Chasing October

Two

Come eight o'clock, I was ready for the ritual. My heart was beating wildly in my chest, and for once in my life, I was unable to speak. Around me, all of the members from our pack that were eighteen or older, and expecting their mate, lingered around, talking and waiting for the moon to make its presence. I wiped my hands on my skirt, watching as Cecily ran over to me, her eyes bright and wide with excitement. Behind her, her dress flowed in the wind before it settled and fell to the forest ground.

"You look pretty," I commented, smiling in her direction. Cecily smiled, wrapping her arms around me in a hug.

"You do too, Star," she whispered in my ear before grabbing my hand and squeezing. "I'm so excited to finally meet my mate, you know? I've been so excited to have what my parents have."

I nod, agreeing, but held my stomach as I felt that familiar dread. "I don't know what's happening, but I hope everything goes well with mine."

Giving me a warm smile, I let her pull me up front near her parents and mine, not missing the excited squeals from the girls as Garrett and Liam walked their way up front to their own parents. My father's arm slid around my shoulders and he placed a kiss on my head, squeezing me warmly,

"I'm proud of you, Star," he whispered in my ear before stepping back over to my mother, both of them looking at me with a large, loving smile on their face.

When the moon started to shine through the clouds, everyone started to erupt into cheers and howls, even Cecily who was bouncing in her spot at my side. Placing my hand on my hip, I felt the mark begin to let a warm tingle loose before it started to burn, glowing beneath my shirt. Everyone around me stood still, staring at each other, searching out for their mate.

Glancing at my hand, I looked at the reflection of the moon on my skin, not missing the golden glow that enveloped my body. I remembered my parents telling me this, and I begin to look around slowly, looking for the same golden glow that would match my mate. I caught the eyes of expecting males, but their disappointment only fueled the pain in my chest. At this point, I began to assume it was simply anxiety I was feeling, and I took a deep breath to make myself relax, my eyes closing as my head began to swim.

Cecily was stuck staring into a males gaze, her mark on her waist glowing brightly as he walked over. There was that same familiar, loving smile that my parents had as they both gazed into each other's eyes.

Turning my attention away from them, I looked around for my own mate once again, finding it easier now that most had found their own. Stepping around the pack members that were finding themselves lost in the gaze of their mate, I start to sigh when my hunting was starting to come to an end, the moon starting to get lost in the clouds.

Just as I was about to give up, I felt the warmth of my mark start to burn, and I froze in my spot as my eyes locked onto my mates. I watched his eyes grow wide before he walked over to me, closing the distance in just a few footsteps.

With a cheesy smile, Garrett looked down at me, his green eyes sparking underneath the moonlight. For the last few minutes, we were all entranced by our mates, his fingertips grazing my cheek to erupt the tingles that resided in my body. I stared into his eyes, the warning in my stomach disappearing as Garrett lowered his head in my direction.

Here goes it, I thought to myself, my eyes closing on their own, my first kiss.

"Star," Garrett whispered, brushing my lips with his own. "I am rejecting you as my mate."

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Sitting in the hospital, I pulled my knees to my chest as I finished off my book, the last page the typical Happily Ever After. Sam stirred in the bed, and I placed the book down on the table before I looked up at him, wiping my eyes free of the tears that were threatening to fall.