“I don’t take threats well! If you try to come back to this pack, I will make sure your bloodstains these steps just like my brother’s,” I warned, stepping forward away from my father in front of Alpha Wade. My voice was controlled yet threatening, I had been bullied far too long to step aside and let some other alpha bully me on my own pack lands.
“If you think this threat will be taken seriously, you are sadly mistaken!”
“Too bad. It’s not a threat but a promise,” I voiced; I could sense Sarge at the surface, pushing to get out. Alpha Wade glared at me before I noticed his gaze go past me for a fraction of a second. He turned away from my father and me and strolled down the steps into his vehicle.
Chapter Thirteen: Three Hundred and Fifty Days
Amora
The past two years flew by; I turned seventeen a few days ago. Nolen had not been able to come to this one, which made me a little sad. He did send his gift, though, and oh my Goddess was it perfect! Inside a small rectangular box was a small tennis bracelet.
Sawyer nor my parents didn’t seem to be surprised by the gift. Making me a little skeptical that it had come from Nolen until I read his small note inside; I could recognize his writing anywhere. My brother even offered to help me put it on. I was a little shocked by this since he would go into a fit of rage most of the time if any male came up to me to ask me out.
“It’s beautiful, Amora!”
“Who did it come from! This is so expensive!”
I smiled at the dainty bracelet on my wrist before glancing up at Sarah and Destini. “Would you believe it came from Nolen?”
They stopped and stared back at me, their mouths hanging open. “What!”
“Is he your mate?!”
“No, he didn’t claim me when he turned eighteen. But he’s like a brother, so I figure... Ya know?” I stared at the bracelet, smiling at it. They both continued to stare at me. I rolled my eyes at them and started making my way to the table that held all the food. I began to make a plate, but each time the door opened, I glanced over to see if Nolen had made it but was disappointed each time. Grabbing a bottle of water, I went to sit down, Sarah and Destini catching back up with me before I got to my table.
“He must be wanting you as a chosen mate then. A bracelet like this is more than a brother thing.” Destini sat in the chair in front of me; she was always the direct one, never missing a beat to tell someone what was on her mind. Sarah took a seat beside me with her plate, gazing between Destini and me.
“He wouldn’t do that. He knows I’d wait on my mate.” Chewing on my lip, I scooped up food. This was not entirely true. If Nolen would ask me, I’d say yes, a million times over and never think twice about it. I fantasized about him sweeping me off my feet and making me his. If only he was my mate or would choose me.
Both girls nodded while giving me mischievous grins.
It had been two weeks since my seventeenth birthday, and I sat at my desk writing in my diary my mother had given me when Danika walked into my open bedroom door. She came up to my window the left of my desk and stared out of it. “So, are you going to Nolen’s Alpha ceremony?”
Continuing to write in the diary, the tennis bracelet laying delicately on my wrist as my hand dashed along the antique pages of the book with the calligraphy pen that Sawyer had given me. Glancing over at her from the corner of my eye, I answered, “Of course. It’s tomorrow, is it not?”
“Yes, so we should be leaving today.”
I glanced up fully at her as she stood by the window, her arms crossed under her breasts. Danika gazed down at me with a smile, stepping behind me and playing with my hair. She would be an excellent Luna to the pack; she had changed Sawyer just enough to make him a little more responsible. I closed the diary and stood up from my chair. A bag sat on my bed; I had packed a few clothes and added the book in my hand. “Will there be other packs at his ceremony?”
Danika nodded with a smile and grabbed the wrist that wore the bracelet, fingering it, her gaze coming back to mine. “This was such a wonderful gift, and yes, there will be.”
“Then there will be more opportunities for Nolen to find his mate.” I pulled my hand from hers while mumbling as I finished packing my bag. I turned with my bag on my shoulder to Danika. “How soon are we leaving?”
“Pretty soon. Go ahead downstairs. That way they can put your stuff in the vehicle.” Danika moved to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. Nodding, I proceed out of my room and down the stairs. I put my bag with the others and went into the living room where my mother, father, and Sawyer were, along with Beta Adam and Delta Eric; they all appeared to be in a heated discussion. They kept their voices where I could barely make out what they were saying, and when I walked in, they all immediately stopped talking.
Crossing my arms, I tilted my head, giving them all a curious gaze. They all had been acting strange around me since Nolen had shifted and we’d arrived back home. “Are you all having a secret meeting? Normally those are done in your office, father.”
My father gave me a grin and Sawyer stepped forward, a smile forming on his face. “Why do you always suspect people? Huh?”
“Well, when people are in a room speaking low and then someone comes in and they all become quiet, I feel like that is something to suspect people of,” I countered as he stood before me, the smile still playing on his face. I swear I believed he thought he was the best secret keeper, when really he wasn’t, because as kids he would always cave and end up telling me. So, I felt confident he would eventually let whatever they were talking about slip.
Sawyer laughed as he strolled past me, patting me on the shoulder as he continued through the doors of the packhouse. Sighing, I went over to my mother. She pulled me into a hug and smiled. “The vehicles should be here soon, and we will be leaving. Do you have everything you need for the next two days?”
“Yes, Mother.”
A warrior came into the room and bared his neck to us before standing up straight. He glanced over to my father and then my mother before his gaze landed on me. He quickly glanced back to my father as he stood in the doorway. “The vehicles are here. We are loading the baggage as we speak.”
“Thank you very much. We will be out shortly.” My father nodded to the warrior and motioned for Beta Adam and Delta Eric to follow him. The way the beta and delta gazed at me still made me curious about what they’d all been discussing when I came into the room.