River

River. Fall is my favorite time of the year. I love the warm tones the leafs turn before the start falling to the ground. I could stare out my window for hours watching my view from the pack house overlooking the large pond with the mountains and forest in the background. “River! Are you ready for school yet? You're gonna be late.” My mom calls from outside my door. “I’ll be down in a sec.” I call back at her as I grab my bag and stop infront of my mirror to check my outfit one last time before I leave. I have changed a lot since I turned 16. I have gained curves in all the right places. I wasn’t exactly skinny, but not chubby either. Boys started noticing me too because my breasts have also started getting bigger. I started to look more girly even though my tomboy style has not changed at all. Today I was wearing a pair of black ripped jeans with vans sneakers, a plain black t-shirt with a plaid button down over top. My chocolate brown hair was in a messy bun ontop of my head. I hardly ever wore any makeup, but today I decided to put on some mascara and tinted lip balm. “River!” my mom links me. “I’m gonna leave without you.” “Coming!” I say and break the link as I head downstairs. My mom was already waiting at the door for me. She was in more of a hurry this morning because she had to drop me off at school before heading to our neighboring pack to help with training the youngest wolves. My mom is one of our pack’s best fighters and she has trained me pretty well too. We get into her red Audi Q2 and we are on our way. Usually I would drive myself to school but my car was in for a service today. We are fairly wealthy sincemy dad is the Alpha of our pack.I am his only child which means I am next in line to take over Alpha duties. It’s very rare that female werewolves become an Alpha. Since our pack’s excistence there has only been one other female Alpha. She was my great, great, great,great grandmother. I know, It’s a lot of greats. I only have a couple more weeks left of school before I graduate. I am excited, but nervous to start working along side my dad as an Alpha in training. I knew from a young age that I will be the next leader and Alpha of our pack, and I have been training hard eversince my wolf came to me at the age of 14. It’s a very different process for females to become an Alpha. Before my dad can step down and appoint me as the new Alpha, I would need to find my mate. I turn 18 in two weeks and my parents have arranged a large gathering, a.k.a ‘birthday party’ for me. They have invited all of the unmated wolves from other packs in the hopes that I will find my mate. My dad is getting old and he is ready to hand over the responsibilities to me. I am ready too ,but we don’t know how long it could take for me to find my mate. Sometimes wolves find their mate the second they both come of age. And sometimes it could take months or even years depending on the age gap between you and your mate. Both wolves need to be atleast 18 to be able to sense their mate. I am pretty popular. Not by choice, but because I am the Alpha’s daughter and also the next Alpha in line. If I had any choice in the matter I would just lay low and keep to myself. I prefer being in my own company. We pull up to the school and I hop out and say Goodbye to my mother before walking over to my group of friends that is waiting for me at the entrance of the school building. Paisley grabs me into an embrace and kisses my cheek. “Good morning babe.” She chimes in my ear before letting go. Paisley is my best friend. She is a bit dramatic but I love her. She is absolutly gorgeous. All the male wolves hope to be mated to her, and it’s clear as to why. She has the most beautiful blonde hair and ocean blue eyes. She has the legs and body of a model and she always has tanned skin like she just came back from a summer holiday at the beach. “Good morning everyone.” I say looking around my group of friends. The bell rings and we start heading to class. Paisley hooks her arm into mine and walks to class with me. “Have you picked out an outfit for your birthday yet?” she asks sounding way too excited for this time of the morning. “Not yet, but I’m sure I have something in my closet that I can wear.” I say as we stop infront of our classroom. “oh hell no! It’s your 18th birthday! And you might even find your mate! A pair of jeans and a t-shirt is surely not the best outfit choice for the occasion.” She says looking me up and down with a frown on her pretty face. “We’re going shopping after school.” She says and turns her back on me to enter the class. “But…” I start. “No buts.” She cuts me off. I roll my eyes and follow her into the classroom. We hate shopping – my wolf says. I know- I reply. The day goes by fast. I wish it would slow down because I am not looking forward to shopping with Paisley. She is a real girly-girl so I just know I am going to end up in a dress. The bell rings to dismiss school and Paisley is next to me within seconds. Bronwynn at her