Mated to Her Alpha Brother

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DOVE

Delilah was on top of her game, as always, making sure we stuck to our schedule and got everything done in the salon in exactly three hours. She had me endure a torturous waxing session, pampered my hands and feet with a manicure and pedicure, gave my hair a treatment, and trimmed my eyebrows.

By the end of it, I felt refreshed and ready to take on the world, or at least tonight's plans. I had looked into the mirror at the salon and wondered, "Who's that foxy lady with the luscious brown curls and spotless skin? Oh wait, it's me!"

"I have to say, Delilah, this was a brilliant idea," I gushed, grinning from ear to ear at Delilah, who was steadily driving behind the wheels of her ford mustang.

"The only downside was having to drive there," Lilah grumbled, her eyebrows scrunched up in annoyance.

"There's no way I was gonna run miles in the cold morning air. And what's the point of getting my nails done if they're just going to get wrecked on the run back home?" I shrugged.

"I get it," Lilah sighed. "I just can't stand sitting in this..metal death trap," she grimaced.

"You need to embrace technology, babe. It's not going anywhere," I said, trying to console her. After all, who wouldn't want to cruise in a Ford Mustang with their bestie by their side?

"I envy the faes," she said, her tone wistful. "They've lived for thousands of years without the corrupting influence of human and dwarven technology. It makes me wonder why we can't be the same."

I couldn't resist a sarcastic response. "Maybe it's because we don't have magic and can't cast spells," I said, rolling my eyes.

She wasn't deterred. "Wrong. Werewolves are magical beings," she emphasized, determined to make her point.

"Okay, fine," I conceded. "But let's be real, technology has made everything a lot simpler. Just look at this," I said, waving my perfectly manicured nails in front of her face to remind her of our earlier conversation.

She swatted my hand away, laughing. "Stop that," she chided me.

"I wish I was a fae," she said, pouting. We were only a few minutes away from the pack house.

"Even though you look the part, you'd be miserable without your wolf," I pointed out.

As cool as magic was, I couldn't imagine being anything other than a werewolf. Being able to shift into my wolf and experience the world from its perspective was too incredible to give up.

Werewolves were just one of many magical beings that existed. The supernatural world was full of all sorts of creatures, some more powerful than others. Among them were the five notable races known as The Supremes - faes (elves and faeries), werewolves, vampires, witches, and dragons. The dragons, once the most divine and powerful of all beings, were thought to be extinct having disappointed after the devastating War that tore the magic world apart, the war of the Lost. Tho it's said they still lived, but majority are willing to believe they died off.

Only one dragon was said to have survived, and he was shrouded in mystery. He was considered to be the most powerful being in existence and the head of the supreme council. The council was made up of the most competent and powerful beings from each race of The Supremes. They oversaw all magical matters and held immense power over the human world.

It was easy to understand why many people couldn't fathom the idea of multiple dragons in existence. A single dragon could flatten mountains with its roar, clear forests with a wave of its wings, and had impenetrable scales that could only be marked by the claws of another dragon. Dragons were better off as myths and legends, meant to scare disobedient children.

The human race is naturally the physically weakest because they had no semblance of magic at all and are easily susceptible to it, but they however dominate the planet with their ever increasing population. Some of the more powerful and influential humans were aware of magic and our existence, but majority live day to day in the dark.

Even the vast territory of our pack land is inhabited by a few human cities and towns. None of whom know of our existence. The salon we just came from was also located in a nice human town not very far from here.

"So...are the invitations all sent out?" I ask after a long stretch of silence.

"Yeah, we're expecting nothing less than 800 people, wolves and others alike" she perked up at the mention of Tonight.

"Wait what? That's too many people" I gaped in disbelief.

"Who asked you to be the only daughter to Alpha Vidar, the most influential Alpha and Alpha to the largest pack in the continent" she bragged, her voice filled with pride for her Alpha and pack.

