Alpha, Beta, Chosen or Fated

Mea's POV It was a month before my 18th birthday and I, Mea DeAngelo of Golden Lunar pack, was counting down the days. I would graduate in 7 months and if all went as planned, I would be joining the Blood Rose pack. My boyfriend, Brant Cason was Blood Rose's beta. He had only taken over 6 months ago, following his older brother Asher's untimely death. I met Brant at my 16th birthday party. My father, Alpha James DeAngelo had invited all of our pack's allies Alpha's and their heirs to my party, in the hopes of arranging a suitable marriage for me. My father's Luna, Lynetta, had "accidentally" spilled red wine on my beautiful ivory dress, just as guests started to arrive. Mortified it looked as though my period had seeped through, I ended up hiding out on the balcony most of the night. Many of the attending Alphas brought their Betas along and Brant had been allowed to tag along with his brother, Asher. He stumbled upon my hiding spot and we ended up chatting all night. I didn't tell him who I was until we said our goodbyes. I may have been a bit forward, but I asked him for his number. We only see each other on weekends and during special events, but we talk every day. Brant will be 21, shortly after my birthday. He already has his wolf, Niko. He was certain once I got my wolf, we would be able to finally know for sure we were mates. He was so sure of it! My father of course thought beta Brant was helping to encourage my marriage proposal to his future Alpha, Torrance. My father would never be satisfied with me being mated to a beta. Each of his children was meant to marry an heir to one of our allies, thus reinforcing our pack's status and expanding our assets. Torrance was my age, his 18th birthday just days before mine. He and Brand were complete opposites. Brant wasn't the romantic type, but he could always make me laugh. Torrance was always serious and so short with words. While Brand had light brown hair and green eyes, Torrance had light blond hair with brown eyes. Both had amazing builds, Torrance of course being bigger since he was to be their pack's Alpha. I didn't much care about the size difference though, I was more interested in someone who wanted to be with me. Not marry who was best for the good of our packs, but for love and passion. Thanks to my father's second mate, Luna Lynetta, I had a lot of insecurities. I wasn't as thin as my younger sister. My hair was not golden and my skin didn't tan easily like my brother and sister. I looked like my mother, my father's first mate, Mona. She had died while giving birth to me. Mona was a human. My father had been lectured and almost disowned for choosing Mona as his mate. His father, my grandfather, feared her inability to properly lead werewolves with her mere human form. Mona was a force though. She led our pack, just as well, if not better than any previous Luna. Standing only 5'3, her steel-blue eyes demanded attention and her voice gracefully commanded a room. At least, that is what my nanny Rosette, always told me. I have her dark brown, almost black hair, olive skin, and blue eyes. Quite possibly the reason why Lynetta hates the mere sight of me. My father was never around to witness Lynetta torment me. When I would complain, he would always make excuses or shrug it off as me exaggerating things. My father met Lynetta at an Alpha ball when I was 3 years old. He had barely survived losing my mother and grew distant, working all the time. He had tried getting out of the event but his alliances insisted he make an appearance. Lynetta was much younger than my father, but being the unmated daughter of Winter Crest's Alpha Pharos, she was brought to the ball as a desirable trophy. My father knew at once she was his second chance mate. Why Moon Goddess would fate my poor father to such a spiteful, shallow she-wolf, I would never know! Rosette was taken from me when I was five. Lynetta encouraged my father to help me be more independent and responsible. Plus she needed Rosette for her twins, Jalen and Lace. At first, I was excited to be a big sister. Lynetta quickly robbed me of that though. My hands were always too dirty to touch the babies or she couldn't trust me yet to hold them or help feed them. Later, she would blame any whimper from them on my hurting them or taking something from them in spite. Rosette knew not to contradict her, after her first slip up. Once, I was trying to give Lace her stuffed wolf and she kept throwing it to the floor. When I placed it beside her for the third time, Lace threw it and it hit Jalen. Jalen began to cry and Lynetta came flying into the room demanding to know what I had done. Rosette tried to explain and was slapped for "lying" and "suggesting such a thing" when she simply tried to tell Lynetta the truth. We both learned that day to keep quiet. I learned to stay out of sight and away from my new siblings as much as possible. Lynetta would make sure my father knew of all of Lace and Jalen's successes, school or training-wise. She also made sure he knew of every misstep, accident, or rule I broke. I tried so hard for so long to get his attention. I excelled at my academics, but I got into fights. I was skilled with hand-to-hand combat but lacked the coordination for weapons. No matter what my