side. Bronwynn is also one of my close friends. She loves shopping just as much as Paisley does. “Bron is going to join us. I’m going to need all the help I can get to turn you into a princess for your birthday.” She says winking at Bronwynn who smiles back at her. Bronwynn is a bit short and has carmel brown skin that compliments her green eyes perfectly. She has naturally curly hair that looks like a maine when she wears it loose. “Just so you know, I am not looking forward to this” I sigh. “I know.” She laughs as she pulls us toward the exit. “I already told Luna Adeline that we’re going shopping and that my brother will drop you off at home when we are done.” Paisley says as we walk across the parking lot towards her brother’s Jeep. He is standing outside leaning against the Jeep taking a drag of his cigarette. Ashton is a real bad boy. He’s attractive and just like his sister he has gorgeous blonde hair and blue eyes. As we get closer to him he throws the cigarette on the ground and steps on it to put it out. I can see a group of girls passing us swoon over him. He winks at them before greeting us. “Hey Riverbug.” He smiles at me with a perfect set of teeth. I hate that nickname , but he is the only person I would allow to call me that. He has been calling me it since we were little kids. He is a few years older than us and is still unmated. Paisley thinks he is my mate but we don’t know just yet because I am not 18 yet. I doubt it though. He’s the son of my father’s Beta and he would become my Beta as soon as I take over the pack as Alpha. I get along with Ashton really well, and I know we would make a great team when he becomes my Beta. But in regards to him being my mate – I really hope he’s not. I don’t really like the bad boy type. “Hey Ash.” I say smiling back at him as he opens the passenger door for me. He always lets me ride shotgun. Paisley and Bronwynn get into the backseat. “So I hear I’m dropping you ladies off at the mall.” Ashton says raising an eyebrow at me. He knows I hate shopping. “Yep.” I say rolling my eyes. “I don’t have much of a choice apparently.” He laughs and pulls away. Ashton drops us at the entrance of the mall and tells us to let him know when we are done so he can come pick us up and take us home. “Goodluck Riverbug” he says with a smile before he drives away. Paisley wastes no time and we are already making our way into the first store. I look around and ofcourse I am surrounded by dresses. I sigh and watch as Paisley and Bronwynn start picking out dresses for me. I head over to the couch and plop down. After a while they stand infront of me with a ton of options, showing them to me. Most of them are way too revealing but we end up with 3 that I take with me to the fitting rooms. First I try on a baby blue, floor length dress with silver detailing at the waist. It makes my breasts look huge and I immediately take it off. Next I try the black cocktail dress, but it’s way shorter than I expected. Not gonna work. The last dress I try on is very simple, yet elegant. It almost has a velvet texture and it’s a beautiful sage green colour. It shows off my curves without being too revealing. “What’s taking so long? Let’s see!” Paisley bangs at the door. “Okay. Okay.” I say while opening the door to my fitting room revealing me in the floor lenth sage dress. “Wow.” Bronwynn says. Her jaw almost dropping to the floor. “ You look hot.” Paisley says “This was easier than I thought.” I blush looking at my body in the dress. I really don’t like dresses ,but I feel good in this one. My inner wolf wags her tail in agreement. She hates shopping as much as me so I’m surprized that she even made her opinion be known. “We need shoes.” Paisley says “Bronwynn you go with River to find shoes and I will meet you guys in the food court when your done.” She adds and heads out. I’m not sure where she is off to but I get dressed in my jeans and t-shirt again and head to the counter to pay for the dress. Bronwynn and I make our way to a shoe store. I will need some heals for this dress. I am pretty used to walking in heals because Paisley always makes me wear them to events and puts me in dresses. I’m a tomboy at heart ,but even I know sneakers don’t go well with evening gowns. After finding some shoes to go with my dress we head over to the food court and see Paisley standing at the Burger Bar waving us over. She has already ordered drinks. The waiter brings our drinks and takes our orders. “So where did you go off to?” I ask. “I went to get your Birthday present.” She says as she hands me a gift bag. “I know its still a bit early but you can wear it with your dress.” I open the bag to reveal a jewelry box that says Diamond & CO. I look at her with wide eyes. “This is too much, Paisley. I can’t accept an expensive gift like this.” I say to her. Paisley always likes to get people really expensive or extravagant gifts. Diamond & Co. is one of the top jewelry stores in our town. They are rediculously expensive. “Oh hush. Just