The library is quiet. Just like always. My steps are slow as I walk to the section where Rina is always reading.

I approach the small seating area at the back of the huge room. Rina is all cozied up with a large book opened up in her lap. In her hands is a cup of, what smells to be, coffee. She's sipping it casually while reading her book.

Silently, I plop myself into the seat next to her. I rest the small wooden chest in my lap, and wait patiently.

I'm enjoying the silent company, until Rina looks up from her book and notices me. Her eyes widen in shock. She clearly wasn't expecting to see me.

She tucks her short black hair behind her ears. Then she closes the book in her lap.

"Lucia." She says quietly.

I give her a small, fragile smile. "Hi Rina."

"How are you faring?" She asks me, her voice a mere whisper.

I let out a small breath. My fingers tighten around the wooden box nervously. I drag my thumb slowly over the stylish indents on the side of the box. "I'm a mess..." I tell her honestly.

She places her book onto the small side table next to herself. Then she places her coffee mug on top of that. She scoots forward in her chair and in a comforting manner, places her hand on my forearm. "I'm so sorry Lucia. We all loved your mother. She was such a great woman and she loved you so much. She didn't deserve to go like that."

I nod my head at her caring words. "I know... She was selfless. Always cared about others more than herself. I can't believe she's really gone."

"You know she wouldn't want you to be sad."

"How can I not be?"

She nods her head in agreement. "It's nearly impossible. But at least try to think of the good things and maybe smile. After all, it's the good things she would want you to remember. Not the sadness in your heart."

"You're right Rina."

"And what's that box in your hands?"

"Oh. My Mom gave this to me."

"What's in it?"

She releases my arm as I tilt the box around in my hand. It's light. "No idea."

"You mean you didn't open it?" She asks, surprised.

I shake my head. "I couldn't bring myself to do it."

"Why not?" She asks, confused by my actions. I mean who wouldn't be? Guess I will explain.

I fiddle with the box. "My Mom, right before she died, told me that what's in this box, could make me hate her."

Rina's eyes go wide. "But you could never hate your Mom. You loved her more than anything."

I nod my head. "I know. But I don't want to take that risk. Whatever is in this box, needs to be sealed away forever. You know?"

"I can see what you're saying, but aren't you a bit curious?"

"Not curious enough to risk it."

"But you could never hate her, so there's no real risk. You know?"

I nod my head, "I know, but it just doesn't feel right."

"I understand. Well it is your decision after all. Whatever you think you should do, is the right move."

I squeeze the box tightly. "Thanks for the support Rina."

She gives me a small smile. "Anytime Lucia... Hey, I brewed a small batch of coffee. Would you like a cup?"

I nod my head, "yeah, that would be nice. Thanks."

She stands and makes her way over to a table located on the other side of the library. It's basically a concession table. There are mugs, paper cups, a coffee machine, sweeteners, and creams to select from.

I glance down. My eyes trail onto the small table in between my seat and Rina's seat. I notice the book she was reading. The binder reads 'Mates: A Werewolf's Greatest Pleasure and Downfall'. There are very few books that were actually written by werewolves, but this library is a great source of those books. This one just happens to be written by one of the most famous Werewolf novelists.

Mates huh?

My mind races back to Greyson. Then, blurring in front of him is an image of Damien. The man who, coming tomorrow, will be announced as my mate. The man who always hated me throughout my entire childhood. The man who always brought me down, made me feel like dirt on the bottom of his shoe.

Then there's Greyson. He's the light at the end of this dark tunnel I call a life. He makes me comfortable, happy. He never drags me down, pressures me, or ever makes me feel bad about myself.

My stomach knots. Nausea bubbles in my gut, spinning my head into a strange confusion that's getting hard to concur. I'm going to end up with the guy I don't want. Why? Because I just simply don't have a choice. If I refuse, I will be kicked from the pack, no doubt. Which I wouldn't have a problem with, but Damien has threatened Greyson. I couldn't bear it if something bad happened to him.