strength, she would make sure it was underrated with my faults. Brant was sure to congratulate everything, even if he was sarcastic about it. "So you got into another fight, at least you won" he would say. Most of the time I had to have an escort to visit Blood Rose or leave the packhouse. We alternated weekends visiting each other's packs and this weekend was Brant's turn to come to our pack house. So no one suspected anything, Brant would suggest Torrance and the future Gamma Falon come along too. We had more females their age in our pack, so they happily obliged. They would be staying in the visitor's suite on the Alpha floor right down the hall. Lace's room was on the right of their room, Jalen's next to hers. My parents' suite was at the end of the hall and I was across the hall from the visitor's suite. Lace could barely contain her excitement at parading around in her new clothes in front of the guys. She was 14 and way too young for any of them, but that sure didn't stop her. I suggested a hunt challenge with swimming at the lake after. A hunt is very similar to hide and seek but with paintballs. I invited two of my friends to join us Raylen and Janelle. We weren't close friends but they were both my age and lived with their families in the pack house. Raylen was the older daughter of our beta, Stryker. Janelle was Raylen's younger sister. They were barely 6 months apart, given werewolves' pregnancies are only 6 months. Raylen had dark hair like mine with light honey-colored eyes but caramel skin. Janelle was darker completed than Raylen, her hair caramel colored like their mother's and hazel eyes. Both were drop-dead gorgeous. Torrance and Falon were pleased with my invites, to say the least. We geared up and decided Torrance and I would get to choose teams. Jalen and Lace decided they would crash and beg to be allowed to play as well, so we had 8 in all. After taking turns picking teams it was Torrance, Lace, Falon, and Raylen against me, Brant, Jalen, and Janelle. We chose blue paint and Torrance's team chose red. We set our timers for 7 minutes and after discussing a brief strategy dispersed into the trees. We hid our flag and carefully camouflaged ourselves with our surroundings, listening for any sounds to give away their location. Torrance was very competitive, but so was I. They sent Raylen in as a decoy and she ran through firing random shots to lure us out. From the direction she came, I was pretty sure where they hid their flag. I motioned to my team and Brant took Raylen out with one shot. She gladly went to watch where we had left our lunches. I giggled lightly because that girl could always eat! My team slowly pushed towards an old fort. It was built for Lace and Jalen and I was pretty sure Torrance's flag would be there. A shot whizzed right by me and landed on Jalen. He sauntered over to join Raylen. The shot had come from up high, so I moved further behind my cover and mouthed to my 2 remaining team members, to see if they could see who or where the shot had come from. Mind linking wouldn't help since Lace would also hear me. Raylen crouching low to the ground attempted to move up to the next bunch of trees but was also shot by whoever was in an elevated position. Brant had seen where the shot came from and ran towards the shooter spraying shot after shot until Lace cried out "hit". Brant's effort was wasted though as he too was shot placing himself out in the open. At least when he went down, it told me where Torrance was. We had managed to get just 20 yards from the fort and Torrance was guarding it! There was no way I could get the flag with him right there. It was just him and I left. The rest of our teams were now eating and watching the show. I was pretty sure he knew where I was. I used Lace's trick and climbed up one of the trees, I was using for cover to try and get a better shot. About halfway to my desired spot, my foot slipped. I was only about 10-15 feet up but the drop to the ground knocked the wind right out of me. Torrance and Brand were both there by the time I landed. They both helped me up to my feet, of course, Torrance took the chance to shoot me right after and then declared his team the winners. He walked the short distance to a large rock and after searching a moment he waved our flag overhead with his hand. Ugh, if only I hadn't slipped! Now we will all have to hear him gloat. The three of us all join the others and stuff our faces. Then it was time to jump in, we were all hot from the hunt. Surprisingly, Torrance didn't mention his win once. Instead, he looked to be thoroughly pleased with his view. Raylen wore a dark yellow bikini that accented her glowing complexion and hugged all her curves. Janelle being almost 17 had a more modest emerald green one piece that made her eyes stand out perfectly. Lace had a one-piece as well, white to accentuate her tan. It wasn't overly form-fitting and still somewhat girlish given she was 14. My suit was also a two-piece, deep blue like my eyes. It had a push-up that I liked and showed off my best asset, even more, my ass. All the guys wore simple red and blue swim trunks, except Jalen who had on green ones. The girls, including myself all slowly wade into the cool water. The guys had to take turns showing off with their dives and