Page 2

ONE

Alexia

Going through the cleansing ritual isn’t a choice that most young shifters make. Most would say that it’s an outdated practice and those who partake in it are impatient or even worse... desperate. It’s too extreme for someone my age, especially in a world where constant connection is vital to a twenty-something's social life. I should be engrossed in my career and spending my weekends at bars. Shifters my age that haven’t found their mate yet are fucking around and exploring their sexuality. And I’ve done all those things. I have a job I love and have dated around. But none of that has led me to discovering the one . Hence the point of isolating from the rest of the world in a sterilized room inside an ancient temple for ninety days. It’s a special form of torture, and the most effective way for a wolf shifter to find their mate.

For three months, my life has been void of color, other than my limited view of the mountains outside the small window of my modest accommodations. The priestesses that care for the moon goddess’s temple don’t speak, leaving me to listen to birds chirping in the distance and the quiet rustling of their robes as they roam the immaculate white hallway outside my door. Never in my life have I eaten such bland food, all of it void of the spices I’m used to. All textures are smooth, and the only smell is the hint of pine that carries on the occasional breeze. I’m also more aware of my rampant thoughts than ever, and I am not good at sitting still with nothing to do—I may be twenty-five with finding a mate in mind, but my ADHD certainly hasn’t gone anywhere. But that’s kind of the point of all this, to focus my thoughts and heighten my senses, so the moment I touch the one who’s meant to be my mate I will know.

Maybe I could have given the more modern way of finding a mate a chance for a little longer. Blind dates, random hook-ups, and pure old-fashioned waiting for a chance encounter, but it all seemed like a waste of time when I know that there is one that my soul is destined for. My parents suggested the old practice of the cleansing ritual if that’s what I really wanted. It didn’t take much convincing on their part. I’ve been ready to find my mate since my youngest brother found his last summer. My parents tried to tell me there was no hurry, but I was ready to get it over with. So, I chose the quicker route—the cleansing ritual. In addition to being secluded from everyone besides this one priestess and blood family, I’ve spent months imploring the moon goddess Luna to guide my mate to the ceremony tonight, no matter where in the world they are. If all goes the way we hope, I should be able to locate them within the crowd of unmated shifters.

A light tap comes from my door before it is eased open. A blank-faced priestess walks inside with white garments draped over her arm. I dip my head in greeting, and she returns the gesture.

“Is that my dress for tonight?” I ask, my gaze raking over the mound of lace and satin. Just the sight of it has my fingertips tingling. Since I arrived at Luna’s Temple, I’ve been dressed in simple ivory linen pants that hang loosely from my hips and matching tops. I’m eager to feel the texture of the lace and the glide of the satin against my skin.

The priestess nods as she rests the dress at the end of the twin-sized bed. With a tip of her chin, she motions for me to sit at the desk in the corner of the room. I take a seat, and she sets to work on my hair, pinning and braiding until all but a few ebony strands sit at the top of my head. As I watch her work, I wonder where she learned to create such an elaborate updo. Her own hair is bound beneath a bleached head covering, just like the other priestesses, and those who go through the cleansing ritual are far and few between.

She makes her way to the dress, lifting it from the bed. While she readies it to go over my head, I remove my clothes. I’ll wear nothing beneath it, as is tradition. The one-of-a-kind gown was made by her and the others in her order especially for me. It’s believed to be divinely inspired by Luna and perfect for my body. And it is. The white lace starts high on my neck and travels down my arms until it stops at my knuckles. The satin beneath it begins at my breasts, hugging my wide hips and the swell of my soft stomach until it pools at my feet. No shoes, no jewelry, no makeup, just me in my rawest, purest form in a dress from the goddess. Despite its beauty, I can’t help but to feel a little bit ridiculous, like a virginal girl in a fairytale, setting off into the forest to meet her demise by a pack of wolves.

We step into the hallway and make our way toward the great room of the temple. The sun has set and a half-moon shines through the towering arched windows that line the outer walls. My heart drums in my chest with every step we take. I’ve always been the hopeless romantic, dreaming about how I would one day find my mate and what it would be like—would we be moon-bonded so we can shift anytime we want, or would we have a simple fated bond? Honestly, it doesn’t matter to me because every bond is a soul bond and blessed by Luna.

But this... holy shit. Knowing the moment could be just minutes away has me completely unnerved.

