Scarlett
“—Shift.”
I was jolted out of my daydreaming by the sound of a loud voice ringing in my ear. I turned around with raised brows to find Darlene, the shift manager of the small family-owned diner, staring at me expectantly with a tray of dirty dishes in one hand. I had clearly missed the important parts of whatever she had been saying to me.
A sheepish grin worked its way up my face. “What was that?”
She rolled her eyes and blew a stray hair out of her face. “I said, do you mind covering the end of my shift for me? My babysitter called. Apparently, Graham is running a pretty high fever.”
I nodded my head. “Sure, no problem.” It wasn’t like I had any plans for the evening anyway, other than obsessively checking the mail. There were only two weeks left before graduation, and I was yet to hear from any of the colleges I had applied to.
Darlene let out a small sigh. “Thanks, Scarlett. I owe you.”
I waved my hand. “Don’t worry about it. I know how hard it is on you being left to take care of Graham while Troy is away. I’m happy to help lighten the load.” Her husband had to travel a lot for his job, and that left Darlene with extra parenting duties.
She gave me a grateful smile as she turned away with the tray of dishes. “You’re truly an angel, Scarlett.”
I snorted at her comment. “I already agreed to cover you. You don’t need to kiss my butt anymore, Darlene.”
She gave me a playful wink before turning away, disappearing through the kitchen door. I slowly turned back around with a sigh. This was going to be a long night of nothing but the virtual emptiness of the diner.
I was happy when a familiar face shuffled through the front door of the diner, setting off the little bell that hung above the door. He lifted his hand to his head, ruffling his dark hair which was starting to look shaggy around the edges. This boy would look like a mountain man if it weren’t for my constant influence in his life. He met my gaze briefly as he reached out and grabbed one of the cheaply made menus from an empty table. He flipped through the pages quickly before setting it back down.
I pulled the pen and pad from the front pocket of my stained apron. “What can I get you, Wyatt?”
He shrugged as he moved closer toward me. “I think a cup of coffee will be fine. It’s been a long day.”
“It’s going to be a bit longer. Darlene asked me to cover the end of her shift,” I commented with an apologetic smile. Wyatt had promised to pick me up after my shift ended while I was running out the door this morning.
He let out a sigh, running his hand through his hair. “Of course, she did. Well, there is a meeting tonight. Guess it’s going to be extra long for both of us, sweetheart,” he replied with a sarcastic grin as I poured him a cup of coffee and placed it on the counter in front of me.
Darlene approached us carrying her purse, her jacket slung over her arm. “You know the coffee here is shit, Wyatt. I don’t know why you keep ordering it when you only ever have a sip and leave the rest.”
Wyatt ignored her comment. The two of them were always at each other’s throats for reasons unknown to me. He pressed his hands to the counter, breathing in deeply. His nose scrunched up a bit, and he looked over at me. “You smell.” I frowned at my cousins greeting as he sat himself down on a stool at the breakfast counter, grabbing the coffee.
“Gee, you really know how to compliment a girl,” I grumbled, my voice dripping with sarcasm. My cousin and I had a very close relationship, considering that my parents had taken him in after his father ran off and his mother got sick. He returned the favor when my parents died, taking me into his home and raising me like I was his kid sister.
“God, Wyatt…” Darlene remarked as she threw her arms into the sleeves of her jacket, pulling up the collar. “Even if a woman does stink, you shouldn’t comment on it. And you wonder why you’re still single.”
Her words brought a smile to my face, and I gave him a pointed look. I snickered as I turned away from my cousin who was pouting at the blunt reprimand he had received. I could see Winston, our cook, slaving away over the grill through the small hole, singing along to some garbage being gurgled out of the old boom box he kept in the kitchen. The diner was my home away from home, and its motley crew was my self-created wolf pack even if they were only humans.
“Wyatt,” she said his name in a flat tone. Darlene had never cared much for my cousin. Maybe it’s because he had a knack for putting his foot in his mouth… or maybe because they had gone “grown-up” together and he’d been quite the fool back in his younger years.