jumps, from the rope that swung over the middle of the river. Even though we weren't alone, it had been fun. We stole glances and small touches while in the water. Even though we didn't have our wolves and couldn't feel any of the sparks mates proclaim they feel with every touch, there were definitely butterflies. After about an hour, we all headed in to clean up. Once inside, we headed up to the Alpha floor. As we headed up the stairs, Brant slipped me a note. They had invited Jalen to come to hang in their suite, a bit before dinner, so we could meet up in his room for a few minutes alone. Janelle and Raylen said they were going down to their suite on the Beta's floor and would come to my room shortly, not noticing the note. Rushing to my room, I wasted no time! I showered using my best smelling scrub and shampoo. I choose an off-shoulder light blue top and a white skirt, with a matching white lace bra and thong underneath. My skirt wasn't overly short, but it was definitely inviting. I wore my hair up in a messy, still wet bun, so my marking spot would be visible. I placed a few dabs of my new perfume on my wrists and neck, checked the mirror once, and went to meet Brant. Up until about 3 months ago, we had been very PG-13. Hand holding, hugs, and a simple kiss here and there; summed up the extent of our intimacy. Maybe due to our upcoming shifts, our hormones were no longer able to contain themselves because we had been pushing closer and closer to X rated ever since. I made sure the hallway was clear before I hurried over to Jalen's room. As I was about to open his door, I heard Lace leaving her room and spun around. She eyed me suspiciously and I had to think of a way to get rid of her quickly. Knowing she would love to be in the middle of the older girls' talk, I invited her to go keep Janelle and Raylen company in my room. I told her we were deciding what to wear to dinner and trying on outfits. I wanted to ask Rosette about something I had in the laundry and would join them shortly. She almost ran to my room. Even though she could be an awful pain in the ass, thanks to her mother's influence, sometimes she was tolerable. I peeked into Jalen's room and seeing the lights were off slipped in, closed, and locked the door quickly. Brant wasted no time covering my mouth and pulling me against him from behind. A slight gasp reached my lips but was muffled by his hand. I quickly turned and overtook him, pushing him onto my brother's computer chair. A smirk crossed his lips, as he held my left hand pulling me towards him. I took my seat on his lap, straddling him and we began kissing. His lips perfectly matched mine in eagerness and then trailed along my neck. I leaned back a bit to give him access and tiny goosebumps covered my body as my excitement grew. I grabbed a handful of his hair as he continued down my collarbone to the top of my shirt, moving one of his hands from my bare butt cheeks to cup my breast. Wetness beginning to pool, in my very thin thong, would definitely leave more evidence of our encounter than I wanted, so I jumped up. His pout was adorable and I bit my lip wanting to continue this, but we both knew we didn't have the time or privacy. I mouthed later. I would have to think of some way for us to have more time after dinner. I went to the door looking back just once as he continued seated in the chair and quickly headed back to my room. Hopefully, my guests don't smell Brant all over me and ask questions. Raylen, Janelle, and Lace were playing in my closet as I entered, trying on my outfits like they were in a fashion show. Raylen in my knee-length baby pink romper, Janelle in my black halter floor-length dress, and Lace in one of my matching skirt and top sets in a light green paisley print. It was way too big on her, but the color complemented her tone and hair. All of the girls had obviously experimented with my make-up as well. I didn't mind, I had plenty to go around. The one thing my father was good at was making up for his absences, by showering me with gifts and shopping trips. Sometimes to get his attention I would spend an extreme amount. Lynetta unfortunately, was the only one it seemed to bother though. I didn't want for anything material-wise, but emotionally there was definitely a void. Only minutes after I entered, Lynetta opened the door and everyone went quiet. Lace was told she was needed in my father's office and the rest of us were just eyed uncomfortably until they both left. I was somewhat glad for the interruption, that way Lace couldn't question me about my long absence or notice the scent of Brant, which I am sure still lingered all over me. Raylen however, jumped to the end of my bed eyes wide, and stated "spill". I was very guarded about my and Brant's relationship, considering the repercussions if anyone found out. My father would probably kill us both. Lynetta would love to spill those beans and I couldn't trust either of my siblings to keep it from our father or their mom. Raylen and Janelle I trusted somewhat, but not enough to share all the details though. I tried to avoid giving anything away by simply saying I had run into Brant in the hall and he wanted to give me a message from Torrance. Raylen rolled her eyes and Janelle laughingly snorted, "what was his message, I