The way of the wolves.

As she stared into his brown eyes, she knew that he wasn’t going to choose her. The law of the wolves was when the alpha male turned twenty-five, he had to choose a mate. He wasn’t going to choose her when her sisters were so much prettier and had so much more to offer. Her heart sank, and her stomach did flips. She’d have to watch her best friend marry someone else and she’d have no choice but to be happy for them. She had never fit in with the wolves, always choosing to be alone with her books instead of one with the pack. Only Jenz could break her attention away from her love affair with the dead tattooed remnants of trees. He always knew where to find her, and what to say to make her join the pack. Her sisters had the social prestige that she would never have but was necessary to be an alpha’s mate. He would choose one of the others because that was what was expected. She wanted to run away but she couldn’t.

The ceremony would go on regardless how uncomfortable she was in the silly dress. The moon shone brightly down on the clearing. She stood there along side several other girls in frilly dresses waiting for Jenz to make his decision. He looked so handsome in his tux. He looked at each girl, but unlike most alphas, he didn’t trace their body line. He looked into their eyes, searching for unknown motives. There was an itch under her skin. She so desperately wanted to escape and to run free. She wanted to let her inner wolf out on this beautiful night and forget that he wasn’t choosing her. He would be a great leader, as his father had been before him. He had always been mature for his age, and to be honest, who wouldn’t want to marry him? He was made by angels. His brown eyes always searching, and always knowing. His black hair always having a tousled sway to it. He was built like a lumberjack, incredible muscles bulging under his clothes. She longed to run her hands over his arms and chest. She had always felt dainty next to him. But he wasn’t just some dumb jock, he was smart and responsible.

She was so absorbed in her own fantasy, that she didn’t notice he had stopped in front of her. Her stomach dropped even more, as this was the part of the ceremony, she dreaded the most. He would ask a different question about leading a pack to each girl, and she would have to answer. One by one, a girl would be eliminated until he came down to his mate, for to be the alpha’s mate, one had to be smart and a natural born leader. At least when she was eliminated from the first round, she could get away. “What are the characteristics an alpha would look for in a mate?” She loved the sound of his deep voice. She swallowed a lump in her throat. “Loyalty, trust, honesty.” Her throat felt as dry as the desert. He moved onto the next girl. She would be eliminated without a doubt. To her shock, she wasn’t dismissed. One of the other girls was turned away. The girl looked close to tears but accepted the refusal with her head held high. To be the alpha’s mate was a close to royalty as one could get. She had never really dreamt of royalty or had fantasies about movie stars. She knew her place in the world.

Question by question, other girls were eliminated. It came down to her two sisters, a childhood friend, and her. She was so nervous by this time; she was almost sick. She had been sure that she wouldn’t have made it this far. But now that she had, her nerves were killing her. He never once showed any emotion, never cluing in on who he was going to choose. Her childhood friend was eliminated this time. So, it came down to the three sisters. He stared at each one for several minutes. She wondered if this is what is felt like to be on stage. The next round of questions started. “When an alpha chooses his mate, how long are they mated for?” She felt as if her questions were easier than the other girls’. “An alpha mates for life, unless death was to occur then he would be able to choose a new mate.” He moved on to her two sisters. They both answered their questions flawlessly, and she was sure he was going to send her home. To her shock, he dismissed her younger sister. She tried to give support but knew that this would cause havoc in their household. And she wasn’t exactly sure how supportive she was when her smile was crooked, and she still felt nauseous. The final round was here, and never in her wildest dream, did she think she’d make it this far. Her older sister looked at her with the harshest glare in her eyes. She wasn’t sure why her sister was so upset. There was no way he was going to choose her. She was socially awkward and had no desire to be one with the pack.

He walked around the two of them, making her feel more like a bug under a magnifying glass. He looked at her sister and asked his question. After her sister’s answer, he walked towards her. She wasn’t sure if her stomach could be in any more knots, but she had a feeling that it was going to do a couple more flips before the night was over. “What is the law of the wolves?” This had to be the easiest question. This was something that had been drilled into their heads since before they could write. She waited a minute before answering mainly to see if there was more to the question or if this was a trick. “Our alpha is leader, our way, and we will do anything to protect our alpha.” A smile crept onto his lips. It was very subtle but it was there. He turned back to the crowd, and cleared his throat. The crowd became exceptionally quiet. The only sounds were the sounds of the forest. “I have chosen.” Her heart was beating so fast; she was sure that the crowd could hear it. “My mate will be…” The anticipation was horrible. “Adrianna.” Her heart completely stopped in her chest. Did he say her name? Surely, this was a dream. Or maybe she passed out and hit her head. That was it; she had suffered a traumatic brain injury. This was just a figment of her imagination, until her older sister stomped away. Nope, she wasn’t imagining it. He really did say her name. She had to remind herself to breathe. The crowd clapped but she could tell that she hadn’t been the one they had chosen.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her to where his father sat. This was her wedding night, and she wasn’t even close to being prepared. She had thought the whole time that she was going home, she hadn’t even considered the other alternative. She tried to remember the lessons her mother had always taught them. Her mother was certain that the next alpha’s mate would come from their bloodline. One of the lessons was to never show fear. She wasn’t sure how well she was accomplishing that but she took a couple of deep breaths and tried to regain her composure. The current alpha looked at her with what could be described as a disapproving look. He didn’t say anything though. “Father.” Jenz’s voice was so calm and soothing. It gave her strength.

