Chapter 4

Ashira’s POV

The day all she-wolves had been waiting for will be tomorrow.

Since the Prime pack is six hours away from our pack, I needed to get off today to head there.

We are six in total. As per the mapping, I and the five other girls from our pack have their mates in the Prime pack.

We’ll depart at noon, riding a van. The rest of the she-wolves will do the same but at different times. Some had already left days ago since the pack they needed to settle in will take a day or more.

Some she-wolves from another pack also came to our days before and until now. They had already settled themselves here with the pack accommodating their stay.

We’ll arrive at Prime Pack a day early, but that’s alright since we’ll need to be familiar with the place first.

Once done packing, I went to Ophelia, who was in the kitchen, and sat down in a chair, facing her.

I watched her cook, though I’m not sure what she was making.

“Regretting that you never attend my cooking lessons?” She grinned at me, mocking me.

She always invites me to join her cook, but I prefer a different style. I would instead learn everything about the pack system, but I never did, like burning the kitchen.

Partly, I have no gifts for cooking.

I snorted, and Ophelia laughed hard.

After the mapping, I stayed in the house these past few days. I took Eric’s advice seriously. Not blending in with the crowd.

A grieving wolf for its dead mate is the last thing I’d like to come across.

“Did you pack the dress I bought you?” She asked. I rolled my eyes. I’m not really into a dress. If it is not a tradition for the mapping to wear that white dress, I wouldn’t have.

“I did.”

“Be sure to wear them at the ball, Ashi. It’s a pack tradition. I’m already scared you’d wear jeans when I’m not in sight tomorrow.” Her voice sounds joking, but I know she’s sad somehow. I am too. When she spoke the last words, it daggers in my chest.

“It dawned on me that this may be the last day I’ll be here,” I said, changing the topic as I watched her cook. Giving her a small smile.

I could feel my eyes burning. It saddened me that I didn’t give them goodbye talks. I’m so close to tears right now.

If ever I find my mate tomorrow at the ball, then there’s no coming back here.

She mirrored my smile, which made me feel more dejected.

“I’ll miss you, too.” She said, responding to the meaning of my words exactly. Her voice almost cracked, I know she was about to burst into tears, but she was holding it in. I am too.

I cleared my throat as I felt a slump stuck in it. I’m on the edge of crying.

“I.. uh, thank you so much for taking me in. I...” I cleared my throat once again. Saying these things is so hard. “I felt how you treat me like a family.”

“Aw. You are family. We loved you and will always will. Don’t forget that, chicken.” She tapped my nose with her finger, and I chuckled.

She loved calling me chicken since I always backed out from a fight when I first came here, and they first had me. Ophelia helped me, though. Her teasing made me want to be strong. And now, I do. But her teasing is still there.

I cannot say goodbye to Eric since he’s off with the Alpha doing pack work. On the other hand, Cruz purposely left the house to avoid seeing me go away. Ophelia told me. Quoted, “He loves you so much it hurt him.”

I decided to leave a note. One for each of them. We can communicate through phones though I’m being more sentimental and still write to them the old way.

Eric told the Alpha about my case. Alpha David immediately agreed to Ophelia’s plan that I should find my mate first.

Upon little research and I found that a Stealer is rare to exist. Sometimes it’s decades before you spot one.

And some wolves kept looking for someone like. Some who lost their mate that wanted themselves to feel complete again kept searching for a stealer.

There are also Alpha who lost their mates, who desire my kind. It’s understandable since an Alpha cannot continue its legacy once the bloodline is cut. The position will be handed over to the strongest in the pack, which often is the Beta.

For me, it doesn’t matter who I’ll be with. I can start making my own family with whoever I choose. Also, I’m not interested in having a family of my own.

But a part of me felt the guilt and pain when that someone finds their true mate. And I’ll be left behind.

A war between wolves fighting to have me is also far from my objectives. I might end up dead from it.

And accepting a mateless wolf is also acceptable, but thinking I’m a rebound makes me feel meh. Nope. Not interested.

So technically, I’m giving my wolf a chance to find its own. A way to be in much less trouble.

I was on my way to where the Van was parked, waiting for its passengers. A mini suitcase in my hand, and the other is what I used to slide the door open.

I saw the five other girls with me on my journey to the Prime pack.

Three of them gave me the ‘look’ that I’ve been having ever since I set foot in this pack.

For some, I will never belong. I came from nowhere. I may have the blood of a traitor for all we know.

Only one girl from the group smiled at me. The seat beside her was vacant, and I decided to sit beside her.

“Hi!” She beamingly greeted me. I smiled back and said hi.

“My name’s Ava. What’s yours?”

“Ashira,” I said, settling in as I sat.

The Van started moving while Ava and I talked. All I hear from her is how she’s so excited to meet her mate. Mostly what I’ve listened to from Lucy.

For the rest of the drive, I was sleeping.

It was dark when we reached the pack. I was woken up by loud gasps of amusement from the girls with me.

The Van dropped us in a clearing in front of the pack building. A guy is standing there, waiting for our arrival.

