The Unwanted Mate

Chapter 1: I Have No Choice

"Do I have to go?" I whine as I hang onto my mom's arm. She shakes me off onto the floor with a thump.
"What kind of talk is this? Of course you have to go! The Alpha said all unmated females."
I blow air out my mouth. My mom just didn't get it. Not that going to the gathering was a particularly bad thing, but when the Alpha asks for a gathering of all unmated females, he wants a Luna. This guy looked like he was pushing his mid-thirties when I last saw him thirty years ago.
My brother pipes up from his chair.
"We have to congratulate him when he does pick his Luna. Who knows, it might even be you."
I shoot a glare his way. He knows how I feel about this. I don't want a mate. Not that I'm anti-dating, but I want to be free and independent.
"Joey's right. Now, no more arguing on the matter. Go to your room before I get fed up and call your father."
I practically race to my room. I don't want to disappoint my dad.
My walls are a light blue, and as I plop down on my light blue and black bedspread, I can't help but steal a glance out the window. It's my favorite place to sit, perfect for surfing the web. If only I didn't have to cut out time for school, which everyone, even the nerds hate.
I sit down, pulling the curtains back to gaze at the night sky. It twinkles so beautifully. If I could spend tonight gazing at the sky instead of going to our pack thing, which may or may not be the largest pack (I'm failing history) then that would be perfect. I won't know anyone there anyways, and the people I do know are mostly family.
A soft tap on my door jerks me back into reality. I prepare to say the door is open, but my mom beats me to it.
"Honey," she begins gently. "I brought you something." She lays the dress bag on the bed, and when I unzip it, I gasp.The dress was gorgeous; it was on the shorter side but none the less still beautiful. It has a white under layer with a flower lace top, and the bottom flows out to my knees. It has wide thin black straps to hold it up. I draw my mom into a hug.
"Thank you so much! I love it!"
She smiles, kissing me on the head.
"I'm glad. Now, get changed quick." She says, walking out of the room. I look over the dress. The gathering will be at least two hundred more times endurable with this dress.
"Do you think dad will like it?!"
I call.
"He picked it out. I'll do your makeup once you get the dress on."
I close my door and walk into the bathroom. I patted my hair. It was still damp from the last shower. Should I really shower again?
Nah. I take a brush to it, slide on some deodorant, and pull out the dress. It slides on like water, fitting snugly at the torso but flowing out like a skirt. I was like being a mermaid.
Swishing some mouthwash around in my mouth (nothing like minty fresh meat to kick-start your night), I slip on some shoes. I spit out the mouthwash, wipe my mouth, and start walking to my parent's room.
My mom sat at the vanity table, pinning her hair up. She always found a way to look absolutely positively gorgeous. She looks my way and covers her mouth with her hands.
"Come here. Oh, you look beautiful, Bre!" She says, using my nickname I have had since birth. She gets out of her chair, places me in it, and starts to brush my somehow again tangled hair.
Looking in the mirror, I'm not at all surprised that I look like the spitting image of my mother. With her long brunette hair, childlike face, and big, brown eyes, I just look like a smaller version of her. My brother takes attributes from both my mom and my dad.
My mom stops brushing my hair and applies concealer and a tad bit of mascara. Tears starts filling up her eyes. I grab her hand and squeeze; she always got emotional when I got all dressed up. Then she rants about me growing up.
"I just can't believe my little girl is going to be eighteen." And it begins. "Sooner or later you will have a mate, and then you are going to move out and then have a family on your own." She says quickly.
I squeeze her hand gently as she continues. "You'll make us proud."
"So be opposite of Joey." I say, which gets me a laugh from her.
Speak of the devil, my brother storms in. "I am a wolf you know, I can hear when you insult me!" He says, waving his arms around. Pain and anger flash in his eyes.
He talks with his hands a lot. I feel sorry for his future mate. One day he'll be talking and accidentally knock her in the face. Not on purpose. If my dad ever found out Joey hurt anyone on purpose....he would probably murder him painfully and then bring him back, just so he could spend the rest of his days staring at his father's disappointed face.
My father's disappointed face could make a nun feel like the devil for forgetting to send a quick prayer to God for giving her food. Which has happened before, but that's a story for another day.
Joey motions towards the door.
"Are we ready to get a move on? I just got off the phone with dad."
"Just one more thing," says my mom, pulling something out of the closet. A black cardigan. I slip it on, and my mom's jaw drops. Joey blinks in surprise.
"So this is why dad has the shotgun rule!"
I can feel my face heat up.
"Oh, be quiet."
"I'm just glad I get to see you all dressed up," he says. I don't often dress up, too much hassle. This disappointed my mom. To tell the truth, when she heard she was having a girl, she wanted a girly-girl, a little girl she could dress up like a doll whenever she wanted. Instead, I arrived, and with my kind of boyish ways, I crushed mom's expectations like a bug.
"Alright you two, stop acting like children. This night is very important to your father." We both nod our heads and walk to the garage.
My father is a pack warrior as are most men. He isn't like the leader or anything, but he takes his job seriously. We load into the family all black suburban with my mother behind the wheel. I bite my tongue to keep from insulting her on how slow she is driving. Yes, she is one of those drivers. Whereas Joey and I get our need for speed from our dad.
We arrive at the community hall surprisingly on time. This is where we hold wedding, pack meeting and pack parties. I step out of the car and inhale the air, something tells me it is going to rain soon. We walk to the double white glossy doors. Music and laughter flows from the inside, and my patience is thin, knowing my father is on the other side.
"Let's get our party on!" Joey says, stepping into the building like he owns the place. As we step inside, my mouth gapes open. It was utterly beautiful!