My Destined

Chapter 1

Leia

When I heard the doorbell ring, I jumped off my bed and sprinted down the stairs. I knew exactly who was waiting at the door. Maia is here! Maia has been my best friend forever - we are inseparable. She lived a few doors down, and our families became really close since we were born only a few months apart.

We have done everything together: attending homeschool lessons, sneaking off pack grounds to see the regular humans, and doing daily training. Even our first shifts happened around the same time. And now that we are both old enough, we will attend our first Choosing Ceremony together. And man, was I nervous.

"I got it!" I shouted, letting my family know I wanted to get the door. Opening the door, she attacked me with a hug, and Maia's dark brown hair flew into my face. "Maia!"

Maia is a couple of inches taller than me, with long, wavy dark brown hair that ends just at her breast and matching dark brown, almond-shaped eyes. Her face is round with high cheekbones, a straight turned-up nose, and full lips. She has this beautiful olive, tanned skin and thick curves.

"Leia!" We just started laughing as I pulled her inside and shut the door. "I cannot believe this will possibly be our last sleepover!" Maia whined, and I nodded sadly.

Tomorrow is going to be the first day of the Choosing Ceremony. The Choosing Ceremony is held once a year on August 10th, where wolves of age get together to find their mates, mingle with the other packs to uphold pack relationships, and the packs' leaders discuss pack issues. You start attending once you are 20 and have until 26 before being given the option of claiming a chosen mate or expanding on travels to see if you can find your mate that way. Crazy, I know.

Most people tend to find their mates within the first 2-3 years at the Choosing Ceremony or other instances, so it is only a last resort to ensure the pack line continues to have a chosen mate. It is incredibly awful for an Alpha to be unable to find their mate. If the Moon Goddess does not bring together a mate for an Alpha, it is believed that the chosen or assigned mate will not last, and the pack will then fall. Glad I am just a Beta!

"Alright, Leia! I brought the movies you requested for our movie binge! I have Mulan, Pirates of the Caribbean, Breakfast Club, and 10 Things I Hate About You." Maia smiled widely, shaking me out of my thoughts. We casually walked up the stairs to my room, Maia already memorizing the way there from her countless visits and sleepovers.

"Perfect. My mom says we have to do our nails and make sure we are perfect for tomorrow." I rolled my eyes at the thought but could not help but feel the butterflies in my stomach at the idea of finding my mate. "We will definitely find our mate!" My wolf, Tala, spoke excitedly.

Yes, I can hear my wolf in the back of my mind when I am in my "human" form in the same way that I am in the back of hers when we are in wolf form. It is like two souls in one body that shift from human to wolf - and no, it is not just when there is a full moon, either. I can transform whenever I want, but Tala typically wants out more than usual in reaction to the full moon.

"Aw, come on. I know you're excited about tomorrow, even if you try to pretend you aren't!" Maia teased as we plopped on my unmade bed with a soft, dark grey comforter and black sheets.

"Leia." I heard my mom call through my door as she knocked before opening it. "Oh, hi Maia, dear! How's your mother?" She smiled at Maia as she walked in, the crinkles around her mouth and eyes forming. My mom is plump and mid-height with short, curly brown hair and deep-set hazel eyes that match mine. She always looks warm and beautiful, with smile lines next to her eyes, soft wrinkles from age, and dimples on both cheeks.

"Hi Rhea, thanks for having me again! My mom is great. She's hoping I get my mate tomorrow, of course." Maia laughed awkwardly at that. Neither of us was ready to go off with some strange male and leave our pack, but the desire to find our mates had grown strong. My mom smiled warmly.