Avenge

CIANA

I awoke to the soft, melodic voice of my mother, calling to me from the kitchen.

“I’m up, Mom,” I shouted back groggily, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

I got up and dressed, quickly taking stock of my appearance in the mirror. The lavender sundress I’d chosen for my eighteenth birthday hugged my curves and fell to just above my knees. It was simple yet elegant—a perfect reflection of who I was.

Carefully, I unwound my hair from around the large rollers that had been set in place overnight and ran a wide-toothed comb through my curls, leaving them bouncy and full of life. My long, pale-blonde hair cascaded down to my hips with a few pieces pulled back and twisted into an intricate design.

With a few swipes of mascara to frame my bright-blue eyes and some nude matte lipstick, I deemed myself ready for the day. I slipped on a pair of comfortable black flats and headed down to the kitchen.

I could feel the excitement bubbling inside of me. Today was the day I would finally be able to shift into my wolf form on command. Once I was able to do that, I could start searching for my mate.

I was greeted by my father’s warm smile and a kiss on the cheek when I entered the dining room.

“Happy birthday, beautiful,” he said.

“Thank you, Daddy,” I replied with a grin.

“How’s my princess?” he asked with a hint of teasing in his voice.

“Dad, I’m eighteen now,” I groaned playfully.

“But you’ll always be my princess,” he reminded me as my mother entered the room, carrying trays laden with a delicious breakfast feast.

“Good morning and happy birthday, darling,” she said as she set them down on the table.

My mouth watered at the sight of homemade waffles dripping with syrup, biscuits and gravy steaming in a bowl, scrambled eggs with melted cheese, and crispy bacon. It was enough to feed an army.

“Why the feast, Mom?” I asked, already loading my plate with a bit of everything.

“I don’t want my two loves going hungry,” she said with a tender smile, giving my father a quick kiss on the lips.

I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy as I watched them. I hoped my future mate and I had that kind of relationship.

Growing up, I always admired my parents’ love story and longed for a fairytale romance of my own. They were constantly smiling and laughing and only had eyes for each other. Their love radiated in every glance and touch.

I’d never seen them argue except for once when I was fourteen. They had been debating over whether or not I should go on my first date.

In the end, my mother won the argument, and I got to go. But in hindsight, my father had been right. It was a disaster, and I vowed to wait for my mate instead.

“What are your plans for today, dear?” my mother asked as we dug into our breakfast.

“Jackson should be here soon. We’re going to go to the mall for some shopping, then come back here for my birthday movie marathon,” I answered eagerly.

“And what about Charlotte?” she prodded.

“She has training with her father today, and I think she mentioned that her family was going out of town for something for a few days,” I replied.

Charlotte was one of my best friends. We used to be super close, but she’d been focusing on her training more lately and spending less time with me. I knew how important being a warrior was to her and didn’t want to distract her, but I missed my friend.

“She’ll miss the visiting pack leaders,” my father hummed with pride. “Word is even the king will be coming through to meet our princess.”

“Daddy,” I groaned.

My father, the alpha of the Primrose Pack, was eager for me to find my mate and had arranged for the sons of other pack alphas to visit, using the opportunity to also maintain our alliances with them. He said that it was likely I would end up with an alpha or other high-ranking pack member.

But to me, their status in the pack didn’t matter. If they were my mate, the Goddess had destined us to be together, and I trusted in her plan.

“I only want what’s best for you, Ciana,” he said with a soft smile.

“Daddy, I know,” I said, knowing he was about to launch into his lecture on werewolf mating instincts.

“As werewolves,” he began, “our primal instinct is to claim our mates—”

“I know, Daddy. But please trust me when I say that whoever my mate is, I want us to take things slowly and get to know each other first,” I interrupted with a sigh, parroting the words that had been drilled into me countless times over the years. “I want what you and Mom have.”

He smiled and nodded. A sudden knock at the front door made us all jump slightly.

“I’ll get it,” my dad called out as my mother and I cleared the table together.

My mind wandered about who my future mate might be as I helped my mother clean the dishes. What if he was an alpha? Maybe he could be a strong pack warrior. What if he was part of the Royal Pack, even the king himself?

“Earth to CIANA!” someone shouted, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“What?” I said, jumping and turning to see one of my best friends, Jackson.

“You were in a daze there. I thought we had plans to go to the mall,” he said with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh, right! Come on, Jackson! Let’s go shopping!” I said eagerly.

“MALL TIME!” he screamed excitedly.