want to explore your tonsils?" I blushed and claimed I had no idea what she meant. The two of them responded with a fake make-out session with invisible lovers, to which I shook my head laughing. I would let them wonder, my private intimate moments didn't need to get around. The whole floor had werewolf hearing for goodness sake. Lace's POV I was finally getting to hang out with the older girls when my mom had to come to drag me away. She never let me do anything with Mea. "Mea is a bad influence", "Mea and her friends were too old for me to hang out with", "Mea didn't want me around and was jealous of me" my mom would tell me. Mea had the best bedroom because she was the oldest. Her closet was like a dream and I hoped I would get her room once she was married off. Dad always showered her with gifts, it wasn't fair. My mom tried to make me feel better with our own shopping trips, but she never let me pick out my own outfits. I couldn't wait to be older and buy what I wanted. I followed mom to dad's office and he was seated behind his desk. Once the door closed he looked up from the papers he was working on. His Beta, Stryker and Gamma, Karl on either side of him. I could feel my father's Alpha aura and stood up straighter awaiting for him to speak. "You accompanied Mea and future Alpha Torrance to the river earlier", he questioned. I answered, "yes sir". "Was there any discussion of their betrothal?" he asked. I told him I hadn't heard either of them mention it. I could feel the tension in the room and wanted to be dismissed as soon as possible. Thankfully my father requested I send Brant to him after he told me to go and clean off the makeup from my face and change into something appropriate for dinner. Ugh, I wish he would quit treating me like I was still 10! Brant's POV I hurried back to our guest suite, to find the guys engrossed in a game of truth or dare. Torrance gave me a questioning look, so I hurried into the bathroom to wash up and try to get some of Mea's scent off of me before he could ask questions. If he knew where I had been, his father or Mea's would end me. I was supposed to be forming a stronger alliance between our packs by helping with their betrothal after all. Torrance wasn't exactly interested in Mea, but he was the type to make it a competition. He was used to being the center of attention, being he was the only child and a future Alpha. The few girls our age in our pack weren't shy about letting him know they were available. Even some of the older unmated she-wolfs weren't opposed to trying to catch his eye. Torrance wasn't one to "w***e around" he had a few short-term relationships, but his parents always "convinced" those he dated to enlist in foreign affairs committees. That placed them out of sight and usually successfully ended the affair. Alpha Trent, Torrance's father, had chosen his Luna, just as my father had chosen my mother. They weren't fated mates as Mea's parents had been. Alpha Trent and my father both agreed this allowed for more beneficial alliances to be made and decisions based on facts not feelings. If I had the choice to choose my mate, I would choose Mea. I'm just not sure she would choose me. Even if she did, it would never be allowed. I knew we had to stop sneaking around, but I couldn't help myself. She knew exactly what to wear to catch my eye and how to brush up against me ever so slightly to leave me wanting more. We had both held back and kept things casual, well until recently. Our shifts were coming up and the intensity between us seemed to be building. I didn't know how much longer I could control myself. Satisfied I had somewhat achieved to minimize Mea's scent from myself, I exited the bathroom. The guys were just finishing with Jalen's dare, consisting of several ghost peppers and some clothespins, and decided since I had missed out, I would get a truth and a dare all at once. Great, I couldn't wait to see what they came up with. Torrance said he would ask my truth first, just then however there was a knock at the door. Jalen got up to answer it and it was Lace. Man was I lucky, the Alpha was requesting a word with me in his office. I had a feeling Torrance was about to ask something pertaining to my short absence and was glad to be saved from having to come up with a lie. I walked with Lace to Alpha James' office and she left me at the door. Before I could knock, the Alpha's gruff voice told me to come in. I really hope Mea's scent is gone now! The Alpha, Beta, and Gamma all stood near a desk in the center of the room and Luna Lynetta was seated in a chair off near a window. I stood right inside the door, not wanting to get too close to any one of them. Alpha James was a big guy at 6'3 and always had a very business-like demeanor and tone. He got straight to the point, asking where Torrance was in terms of a proposal. Knowing my Alpha, Torrance's father and Alpha James had both desired this union, I advised Torrance and Mea were still getting to know one another but enjoyed each other's company. Alpha James said while that was good, he wanted to allow them time alone to move this along. Being a good Beta, I asked how I could assist. Alpha James said he had arranged a private dinner for Torrance and Mea on the terrace, followed by a movie in their private theatre