The Call of the Lycan

Chapter One

"Honey, you look absolutely stunning!" My mother cooes with clasped hands at her chest. I sigh. I stand in front of her body length mirror in her bedroom surveying my dress. I'm wearing an emerald coloured silk dress with a plunging neckline & deep slit up one leg. It was a very unforgiving dress. I fussed with the material over my hips, hoping It didn't draw attention to them. I'm not overweight by any means but I am definitely not as skinny as some of the she-wolves in our pack. "Looking sexy won't make my mate appear mom" I say laughing. "Well, maybe not, but you look damn good waiting for him to appear!" My mother fluffs my red curls fir the hundredth time. I have a shock of bright red curly hair & lots of freckles. My skin is fair & my eyes are bright green. When my wolf takes over my eyes glow bright gold. I know that I'm attractive by human standards but my Garou standards I'm a bit of an oddball with my harsh features. Very few wolves had bright red hair. Even more, when I fully shift my coat is bright red too. My mother hands me strappy black heels and some jewelry. Sometimes I feel like this is just a game of dress up to her. To me, I felt the pressure of every event we went too. I'm 23 years old and still haven't met my mate. It's embarrassing if I'm being honest. I gave up looking years ago and now I just try to suffer through the formal events I have to attend. I'm a little bitter and jaded at the moon goddess for not giving me my fated mate at 18 like most other Garous. I truly believe I don't have a mate out there anymore. This is why I devoted my adult years to being a nurse practitioner. I just graduated school a few months ago & joined the packs practice. I'm proud of my work & how committed I am to community health. I know my parents are proud of me too. They want me to meet my mate though & start popping out grandchildren. Hence, my mother dressing me up like a doll in hopes tonight is the night I meet him. Tonight is a more low key event, being the engagement party of the Alphas son. My father is the Beta of the pack, so I am expected to attend. The Alphas son will have many single friends from other packs there for the party. My mother hopes one of them will be my mate. "Tonight is the night Honey! I can feel it. He's going to be there" My mom says emphatically. I roll my eyes. "Just like every other night huh?" I say sarcastically. My wolf Inaya yips in my mind. 'Something about tonight is different' she agrees. 'I'm just tense from work' I say to Inaya, brushing her off. Inaya huffs & cuts off our link. Sensitive wolf.

We drive to the party & I can feel my anxiety amping up. I'll stay as long as absolutely necessary then I will leave. I had a new book at my cottage home waiting for me. Hopefully the food will be good at least. I dread seeing certain she-wolves that will be in attendance like the Alphas daughter & nieces. They're the most popular & beautiful Garous in the pack, & they didn't let anyone that doesn't worship them forget it. We pull up to the mansion & the party is in full swing, music & laughter floating out of the house. As we step inside the Alphas daughter Jennifer, Sarah& her cousin Allison warmly greet my parents. When my parents move past them they turn to me & sneer at me. I roll my eyes & flip then off, marching past them into the ballroom. Hanging flowers fill the room & a string quartet is playing classical music. Waiters walk around with fingers foods and flutes of champagne. I grab a flute of champagne in each hand. My mother gives me a pointed look. I raise my eyebrows at her in defiance as I down one glass & then hide it in a plant. May as well get some enjoyment out of the night. Many young female and male Garious are sniffing the air, hoping to find their mate tonight. I scoff at their obvious desperation. A few of the males sniff me out & give me disappointed looks when they realize I'm not their mate. My parents start dancing so I sit on the sidelines & drink several champagne flutes. I hate these events so much. I see the Alpha, his son & other staff talking in the corner. I'll have to congratulate them later since they look so stressed right now. After an hour of sitting I decide to go get some fresh air in the garden. As I stroll out the door Jennifer & Allison sneer at me again. They didn't have fated mates yet either but they took chosen mates. I refuse to take a chosen mate even though I would be bullied less. I roll my eye at them & keep walking. I find the garden easily, feeling relaxed at how much moonlight poured into the garden. I believed the moon goddess blessed whatever her light touched, so she must be blessing this garden. The flowers & bushes were so lush & stunning, like something out of a magazine. I follow the garden path to a large fountain & inhale the wonderful smelling flowers. Suddenly Inaya starts pacing in my mind. 'Whats the matter?' I ask her feeling annoyed. No response. I ignore her now. I breathe again & get a small whiff of the most intoxicating smell. It's pine & fresh rain. I inhale again & start look for the source of the smell. 'It's him Clara. It's our mate!' Inaya starts yipping excitedly, spinning in circles. My heart pounds like crazy. Is this it? Finally? I start looking around for him. Where is he? His smell is getting stronger. Suddenly I see a huge figure emerging from around the corner. The moon light reveals the most handsome man I've ever seen. He's nearly seven feet tall with tousled black hair & ocean blue eyes framed by long black eyelashes. His jaw is chiseled out like a greek god & so is his body, looking incredibly muscular. This man is so beautiful the moon goddess herself must have carved him. He wears a gorgeous Italian silk suit, with tattoos on his hands & neck. He stops when he sees me, looking annoyed. Our eyes meet & I gasp. The mate bond snaps into place like a steel cord that anchors our hearts & souls together. Suddenly this man is the most important thing in the world to me. My heart is pounding so hard I think I might pass out. Inaya is howling with glee & barking excitedly. His wolf shines in his eyes, making them glow a bright red. I freeze in shock at his red eyes. "Mate" he says in a deep & powerful voice. His voice is so husky & sexy that I forget how to breathe for a second despite the red eyes. Inaya makes my eyes shine too. "Mate" I say back without hesitation. I'm so shocked that his eyes are glowing red I can't even think clearly. I've never seen a Garous eyes glow red. Only Rogues have red glowing eyes.