Chapter 1 – Brielle
My lab was my safe place. All the familiar rows of shiny beakers, medical testing equipment—well loved, if a little dated—and my desk, shoved off to the side and so buried under brightly colored Post-its and scientific journals that the dented surface of the wood hadn’t been seen in ages. It was quiet, serene, and—
“Oh my God, Brielle!” Leigh’s urgent tone as she burst through my lab door—without knocking, as usual—shattered my blissful concentration. I spun around, turning my back to the bank of machinery to take in her outraged appearance. She was in her exercise gear, blonde hair falling out of a messy bun, and her cheeks were hot red. “You’re never going to believe this! Please tell me you checked your pack mail this morning?”
“Umm, no. I visited Mr. Coffee and came straight to my lab to check the results of last night’s test run.”
“Of course you did,” she snarled as Shay, the much quieter leg of our best-friend trio, knocked softly and pushed through the door to stand behind her.
“Don’t snap at her, Leigh. It’s not her fault.”
Leigh spun on Shay, eyes narrowed. “Don’t act like you’re happy about this—you won’t even talk to any of the men in the pack! This is an outrage! A travesty! A violation of our twenty-first century suffragette rights! It’s, it’s—”
“A mandate from the high alpha,” Shay finished succinctly, though a deep flush stained her cheeks from Leigh’s frank assessment.
“A mandate? What does it say?” I stepped forward anxiously. Mandates were never good news, and they always shook things up. I’ve been shaken enough in my twenty-seven years of life, thanks. I liked my little lab and my best friends and my sleepy, backwater-Texas pack.
“It says that shifters are cavemen who think they can drag us around by our hair at a whim! Well, I won’t stand for it. Alpha Todd is about to get his pelt shaved, and I expect you two hussies to hold him down while I use the clippers, capiche?”
Her nostrils flared as she looked back and forth between me and Shay.
“Can I actually see the mandate, please?” I addressed the question to Shay, since she was keeping a calm head. She silently proffered the letter clutched in her hands.
The paper was thick and creamy, heavier than expected—almost like a fancy wedding invitation. The high alpha’s seal was stamped on it with dripping purple wax. I unfolded the letter, and my hands started to shake as I read the first few lines.
By decree of High Alpha Kosta, son of Konstantin, son of Kasmiro, ruler of the nine great packs, a great pack gathering has been called. The alphas of each pack, along with their seconds and thirds, are hereby ordered to report to Pack Blackwater grounds within two weeks of the date of this summons. They shall accompany all unmated pack mates over the age of twenty, who are to participate in a series of matching activities.
The wolf shifter bloodlines have been weakened in recent centuries, with our numbers perilously in decline. This gathering is necessary to find the true mates that have been denied to so many by the global nature of the world today. This gathering will usher us into the future of pack life by ensuring the continuation of our species for centuries to come.
“All unmated pack mates? Worldwide.” Holy hell in a handbasket. “And where is Pack Blackwater territory? I’ve never even heard of it.” I passed the paper back to Shay, not bothering to read the rest right now. Leigh’s head looked like it was about to explode, she was so livid.
“Oh, that would be Kane’s new territory in Alaska. You know, Kosta’s son. Nepotism much? Basically, this is one big old matchmaking effort so alpha daddy dearest gets his pride-and-joy prince mated off right away, to keep his own bloodline strong. Pah! Why don’t they throw in the ODL too? Make us all good and miserable.” She threw her hands up and started pacing back and forth in the much too small entryway.
“Leigh! The ODL, really? We’re not omegas. We’re safe from them. And there’s no point confusing the issue.”
Leigh waved away Shay’s chastisement, not put off from her ranting in the least.
“I mean, at least he’s keeping it fair. All the single guys have to come too,” I offered, trying to appease her in some way, even as my mind was reeling. I had to go to Alaska and meet… every unmated male wolf in the high alpha’s territories. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking, so I picked up my coffee cup. I took a small sip. It was already cold, but it was something to keep my hands busy.
