School was extremely uneventful. Lexi came over my house and trained me after school like usual. After suffering through the boring events of today I'm finally able to get ready to be accepted into the pack. It's about time too, because Lexi says being part of the pack is great; apparently you can use mind link even when you're not in wolf form, and when I want I can put up blocks and keep people from talking to me in mind link.

I put on a yellow dress that covers up the essentials and wear my black flip flops. I do my hair and make up lightly because I don't want the packs' first impression of me to be a bad one.

"Are you ready Sofia, we are leaving now?" My mom shouts from the bottom of the stairs. I smile to myself in the mirror and make my way down steps.

"Yup, I'm ready." I say skipping down the stairs and stopping in front of my mom.

"Will dear, will you go start the car? I need to talk to Sofia about something." Will nods his head at my mom and heads out to start the car. Mom looks at me and says, "Sofia I want you to have this bracelet." She pulls a bracelet from her pocket and puts it on my wrist. It is quite beautiful, there is a pendant with some form of marking in it, the bracelet itself is stretchy, I'm assuming this is so I can wear it in both human and wolf form without breaking it. Its also slim and cute.

"Dear this is a family heir loom, don't ever take it off, do you understand? It is very important that you keep it and pass it on to your child." I give her a curious look.

I say, "Why is it so important that I don't take it off? It's just a bracelet isn't it?" I ask.

She gives me a stern look and says, "There are something's that you can't know yet, just don't take it off dear and you will be fine." She says.

I just shrug it off and follow her out to the car. Will drives us to the Alpha's place. When we get there everyone is already in the auditorium. Mom gives me a quick kiss on my head and leaves to go put my second dress backstage for me. Will wishes me luck and walks into the auditorium. I wait for my signal to walk in. After a few minutes Alpha Renalds' voice sounds through the doors.

"Tonight we will celebrate the joining of a new pack member. Her name is Sofia Hail." the whole auditorium claps and the doors open to reveal me standing there. I slowly walk my way onto the stage. Once I get up there and arrive at my spot next to the podium, I look out into the audience. "Sofia Hail, I Alpha Jim Renalds of the Hollow Moon Pack accept you as the newest member of our group. If you accept then please shift in front of the rest of the pack." My heart begins to race rapidly as I bow my head down and picture myself as a wolf. I feel the amazing sensation from the shift and open my eyes when I know it's complete. The rest of the pack claps but soon settles down when the Alpha begins to speak again. "Welcome to the pack Sofia." he says in a serious tone. "Alright the party will be held outside, thank you all for coming." Everyone claps again and most begin to file out the doors to head outside for the party. I sigh, well that was fast and surprisingly a lot easier then I expected.

I walk back stage and then into the changing room. I then shut the door with my snout. Before I turn around from shutting the door, I realize there is another presence in the room. I snap my head to the side and see... nothing? What? There was definitely something there a second ago. I smell the air but all traces of the other presence are gone. Hmm, maybe I'm just imagining things now. I shift back and quickly change into the light pink dress that I took out of one of the boxes from the attic. It has a black belt that meets in the back with a bow. It begins to flow down toward the bottom of the dress. I check the mirror to make sure my hair and make up still looks good. Yup I'm all set, time to join the party!

I walk outside and see that everyone is talking and just having a good time. I also see a ton of kids from school that I had no idea were werewolves, wow there are so many of them! I had no clue that most of our school was werewolves.

'Welcome to the pack Sofia' I hear Lexi's voice say to me and look around searching for her but I can't see her.

What? I definitely just heard her voice.

'I'm at the drink table silly, I'm mind linking to you!' She giggles through her thoughts. I laugh out loud and walk toward the drink table in search of Lexi.

'Hey Lexi! Oh my gosh this is so cool!" I say back to her through mind link. She grins at me then hands me a small glass of fruit punch.

"It is pretty cool isn't it? Personally though, I prefer to talk in person." She laughs. I smile back at her. As I'm about to take a sip of my Fruit Punch, someone suddenly hugs me from behind and I squeal. Turning around in their arms I see that it's Vince.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me you were a werewolf? I had no idea." He smiles at me.

I give him a half smile and say, "Uh Vince you can let go now..." He realizes he is still hugging me then lets go. Then I add, "I didn't tell you because only Lexi knew, and plus I wanted to surprise everyone." I grin.

"Well you sure surprised me." He says laughing, "well I will catch you around. I have some people I need to talk to. See you Sofie."

"Later Vince!" I wave as he walks away.

Then I turn to talk to Lexi again but notice that she's gone. Where did she go? I wander around the huge back yard looking for her. I go around the side of the house then spot the Alpha and Jayden talking to one another. I slowly approach them to see if they have seen Lexi around, then I hear them begin to argue so I hide behind the wall.

"Dad you don't understand, I'm not going to marry Ashley. I don't like her like that." Jayden yells at his dad.

Marry Ashley, what is he talking about?

