Adelaide

Chapter Three

   Adelaide's Ceremony Dress :)

  Today's the day. I'm officially sixteen years old. By the end of the day, I will shift into my wolf, gain a voice in my head, and begin my long expedition to find my mate. It is very likely that I will not see my family for a very long time, if ever again. Many times, after a female finds her mate she never goes back to her old pack, unless on pack business. There is a slight chance I may die today. 1 in every 10 female wolf dies shifting, never even given the chance to meet her mate, and 1 in 25 males die shifting the first time.

     "I made pancakes!" I hear a cheery voice barging into my room. It is none other than my mother, holding a tray of blue pancakes and orange juice over her pregnant stomach. Yes. Blue pancakes. Every year on my birthday I am greeted with blue pancakes with blueberries in them and orange juice. It sounds weird, but it's just a little bit of food dye thrown into the mix. They used to be my favorite when I was little.

     I smile up at my grinning mother with a sad smile. This is my last birthday that I'll be greeted with my mothers smiling face holding out blue pancakes. This may even be my last time having blue pancakes, I can't cook, I wouldn't be able to make them.

     Sensing my sadness, mom sits the tray on my nightstand and sits next to me on my bed. "Aren't you excited to meet your soulmate?" She asks, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

     "I am. I'm really excited. But I don't want to leave" I whisper as a traitor tear slides down my face.

     "Why are you crying? Don't cry. Is this the person you want your mate to meet? A crying little girl? You are a strong warrior. You will leave, meet your mate, accept him and have his children. Do you hear?" She asks, anger slightly rising in her voice. I nod my head slightly. This is what I've been taught since I've been able to understand mates.

     She nods her head quickly and says, "Good. Now clean yourself up and don't let your father see your sadness. Make sure to dress nicely. Your brothers are coming over for the ceremony." She stands up and walks out of my room, without a second glance back.

     Sighing, I flop onto my bed and cover my face with my hands. Today is going to be a long day. I'm not ready to leave my family. But I'm more than ready to meet my mate. After about 5 minutes I gain my composure and get ready. I throw on my blue summer dress, pull my hair into a side braid and throw on some quick mascara and eyeliner before joining my family downstairs.

     I can hear the laughter's before I even enter the room. It's not often that everyone's together anymore, even though Josiah and Remington only live 5 minutes away, they rarely come to visit. The sound of their laughter warms my heart. I enter the room with a smile on my face, the only person missing is Dad. He's probably off training with the rest of the pack warriors. Of course, he wouldn't take a day off, even if it meant saying goodbye to his daughter for possibly the last time.

     "Adelaide! Come join us!" Remington scootches over on the couch to give me room to sit.

     We probably talk and laugh for what feels like forever before my mom notices that it's already past noon. My shifting will occur when the sun is highest in the sky around one o'clock. It sounds weird that a werewolf, who is bound by the moon has their shifting when the sun is highest, but it is so that we have plenty of daylight to search for our mate.

     "Adelaide. We have to get you ready for your shift!" Mom exclaims quickly. Her, Charlotte and Madison, Josiah's mate, all push me up the stairs hurriedly, trying to remember what they brought when they left home. I can't bring much though, I only have a small satchel to hold all of my stuff in because most of my time will be spent running in wolf form. They all try to decide on clothing I should bring while I take my pictures out of their respective frames to put into my bag and keep with me. I don't care where I end up or what I'm wearing when I meet my mate, as long as I have these.