on the recreation floor. He requested I relay this to Torrance and let him know if there were any issues. I said I would gladly pass this evening's plans along to Torrance. Alpha James dismissed me and I high-tailed it back to our guest suite. Torrance's POV Our game of truth or dare had gotten boring and I was about to head down to the dining hall, when Brant returned. He told me about Alpha James' arrangements for Mea and myself. Between him and my dad, I was getting a bit irritated with their pushing. I can plan a date on my own. Whatever, I would play along. It was his pack and I was his guest. I had agreed to consider this match, guess I should honor my word. I was already dressed, so I went to escort Mea down to dinner. Brant and Falon decided they would offer to escort Raylen and Janelle to the dining hall, where everyone else would be eating. I wonder if that's where Brant had run off to earlier? Raylen was Golden Lunar Pack's Beta's eldest daughter and not bad looking at that. They would make a smart match. I would have to ask him later. He was so secretive about his conquests, I doubt he would honestly tell me. I knocked on Mea's door and could hear laughing. When Mea answered she looked a little surprised to see me. I told her we had dinner prepared for us on the terrace and if she was ready, I would escort her down. She looked very appealing in a blue off-the-shoulder top and white skirt. Her heels were just high enough to show off her athletic legs and give her ass a nice lift. Raylen and Janelle were standing near a vanity with make-up strewn about. Falon spoke up and ask Janelle if he could escort her to the dining hall. Janelle giggled and had a bashful smile on as she walked over to take Falon's arm. Brant simply held his arm out looking at Raylen, to which she walked over and took willingly. Mea seemed a bit agitated all of a sudden and asked me to give her a minute and closed her door. Mea's POV What the hell was this? I didn't want a private dinner with Torrance and I sure didn't want Raylen hanging all over Brant! Maybe I should have told her about our moment earlier, so she would have known he was off-limits. Well, this was not how I had planned to spend my evening. I went to the bathroom and splashed my face with cool water and decided I would just play along. As I re-entered the hall, Torrance gave me a questioning expression. I apologized and took his arm. His arm was very defined and even through his shirt, I felt the heat radiating from him. We walked down in silence, neither of us knowing what to say. We really hadn't had many one-on-one conversations. If we were together, it was always with Brant or Falon, or both. I know Torrance wasn't shy, then again neither was I. As we passed by the dining hall, I caught a glimpse of Brant, Raylen, and Janelle all laughing at something Falon was talking about. Raylen's arm still draped over Brant's. I felt my body tense up and knew my face was red. Torrance noticed and asked if everything was ok. I took the opportunity to put on my most charming smile and give him a kiss on the cheek, hoping Brant saw us. Torrance looked confused, so I just pulled him along onto the terrace quickly. There were two servers waiting for us. Torrance pulled my chair out for me and then seated himself. The first server poured our waters while the other left to retrieve our first dish. Maybe I would play this night to my advantage to make Brant a little jealous. Raylen was beautiful and a better match for him. He couldn't deny our chemistry though. From our brief moment earlier, I knew he wanted me as much as I wanted him. I put my hand on Torrance's and asked what else he had planned for tonight, giving him my most mischievous smirk. He seemed confused by my change in mood and enthusiasm but said we had the theatre all to ourselves after to watch whatever I would like. Perfect! Torrance's POV I tried to start up a conversation during our dinner. I asked about Mea's upcoming birthday celebration and how she felt about her shift. If we were going to be chosen mates, I needed to know her intentions with her Goddess-given mate. I just didn't talk to her that much alone to know how to broach the subject. She said she was excited to get her wolf and attend the shifting at the end of the month for the first time. Her birthday celebration would be a big event. Alpha James always went over the top it seemed. I knew other Alphas would be in attendance and worried they could be her fated mate. I have heard how difficult it is to reject this connection from my parents. They both rejected their fated mates and chose to mark each other. Their bond is not as strong, since they are not fated, but have made each other happy nonetheless. Mea's father married his fated mate and then his second chance mate. For whatever reason, he decided a chosen mate was better for his children. I'm sure it had something to do with benefitting their pack. Golden Lunar's pack was 3 times the size of ours. They had a larger force of warriors, but our pack specialized in weapons. Our intelligence unit was working on some new serums that could wipe out a wolf's ability to shift for up to 30 minutes. This could prove very valuable in a war or rogue attack. There were definitely benefits in our packs becoming closer.