your name..." *** Serenity POV     Major things happen for a werewolf on their 18th birthday. The first being the introduction of their wolf; it starts as a small tickle at the back of your head, that is followed by a sharp pain lasting for a few seconds.Then your wolf is just there able to communicate with you in  your mind. It also marks your ability to shift into a wolf, and once you do, you and your wolf officially become one. Once you shift, you take the backseat and your wolf becomes the driver; you are there just to enjoy the ride. It's something that I can not wait to experience.      The most important thing that happens is that you are able to find your mate, the one who truly completes you. However, just because you turn 18 doesn't guarantee that you will find your mate right away, because honestly they could be anywhere in the world. There have been wolves who have never found their mates, and I have prayed to the goddess that I would not be one of them.      When you find your mate, it completely overwhelms the senses, the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and your whole body seems to tingle. You see everything clearer, but at the same time everything disappears. All you see and smell is your mate. What you smell when you find your mate is a smell that is created especially for you; no one else can recognize it, and it's what gives you the ability to distinguish your mate from anyone else in the world. When you first get a whiff, it is one of the strongest aromas you will ever smell.     Finding your mate on the exact date of your 18th birthday is almost unheard of; but for me it happened....          I was really enjoying the party my parents had put together for me. It was an elaborate, elegant affair that called for me to be the center of attention. Usually that wasn't really my style, but this marked an important milestone in my life and I was actually enjoying being in the spot light.     My father, the New Moon Pack Alpha, had invited wolves from packs all over the country, so there were so many faces I didn't recognize. That's what made me a little nervous. So I spent a majority of my night with the three ladies I am most comfortable with; my three best friends, Demi, Brielle and Helia. All of their personalities are so different; if you took parts of each of their personalities and put them together, it would equal up to me.  Technically only two of them are my friends, Demi and Brielle; Helia is my cousin and daughter to the pack Beta. Demi is the daughter of the pack Gamma; and Brielle is the daughter of the pack's head trainer. We all grew up together, and consider ourselves family, and are just as close as we would be if we were sisters.     We were all sitting around the table spending all of our time talking and laughing as if we didn't see each other everyday. The occasional stranger or distant family member would walk by making idle conversation and wishing me a happy birthday. After exchanging short pleasantries, the four of us would fall right back into our own world.      My phone vibrated on the table, I picked it up to check it. A text message:  Happy Birthday Beautiful! Ugh... it's from my ex-boyfriend Kayden, no matter how many times I've asked him to leave me alone, he just keeps on trying. He gets no response from me. Before I put my phone down I checked the time, 9:42pm, the exact time I was born. I was officially 18!  A tickle started to form at the back of my head, and I tried to shake it off but it wouldn't go away. It was really starting to bother me, but I kept right on laughing, not wanting to let my friends know that something might be wrong. They were all in such deep conversation that no one even noticed when I closed my eyes trying to cope with the pain I was now feeling. I then realized exactly what was going on, my wolf was trying to break through. I relaxed and embraced the moment, trying to focus on the new presence in my mind. --Hi Sugar, I'm Meela.-- the voice was almost a purr.  --Hey, I'm Serenity it's nice to meet you.-- -- Oh I know who you are doll, I know everything about you. I am just able to talk to you now but I have been around your whole life. I have...-- Meela stopped mid-sentence as we both caught the smell of cedar and hazelnut.  I looked around but couldn't find the source anywhere. "Are you okay Serenity?" Demi asked  "Yes I'm fine, I am just taking in the fact that I'm finally 18." I lied. I wasn't ready to tell my friends that I think my mate is here. They will think I'm crazy, no one finds their mate this fast. Demi and Brielle are both 22 and neither of them have found their mates. Helia won't turn 18 for another seven months, so she has time.     This was all new to me and I wasn't sure if this was really happening. --Meela, do you know if our mate is here?-- --I smell something sweetie, but I can't be sure it's not really strong enough.-- "Do you remember that Serenity?" Brielle's question pulled me away from my wolf. I had no f*****g clue what she was talking about. I know the look on my face was pure confusion because all three of them broke out into laughter and it was contagious; before I knew it was laughing too.          The smell washed over me in one big, and I felt like I was drowning in a sea of cedar and hazelnut. My eyes widened when I realized what was happening. --It's him! It's our mate, find him!-- Meela yelled  My eyes moved all around the patio in search of the love of my life, I could feel the pull already and I couldn't wait to meet him. That's when I saw him drenched in the moonlight; when I looked into his light brown eyes, I felt my inner walls clench and my panties moistened as my body called for its mate. He stood over 6' tall and has the most beautiful chocolate brown skin. His eyes were shaped like almonds, and below his nose was a thick black mustache that connected by the sides to his goatee. His hair was cut short, just a small layer of black covered the top. Though my party was a more formal event, he wore black jeans with a tight grey t-shirt that allowed me to see that he had a body chiseled but the goddess herself.  "Mate." I heard him say, it wasn't loud, but I heard it. He had claimed me and I had every intention of doing the same. The world began to fall away until all that was left was him. I put my drink down, stood up and began to make my way toward him. It really is not like me to make this first move, but my body is drawn to him.      What was I going to say to him? How do I introduce myself? How crazy will I sound when I tell this stranger that I am in love with him?     I held his gaze the entire time I was moving toward him, I was getting lost in his light brown eyes. I was so close that his smell was the only thing I could focus on. He was standing there, the perfect statue, one that was made especially for me.  My animal instinct must have taken over, because I no longer felt like I had control of my body. I yelled mate as loud as I could and hurled myself at him, and forced him into a mind blowing kiss. When our lips touched, I could feel the spark between us. The longer our lips were together the wetter I got.     I am still a virgin because I had been saving myself for my mate and I am so glad I kept myself pure for this Adonis that I now get to call mine. I can feel his member hardening beneath as he held me in place by my ass. I was so glad to know that his body was craving mine as much as mine is craving his. We have to stop this now before we put on the naughtiest show for my party guests. I broke the kiss and fought to catch my breath as he placed me on my feet.      When he reached up to brush away my hair, my p***y clenched at the contact, this man was turning me into a horny mess and there was nothing I could do.  I stared up into his eyes as he asked my name, his voice was deep and demanding, and that made me want him even more. I didn't want to leave him waiting too long... "Serenity... yours?"