Fated

Chapter Three

Emily stared into the mirror. Today was quite eventful. She still can't believe just a few hours ago Tariq was kissing her...and she allowed it! After their encounter they had a quick breakfast followed by a meeting about the rogue incident with some of the packs warriors and his Beta. They were all surprised that a rogue got so far without being scented or spotted. Throughout the day Tariq made sure he kept her by his side at first it was endearing but she quickly felt uncomfortable especially with the stares the pack members gave her. It seems no one knew she was his true mate and his behavior caused them to worry. Eventually the day took its toll and she begged Scarlet to take her to her room. The green eyed werewolf was her rock. The two had become fast friends and even Scar gave her a worried look when she got to her room but Emily was thankful she said nothing. Now she was preparing for the Order of Superno's annual dinner. It was customary for the host of every meeting to plan a dinner so that the various members could socialize before the meeting the next day. She had made careful preparation for the night's celebration. She chose her outfit well. The pale green gown was covered with intricate designs in lace. It clung to her ample curves and gave her an air of maturity she so desperately craved for after her fiasco with Tariq that morning. She still can't believe she clung to him earlier like some wanton she-wolf! She needed to keep her distance tonight. Emily chose her accessories with the same carefulness as her outfit. It consisted of a simple pearl earring and a charm bracelet. Her hair, which was freshly washed, hung loosely to her sides. She didn't attempt to do much with it except comb it through. Her makeup was natural and almost invisible. As she stared into the mirror that night she looked like a stronger more mature version of her younger gullible self. After her run-in with Tariq years ago she desperately needed a place to run away and lick her wounds. So when her grandmother offered her a chance to leave Greenville – her hometown and go to Italy with her and her coven she didn't hesitate. Even though leaving meant not seeing her parents as often or her hometown she agreed. Over the years she had been able to develop her powers and now she was a fully trained healer – an accomplishment she was proud of. She still wondered where Marcy was since she hadn't seen her since she came....

***

Emily entered she ballroom nervously. Organizing her thoughts and smoothing her pale green dress she ventured further into the ballroom. The Moonstone Pack spared no expense that year. Everything was well organized and elegantly arranged, from the wide section of food to the huge glittering chandelier. As she mingled with similar faces she found herself constantly searching for a glance at him. She suddenly felt someone bump into her and found herself staring at a girl with the bluest eyes she has ever seen. "Sorry Amelia. See you later." Before she could ask the girl how she knew her name the girl disappeared into the vast crowds. Shaking her head she headed to the punch table but quickly veered away when she saw Tariq standing there with her sister. Beautiful blond, blue eyed Marcy- who always got what she wanted. The three of them grew up in Greenville together and over the years Emily had developed a crush on the werewolf but told no one except her sister Marcy whom she thought she could trust. She always wanted to reveal her feelings to him but she knew once he reached 18 he would find his mate and break her heart so she hesitated. Marcy who was more competitive of the two and secretly hated Emily made her move on the young wolf capturing his attention. She wanted to hurt Emily and become Luna. Emily was greatly upset by her sister's betrayal but rallied around after a few weeks of mourning and sulking. She tried her best to come to terms with his unconscious rejection. On the night of his coronation ball she was headed to the library to get away from the crowd. She couldn't stand being in the same room with Tariq or Marcy. Her emotions were ever changing- anger at Marcy, sadness at Tariq and self-pity for herself. She was sitting by the fire side gazing into the burning embers when suddenly the library door flew open and Tariq stalked in. She stood up quickly, slightly alarmed by his behavior and judging from his glazed eyes she knew his wolf was in control and before she could ask him what was wrong she found herself up against the wall. Emily began to panic at his abrupt attention. He began trailing tiny kisses along her collar bone causing her breath to hitch. She felt her body was on fire and fought for control. She thought it was a cruel joke played on her by Marcy and vehemently tried to push him off of her. She managed to push him a few feet away but he growled and stalked towards her again but stopped when he heard her sister calling for him. However he covered the distance and roughly grabbed her whispering "Mine", kissed her senseless and left. Emily, after composing herself went in search of him for answers but when she got to his bedroom what she heard made her realized he chose Marcy over her. She guessed that they were still together by the way her sister clung to Tariq. Hot rage filled her body. He wanted to kiss her even though he was still with her sister! The nerve of him! Emily still couldn't believe Tariq chose her sister over his own mate-her just because Marcy was a fire witch and had more powers than her...or maybe she was prettier. She tried her best to blink the hot tears away brought on by the past and was grateful when she was asked to dance by a vampire. Zan Malik turned out to be a lean, olive skinned vampire who was a scout from the Desert Clan (the largest vampire clan to date) and she enjoyed his company immensely since he managed to take her mind off Tariq and Marcy still being together. He was charming and polite and asked her a lot of questions about herself throughout the evening and she found herself relaxing more in his presence.

***

Tariq entered the ballroom frantically searching for his mate. He knew he messed up earlier in the kitchen by not talking about it. He was sure she was confused by now especially since he didn't tell her about Marcy. He had a special announcement to make later tonight but he wanted her to know first. He was going to officially announce her as his mate-something he should have done years ago. He went to get himself drink but Marcy chose then to make her appearance. He was frustrated with her behavior over the years especially after he broke up with her the night of his coronation ball. He had walked in on her with one of his cousins in his bedroom! It only took Tariq a few minutes to realize he screwed up by rejecting Emily but when he went searching for her the night of his coronation she just disappeared. He and his wolf have craved their mate ever since. Just as he was about to shrugged her off his wolf caught a whiff of roses and honeysuckle. Mate! He turned around and tried his best to swallow a growl. His mate was in the arms of a bloodsucker! He did not like the way he was holding her-he didn't even like the fact that he was holding her or looking at her. He especially didn't like the fact that he could make her laugh so easily. It took all his schooling not to rush over there and stake his claim instead he schooled his face and ventured onto the stage to address the crowd. He was in the middle of his speech when a loud explosion rocked the ballroom. He braced himself as debris rained all around him. Fire and smoke was everywhere. He mind linked Tate to get everyone out to somewhere safe as he searched for his Luna needing to make sure she was safe.