There is a chance that I could walk out of this temple mateless. The embarrassment would crush me. Then again, my mate is most likely here and waiting for me to claim them. Usually, mates are found within one’s pack; my family put out the call for unmated shifters to attend and no doubt, they will answer. Bloodlines and all that are important to shifters and the Rush family has one of the strongest, if not the strongest in our pack. Laughable as it is to me, some might consider me a hot commodity.

I just want to find the one .

The priestess and I turn down the final corridor. It is lined with her sisters on either side, all dressed identically in their ivory robes, heads bowed and hands clasped in front of them. At the end stands my family, my three older brothers decked out in tuxedos with their mates at their sides, and my mom and dad in the center of them.

My mom’s slender lips pull into a wide grin as her warm brown eyes lock with mine. She is beautiful in a sparkling red dress with her dark hair flowing down one shoulder. The moment I’m within reach she pulls me into a hug.

Pride thickens her voice as she says, “Alexia, you look stunning.”

“Thank you, Mom,” I say, giving her a shaky smile.

“Are you all right?” my father asks, stepping up and placing his hand on my shoulder. I fight back a smile. Only on special occasions does my dad forego jeans and his favorite tennis shoes for a suit. He says his bulky form was made for comfort and not style. If I’m not mistaken, he even went as far as putting gel in his silver hair.

“I’m fine, I promise. I’m just really nervous. What if—what if I don’t find my mate? What if this was all for nothing?”

My mom shakes her head and pushes a strand of hair away from my face. “There’s no way. Your mate is in there waiting for you, sweetie. I just know it.”

Dad nods and squeezes my shoulder. “Just wait and see. It’s all going to work out.”

I swallow and force a smile. “You’re right.” But it doesn’t escape me that they didn’t say it was okay if I didn’t. That’s what I’m scared of.

Disappointing them. Letting everyone down. Leaving here tonight still being the only one in my family without a mate.

“It’s almost time. We’ll all meet you and your mate on the other side,” Mom says.

I wish I could take her into the great hall, have her with me as I’m drawn to the shifter that I will spend the rest of my life with. But that’s not tradition. I must remain alone except for the priestess who will continue to guide me as she has throughout these last three months. My mother and the rest of my family will wait for me in the grand ballroom that lies on the other side of the great hall. The moment my mate and I step through that doorway, tonight’s festivities will begin.

I reluctantly move away from my mom and watch as her and my dad are escorted by a priestess through another passageway. My brothers and their mates fall in line, all but Sam. He motions to his mate to hold on for a second. Sam walks up to me and pulls me into a hug.

I’d deny this if anyone asked, but it’s not like it’s not obvious. Sam is my favorite brother. He’s the one who I relate to the most, the one who understands the way my brain works. We like the same movies and laugh at the same goofy jokes. Everyone else could stay quiet during all the pack rituals, but not me and Sam. We'd always get Mom’s death stare during ceremonies when we were supposed to be serious, which would only make us laugh harder. Sam was also the last of my brothers to find his mate. So naturally, we stuck together a little longer after Hudson and Parker found theirs.

“Listen, Alexia, you know it’s not the end of the world if you don’t find your mate tonight, right?” Sam says.

I sigh and rest my forehead against his chest. “Tell that to Mom and Dad. Did you catch how neither one of them said that? I think if I don’t find one tonight, they’re going to turn me over to the temple as a priestess!”

He laughs and kisses the top of my head. “No, they aren’t. We won’t let them. Will we, Heath?”

Heath, Sam’s mate, shakes his head and joins us, pulling me into a hug. “Hell no. We could never subject you to that boredom for the rest of your life.” He shudders. “I don’t know how you survived the last three months.”

“Goddess, me either. I’ve been ready to come out of my skin.”

“Well, let’s get this over with then. We’ll be inside, okay?” Sam says, taking Heath’s hand.

“All right. Thank you for the words of encouragement. That’s what I needed.”

“Anytime, sis.”

But before they turn to go, a heady floral scent fills my nostrils as a pair of arms wrap around my waist. My brother and his mate glance at each other and share a grin as I turn to see my best friend wearing a mischievous smile.

“Carrington!” I say, throwing my arms around her without a second thought. “I am so glad to see you! I’ve missed you so much!”

“I know, ninety days is way too long without you.”

“But wait,” I whisper, looking around the foyer. “You’re not supposed to be in here!”

