5. Mira : First Meeting
1224 Words
The backyard of our Redmond Ridge pack house looked nothing short of magical tonight. Soft fairy lights hung like glowing vines from the tall cedars, swaying as though whispering blessings for my twenty-first birthday. Long wooden tables were decorated with handcrafted toppers—tiny wolves, trees, and moons—made by our pack mothers. They will be delivered tomorrow to the local orphanage.
Chandra hummed in my chest, a soft rumble of satisfaction.
“You always remember the kids. I just love that about you,” she whispered proudly.
A warm pulse spread through me.
“I just love them, not every kid is lucky enough to have a DanPa in their life.” I said in my mind.
The children from the orphanage were already running around, giggling, faces messy with frosting. Their laughter warmed the entire space more than any heater ever could.
I stepped into the yard, smoothing down my emerald dress as I walked. A chorus of –
“Miraaaa!” “Happy birthday!” “Alpha Princess!”
— greeted me from every direction. I laughed, hugging whoever came close enough.
“Careful, Alpha Princess,” old Mrs. Renly teased, tapping my nose. “You’re twenty-one now. Better keep an eye out for your mate, hmm?”
A few nearby warriors snickered and heat shot up my cheeks.
Chandra perked up instantly—ears forward, tail high. “Mate? Yes. Yes. I want him. I want to know him.”
“Chandra, please,” I muttered internally, half-laughing, half-embarrassed.
But she wasn’t listening anymore. She was preening. If only they knew how often my mind drifted back to the eyes I saw in my dreams—warm, deep, intense enough to melt stone.
Lily slid to my side, snorting. “Don’t encourage her. She already has a fantasy man in her head.”
I elbowed her lightly. “Shut up.”
“Oh come on,” Ryan grinned. “Maybe tonight you will actually find him.”
If only he knew how close he was to the truth…even though I didn’t understand it.
I stood again, smiling, getting pulled into greetings. But then the world seemed to stop.
A breeze brushed against my neck bringing the most beautiful and familiar smell with it, the smell of ocean breeze — salt, warmth, night wind, freshness and citrusy, something ancient and addictive.
My lungs forgot how to work and my heart stuttered.
My wolf Chandra gasped so loudly inside me that I clutched my chest. “Mate.”
Her voice trembled like a prayer.
I turned—slow, desperate, frantic—trying to find the source of that scent. And then I saw him.
The Man From My Dreams was standing near the entrance, holding a glass of wine with his eyes brown, deep, molten, ancient and stormy—eyes I had seen all my life in dreams. Eyes that looked at me as if I was the only thing in existence.
Chandra practically exploded. “FOUND HIM! WE FOUND HIM! LOOK!”
My breath hitched painfully. He was… perfection sculpted. Sharp jawline, clean-shaven and devastating. Hair dark as night, styled back but curling rebelliously at the ends.
Tall—so tall—at least 6’3”, exactly the height I always imagined in my fantasies.
Lean, powerful build in a perfectly tailored black Armani suit that hugged his body like it was made for worship. Shoulders broad enough to carry kingdoms. Waist flat and tight. Even from where I stood, I could imagine the outline of abs beneath the shirt.
His presence alone made the air feel charged, electric, and he was looking at me. Like I was a miracle. Like I was a sin he wanted to commit. My fingers twitched—to touch his jawline, to feel the warmth of his skin, to confirm he was real. Heat rippled through me.
“Touch him,” Chandra whispered reverently. “We are meant to.”
I wanted to. I wanted to run to him, bury myself in that scent, wrap myself around him like a vine. But, he didn’t move.
Another man—blond, shorter, kind eyes—stepped slightly in front of him.
A subtle block.
My dream man stiffened. The warmth in his eyes… dimmed. He stepped back.
The rejection hit me like being punched in the ribs. Something inside my chest cracked sharply, painfully. Chandra whimpered, the sound echoing painfully in my mind and curling in on herself.
“Why? Why doesn’t he come? He’s ours…”
My vision blurred for a second—hurt, confusion, disbelief.
Lily noticed instantly. “Mira? Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
But I couldn’t answer. Not when his eyes pinned me like fate. Not when my entire soul leaned toward him.
Ryan’s voice softened. “Mira… hey… what happened?”
I forced a shake of my head. “Nothing. I’m fine.”
Lie.
It hurt more than anything ever had. Lily squeezed my shoulder but didn’t press, just as someone announced it was time to cut the cake. So I pasted on the fakest smile of my life and walked forward.
Pack members sang, children cheered, cameras flashed.
“Happy birthday to youuuuuuu—!” Kids sang off-key, adults clapped, someone blew a horn too loud. I lifted the knife. My hands are shaking
“Smile,” Chandra whispered gently, voice soft and wounded. “The little ones are watching.”
I steadied myself and cut the cake, fed the kids first, then the pack elders. Everyone laughed and celebrated around me, but their joy didn’t reach my bones. Not anymore.
Because the universe had played the cruelest joke—
It had shown me my dream man…
And then shown me he didn’t want me.
As soon as the kids finished eating, Lily looped her arm through mine. “Come on,” she whispered. “Woods. Now.”
Ryan followed, expression tight with concern. We reached a quiet clearing behind the house.
Lily grabbed my shoulders. “What happened, Mira? We saw your face.”
I inhaled shakily. “Lily… Ryan… I think I… I think I saw him.”
“Your dream guy?” Ryan asked gently.
“Yes.” My voice cracked.
“And I felt something. Strong. Overwhelming. Like—like fate pulled me by the throat. Like a mate bond forming.”
Ryan and Lily exchanged a loaded glance.
“What?” I demanded.
Ryan exhaled. “Mira… the man you were looking at… the one in the suit? That’s Silas Nightbourne. The Vampire King of the continent.”
“He can’t come to you,” Ryan said softly. “Not after the Accord.”
I froze, as I remembered that we are bound by a 600-year-old unspoken taboo. Suddenly… his rejection made sense.
Chandra my wolf, whispered, “He did it to protect us, to protect me.”
Lily pulled me into a tight hug. “I’m sorry, Mira.”
I wiped my tears.
“No,” I whispered. “I’ll talk to him. I’ll make him listen. He’s staying on the Alpha floor too… I’ll find him after the party.”
Determination steadied my shaking heart.
I would not lose fate this easily.
We walked back, and I forced myself to rejoin the celebration.
- Writer