“See you tomorrow, Scarlett. Thanks again,” she called.
I turned around to give her a quick wave. “See ya, Darlene. Tell Graham I said hello and hope he feels better,” I called back as she exited the front door, the bell ringing again.
Wyatt lifted his gaze to mine, staring at me expectantly with wide eyes as if he was waiting for something. I stared back at him, shifting my hands to my hips. “Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?” I reached up with a hand and wiped it across my cheek, checking to see if there was any food splatter. It was a hazard of the job.
“Can’t you feel it, Scarlett?” he asked me in a soft voice so that no one else could hear. Hell, if it wasn’t for my extra-sensitive senses I probably wouldn’t have heard him either.
I narrowed my eyes in confusion at his question. “What are talking about? Are you feeling okay, Wyatt?” I reached out and placed my hand on his forehead. He pulled back with a furrowed brow and looked at me as if I had two heads.
“After all the complaining and whining I had to listen to from you… are you seriously telling me that you don’t feel even the slightest bit different?” he asked a little louder in an exasperated tone, waving his hand in the air dramatically. I had no idea what he was going on about or why he seemed so upset.
I looked around the small room at the other patrons who seemed content to ignore his outburst. I leaned forward, stuffing my notepad back into the pocket of my apron. “I don’t know why you think I should feel different, but I feel the same as I always do. Unless you want to count the fact that my feet feel like I’ve been walking barefoot on hot coals. These ten-hour shifts have been killing me,” I whined at him.
He gave me a slow blink, shaking his head. “Seriously, Scarlett?”
“What?” I questioned with a tired tone.
“Your scent—”
I held up a hand, cutting off his thought mid-sentence.
“I know. I know. I smell, but in my defense, you would smell too if you worked with greasy food all day,” I snapped at him, growing tired of the conversation he was having with me. If I wanted to be insulted, I’m sure I could easily find one of my peers to satisfy that need without a problem. Human or shifter, they were all eager to tear someone else down to elevate themselves.
He shook his head at me. “No, your scent has changed, Scarlett. Your wolf has matured. I can smell her on you now.”
I stared at him blankly as I digested his words. Had my wolf finally reached maturity without me noticing? I searched my mind for a sign of my wolf’s presence. I had been waiting for this moment since I hit puberty. Most of my peers had already matured, leaving me as an outsider when it came to the pack.
All shifters had to go through two stages of puberty: the natural human one and the beast underneath. It could happen at any time, but basically, it meant that the connection between human and wolf was fully formed. It wasn’t until this happens that we were allowed to attend actual pack events. Most of my friends had already matured. I had been left in the group of late bloomers. Sometimes, it happened that a wolf never matured. These people were seen as Omegas. They were still a part of the pack, but they would never be considered true wolves.
I shifted back and forth on my feet, concentrating hard. “I don’t feel any different.”
Wyatt took a sip of his coffee. “You will, trust me.” He pulled the mug away from himself, peering down into the cup with a small look of disgust before setting it down. “But you know what this means?”
“What?” I questioned with a raised brow.
He met my gaze with a knowing look. “You don’t have to wait in the car like the other pups during the meeting tonight. You’re a true wolf now,” he teased as he gave me a wolfish grin. I rolled my eyes at his comment, but on the inside, I felt a bubble of excitement.
* * *
I had only ever seen the pack house from the outside, having never been allowed to enter it before. I found myself getting anxious as I followed Wyatt down the dirt driveway and around the side of the house. In the back, there was another building, about the size of a guest house.
I could hear the sound of happy voices carried on the gentle evening breeze. My palms felt sweaty in the pockets of my sweatshirt as my nerves got the better of me. Wyatt gave me a grin as he opened the door. “So it begins.”
I rolled my eyes at him as I walked past him into the large open room. The smells of other pack members overwhelmed me for a moment. My eyes scanned the crowd warily, looking for familiar faces. I found my gaze gravitating towards the front of the room where the stream of bodies seemed to be moving.
That was the first time I saw him.