"Son, you have no reason not to marry her, she is beautiful, strong, comes from good blood, and she likes you. I have already talked to Beta Geoff and he agreed that it would be in both of your interests to mate and marry eachother." The Alpha says in a serious tone.

"Dad I just found my mate, I'm not going to marry Ashley, I don't love her. I've put up with her for you for long enough, I'm done. I'm going to break up with her today so I can be with the person I'm meant to be with." A vicious growl sounds and I shrink in closer to the wall.

"Oh so you think your mate is better than Ashley do you?" The Alpha states.

"Think? There is no doubt in my mind that she will be a better Luna for the pack than Ashley will." Jayden says confidently. My heart melts with pride as I realize he is talking about me and I finally notice how much Jayden truly cares for me. Has he really been with Ashley for his dad's sake?

"Oh really, so who is this amazing mate of yours Jayden." The Alpha says, challenging his son.

"Sofia Hail." He says.

My jaw drops.

He did it. He actually acknowledge me as his mate! I think I'm in heaven. Maybe I can just forget what I said to him before... I mean we are meant to be together right? Who am I to stop that...

Loud laughter comes from behind the wall, "You think that the puny half-breed would be a better mate for you than Ashley?" He laughs even harder. My heart is slowly begining to break again. So the Alpha really doesn't like me? He was so nice to me earlier. I'm so confused.

"What do you mean 'half-breed'?" Jayden says to his dad.

When his laughter settles the Alpha says, "Her biological father is human, she's not even worth your time Jayden. Plus her mother isn't even accepted here, the only reason she is allowed here right now is because of Will. Not only did she betrayed our pack years back by going against our laws, she was a wanted werewolf. She has rogues and hunters after her all the time, that's why she's constantly on the move." What, is he serious? My mom is wanted? For what?

"Dad I'm not giving up my mate because something her mother did in the past. I will not marry Ashley and that's final." Jayden states with authority.

"You do not tell me what is final Jayden. If you truly wish to not marry Ashley then fine, but you will not see Sofia, and that is final." He shouts using his Alpha tone on Jayden. "and don't even think about trying to see her behind my back, I have eyes everywhere Jayden." The Alpha states firmly.

I hear Jayden sigh then answer, "Yes sir..."

I cover my mouth as my eyes begin to tear. I slowly stand and walk away from the wall quickly but quietly. I run inside the huge house and go straight into the bathroom. I can't believe he agreed to not see me, after everything he just said. I was just starting to think that it would finally be okay for us to be together then he agrees to just not see me. Maybe he was just using me as a way to get away from Ashley... I wipe my eyes and sniffle a couple of times after thinking up all the possible reasons as to why Jayden would agree to these terms. I'm starting to think this is a lost cause... I've been hurt so many times and for what? In the end, I still don't have Jayden. Ugh.

I've been in the bathroom for a good 15 minutes when, 'Sofia' I hear a voice say in my head. Who is that?

'Sofia, it's Jayden we need to talk now. Where are you?' He says.

He wants to talk to me? Probably to reject me for good. I check myself in the mirror real fast to make sure I'm at least a little bit presentable. I might as well get this done and over with before I get too attached to him.

'I'm in the bathroom' I send back to him and wait for him to reply.

'I need you to come to my room, but no one can see you okay. That's very important.' I let out a sigh and move toward the door, to get ready to leave.

'Okay, where is your room...' I respond in a tired and dead voice.

'It's up the stairs and down the hallway on your right, it will be the third door to the right.' He says quickly.

'Okay I'll be there as soon as I can.' I say lightly. I slowly open the door to the bathroom and make sure no one is coming, once I know the hall is clear I sneak my way to the front of the house and go up the stairs, making sure the path is empty. I finish following Jayden's directions and stop at the door I believe is Jayden's. I slowly walk into the room. When I get all the way in I quietly turn and close the door behind me so that no one can hear it shut. Before I turn around again I feel arms wrap around my waist and forcefully hold me to a solid chest. Feeling the sparks shoot up my body I know that it's Jayden and I relax in his arms immediately.

He leans down and whispers in my ear, "I don't think you know how long I've been dying to hold you in my arms." He says. I smile from his words, then it hits me. He was forbidden to do this, I'm here so that he can reject me. I turn around in his arms and look up into his beautiful emerald eyes.

"Jayden I thought you brought me here to reject me..." I say in a soft tone and look down.

He lifts my chin and says, "Why would you ever think that? I care about you a lot Sofia, why can't you see that?"

I smile lightly at him and reply, "Well, you have Ashley and she's you know... Beautiful, skinny... and a full werewolf."

He frowns at me then drags me further into his room, "Sofia I would never choose Ashley over you. Actually I would never choose anyone over you, you're perfect Sofia. I don't think you realize how jealous I get whenever guys go near you, or how angry it makes me when they check you out. It honestly took all my strength not to kill Roy after what he tried to do to you... Sofia you're the best thing that's ever happened to me and I want you to know that..." He sighs.

