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Emmalee

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Today had started out like any other, really. It was early December and that meant that it was almost my nineteenth birthday. I had just started university in the fall and I was absolutely hating it. I had always hated school though. I prefer to be with friends and hang out, I'm a sociable person.

Another good thing about December was getting the family together for a huge party. It was like celebrating all the birthdays that were so close together and Christmas all in one. There were three other birthdays in December besides mine and we all usually had a massive party in the middle of the month.

This year my dad was letting me plan it and I was trying to get my annoying older brother and little sister to help me. I knew that Katie would help if I just asked her to, but Jordan was a jerk and he would be a brat about it. Seriously, what were big brothers for if not helping their beautiful, angelic little sisters plan parties.

"Katie, Jordan, you two are so mean." I whined at them, hoping to convince Jordan with guilt since his refusal had me tacking the blame onto my little sister as well. "I'm going to get the two of you for not helping me. It's almost my birthday you know, can't you help your sister out a little bit?"

"But if we start helping you now, we will never be able to rest until you've worked us all to the bone." Jordan said this as if I was a slave driver. What era was he even living in inside that messed up head of his? I just rolled my eyes at him.

"Don't worry, Ems, I will help you in a few minutes. Just let me put all this stuff away." Katie, the angel that she was, agreed to help me right away.

"Thank you Katie." I squealed in delight, jumping up and down with joy.

I watched as Katie bounded into the house then glared at my brother. He would come around, eventually. I would see to that. I may not be a slave driver, but I could be an evil dictator if he pushed me too far. Maybe the era inside his head really was spot on. Hmph, who would have thought? Oh well.

I was waiting for Katie absentmindedly when I got the faintest whiff of something strange and wonderful. But before I could think about it at all I heard the door open. Only it wasn't Katie that had come out, it was my dad, the alpha.

"Daddy!" I screamed happily as I jumped at him. "I'm so happy you're letting me plan all of this." I clung to him as he hugged me tightly. I could smell how happy he was, Daddy was always happy.

"Well, I know how much you love parties." He was right. I loved parties of all kinds. Birthday parties, New Year's parties, random backyard BBQs, Christmas parties, Weddings, anything. If a bunch of people got together to celebrate something, anything, I loved it. I loved being around people and making people happy with the big celebrations I put together. I didn't care if the party had anything to do with me or not, I just liked to make people happy at their own parties. This big Christmas al a birthday bash wasn't just for me. Yes, my birthday was part of it too, but my younger cousin Mina was turning five this year and I wanted to see her eyes light up the most. She was so adorable and when she was excited her eyes went so wide they looked like saucers. How could I resist the urge to make her day special.

"What's that?" I asked as something tickled my nose. While I had been lost in thought I thought I had heard a rustling in the trees beyond the house and there was that scent again. It smelled amazing, like butterscotch and sugar. It was sweet and it made me think of a party dessert. But most of all it had my wolf screaming in the back of my head.

'MATE! MATE! MATE! MATE! MATE!'

My wolf was straining at her leash, trying to take control, trying to run off into the wood and find whoever that scent belonged to. I didn't seem to have the strength or the willpower to stop my wolf as she howled inside my head.

'MATE! MATE! MATE! MATE! MATE!'

I gave in and let her take the lead. My wolf had her nose to the air and was sniffing away madly.

'Where is he? Which way did he go? What happened to him? Didn't he smell me too? Did he run away because he saw me?' These were all the questions that my wolf was asking over and over inside my head. She was begging to know the answers to these questions and more and I didn't know what to tell her, I had no answers for her at all.

"Where is he?" I asked the trees and empty area around me. His scent was here, I can smell it, but it was like it disappeared almost immediately. How did that happen? Could he hide his scent? The only ones I knew who could do that were warlocks and witches and this scent didn't seem like that, they didn't really have a scent at all. So he couldn't be a warlock, could he?

I ran around the area five times, trying to follow his scent. I even went further toward the city but there was no trace of him. What happened? What could this all mean? I wasn't crazy was I?

After what felt like hours of searching in vain and not finding hide nor hair of the man I had scented I finally started to head home. I slowly dragged my feet, depression settling on me with each step I took.

"Why doesn't he want me?" I asked myself while tears streamed down my cheeks. "Am I not good enough for him?" I could hear my own voice cracking with emotion. "Who is he? I would like to know that at least, if he's going to reject me." The tears started to flow harder now as the realization hit me. "I'm never going to have a mate. And I am never going to get married or have a family." My chest felt so heavy and my heart seemed to be so shattered that I couldn't even feel it beating anymore. "Is there even a point to my life anymore?"

These depressive thoughts kept eating away at me as I slowly made my way home. When I pulled the front door shut behind me and dragged my feet toward the stairs I heard Dad's light footsteps take on a thunderous tone as he stalked out toward me.

"Emmalee Rose Evans, where the hell have you been?" He thundered at me, but then he caught sight of my face. I must look awful. "Ems?" He called out to me as he swept me into his arms, picking me up off the floor and cradling me against his chest. "What happened baby girl? Did someone do something to you? I'll kill him, whoever it is."

"I smelled my mate today Daddy. That's why I took off."

"Well, that should be good news then, honey. Where is he? Who is he?" He seemed so happy at that moment, not understanding why I was so upset.

"I don't know who he is Daddy. I don't know where he is or what happened at all."

"What? I don't understand." He huffed for just a quick second.

Dad was confused and needed time to think, so he adjusted me in his arms and carried me into the sitting room. He walked right over to my favorite oversized arm chair that was sitting next to the fireplace. With a small grunt he sat down, setting me on his lap as he did so.

I curled up into a ball, burying my face into his shoulder. Dad has always been able to make everything better. He's always been able to fix anything no matter what it was. But I don't think he could fix a broken heart.

"Alright Ems, tell me what happened, all of it. Don't leave a single thing out."

"Daddy, I smelled him. His scent was intoxicating and perfect. I took off to find him, to see him, but when I found the trail in the woods it just disappeared."

"Disappeared?" that confused him. "Like a warlock?"

"But they don't have any scent at all. He had a scent, and it was wonderful. Butterscotch and sugar, he smelled like a dessert for a party. It was perfect." I was smiling wistfully at the memory of how his scent made me feel.

"Are you sure it was a mate scent?"

"Yes, Dad, I'm sure. My wolf was screaming it in my head."

"Then it was probably just an old trail. Something that lingered."

"Do you think so?"

"Yeah, it has to be. You'll find him somewhere in the pack soon. You're finally old enough to mate so you just haven't noticed him before now, that's all. Give it time, you'll find him again."

Dad's words were comforting, and I hoped that he was right. But little did I know that I was never going to find him mixed in among my own pack. He was gone, and he wasn't coming back here anytime soon.