A cup is silently placed in front of my line of vision. The steam rises from the cup and gently cradles my face, warming my skin. I grab hold of the cup, thanking Rina as she sits back down onto the chair next to my own.

"Are you okay? You look as pale as a ghost."

My heart continues to ache. My mind races through everything that's happened in the past twenty-four hours. I take a deep breath. I think it's time I tell someone what's going on.

"Rina, there's something I need to talk about. But you can't tell anyone."

She stares at me silently for a moment, shocked by my sudden willingness to express my deepest secrets. She nods silently. "Of course Lucia."

"Not even Leo. Do you understand? No one can know. You need to promise me."

She hesitates. "I..." She takes a deep breath. "I promise Lucia."

"I think I'm in love with Greyson."

Her eyes brighten. "You're what-"

I hold my hand up to halt her flow of words, "stop." I say quickly. "I'm not done."

"Sorry... I was just so excited... I thought you said you were over him and that it was just a hook-up thing?"

"I lied." I tell her plainly. Her face drops to a slight frown.

"Lied to me? Why?"

I sigh. Welp, here goes nothing. "I can't be with him."

Her nose scrunches up, her eyebrows pull close together in pure confusion, "What do you mean?" She fumbles through her brain for any possible answer. She comes up with something quickly. "Does he not love you back...?"

"No that's not it... Well actually... That's probably true too, but that's not the reason I can't be with him." I take a deep breath, "I'm actually going to be Damien's mate."

Her jaw drops to the floor. "You like Damien?"

I frown. My mouth puckers in disgust. "What? No. He chose me to be his mate."

"But..." She stumbles, her words falling frantically from her mouth, "I thought Damien didn't like you. He's always so mean to you... Why would he want to mate with you?"

I sigh. "He thinks I have good genes..."

She frowns, "are you serious? That's ridiculous." Her anger suddenly dissipates from her voice. Her features grow soft and then serious. Her darkened eyes connect with mine. "The Alpha approved it, didn't he?"

I nod my head. "He approved it a while back, I was just holding on to a delusion that maybe, just maybe Damien would lose interest and I could be with Greyson..."

She gulps slowly, knowing the predicament I'm in. Every girl in this pack has no option as to who her mate will be. It's males choice. They have the power when it comes to finding mates. If only I was able to convince Greyson to like me before Damien asked his dad if I could be his mate.

"Lucia... What are we going to do?"

"We?"

She nods her head, "I can't let you become mates with Damien... especially if you are in love with another guy, a better guy."

"There's nothing I, we, can do."

"You can run away?"

"I can't. Damien said that if I do anything stupid he will hurt Greyson. I can't allow that. And I don't want to ask Greyson to run away with me because it's super hard out in the world being a rogue with no pack. I couldn't do that to Greyson. I don't want to put him in that predicament again. Especially if he was so desperate to find a pack the first time he was a rogue that he came here."

"But... But I'm sure Greyson wouldn't care about running away to be a rogue again if he knew how you felt about him."

"No!" I shout at her, my cheeks flaming red at the idea of Greyson knowing about my feelings. "He can't know Rina! I can't tell him. One, it would be too embarrassing and two, it would be too hard on both of us if he accepted those feelings. I just can't..."

"So you're just going to mate with Damien?"

My eyes dart down to my hands. My mind races. But I know what has to be done. "I'm going to do what's required of me. The Alpha has made his decision, and even if it isn't the one I want, it's the one that was made. What's done is done."

Her eyes tear up. Water wells just on the brink of spewing over the sides. I'm caught off guard by this sudden change in state. What's going on, why is she crying?

"You're really strong Lucia..." She sniffles and wipes her eyes.

I scoot closer to her. "What's with this sudden change in demeanor? What's going on?"

"I'm just trying to imagine all the pain you're going through, and my brain physically can't process any of it. Just thinking about giving Leo up would make me cry and run away, yet here you are. After everything you've gone through, you're still functioning." Her tears swell and break. Water streams down her cheeks and she lets out a small wail.