"But..." I add, knowing that he hasn't finished what he wanted to say. I look up at him, he grabs my hand and looks into my eyes.

"But, there are some complicated things going on right now and we can't be seen together by anyone until I figure out a way to solve the problem..." Suddenly my heart jumps for joy, he isn't rejecting me! I smile at him then he gives me a questioning look.

"So we can still be together, but we can only do it secretively?" I say excitedly. My stomach explodes with butterflies. We can still be together? I'm so happy right now!

He closes his eyes and runs his hand through his hair and says, "Sofia you're responses never fail to amaze me. Usually a girl would be mad about having to keep a relationship a secret..." I bite my lip as I watch him run his hand through his hair. I so badly want to be the one to do that but I don't want to push it. Oh shit what did he say, I totally zoned out...

Suddenly his eyes shoot open and he looks directly at me. As he stares I notice that his eyes suddenly change from the gentle emerald they were a few moments ago to a dark green almost black color that's filled with hunger and lust. Then he lightly growls and says, "I thought I told you not to bite your lip in front of me Sofia." He walks over to me and I back up against the wall. He traps me in by resting both of his hands on the wall on either side of my head, then he leans down so our lips are almost touching and he says, "That's my job." My body shivers in anticipation from the close proximity of our faces.

Then the most magical thing happens, he leans in further and carefully places his lips on mine. Sparks fly through my whole body and I'm in shock. Once I regain my composure, I begin to move my lips in sync with his. The kiss immediately changes from a slow soft kiss to one that is filled with hunger and desire. Honestly even though I'm new at this, I know that this kiss cannot be topped. As the kiss continues to get heated, Jayden licks my lower lip asking for entrance. I smirk and keep my mouth closed, denying his wishes. I feel a low growl rumble through Jayden as he forcefully presses his whole body against mine, pinning me completely to the wall. I gasp, allowing Jayden to slip his tongue into my mouth. Our tongues dance with one another for a while as we fight for dominance. Jayden wins and is able to fully explore my mouth. The sensations flowing through me are unexplainable, I just want to run my hands all over his sexy body. I lightly push Jayden's body away from mine, giving my hands enough room to trail up and over his six pack and into his hair. I run my fingers through it for a little while, just enjoying the silkiness. It's just how I imagined it would be. Then I pull lightly on it. A low and deep growl sounds from Jayden's chest; I smirk in victory knowing he enjoyed it. He suddenly takes his hands from the wall and glides them down my sides and places them on my hips.

After enjoying our intense make out for a while, he slowly moves them down even further so that his hands are cupping my butt. I let out a soft moan as he lightly squeezes then lifts me up so that I am now straddling his waist while he stands. We continue the heated kiss and the next thing I know my back is on something soft and Jayden is leaning over me. We continue like this for a while and Jayden runs his fingers up and down my sides. The kiss is getting intense and I feel a heated sensation in my lower area causing me to become filled with even more need and desire. Then he removes his lips from mine and trails slow soft kisses down the side of my cheek and down my neck, I let out slow pants and shiver in joy from the pleasure my body is receiving.

Suddenly Jayden stops and I whimper in sadness. He comes back up to my level and looks into my eyes, "As much as I love kissing you Sofia, I need to stop before I go any further and mark you." He says through heavy breaths.

I smile at him then lean up onto my elbows and peck him on the lips one last time, "I understand, but yeah... One quick question... what does 'marking' mean?" I give him a light confused smile then he laughs.

"Damn Soph, you really are a newbie." he continues his laughter then says, "When mates meet they have to go through phases, the first step is eye contact, where both mates realizes that they have a special connection. Phase two is when the male marks the female to allow all other unmated males to know that she is taken, this mark is a bite mark made on the region where the neck and the shoulder meet," Jayden takes his fingers and traces them over the area he was talking about and I close my eyes and shiver from his touch. "Step three is just simply the mating. But don't worry we have plenty of time for the last two steps." He smiles down at me.

Suddenly my phone goes off and snaps both of us out of the heated mood we were just in, Jayden gets off of me and I lean up and answer my phone, "Hello." I say.

"Sofia where are you? I've been looking everywhere for you." Lexi shouts at me, I look at Jayden nervously and he shrugs telling me I should just make something up.

"Uh, I had to use the bathroom, really bad... So I'm using a bathroom upstairs, I will be down in a minute!" I hang up the phone and Jayden dies laughing.

"You're the worst liar ever!" He laughs, I frown quickly at him then change it to a smirk. I get up and shove him down on the bed then straddle his waist. He stops laughing and looks at me shocked. I smirk down at him.

"Well looks like I have to go, I'll see you later." I whisper then lean down to kiss Jayden, he closes his eyes expecting my goodbye kiss then I jump off of him and run to the door.

He sits up immediately and glares at me from his bed, I stick my tongue out at him and run out the room and back down to the party. This whole secretive mate thing might actually turn out to be loads of fun!

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