"No!" I screamed out, my voice echoing through the halls. I am probably sure that the whole hall heard me, but I do not care. There is no way in hell I am going to agree to that.

"You will lower your voice this minute, young lady, or else..." My mum trails off, leaving her sentence unfinished for me to imagine what she would do if I didn’t comply. "The Alphas are still in a meeting, and I am pretty sure they can hear you from here."

I don’t give a fuck if the Alphas or the fucking pack can hear me. I am not going with him. " I protested vehemently.

My mother gave me a glance and a sigh; she was already getting tired of my antics. "I will leave this to your father and mate to decide, but you already know you will have to go with your mate when the time comes. You can’t fight the bond that long." 

Well, of course I was going to go with my mate, but I wasn’t expecting him to be on another continent. Another city-I would gladly follow; another state-well, that I could manage. I am all for exploration, but a freaking continent is beyond me.

***

I was a 23-year-old lady, a graduate of anatomy from one of the most prestigious universities in my country. I wish I could say I enjoyed my college days, but sadly I didn’t. I fought tooth and nail to be able to go to another university outside of the one in my state.

My dad had this notorious fear that I would be kidnapped because I was his daughter. It didn’t help that I was a female and had a knack for inviting trouble. But with much pleading

and a little help from my brother

, and tears

mine, of course

, he agreed. only on the condition that Marcus, one of the park warriors, follows me. I was against it, of course, but there was no way he was going to let me out of his sight except with a bodyguard, so I just allowed it.

I was barely able to make friends in college, because once they learned that I was Alpha John’s daughter, they avoided me like a plague. And those that were brave took one look at the huge, smiling, menacing face of Marcus and they took the nearest exit. My dating and sex life were practically non-existent. Not that I was worried. I mean, seeing couples doing all that lovey-dovey shit can be a bit of an eye sore. Well, maybe a little jealous, but I have graduated and there is nothing I could do about that again.

I managed to graduate with a good grade, and soon I was back home. I didn’t even get the chance to explore university like I thought I would. I have always dreamt of partying and clubbing hard and having multiple one-night stands, but alas, it was just a dream.

When I graduated, there wasn't much to do, as I wasn’t allowed to get a job outside the pack. I decided to make myself useful and volunteered at the pack’s hospital. I often work with the radiologist or sometimes with the mortuary attendant, as the case may be. I enjoy working with them because they are friendly; well, they have to be. You wouldn’t want to anger the alpha, right?

One thing I will forever be grateful for is schooling outside the pack because I was able to avoid the gossip. But now that I'm out, there is no escaping them. There is no place I go that I don’t hear my mate talk. Where is your mate? You haven’t found him or her yet? Your peers are already mothers. Aren’t you concerned? I have had enough of it. The next person who asks me about my mate I will tell them to shove that question up their ass. Respectfully, of course.

Most young girls have begun to look for a mate by the age of 18, and by the age of 20, they have begun to wonder if something is wrong, and if you reach the age of 21, you are already considered a failure for your inability to find a mate. I was already 23 and the moon goddess hadn’t blessed me with mine yet. It was already looking like I would be mate less all my life.

I don’t even see the need to rush to get a mate and get pregnant when you have all your life to be together. I mean, why should our worth be tied to whom we mate or our ability to get a suitable mate on time? I could barely walk around the pack without hearing whispers of my inability to find a mate. My elder brother, who is only two years my senior, met his mate when he was 22 and they have been living happily ever since.

But anyways, let us not get too carried away by my shitty unmarried life and get back to the present. Usually, there is an annual alpha meeting, where all the alphas around the world converge together in a certain location to discuss issues affecting the werewolf community around the world and find ways to solve them.

It is usually rotated around the continent, and this time it was mine, Africa. We weren’t really the top of the food chain, but certain packs have carved a niche for themselves and I am proud to say that my pack is among the top ten packs in Africa. It helped that my dad is well respected both at home and abroad. They determine which pack will head the meeting by allowing a representative to pick a paper at random. Whatever pack’s names appear on the paper will be given the privilege to host it. Fortunately, or should I say unfortunately, you guessed right, my pack, the Ravenwood pack, was picked.

The week preceding the arrival of the Alpha was filled with work. My dad held a meeting with all the members of the pack and told us to be on our best behavior. A curfew was imposed and anyone still out after the designated time will be punished. We were to be welcoming and assist the Luna in making sure the guests were comfortable.

Mated alphas will be lodged in the pack’s hotel, a luxurious five-star hotel with about 68 rooms. while the unmated ones will stay in the pack house. Everyone was looking forward to the meeting, especially the young unmated females. They had hoped that they might find their mates among them. The salon was particularly filled with a lot of unmated females, everyone trying to perfect their last minute glam. Even the males were not left out as everyone was trying to find their potential partners.

I was also excited, not because I was looking for a mate, but because I wanted to meet new people. I have hardly been outside of my pack except where I went to school and after I graduated, I came back home. I have been hearing rumors of the European and Asian alphas that they were a sight to behold. I mean, I have stalked some on Instagram and I even followed some. And I will tell you that they are a fine specimen. So, you could say I was eager to see my fantasy in the flesh.

It was two days until the annual convention, but the pack was bubbling with excitement as preparations were being made. Repairs were going on, houses were painted, landmarks polished, the streets were clean and filled with signs welcoming and directing them. Performers for the opening night were seen at the training center practicing their routines.

I was at home just lazing off, and before I could blink, I found my legs leading me to the saloon to try a new hairdo. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t doing all this to attract anyone. I don’t just want to feel left out. I mean, everyone is getting all glammed up and I would be looking like I got mauled by a wild bear. I also found myself strolling to the gym to see some friends. And they forced me to join them in their workout, and as a polite and good friend, who am I to refuse? It would be frowned upon if the alpha's daughter slacked off and was a complete jerk.

"Are those new earrings I see on your ears?" My brother stopped me on my way to visit the kitchen for God knows how many times. I froze in my tracks as I heard his voice and turned towards him.

"For someone who doesn’t care about the alpha coming, you sure are spending a great deal of time trying to look good." He continued, twirling the earring in his fingers. I was about to reply when he interrupted me.

"-And is that a new hairdo you are spotting?"

"You didn’t see anything, go attend to your mate please and stop bothering me." I rolled my eyes at him. Damn him and his sharp eyes. Maybe I overdid it with the hair. But it is too late now, they would start arriving any moment from now.

I decided to head to my room not tidy up things, when I hear a croaky voice blast out from the speakers.

"They have arrived."