He’s tall and lean with a huge smile on his face. Almost welcoming.

Some would think that he’s being nice and warm to us as their guests, but since I knew how the pack works, I know he’s being cautious with outsiders of their pack. Which was us.

“Welcome, ladies!” His voice is even cheerful. “I’m Anton, the one in charge of your group. If you’ll follow me, please?”

He turned his back on us and took a step before facing us again. Caught us off guard.

We all looked, questioning his behavior.

“Just checking if one of you is mine.” He smiled sheepishly. He’s a joker.

The girls from my pack laughed at his remorse. He did, too, before leading us the way again.

We walked away from their pack building, and they led us to another facility. Not too far from where we’re dropped off.

“This is the guesthouse. Prime pack prepared a room for each of you, ladies.”

Ava, the girl with us, put her hands up.

“Yes?” Said Anton. Smiling at her.

“I’m just curious. How do you know how many ladies you’ll have as a guest?”

I shrugged off her question. That makes sense. Since I never took an interest in this mate topic, I have yet to learn about it.

“Oh. Pack reaches out to each other for that. We’ll inform you how many of ours will come to yours after the mapping, and they will do the same. Every pack does.” He humbly explained and continued once no one had any follow-up questions.

We reached the lobby of the guesthouse. Our pack also has a guesthouse for events like this or if other Alphas need a meeting visit. But Prime Pack’s guesthouse is way bigger. It’s tripled the size of ours.

“Everyone is to fill out these forms.” He handed a piece of paper to us. “We’ll pass that information you’ll provide to the pack office once you’ve met your mate. For official purposes only.”

“And if we won’t meet our mate at the ball?” It was Ava again.

Her questions are informative to me. I knew less about mates than I should, but I don’t have the guts to ask like that. I’m thankful for her curiosity, feeding mine as well.

“That’s rare to happen here at Prime Pack, but IF, we’ll send you home the same way you arrive.”

“Does that mean we won’t meet our mates forever?” I’m surprised I asked. I was bothered by what he said, considering that, in my case, it was almost a mission to find my mate. And his answer just disturbed what I was aiming for.

“It depends. If you ladies missed your chance this year, you’ll participate in the mapping again next year and repeat the process.”

“What part of that applies the ‘depends’ part?”

“Well, if the mapping shows your mate had died, it’s entirely different then, wouldn’t it?” Anton smirks. Now I have the feeling that those warm smiles are for a show.

He had a point. A year wait is long. Anything can happen within a year; if we miss this chance, it will be like risking our fate.

We finished filling out the forms and handed them over to our guide. He gave each of us a card with the number of assigned rooms. Mine is 512. Which is the top floor of the building. As I said, the guesthouse is extravagantly huge.

“You can roam around the pack tonight and tomorrow before the ball. There are shops within the pack temporarily available only for the event. No one is to leave the pack land or even set foot outside our territory. That’s an ultimate rule, so it’s best to remember it. Once you’re with a mate, that rule will not apply. Good luck, ladies!” He waved us goodbye and left.

Since I belonged to someone other than our group, I decided to find my room alone. The rest of them are still talking, complimenting everything their eyes see.

After settling in my room, I took a bath. The warm water calmed my nerves, and I already felt sleepy. I slip on my tank top and shorts and lay on the bed, tucking myself into the blankets.

I was ready to be drowned in my deep sleep when I felt someone was looking at me.

I opened my eyes and looked around. Steadying my eyes on the window.

No one is there.

What should I expect? I’m five floors above the ground. No one can sneak a peek at this high.

But my wolf is calling to me. She’s asking me to look outside the window. She wants me to go to the window.

I tried shutting her down. I badly needed sleep from the exhaustion of the ride, but my wolf was resisting. It’s persistent. She wants me to open the window. And let it open.

I growled as I stood and walked towards it. I clicked open the locks and pulled up the window. I saw no one outside. Practically, nothing.

My window is facing the forest, and it’s dark out. I growled when I couldn’t hear my wolf now. A minute and she wants me to open the damned window, and when I did, she hung me up?

I closed it again, not liking the idea of some mateless wolf barging in on my sleep. I sighed in relief when my wolf didn’t argue when I closed it.

A loud howl was heard all over the pack as I went to bed.

I was stunned. The howl seemed frustrated, irritated, and longing.

The thought of some mateless wolf finding my scent made me pale.

I forgot that pack guesthouses are soundproof and, in our case, smell-proof.

It is made that way to prevent our mates from smelling us and breaking the pack tradition’s purpose. Also, if another Alpha came for a meeting visit, overall privacy should apply to them. That’s why guesthouses are made that way.

Someone must have caught my scent as I open the window. Probably lost me when I closed it again.

Was it my mate? Was it a mateless wolf? I cringed upon the last part.

‘What have you done!’ I angrily said to my wolf.

‘Just a tease, that’s all.’ My wolf playfully said. I growl at her and shut her up. She does not seem aware of the danger her abnormality can cause!

That loud howl from a wolf is scary. It made my knees weak and jelly. Whoever it is, I need to be careful before the ball.