But all I felt was dread. I wasn't that nervous about tonight before but now I sure as hell am. I've always been a public figure being who I am but I've never had to entertain such an outrageous number of people. I think I'm more nervous about that than meeting my mate.

"Guess who" Delilah says jutting out her chin in the direction of the pack house.

Standing there with an impossible wide grin was a shirtless hunk of muscle in tight short pants, or otherwise known as Daniel. My boyfriend. He was waving excitedly at our approaching vehicle, his bronze skin glinting under the high sun. obviously having just shifted back guessing from his outfit choice.

"Oh no" I groaned from the back of throat but kept a small smile on my lips knowing even from that far, his vision could still capture my every expression, just as I could his.

Daniel was the son of my father's best friend and kind of friendly rival. He was the Alpha to crimsonhaven pack, situated far off across the Atlantic. We were kind of pushed towards each other by eager parents with dreams of having a closer relationship through our union. He and I kind of got along with it, but hard as I tried I couldn't love him the way they wanted me to. And I think part of it was fear of the heartbreak if I turned 18 and he turns out not to be my mate. But it seems my parents had full hopes that we were. Our dads most especially.

We kind of started dating or not dating actually because he never asked me out, but everyone behaved as if we were a thing so we did too. Am still not sure how he feels exactly about me but we've yet to do basically anything couples do. The farthest we've gone is a peck by the corner of my mouth.

"Heey you.." I trail off awkwardly as the car slowed down in his direction, I wasn't sure what to say but keeping quiet while he kept waving at me like that felt even more awkward.

His body stiffens for a second, to my confusion, with his face squeezing into a frown and the wide stretch of his lips disappearing.

"Happy birthday" he says softly, his voice sounding sadder than I've ever felt, and his body sagged with heavy disappointment. Way different from his earlier enthusiasm.

"Thanks, will see you tonight yeah?" I ask getting off the now parked vehicle into his welcomed embrace. And it was then I knew why he was stricken.

I felt nothing.

My wolf did not stir,

My body did not burn with need,

My heart did not pulse out of beat,

Nothing.

We were not Mates.

Although we couldn't be certain as I would only fully mature at the exact hour of my birth which is in the evening. But if there was a pull, we would've felt it by now for sure.

When Daniel had his 18th birthday a few months ago and didn't meet his mate, we all expected it to be me. But we couldn't confirm until I get of age too. Only then will we feel the pull, the connection. But now, it seems I was not his. Nor was he mine.

He tightened his grip on me, leaning down to bury his face into the crook of my neck, snuggling into me and trailing his lips in soft kisses along my jaw.

I felt myself freeze, my body hit with a violent need to recoil at his touch, to scrub myself clean of any traces he left on me, of the scent he breathed into me.

"Please" a cry, or a plea of sorts. His proximity extremely uncomfortable.

He abruptly released me taking a sharp step back, his face clouding in deep remorse and grief of what he's done.

"A-am so sorry..I just wanted to be sure" he croaks before clearing his throat and looking away from me to run a hand through his hair in attempt to calm down.

"Am sorry" I find myself saying. I did feel sorry. For not feeling as much anguish as he did over him not being mine, for everything we had for the past almost a decade of our lives coming to an end. I didn't find a lover in him but I did make make a friend of him.

He glances at me again, hurt flashing through his eyes at my lack of grief, before he swallows thickly, flashing me a grin that didn't reach his eyes and turning to walk away, before pausing to say

"I will see you tonight" he smiles sadly and walks off without another word.

My eyes sting with tears for reasons I couldn't fathom. I may not have been in love with him, but I did love him. Knowing I was the cause of his anguish suffocating. But I will not let myself wallow. It was not my fault things were this way. It was so only because She deemed us not perfect for each other. My perfect half is still out there. When or where I'll find him only She knows best.

"That was intense" Delilah who stood forgotten by the side says.

I smile weakly at her when she grips my hand in hers, squeezing in reassurance.

"Tonight" she grins, electric blue eyes glinting in some sort of promise.

"Tonight" I smile back, anticipating what was to come.