He stood near the front, greeting people with a friendly smile. My heart hammered in my chest as I watched him from where I stood at the back of the room. I had no idea who he was, but I knew he was perfect. His dark hair was shaved close to his head as if it had been shaved bare at some point and was finally being allowed to grow out. My eyes followed the length of his body, taking in every part of him. He had a lean body that spoke of endurance-honed muscles.
Wyatt elbowed my side. “Don’t just stand there, Scarlett. People are starting to look at us.” He urged me to move forward. I had to force my feet to move from where I had been anchored. My whole world seemed to be shifting on its axis, and I couldn’t be sure I was standing on solid ground anymore.
My heart was in my throat as I approached my mate—at least that was what my wolf was telling me. This perfect male specimen was our mate, the one that the Goddess had ordained for us at birth. But what if he hated me? What if I wasn’t what he was expecting? Insecurities that I had never felt before began to flood my brain.
I dug my heels into the floor. “I can’t do this. Let’s go home.”
Wyatt grabbed onto my elbow and led me on. “You’re being ridiculous. We all had to go through this, Scarlett. Consider it your official initiation into the pack.” I gritted my teeth as every step brought me closer to the finality of my situation.
The Alpha and his mate were standing together, greeting the other pack members as they filed into the room, grabbing seats for the meeting. I remembered them from the times they had visited my home when I was much younger, way back when my mother was still alive and my father held a prominent position in the pack. They looked older and a little more worn down, but that had to be expected of people in their positions.
“Alpha Aaron,” Wyatt spoke formally as he reached out a hand, a common human greeting. I danced on the balls of my feet, wishing that I hadn’t accepted Wyatt’s offer to join him. I was still in my work uniform, smelling like grease and probably looking unkempt from the busy workday… not the way I wanted to make my first impression on the pack.
“Wyatt,” he replied, shaking the hand that had been offered to him with a firm grip, “it is good to see you again.”
Wyatt beamed at the acknowledgment, turning his eyes toward the female beside the Alpha, bowing his head. “Luna Victoria.”
She gave him a kind smile. “Wyatt.”
Alpha Aaron’s dark gaze shifted in my direction, a smile still on his lips. “And who is this beauty?” he questioned, lifting a brow as he examined me further. My cheeks rushed with heat, and I felt the sudden urge to hide behind my cousin like I did back in my younger years where I would cling to my mother’s leg.
Wyatt wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me in protectively to his side, and that only made me feel more embarrassed. “This is my cousin, Scarlett.”
Luna Victoria gave me a knowing glance as she leaned into her mate’s side. “Sweetheart, it’s Conrad and Elizabeth’s daughter.”
“Of course, she is,” he replied as if he had already known. My lips twitched with the urge to smile when she looked at me with a playful eye roll at his expense. Alpha Aaron crossed his arms over his wide chest, leaning forward toward me. “I can see it now that I’ve gotten a closer look. You’ve got Conrad’s eyes.”
“And Elizabeth’s beautiful face,” Luna Victoria remarked. “If I recall correctly, your mother was a late bloomer as well.” I felt my head sink a little lower at her comment.
“David...” Luna Victoria called, turning toward my mate with a smile, “come over here real fast.”
She glanced back at me. “Conrad helped train David when he was a young boy. I’m sure he will be very interested in meeting you.” I felt my nerves spike as he turned in our direction, and I realized that he wasn’t an average member of the pack. This was their son, the next heir: an Alpha born male.
I wanted to run, but my feet kept me firmly rooted in place. I was afraid to look up from the ground. What would I see staring back at me? I swallowed hard, trying to prepare myself for what was about to happen.
His shoes came into view, and I felt my wolf stirring under my skin. Wyatt elbowed me in the side. “Scarlett…” he hissed under his breath in a warning tone. I lifted my face to meet his gaze with a bated breath.
His dark eyes widened in surprise as we drank each other in. Something in my mind snapped. I could feel it all, everything everyone had tried to explain to me about having a wolf. Her emotions and thoughts surged through me as I watched the corners of his mouth lift upwards into a smile.. a heart-stopping smile that was meant for only me.