He took her hand, and they stepped in front of the current alpha. The first part of the passing of the alpha title was the wedding. Alpha Jerome stood up and began the ceremony. The vows came and went and before she knew it, she was saying ‘I do.’ She hadn’t really thought about this, or what this meant. She couldn’t even say she was overwhelmed with joy. Mostly at this point, she was just overwhelmed. This isn’t exactly what she had in mind for her wedding day. The next part of the alpha rite of passage was the branding. She had always hated hearing about this part. Jenz would be branded with a hot iron, and then they as a couple would lead the pack in their first hunt as Jenz being the alpha. He knelt down, unbuttoning his shirt as he did. She caught a glimpse of his remarkable chest. That was when it hit her. She was really married to this incredibly sexy wolf. She came to this realization right as alpha Jerome brought out the iron. She wished she could just go back to her fantasy of Jenz. He was so brave. The only noise was when he sucked in a deep breath as his father placed the iron on his right chest. There was a hissing sound as the iron melded with his flesh. He didn’t say anything as he stood up. He took her hand and they turned to face their people. The crowd bowed in respect and then parted so they could start the hunt.

The itch that had been under her skin all night was finally to the point of unbearable. She had to wait for Jenz to shift but then she could be free. He jumped and before he hit the ground, he shifted into the most beautiful black wolf. She followed his jump, and shifted herself. Her skin felt as if it were growing. She changed into an auburn wolf and followed Jenz. The rest of the pack shifted as well. Jenz led the way into the forest. She stayed by his side as the alpha’s mate was supposed to do. After a minute, he howled signaling to the rest of the pack that the prey was just ahead. It was a herd of deer. They lead the way, and as accustomed, Jenz attacked first, then the rest of the pack joined in. Finally, after everyone had eaten their fill, they were dismissed. Jenz came up to her and gently nuzzled her neck. He shifted back to his human form. She had always been embarrassed when wolves changed, not that it seemed to bother anyone else. “Adrianna, are you ready to go home?” His voice was deep and held a seductive quality. She shifted as well. She didn’t look him in the eyes until after she’d slipped her dress back on. “Did you deliberately give me the easy questions?” He ran his hand through his hair. He hadn’t put a shirt back on and was just standing there in his pants, not realizing that he was truly the definition of perfection. “Yes.” There was a long moment of silence. “Why didn’t you choose one of the more socially accepted candidates?” He smiled. “You mean why didn’t I choose one of your sisters?” She nodded slightly. “Because that’s not who I wanted. I wanted you. I’ve always wanted you. You’ve always been my best friend, and even though, you prefer your books to the company of the pack, you always were the calm to my fury.” His statement took her back. She’d never guessed that he’d had anger or rage. He’d always seemed so well put together. He came over and kissed her. It wasn’t a friendly peck; it was the kiss of an alpha claiming his mate. “You always seemed to have the right answer when I was confused. And not to mention, I’m absolutely in love with your eyes. They are the most beautiful violet eyes I’ve ever seen. I knew I couldn’t wake up everyday without seeing those eyes.” She blushed. He had never spoke to her like this but then it had been borderline prohibited. She wasn’t the one his father approved of, so of course, the show of affection was looked down on. But Jenz had chose his own way, had chose to be different, had chose her.

She woke up next to the most perfect man. He had spent the night showing her that an alpha was nothing without his mate. As expected, his father had built them a beautiful home. One day, Jenz would do the same for his son. The sunlight peaked through the windows, and she couldn’t help but think that maybe she was still dreaming. Of course, that was before she got up to move and realized how sore she was. She padded into the kitchen, thinking how beautiful this house was and how angry her sisters must be. She’d have to make it up to them somehow, not that this was what she had planned but still. She began making coffee. The wonderful aroma drifting through the house. She opened the fridge to find it fully stocked. She pulled out stuff to make biscuits and gravy. He came in a little while later. Boy, did he look delicious in his flannel pajama pants. “Good morning.” He said as he pecked her on the cheek. “Good morning.” She said in a soft voice. This is what happiness was like. She hoped that everyday started out as good as this one.

They were allowed two weeks “honeymoon” before they had to assume the alpha role. Those two weeks were perfect and went by incredibly fast. She wasn’t ready for the rest of it. They were to lead the pack on hunts and deal with any issues that arose including the possibility of being discovered by humans. She also had to deal with her sisters, who by this point were probably so mad at her, they couldn’t see straight. She sucked in a breath and went into her parents’ house. She almost instantly wished to be back outside. Her parents didn’t greet her as they normally did, instead they bowed as if royalty had walked through their door. “What can we do for you?” They were very formal, and it made her very uncomfortable. Would they have treated her sisters the same way? Her sisters also bowed but she could tell they were almost biting their tongues in half to keep quiet. “Please stop.” She couldn’t help but ask. This took her family by surprise. They stopped being formal and addressed her as they had done before she’d been chosen. “I came by to apologize and to see if there was anything I could do.” The cold stare her sisters had been giving her shattered. “None of us figured he'd choose me.” A soft smile appeared on her younger sister’s face. “Would you like some tea?” Her mother asked cheerily. She nodded and followed them to the kitchen. After a few hours, everything was right as rain again.

At the next hunt, she stood proudly next to her husband. She felt that he was going to be a great leader, and she was happy that he had chosen her. She hoped that she would be able to balance his duties out. She also hoped that she would be able to give him a son, someone who he could teach the alpha ways and eventually take over his role. She beamed at him, and then followed him into the forest to start the hunt. This is who they were. They were wolves, and wolves followed certain rules. She knew that she hadn’t been the first choice but maybe she could prove that she was a good choice.