His shadow

Opening night

Carter POV

***

Later that day, myself and Mason got ready for our opening event. We were both so excited to finally meet our mate in person, since we've been waiting so long to meet that special someone. It didn't matter to me if she couldn't feel the bond the way we could, I just wanted to catch a whiff of her sweet scent. I've been dreaming of this day, where I finally find my mate and her loving me for as long as we're alive...even beyond that. For the longest time I needed someone to love me entirely, regardless of who I was. This was the most important day of both our lives, and the fact that she could still reject our bond was terrifying. I never understood how the moon goddess could grant you an eternal mate, yet still grant the choice of rejection. My thoughts were scattered all over the place, as I kept throwing clothes out on the floor. I needed to look my best for my future luna.

"Do you think we should get her a bouquet or would it be too much?_Carter...Bro!!" My brother came bursting in my room, forcing my drifting mind to focus on him. Like myself, he was a nervous wreck, wanting everything to be perfect for her.

"Huh? hmm, I don't know man. I mean I guess flowers would be okay, if we didn't already have so many arrangements all over the gallery." The nerves displayed themselves all over his pathetic looking face as he peered towards me for help. I couldn't think straight while my wolf constantly howled with anticipation, pacing up and down in my mind.

Eventually we were dressed and met up downstairs. I wore a petrol blue short sleeve slim fitted shirt, paired with my black slim checked trousers and black suede penny loafers. My brother chose to wear a navy long sleeve slim fitted shirt paired with light slim grey pants, and brown leather shoes. We looked presentable, with every hair combed in its place.

"Oh, remind me to inform Freya that I arranged for us to have lunch tomorrow to discuss business."

"And our other, more demanding situation?"

"We'll just have to wait until the right moment." I couldn't guarantee that my wolf would be able to wait patiently, it's been driving me insane since yesterday.

"What if she rejects us, or, one of us?"

"That's why it's crucial that we take things with a grain of salt. Everything will be okay, we just have to trust and give the bond time to develop."

"How is it that everytime you get nervous, you become more technical?" He simply chuckled and shrugged at my question.

"Listen, before we fly down to Boise, let's inform Kim that we'll be gone for the rest of the weekend." Kim, our beta, is like our little sister. She's the daughter of our pack's former beta and our father's best pal, Andreas. We grew up together, and we've always been very protective of her...not that she ever needed it. Kim was a skilled fighter, like her dad. He trained the pack, and when he stepped down, Kim took over. We were more than delighted to crown her as beta of the Moonstone hounds. She's a great warrior, and is more than capable of leading our pack while we handle our business.

Flying out to Boise only meant that we were one step closer to seeing our mate, and the feeling was invigorating. Mating with our luna will have our pack's strength soaring through the skies, intensifying our connection with our ancestors. When we landed in Boise the air immediately smelled sweeter, confirming that our mate had been there. My wolf shun through my eyes trying to rummage the area, if he were to gain full control we would be hunting our luna down at that very moment. I fought the urge to give into the temptation, as we drove off to the gallery. "And please brother, don't scare her away with your animalistic antics. Keep that beast at bay. For now, at least." I caught the glint in his eyes and my sinister grin couldn't hide all the devilish things I wanted to do to her as my wolf growled her name. "Freya..."

The evening was finally upon us as the sheer agony of the elongating hours admittedly ran out. "She should be here soon enough brother." Mason reassured.

"Indeed, Kellaway notified me of their whereabouts and they are to be here soon enough." I could sense Mason's excitement as it bounced off his pheromones. "Don't get too excited there brother, we still have to meet her first." He chuckled before gulping down his champagne. "Get me another to take the edge off, would you?" Smiling, I shook my head before waving over a waiter walking with a tray of drinks.

We strolled through the gallery, showing off our displays of art to sponsors and potential buyers. There were a few painted by Freya, and they were our centers of attraction. Soon enough we were both restless with anticipation as the minutes passed by. We were networking with a few buyers when it happened. A burst of sweet vanilla and pear essence filled the air and my wolf went ballistic with joy. I glanced at my brother who carefully looked over at me, beaming. My wolf wanted control, but I couldn't let her meet him just yet. I tried my best to calm him down, until I caught a glimpse of her stepping out of the ladies room, moving through the many bodies aimlessly moving around. She had to feel something as she walked straight in our direction. None of the stories our mother told us about mates could ever come close to what I'm feeling, looking at my mate right now. Everything happened in slow motion as we pushed forward to meet her. Her seductive stare was focused on both myself and Mason. Eyes darting back and forth, I could tell that she felt it too, or at least, she felt something. The intense pull that radiated from her body unto us was pure regal and it reeked of rareness. The harmonious pull of liquid silk was shortly interrupted by one of her teammates. My wolf pushed forward with annoyance, wanting to rip apart whoever it is that dared interrupt our forming bond. I couldn't stop it from moving us towards her. My brother, on the other hand, looked very collected as he tried to reassure my wolf that mate was still ours. Maybe I should've had a few drinks as well, to calm myself down. My wolf seemed to heed to Mason's aura and mirrored it to some extent, but when this woman tried to touch Freya, I couldn't help the growl that escaped my lips. It's extensively territorial, this mate thing. Mason elbowed my side and I glared for a second until I froze mid-stare, trying to plaster on politeness the moment she looked up at us. Although our wolves were very powerful, they seemed weak in her presence.

"Miss Pattinson. A pleasure to finally meet you." Mason cut through her awkward stare.

"Thank you for having us, and giving me the opportunity to manage a whole gallery." Her smile instantaneously replacing the awkward gawk. She is breathtakingly beautiful. I was at a loss for words, trying to compose myself and not seem too weird. Drool gathered in my mouth as I wanted to touch her soft skin. The moment we shook hands, I could've sworn that I touched heaven's gate, her hand is so soft and tender it could easily break if squeezed too hard. The bond reciprocated pleasant sparks through my hand at the touch of her velvet skin on mine. I tried my best to keep my wolf calm as he howled with immense joy. The warmth of her hands still lingered on my palm and I knew that there couldn't be anything greater than to be loved by one's soul mate. At that very moment I was happier than I've ever been in my entire life, this unfamiliar notion almost had me teary with contentment, but I needed to show dominance. "I need to catch my breath." I managed to mumble to my brother as I couldn't keep my wolf at bay any longer. "My apologies miss Pattinson, miss Lisa. If you could excuse us for a moment, my brother and I need to discuss some pressing matters."

"Oh. Of course, sir. We can speak again."

"Please, call me Mason. This is my twin brother Carter."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet both you, Mr Mason, and Mr Carter Anderson."

"It really was something meeting you in person, miss Pattinson." I could hear Mason's smirk laced in his words. All I could do was gaze at her beauty, while my wolf took full control of my body. "Mate" I slipped out under my breath when Mason lightly elbowed me once again, snapping me out of my trance. "Excuse us."