Beauty & the Wolf

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"Be silent little wolf, for the moon hears your cries"

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"Darling you look stunning" Sonya's accent was thick, giving depth and meaning to her words.

Tonight would mark the biggest event of my life; The Mating Ceremony. The night I would shift for the first time, and hopefully find my mate. The Mating Ceremony was held for every newly shifted Princess or Prince, in hopes that they would find their mates and receive the blessing from the King and Queen. Anxiety filled my insides and snaked out through my pores breaking me from my thoughts, sweat beaded upon my forehead giving my skin a natural honey glow.

The King and Queen would be passing down the crowns within just a few short weeks. Being that I was the princess, daughter of the King and Queen, the crowns would come to my mate and I.. If I found him that is.

Meeting my reflection in the tall mirror, I finally took in my appearance. I was sporting an elegant navy blue dress that hugged my curves. Being strapless, it offered enough cleavage to be flattering but still appropriate for a princess. The dress had a slit in the fabric that began at my hip and made its way to the floor, revealing my creamy toned legs. An image of a wolf pack running through the woods by the light of the full moon was stitched in the fabric with gold threads around my torso, along with flowers and vines to accent the piece. It was lovely...definitely fit for a princess.

On my feet I was wearing golden high heels with tiny moon stone gems scattered across the toes and heel. My medium length coffee brown hair was pulled tight into a round bun, with the remaining length of my hair fishtail braided and draped around the bun. My makeup was breathtaking, being done personally by Sonya who had done my makeup so many times she could do it with her eyes closed. She had chosen a dark blue shadow to put on the outside of my lids, fading to a golden glittery shadow on the inside corners. Eyeliner drawn up into perfectly symmetrical wings made my eyes pop and gave me a seductive look.

My heart skipped a beat at the thought of my mates first impression when his eyes finally landed on my body that was primped and dolled to perfection for him and the rest of our pack. Would I be lucky enough to have a mate that resides in our pack?

"Are you ready to do this?" Sonya asked breaking the silence, shooting me a smile that effortlessly showed her pride and love. I glanced to the stunning woman before me, the woman who had vowed her life to protect me until I have taken position as Queen. When the crowns are passed down to my mate and I, she will have the option to retire or continue her guard-ship. I silently prayed that she would stay with me, she converted from being my childhood nanny to being my teenage guard. We'd grown fond of each other over the course of 17 years.

She may seem to be quite small for a guard, I pity the fool that doubts her skill. Sonya may hold herself well and come off as another member of the royal family but she's actually our best female fighter and has trained our young pups and warriors for many years. My pups would only be trained by her, she's the best of the best and our future generations will thrive with her knowledge and skill.

"As ready as I'll ever be" I answered finally, noticing her eyes locked on to me curiously. I puffed out a nervous breath and turned to face her, my hands were visibly shaking. Tonight was going to be one of the most memorable and chaotic nights of my life, I get to meet my wolf and my mate for the first time. Today is the beginning of the rest of our lives together.

Taking note of my nervous state Sonya glided towards me and placed her hands on my shoulders, gazing deep into my eyes. "Breathe dear, I cannot tell you that this will be easy because it will not. Not only will you disappoint your pack if you do not find your mate, but you will disappoint your parents as well. The future of our family rests on your shoulders darling. But when you find him, you're going to make us all so proud." Purring reassuringly, she sent me a tight lipped smile and turned on her heel heading for the door.