I felt my own lips begin to mimic his. There was nothing and no one else in the room for us at that moment. This is what it felt like to have a mate, and I knew he was feeling the same sensations by the look in his eyes.
The moment was broken when a tall dark-haired female placed a kiss on his cheek. “I’m sorry I’m late, David. My shift went into overtime. I had to help Doctor McCarthy deliver the Johnson’s twins. Those pups are going to be a handful. I can tell you that now.” She finished with a soft chuckle of amusement.
I hadn’t even seen her approach us I had been so lost in a different world. My smile faded quickly as my brows furrowed in confusion as I glanced between the two of them. He looked rather stiff as she grabbed a hold of his hand with hers, turning her face in my direction.
“Hello. I don’t think I’ve seen you before.” She tilted her head to the side.
“That’s because she’s only just matured, Eva,” Luna Victoria commented toward her, both of them sharing a look of understanding like two people who’ve already been through it.
“This must be very exciting for you then,” she remarked with a bright smile, completely unaware of what had happened between me and the male she was holding onto as if he were hers. My wolf was growling possessively in my mind, struggling to free herself so that she could eliminate the competition.
“David, this is Scarlett,” Luna Victoria introduced me. “Conrad’s daughter,” she supplied as if it were my own special title.
I felt like the rug had been pulled out from under my feet and I was falling without anyone to catch me. My stomach was in my throat, but I forced myself to speak. “Hi…” I replied in a tense voice, finding it hard to hold his gaze.
David pulled his hand free from Eva’s grasp and took a step towards me. He lifted his hand slightly like he wanted to reach out to me, but he thought better of it, deciding to stuff it into the pocket of his slacks instead.
“It’s nice to meet you, Scarlett.” Goosebumps rose on my flesh, and I watched his pupils dilate a bit as he took in more of me. “Your father was a great man. The pack lost a great warrior when he passed away. I lost a dear friend,” he added, trying to keep things from getting strange in front of all the onlookers. None of them seemed to know what had transpired between the two of us.
I gave him a small smile that didn’t reach my eyes. “Thank you.” He looked like he wanted to say something more to me, his lips parted slightly. Alpha Aaron stepped forward, his dark eyes calculating as he glanced between myself and his son. I lowered my gaze to the ground, clenching my jaw tightly.
“Well, we should get this meeting going.” He wrapped his arm around his mate and pulled her into his side. “It’s wonderful to have another true wolf added to the pack.”
Wyatt grabbed my elbow, and I tensed slightly at the touch. Now that I could connect to my wolf, the world seemed too overwhelming. Every sensation moved through me like an exploding bomb. I let him lead me away to some empty seats, but my mind was adrift as I looked around the room. I had matured and met my mate, only to find out that he already had someone at his side. How could I compete with her?
My gaze focused on the female in question, Eva. She was a fully matured female compared to myself, who was still growing into my body, which was mostly knees and elbows. She seemed kind, and she didn’t waver under the gaze of all the people in the room. She looked like a queen. I certainly wasn’t much compared to her. That was why she was the one standing on the stage, holding his hand.
I sunk down lower in my seat. I could hear Alpha Aaron’s voice as he spoke to the group, but none of the words were able to pierce through my racing thoughts.
“We are happy to announce that the mating ceremony of Eva and David will be held at the end of next month,” Alpha Aaron said with pride in his voice, clapping David on the back as he stood next to a smiling Eva, hand in hand. My heart dropped, and I sucked in a painful breath. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. I was his mate, not her.
I couldn’t sit in that room for another moment and listen to any more words. I leaned over to Wyatt. “I need to go,” I whispered. He looked over at me in confusion as I rose up out of my chair and hurried toward the exit. I didn’t look back, but I felt David’s eyes on me, my body heating up everywhere his gaze drifted to. It was getting hard to breathe as I pushed open the door and flung myself out into the night, letting the cool air wash over me.
I sucked in ragged breaths as I tried to overcome the ache in my chest. No one had warned me maturing would be so painful.
If you enjoyed this sample then look for
His to Claim.