open the gift will you.” She says. I open the box and it’s a beautiful set that includes a necklace, bracelet and earings. All silver with jewels in a similar colour to my dress, surrounded by tiny diamonds. It’s beautiful. Way more girly than I am used to , but it will look great with my dress. “Thank you, Paisley. It’s beautiful.” I thank her and hug her across the table. Her birthday isn’t long after mine so I will have to find her something too. I’m not sure what I could get her that can make up for my gift. I’m not really good at giving gifts. Maybe my mom would have some ideas. We enjoyed our meal and after paying the bill, Paisley calls her Brother to come pick us up. “Did you ladies enjoy your afternoon?” Ashton askes as we get into his Jeep with several bags. Ofcourse Bronwynn and Paisley also got some outfits for my birthday. They want to look good while there are so many unmated werewolves around. Not that they need much to look amazing. Both of them are naturally beautiful. Ashton drops of Bronwynn first and then his sister. He drops me off last and then he is on his way to go out with his friends. We stop in front of the pack house and he rushes around the Jeep to open my door for me. “Thank you for the ride Ash.” I say as I get out of the car. He grabs my bags. “No problem Riverbug.” He says and walks me to the door. On of the helpers opens the door for me and takes my bags from Ashton. “You can just put them in my room, Thank you June.” I say and she hurries off. “Goodbye Riverbug.” Ashton says and gives me a tight hug. “Goodbye.” I say and wave to him as he walks away. Waiting at the door for him to drive off and wave one last time before I enter the pack house. I head up to my room to unpack my things and do my homework. The time passes quickly and by the time my homework is done, I can smell that dinner is ready. The pack house is large but thanks to having wolf-sences I can smell the food all the way across the mansion that we live in. I head down to the dining room and see my mom and dad is already seated. “Why didn’t you link me and tell me to come down for dinner. Sorry if I kept you waiting.” I say. “We actually just sat down dear. We were about to let you know.” My father says. Something felt strange , but I decided to ignore it and just take my place at the table. The wait staff starts bringing us our plates and drinks. “ How was your shopping trip?” my mom asks. “It was good. I got a dress and shoes for my birthday gathering. And Paisley got me an early birthday gift.” I said and took a sip of my Juice. “I don’t know how she always gets you into a dress. I’m glad you wont be wearing your regular attire.” She says c***ing an eyebrow at me. “What’s wrong with my regular attire?” I ask and we laugh. The strange vibe that I felt is dissapearing and we enjoy our meal, talking about my upcoming birthday and I asked my mom for gift ideas for Paisley. “I really don’t know why that child always insist on buying such expensive gifts.” My mom says. “I guess we will have to go shopping.” She says with a smile. “Please, mom. No more shopping.” I beg and she laughs. “Fine. I will go shopping then.” She says. My father gets a distant look on his face, but snaps out of it fast. “I have to meet with Richard and some of the other wolves in my office.” He says as he excuses himself from the table. Richard is Ashton and Paisley’s father. And he is my father’s Beta. They grew up together and are still best friends. Richard’s family has been the Beta’s of our pack leaders for the past 100 years. Almost as long as my family has been the Alphas. My mother is originally from a pack up North. She was also the daughter of an Alpha, but her Brother Michael took over as the Alpha of their pack. Since I have Alpha blood from both my parents I’m surposed to be more powerful than your average Alpha. I however will only be able to access my full potential once I have found my mate and have been marked. I hope that my mate won't feel intimidated by me being so powerful. That’s one of the reasons why I have never had a boyfriend before. Most guys feel intimidted by me. The only guy so far who doesn’t seem to care is Ashton. But he’s just a good friend. Not my type at all. And he has never even looked at me as more than a friend either, which is strange given his bad boy status. It’s not that I want him to hit on me or anything, I prefer that he doesn’t. Paisley on the other hand is 100% sure that he is my mate. Neither of us agree with her, but I am nervous to be around him when my birthday comes. I really hope he isn’t my mate. After I finish my dinner, I head out to the forest for a run. I take my clothes off and set it next to a tree before I shift into my wolf form. I try to come out for a run often so that my wolf can stretch her legs, but I haven't had time these last few weeks with all the Alpha training. As soon as I am shifted she takes over and runs through the forest. It’s a full moon tonight so I know exactly where she’s headed.