The Sylvan Mate

“Are you excited my lady?” the maid omega asked, combing through my hair with a boar hair brush. Her excitement exuded from her as she could vicariously imagine herself in my position. However, I didn’t feel the same as her. My coming of age was finally here and my father had kept me hidden within the palace walls, away from the pack so that I wouldn’t bond and mate before the annual ball. Such was the task of every father whose daughter turned 18 before the Mating Masquerade.  Each year, the packs would congregate and bring forth their newly blossomed daughters. All eligible male wolves were also in attendance so that they could find and bond with their mate. It was a tradition that had such success that it had been happening for longer than I had been alive. Every she-wolf eagerly awaited the day that she would put on a pretty gown and mask to flounce onto the dance floor and sway to the lilt of a string quartet. Eventually, she would find her mate and leave the floor to covet him elsewhere. Even on the floor couples began to get too handsy and I’d witnessed it year after year. Something about their public displays of lust made me shiver, but also frown. Oddly enough, I’d always found the exuberance of my fellow wolves and lack of self control unattractive, but I also had never experienced the same. “I suppose,” I drawled, though there was little to look forward to. I was in a difficult position when compared to other she-wolves. I was the single child of the MacCormaigh Clan (as the humans knew us) or MacCormaigh Pack. I had no brothers to inherit my father’s Alpha title as my mother had been killed by a vampire just two years after birthing me. I was destined to become the next Alpha and I knew that my father was praying that I’d bond with Fergus, the Beta’s son.  The expectations set in front of me made my stomach churn uncomfortably. What if Fergus wasn’t my mate? What if I mated with an Omega? I worried what my father might think, especially with other clans in attendance. Not only was this the time for young lycans to bond, but this was also a time for the clans to meet and discuss what had happened over the last year. We lived within a human kingdom as nobles. The clans acted like a border for the humans. Our castles and keeps formed a circle to protect them and shield them from any invasion from vampires (our natural enemies). In exchange for our protection, the king overlooked the fact that we were not human and gave us grandiose titles and privileges. Humans were still wary of us, but they knew that we had sworn to protect them in exchange for living peacefully. After all, lycans were no direct threat to humans and we did more good than harm. This alliance also allowed for the king not to worry about a lycan uprising, since many wolves thought humans pitiful and weak. Such wolves did not belong in any of the clans and were ejected to be rogues. The packs survived because of this treaty and these castles had long been our homes. “I think that you’ll be more excited once you get to see the ball,” Aileen said in a bright and chipper voice, running the brush through my hair still. “I remember my first ball. It took me barely an hour to find my mate, Aaron.” I gave her a kind smile, but my brain began tuning out the details that Aileen was giving me. Wolves had no sense of shame when it came to displaying their sexuality or describing it. Oddly enough, without a mother to bring this trait out in me, I had found myself sheltered by my father who no longer had a mate to lust after. Rather, I had been primed and trained like a human noble girl. My father had brought outside tutors, human tutors, to help me hone my sharp mind. I was to be an Alpha and I needed to have the advantage of intelligence because being a female (and a small at that) made me weaker to the physically superior male wolves. I would not submit to a mate, a mate would submit to me and regard me as equal or superior. “Typically, you’re supposed to spend a certain amount of time on the dance floor, but it’s difficult once you have found your mate,” Aileen continued. “All you want to do is slip out the back and have a romp in the grass to seal the bond-” she giggled, her cheeks tinging pink at the thought of it, but I noticed the flutter in her lashes and the heat in her breath as she became aroused simply by the thought of her mate. Dear Goddess Brighde, we aren’t going to be like that are we? I asked my wolf, wondering if I would lose all sense of my brain to instinct. The pale ivory wolf blinked her amethyst eyes. We are different. It shall be hard to control ourselves, but… We have always been good at control. Brighde was right. Since six months ago when I had turned 18, the two of us had been like two peas in a pod. The depth of our mutual understanding made us less like two and more like one. Even though Brighde was not me, I thought she was much more like me than others explained their wolves were like. I had seen friends change completely after being exposed to their wolf at 18, but I felt that Brighde complimented me and made me stronger than I had been before. I had no doubt that Brighde would not become a whimpering b***h in heat when the time came. She had not disappointed me thus far and I would not do the same to her.  “I think it’s about time that we put you in your dress,” Aileen said finally, saving me from listening to how she had f****d her mate the first time. To the humans, our Alphas were known as the Lord. Each Lord or Alpha was afforded luxuries from the tax of their land and whatever goods they produced and traded. Within our fork of land, we produced wool, salt, and fish, all commodities that were easy to trade and made good coin. The dress I had been afforded for the ball was spectacular and rich, a gown that most she-wolves drooled over. Personally, I felt it was a display of our wealth and knew I had to possess the right demeanor when stepping onto the floor. No doubt any other daughters of other Alphas would be just as well poised as I was. I hated anything poofy or difficult to move in, thus my dress was suited to these preferences. It was a dark, midnight blue and fell down in a simple, sheathe manner. The wasit was cinched by a thin belt and the neckline plunged dangerously and might have threatened to spill the wearer’s breasts had I been gifted with large boobs. Instead, mine were the size of small apples and would not fall out at the neckline swept down in a dramatic manner, tapering to a thin slit that ended at the waist high belt.  The dress had thin straps, but was covered by a long and thin piece of translucent silk that was embroidered with glittering champagne gold branches. It swept down elegantly, hiding my fair and bare shoulders, pinning at my throat, but opened in the front so the dark blue dress, also latticed with sparkling champagne branches, was clearly visible. Any movement or step caught candle light and my cloak of pink gold would snatch the attention of any passerby. To me, I thought it was regal and elegant, not the foufy ball gown of a sub adult. Aileen braided by ivory hair, collecting the thick, curly ringlets at the nape of my neck in an extravagant bun. A few tendrils framed by face, which was soft and youthful. I was small, petite, and fair. Gentle dark brows winged over violet eyes, a small nose, and full rose lips. Many in the MacCormaigh pack claimed that I was kissed by the Goddess, which was why I had such fair hair. Others joked that maybe my mother had an affair with an elf, although those words were never uttered in front of my father (not unless they wanted to lose their head). “Oh my lady, you are such a ravishing sight,” Aileen sighed, her eyes brimming with tears as she stood in front of me to look at her handy work. She had applied a little bit of dark eye shadow on my lids and pearl powder on the inside corners to make my eye pop, but had done nothing else. “Many wolves will be wishing they were destined to be your mate.” “I think they’ll be distracted by the pursuit of their own mates to find me so ravishing,” I said lightly, giving the maid a gentle, but truthful smile. I could be the most beautiful woman in the ballroom and the male wolves would only see their mates. Perhaps she was referring to the she-wolves that wished they were in my shoes when they came across their mate… Either way, clothing mattered little when all you saw was the person beneath them.  “Well, let’s put on your mask now. You’ll need to walk to the ballroom soon enough,” Aileen diverted, going over to the vanity to open a box covered in crimson brocade. Inside was an ornate, rose gold mask. The mask itself was solid and hand painted, but the added details were made of thin rose gold and diamonds. Painted feathers adorned the left side and minute tracings gave the mask an extravagant depth.  Aileen placed it against my nose and went around back to secure the ribbon without ruining the work she had done on my hair. My heart fluttered at the time neared when the ball would begin. I would be lying if I didn’t admit to myself that I was nervous. I was to be an Alpha and the last thing I wanted to do was lose control of myself in front of all of the clans. You won’t. I promise you that, Brighde swore.