Filling the Void

Chapter 1

Madison’s POV

                “Congratulations!” my parents said together in excitement as soon as I approached them. They both trapped me in a group hug and I could not help but squeeze them with all of my might, my graduation cap attempting to fall off of my head for the millionth time. As they released me, I straightened it and grinned proudly as I displayed my diploma to them. They oohed and ahhed over it and then proceeded to take a thousand embarrassing pictures of me.

                “Maddie!” I heard my best friend, Sarah, yell my name as she ran up to me and we embraced happily. I laughed as she nearly knocked me to the floor, unable to control her strength. Like my family and me, Sarah and her family were werewolves. We belonged to the Northwest Pack in Washington, where my father was Alpha before passing the title down to my brother who held it now, and I had just graduated from medical school at the shocking age of twenty three. I knew that I was young to be graduating from medical school already, but it was a result of complete and utter determination on my part since I had graduated high school incredibly early thanks to me being home schooled. Just as Sarah released me, her mate, Andrew, came walking up to us carrying their new daughter Emma.

                “Congrats, Maddie, do we qualify for free healthcare now?” Andrew teased me like he always did. I liked Andrew, and there could not have been a better match for Sarah. I guess that was just how the whole mate thing worked though.

“Of course you do, Drewsie,” I teased back with the nickname he hated and a smirk on my face.  I watched as Andrew carefully passed Emma over to Sarah and immediately wrapped an arm around Sarah’s waist. I longed for what they had. Being mateless seemed to leave me feeling so empty. I could not wait to find someone who would look at me the way that Andrew looked at Sarah. Not to say that the male wolves in the pack didn’t look at me. I had always been told that I was good looking. Dark brown, almost black, hair hung down almost to my rear in soft waves. My figure had always been athletic since I loved running more than anything else, in wolf form and in human form. Green eyes were set off by my naturally tanned skin tone and a small nose kept my facial features soft. However, I had never been interested in anyone unless they were to be my mate. In my mind, I just could not see how being with someone who was not my mate made sense. Why get attached to someone who I wouldn’t be with forever?

I was interrupted from my thoughts by another hard body slamming into me and wrapping me in a bear hug. I couldn’t help but laugh because I knew instantly that it was my older brother. Asher chuckled and released me from his death grip after a few seconds.

“Proud of you, little sis,” he grinned.

“Thanks, Ash,” I replied, giving him another smaller hug. “I thought you said you weren’t going to make it. You know, pack business and everything?” I questioned. Not that I wasn’t excited he’d come, but he’d told me the week before he just didn’t see a way to make it. As Alpha of our pack, my brother was constantly busy. He was either running perimeters, disciplining the pups who were out of line, or with his mate, Anna. Asher had found Anna a couple of years ago, right before he took over the pack from our father. Before he’d met her, he was the biggest player I’d ever met. But as soon as he saw her, it was like he was a lovesick puppy. I was so happy for him and my now sister-in-law, since they’d gotten married soon after finding each other.

“Oh, yeah, Anna says she’s upset she couldn’t make it. But Doc says she’s on bed rest until the baby comes,” he practically beamed when he said “baby”. Asher and Anna were expecting their first child now, a boy. Of course everyone in the entire pack was thrilled with the news that their future Alpha was on his way. I personally just couldn’t wait to be an aunt.