Only Her- ON HOLD

Chapter 1.

Photo: Daniela (Kate Bosworth)

*Thank you guys for reading and I wanted to say that I am new to this so please be kind and excuse any mistakes! This is currently unedited but I would love for you to comment and share! And don't forget to vote!! Thank you all and enjoy :)

"Daniela, sometimes you don't get to choose the way your future plays out. I know you're anxious, but I promise, once you find your mate, everything will change. You'll feel it deep down in your very soul. It's not as bad as you've made it out to be in your head." My father scolded me as I rolled my eyes at yet another speech about my role as the Alpha's daughter.

He sat across from me at our kitchen table as my mother hummed in agreement from the stove. "Let's not forget, I wasn't exactly your biggest fan when we first met Eli."

My mom bumped him with her hip as she placed the plate of pancakes down onto the table before taking her seat. The smell was heavenly, and I couldn't stop myself from filling my plate full of eggs and bacon before towering a stack of pancakes and smothering them in syrup. I devoured them as I listened lazily, only half hearing them. My mother's soft words pulled me from my food tunnel vision.

"Daniela? Did you hear me?" I looked up to see her deep chestnut eyes staring back at me, crinkling as she smirked at me. She knew I wasn't listening.

"Sorry, what'd you say mom?" I shrugged apologetically as my dad let out a quiet laugh.

"Never fails. You get food in front of her and you'll lose her Selene."

I narrowed my eyes and huffed teasingly before turning my attention back to mother. "I said, what time are you leaving today?"

"Oh, I think Ki said I had to be ready by 11." I checked the clock on the wall. 9a.m. I had plenty of time.

My mother read my thoughts instinctively, knowing me all too well. "You know you can't just roll out of here in leggings and a t-shirt Daniela. You need to be sure to put your best foot forward. You represent us to all the other packs. You have to show it. You know that."

"I know mom. As much as I hate dealing with them, I know I have to treat them the same as all the others. They're just such a pain sometimes."

My father scoffed as his sage colored eyes met mine, muttering under his breath. "Sons of..."

"Eli!" My mother interrupted, her eyes wide as she scolded both of us. "I know they tend to be more difficult than the others, but you both need to let it go. We will never get past this if she doesn't learn to see them differently."

"I'm sorry mom, but Dad's right. The Ember pack as a whole actually isn't terrible, but Alpha Blake is just so gruff, and his sons are just as bad. They're so arrogant."

My father's eyes looked away momentarily and I instantly regretted mentioning them. It had barely been a year since my brother had died, and we'd all had to adjust in our own way. He was my older brother and my best friend. He'd only been two years older than me.

He was just twenty-one and had been out with his friends one night when someone attacked them all behind the bar as they were leaving. Before he could get his knife out, one of his attackers pulled a gun out and shot him in the chest. The bullet was laced with silver and it killed him instantly.

I'll never forget the moment my father got the call. He broke our dining room table in half trying to control his wolf from breaking out. We couldn't get him out of the house fast enough before he shifted. The sound of his wolf's grieving howl was something that will haunt me for the rest of my life. He ran the woods all night for a month before he'd finally let my mom bring him in. It wasn't good for the pack, she'd said.