Her laugh is loud and echoes off the stone walls. “Yeah, right. You and I have spent countless days together for the past twenty-five years. If we were mates, we would have known it as soon as we started sprouting boobs. But I can see you’re disappointed that it’s not me,” she says with a playful wink.

“I have to agree with that,” Sam pipes up. “But don’t let Mom and Dad know she was here. They’ll have a conniption.”

“I won’t,” I say. “Now go, I’ll see y’all in there.”

My brother and his mate give me one more hug before they disappear down the hallway.

I turn back to Carrington. “I’m surprised that you don’t want to be a part of the ceremony. Don’t you want to know what it’s like to shift without a full moon?”

“I’m not fond of the idea of standing in a dusty temple room and letting you grope me in my wolf form.”

“You’re missing out. I’ve heard my groping is top notch. Only from shifters in human form, though, so...”

Carrington rolls her eyes. “Go find your mate so we can get back to our regularly scheduled lives.” Her expression sobers, and she steps right in front of me, gripping the back of my neck and resting her forehead against mine. “And if you don’t find them tonight... you know it’s okay, right?” she says, unknowingly echoing my brother.

“I do. Thank you. I love you,” I whisper, unexpectedly emotional.

“Love you too,” she says before taking the same exit route as my family.

They’re right. It’s not the end of the world if it doesn’t happen tonight. I’ll go in, sniff out my options (literally), and if I find them, fantastic. If not, I’ll just move along with my life and let things happen as they’re meant to.

Taking a deep breath, I turn back to the priestess. I think she’s pretending she didn’t just see a non-family member in my presence, and I appreciate it. Without a word, she steps behind me, holding the white blindfold I have to wear over my eyes during the ceremony. Wrapping it around my head, she ties it securely in the back and takes me by the elbow. I can’t see a thing under here and I know she’s leading me to the hall where all the wolves are waiting.

This is it.

I hear the heavy wooden doors swing open and I let out the breath I’d been holding in a whoosh . Immediately, so many pheromones fill the air that I’m overwhelmed. There can’t be less than a hundred wolves in here. I’m sure some came just for the experience of shifting without the full moon, since this is the only time a non-moon bonded shifter would be able to do so. Tradition reads that each shifter makes a vow to accept the outcome of the evening before they step into this room. Tonight, the second their bare feet hit the blessed stones lining the floors, they were transformed into their wolf form. My potential mate didn’t make the vow flippantly; I have faith that something sparked along the weak tether of our mating bond. They may not realize it yet, but they’re here solely for me—if they’re here at all.

I take my first step through what I know is two long rows of wolves on either side of me. Concentrating on the scents permeating the air, I let my fingers glide through their fur as I pass. It’s strange touching them. The only wolves I’ve shifted around are my family, except for a couple rare instances when my brother’s friends have been over. It’s not a law or anything, but when we aren’t mated, shifters tend to stick with the people they trust the most. And for me, that’s my family.

I’m kind of entranced by how different each wolf feels. Some fur is soft like my own when I shift, others have more coarse fur that tickles my hands. But I don’t linger on any because I feel no connection to any of them. It feels like I’ve been walking forever. I have to be coming to the end of the corridor. With each step, my hope starts to falter. What if they’re not here? What if?—

I pause for half a second as my fingertips brush over the muzzle of the next wolf in line. Something about it feels... different than the others. I hadn’t felt the need to stop moving until now. I close my eyes under the blindfold, and I wonder if this it... that pull everyone?—

Something else, something stronger urges me forward. It’s coming from further down the hallway. I pull my bottom lip between my teeth and keep walking, letting the energy buzzing through my veins lead me to where I need to be. The sensation is so intense inside my chest, my belly... all over my body. And when my fingertips graze over the ears of a wolf that has to be near the end of the hall, the force is almost too much to stand.

Everything about this is right. I don’t know how I know.

I just do.

“It’s this one,” I whisper to the priestess. “This is my mate.”

“And so it is,” she softly says, sealing my choice with those four words.

The wolf brushes the top of his head against my hand and walks beside me. We must reach the end of the hall because he comes to a stop. I hear the rustling of fabric just before the doors open and a sliver of light seeps in at the edges of my blindfold. We step into the ballroom and the priestess’s delicate fingers are at the back of my head. She uncovers my eyes, and I take in the figure beside me. His head is bowed and covered by the black hood of the robe the priestess must have given him. With shaking hands, I guide the fabric back, letting it fall around his shoulders. Green eyes lock with mine and a gasp leaves my parted lips.

"Kai?”