The Road to Fate Book 1: The Road to Fate

I woke up in my bed, drenched in cold sweat. I closed my eyes—the blood was everywhere.

I opened my eyes again. No. I was here, in my room. With my adopted family. Safe.

I sat up, squinting against the morning light. I reminded myself that I was in my bed, with Rebecca and Tom, the best parents a girl could ask for, even if they weren’t my biological parents.

I didn’t really remember much from before I came to live with them, but ever since I was a kid, I’d been having the same nightmare, the one I’d just had, over and over and over.

It always felt so real. Too real.

I heard the bedroom door next to mine open. Connor. He was my oldest adopted brother. Tom, his dad, was our alpha, which meant that Connor was going to be the next alpha.

Then I heard another voice, and my stomach jumped—

“Hey, Con, have you seen my dress shoes?”

Ty. Connor’s younger brother. My boyfriend of four years.

If the mate was also eighteen, your wolf could find your mate by smell, sight, or touch.

If the mate wasn’t eighteen and didn’t have their wolf yet, you could only find them by touch, but the one under eighteen wouldn’t feel the bond until they got their wolf.

Since I was only seventeen, I didn’t have my wolf yet. I slid back down in my bed, pulling the covers over my face. I was so, so nervous for the party. We were about to find out for sure whether Ty and I were mates or not.

If we were mates, then we could continue to be together. If we weren’t, we’d have to break up so he could find his mate.

It was especially important for Ty to find his, since he would be our beta someday. He’d be second in charge of our pack, Moonlight Rising.

“Kas, you ready yet?” I heard Connor yell.

“Yeah, be right down,” I shouted back.

I got out of bed, stretching my arms above me. Connor still hadn’t met his mate yet, even though he was older than Ty by four years.

I changed into a light-pink baby doll dress with matching ballet flats, putting my hair up into a cascading ponytail. I applied some mascara and lip gloss, leaving my room to head downstairs to meet my family.

Rebecca had always had an eye for interior design, and the living room was no different.

The light-beige walls perfectly reflected the sunlight coming in from the canopy windows. A massive fireplace occupied the center of one wall, a smiling portrait of our family placed above it.

Connor and Ty were sitting on the navy loveseat in front of the fire. I loved spending my nights there with Ty, curled up together, talking about our future.

“Wow, you look amazing!” Connor said, staring at me.

He started to move toward me, almost in a daze, but snapped out of it when Ty let out a low snarl.

“You of all people should know to stay away from my girl,” Ty growled, coming over and pulling me into a hug.

Ty had always been very possessive. He didn’t like other males getting near me, let alone touching me, but especially Connor.

“Sorry, bro,” Connor said, backing away with his hands in the air.

Ty quickly pulled me into a hug, then moved back, looking me up and down.

“You look beautiful, Kassi,” Ty said.

Ty was wearing a dark-blue collared shirt that brought out his light-brown hair and blue eyes. His shirt was stretched tight across his chest and arms, hinting at the muscles beneath.

“You look amazing too,” I said, blushing bright red. “Are you excited to maybe find your mate?”

“I found her twelve years ago,” he told me sweetly, kissing me on the forehead.

We were interrupted by Rebecca, clearing her throat.

“We really should get to the party, you two. There will be plenty of time for that and more after the party, if you are mates,” she said, making me blush again.

Rebecca opened the front door and ushered us down the steps. Ty and I walked hand in hand down the gravel path that led to the main pack conference center, where the party was being held.

Some guests were mingling and drinking whiskey, a feeling of excitement already building.

I slipped off my jacket, handing it to the omega coat check attendant.

I could see it so clearly it hurt. Ty and I, happily mated, working with our luna to plan pack parties, while I helped out in the pack nursery too. Our future, together, if we were mates.

Somehow, despite my nerves, the night passed quickly. Ty stayed by me the whole evening, even while performing his social duties as the future beta.

He was polite while he greeted the visiting alphas and their daughters, but he still made sure his hand was around my waist the entire time.

Just before midnight, I pulled him to an empty hallway, standing so close to him that our bodies were nearly touching. I looked up at him.

There was no denying that every inch of my boyfriend was attractive, but his best feature was definitely his eyes.

“Ty, I love you more than anything in the world,” I started.

“I love you too, baby,” he replied casually.

“If we end up not being mates—”

“We are mates. I can feel it. You are it for me, babe,” he interrupted.

“Okay, but if we aren’t—” I quickly put my finger over his lips before he could interrupt me again. “If we aren’t, I want you to know that you have been the most amazing boyfriend and best friend I could ever have. If you have a different mate, please don’t stop being my friend. I don’t ever want to lose that.”

My voice was trembling.

“I love you, Ty.”

I pulled him into a kiss, pressing my chest against his body. I used our kiss to express all of my feelings to him—the longing to be mates, the fear of being separated, the overwhelming love I felt for him.

If this was the last kiss we were ever going to have, I wanted to make sure all of my feelings reached him.

After a moment, he broke his lips away from mine, brushing back a strand of my hair that had escaped from my ponytail.

“Kassi, I will always love you. You are my entire world,” he whispered.

He bent to kiss me again, pulling me even tighter against him when we were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. I jumped back from Ty, my cheeks burning.

“It’s time,” Rebecca said.

We turned, following Rebecca outside. Even though it was midnight, the moon was shining brightly, illuminating the open space just outside of the conference center.

As was tradition, there was an elevated stage where Ty would shift for the first time. Ty would get his wolf at exactly midnight while we all watched.

Slowly, the rest of the pack and guests joined us, forming a large semicircle. My palms started to sweat, my mind a jumbled mix of emotions.

As soon as the clock turned, Ty fell to the ground, groaning in pain. In a matter of seconds, Ty would be able to officially find his mate.