The King And The Rejected She-wolf
Chapter 2 – Getting Ready

LAURA

“Laura!”

My stepmother is yelling from downstairs, and I reach over to my bedtable, take my phone andtouch the screen, so it lights up and shows it's only 7.30.

“Laura!” Samantha yells again.

I get out of my bed and walk downstairs to our big kitchen, where I replace Samantha and Leah, mystepsister, sitting by the table, Leah all covered in face masks while her mom is putting red nailpolish on her hands. They will look like she had been dipping them in fresh blood.

"About time, get to work and prepare breakfast. I am busy getting Leah ready for tonight.”

“It is like 12 hours away. “ I argue.

“That might be. But we want Leah to look better than everyone else.” I sigh and begin to makebreakfast for all of us.

Tonight our new Alpha turns 20, which means he can now replace his mate. Alphas and other malewolves replace their mate when they turn 20. That is so they can make sure they are mature enough tostart the rest of their life with their mate. She-wolves, on the other hand, can replace their mate whenthey turn 17. Every unmated girl will be there tonight, hoping that they are his mate, or if his mateisn't there, hoping he will choose one of them.

I think it's ridiculous that we all have to stand there like cows for sale, waiting to be bought anddragged away. And I wanted to stay home, which Samantha thought was a good idea. She doesn’twant me to steal and overshadow my sister's chance to become the next Luna. But my dad told menot to be silly and to be there, even if he had to drag me there himself. He said this could be mychance because I still had not found my mate, and I soon turn 19. That was something my dearstepmother didn't like. Leah had turned 17 just a month ago, so now Samantha had used a lot moremoney to make sure Leah would look better than me.

My dad and my mom had grown up together, and when none of them found their mate, they choseeach other because they loved each other very much. Then dad was on a trip with their Alpha, andhe met Samantha, his fated mate. Dad called my mom, being so confused and needing her advice.Being who she was, my mom told my dad to bring her to our pack so he could get to know her, andif the fated bond was too strong, she didn't want to be in the way. So my dad did just that, but aftersome time found that he loved my mom the most. But before he could break the bond withSamantha, my mom was killed in a rogue attack and left him with me being only a few months old.Shortly after Samantha moved in, she became pregnant about a year later. And after Leah was born,Samantha would always try to make my dad love her more because she was, in her opinion, after all,his true daughter. But dad loved us both equally and never gave one more than the other.

The house has been busy all day. Leah and her snobby friends have been at it all day. So I decidedto keep to myself and stayed in my room. A knock on the door pulls me from my thoughts, and mybest friend Cora steps into my room.

“Hey, girl, are you ready?”

"Hey."

Cora and I had agreed to get ready together. She enters my room, and we just do some small talkwhile we do each other hair and makeup. My long sandy blonde hair had been put in a long braidthat began on the right side of my head to end hanging over my left shoulder, and she also putsmall hair clips with midnight blue stones into the braid. The makeup was kept light, with a blueeyebrow surrounding my blue eyes, a light blush on my cheeks, and a soft pink lip gloss. Looking inthe mirror, I loved Cora's work and went to get my dress, a simple but long midnight blue silk dresswith thin shoulder straps.

When it was time, they all left to walk over to the packhouse. Many girls were already standingoutside the packhouse, and some dressed up formally. Some were dressed in skirts so short that itwas embarrassing to look at. When it was finally time, an elder came out from the packhouse andstood on the stairs leading inside. The minute the door, a strong scent of fresh-cut grass and spiceshit my nose, making Kali, my wolf, wake up inside of my head.

"Welcome everyone, especially welcome to all these beautiful house unmated she-wolves. We arehere so that Alpha Miles can give or choose a mate, to be by his side as a loving partner, a motherto his pups, and to be his Luna.”

All us girls were now instructed to stand next to each other in one long line. Cora stood to one sideof me in her emerald green dress and matching makeup. Or my other side was Leah in her blood-red dress, showing off her legs.

“I also have the pleasure of informing you that Alpha Miles have been able to smell a scent soalluring that it can only be the scent of a fated mate. And I just say that Alpha Miles are very excitedto get out there and replace her.”