I place my box onto the table and scoot myself over to Rina's seat. I wrap her in my arms and hug her as she cries. I feel myself tearing up too. I soon find myself wrapped in Rina's arms as she cries loudly and I cry silently.

We keep this charade going for a while. It goes on for so long that we lose track of time. When we are finally finished, we release each other and wipe our eyes. Clearing them of any lingering drop. When we are satisfied, we stare at one another.

We say nothing. Content for a moment in pure silence.

Then, spontaneously, we break out into a small fit of laughter.

"That was super embarrassing," Rina admits.

I hold my stomach as I giggle along, "you're telling me. We just had a crying fest, and to be honest, I kind of needed it."

We sigh as the high of the laugher begins to settle. We finally manage to calm ourselves. I reach over to grab my coffee when suddenly the door to the library opens and voices cloud the silent room.

Both Rina and I turn our heads at the intrusion. My ears perk up as I recognize one of the voices right away. It's Greyson and Leo. What could they want?

As they approach us, Leo raises an eyebrow at the two of us. "Couldn't get comfortable in separate seats?" He jokingly asks.

I laugh lightly and sip my coffee. My eyes linger over toward Greyson unconsciously. He is dressed casually, looking as handsome as ever. The black t-shirt he is wearing is form-fitting yet loose at the same time, exposing his large arms muscles. I feel my lower half stir in desire at the thought of being in his arms, having him lift me up and press me to his body. My wolf jumps at the idea, starting to pace around in my head. She waits for the perfect moment to take over and push me toward him.

I need to keep an eye on her. She likes Greyson too much. It could get dangerous.

My eyes linger up toward his face. When they do, they lock onto a pair of bright emerald gems that are watching me closely. He's studying me so cautiously and so intently. I feel my body flame with desire.

I gulp my coffee, accidentally sipping it down the wrong pipe. I cough loudly, trying to clear my lungs of any remnants of the Lukewarm drink. Rina gently pats my back, trying to help me clear out my airways. Once I'm assured they are clear. I wave Rina off and release a low awkward cough.

"Thanks, I'm okay now..." I say quietly.

"You sure? That sounded rough."

"Yeah, I'm fine. The coffee just went down the wrong tube."

Leo hisses in a sharp breath. "Oh that's the worst. It stings like a bitch."

I giggle. He's always so upbeat, even when he's talking about painful things. It's nice to have an optimist like him around. He always knows how to make me smile. It's refreshing.

"So what brings you two here?" Rina asks as she gingerly picks up her coffee and crosses her right leg over her left. She brings her mug up to her lips and sips softly.

Leo glances back at Greyson who simultaneously nods at him. Leo takes that as a go ahead. His brown eyes turn my way. "We actually came to find you, Lucia. Since you disappeared this morning we've been... worried."

A small tingle of warmth spreads in my heart. Knowing that they care about my well being is rather sweet. I give them a soft smile, "thanks guys. That's really nice of you to do. I'm doing well now though, so there's no need to worry about me."

I sip on my, now half empty, cup of coffee. Leo examines my face closely. To my surprise, I don't need to feign a serious expression. I'm actually feeling alright. I'm not feeling good, but that crying session really helped me out.

When both boys appear to be satisfied with my okay demeanor, Rina decides to chime in. She clamps her now empty mug to the table and stands cheerfully.

"How about we go make some slutty brownies? I read the best recipe for it the other day and I think we should try it out."

"Slutty Brownies?" Greyson asks, not exactly sure what she is referring to.

"You've never heard of a Slutty Brownie?" Leo criticizes his friend.

I laugh at their arguing. Rina cuts in, "It's only the best creation ever. Half Chocolate Chip Cookie and half Brownie, Oreos in the middle."

Greyson nods his head, "Huh, that does sound good."

"Oh, it is. Wait until you try it, come on!" Rina cheers happily as she jumps from the chair and heads straight for the door. We all quickly follow suit.