Zach could feel her getting closer. He was in the backyard, trying to breathe some fresh air when Katie was still inside the house and yet he could still feel her presence. That fact itself worried him further. He waited for a minute, trying to think of what he would say to her, when he suddenly felt her scent moving further, as if she had decided against coming his way. With a frown, Zach turned around and walked inside once more, the drinks he was waiting for long forgotten, as he started searching for her among the sea of people.

****

Katie was on her way to her mate when Mike appeared before her with a big smile on his face. "You made it!"

"I did." She smiled back sweetly. "You have a great place."

"Thanks. Do you have a minute? I want to give you something." He asked and her curiosity got the best of her so she nodded her head, buying herself some time.

"This way," He led her up the stairs to the second floor which was mainly empty except for a few people here and there. Mike stopped in front of a room and unlocked its door, making Katie instantly worry. She hesitated and took a step back. Noticing her sudden discomfort Mike barked out a laugh. "Don't worry, it's not what you think. This is actually my little sister's room. You can wait here if you'd like."

Loosening a breath, Katie smiled at him and shook her head, gesturing for him to lead the way. They walked inside the room and Mike rushed to the pink desk on the far right to grab something out of a drawer. Katie admired how cute the room looked and instantly thought of her own little sister and how much she had missed her. Realizing her parents had forgotten to call her on her birthday, she decided to scold them for it as soon as possible.

"Here. Happy birthday again. I know it's a little dorky, but you looked really cute in that tiara today, and I couldn't help but think you'd look just as pretty in this one too. My sister says it's fit for a princess." Mike chuckled as he handed Katie yet another tiara with the words Happy Birthday on it in hot pink.

Katie couldn't help the laugh that erupted from her as she saw Mike standing with a blush on his face and a pink tiara in his hands. Her heart was instantly filled with warmth at this cute boy in front of her. "This is priceless, Mike. Thank you, you're really nice. Are you sure your sister doesn't mind you stealing her jewelry, though?" Katie took the tiara from him and moved to the mirror in front of the closet to fix it atop her head.

"Not at all. I asked her for it this afternoon and she gladly agreed. Besides, she has like a hundred of them and she's only six, so." He shrugged. "Do you have any siblings?"

Katie smiled at her reflection in the mirror after adjusting the tiara, then turned back to him. "I have a little sister as well. She's four."

"I'd like to meet her some time. We could go to the park together with your sister and mine. I'm sure they'll hit it off right away." Katie saw the hope in Mike's eyes before she heard his suggestion and she knew that Jessica was right all along.

"I truly would, but she lives with my parents back home. I only moved here for college." Katie explained briefly, her heart quickening slightly as she watched him think for a second.

"Well, then we could go catch a movie some other time, if you'd like." Mike rubbed the back of his neck nervously and Katie truly wished she didn't have to decline his offer.

"I would, Mike, but I don't think I can right now. I have... uh, something going on." She didn't know how else to put it.

Mike's smile fell as he realized. "You just turned eighteen. You found your mate today, didn't you?" He nodded, the answer already clear.

"I did." She smiled sadly at the cute boy before her.

"Well, where is he?" He asked, truly wondering why she was here alone.

"It's a little more complicated than that. I'm not even sure if he wants to be with me." She stated with a sigh and a frown. No, she didn't want to talk about it but there she was sadly declining a chance with a nice boy, and there Zach was happily enjoying the party with his girlfriend. To say Katie was confused was an understatement.

"Anyone would be an idiot not to want to be with you, Katie." Mike assured her with a polite smile that tugged at her heart. For a second she wondered why wasn't the moon goddess kind enough to make Mike her mate instead of an Alpha who wouldn't even look her way twice. "If you ever want to talk about it, I'm here for you, okay? Friends?" He stretched out his hand for her to shake and she found herself glad he did so.

"Friends." After they shook on it, Katie glanced at the mirror one last time before heading back out. Mike locked his sister's door before leading Katie back to the stairs. "Hey, do you have another bathroom I could use? I noticed a line waiting for the one downstairs." She asked, wishing she could feel some cold water on her face before going back to her plan of confronting Zach.

"Sure. Head down this hall, second door to the left. I'll be downstairs if you needed anything." He pointed in the hall's direction before flashing her one final smile and making his way down the stairs. With a heavy heart, Katie made her way to the bathroom, glad that Mike wasn't bitter about her declining a date with him.

Not expecting anyone to be inside, Katie opened the door only to be greeted by Rick, the football captain, taking a sip straight from a bottle by the sink. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I should've knocked, I apologize." Katie's face turned red with embarrassment as she tried to shut the door back, but Rick quickly grabbed the handle from inside, opening it wider.

Katie let go of the handle on her end and took a step back instantly noticing how Rick swayed a little on his feet, indicating how wasted he was. "No worries at all. Come on in." He grabbed her arm and pulled her inside in a mere second, taking her by surprise and shutting the door behind him.

"What are you doing?" Katie asked, narrowing her eyes at the drunk idiot in front of her. Her senses were instantly heightened, just as her wolf's. If she screamed no one would hear her because of the music blasting downstairs, even with their wolf's sharp hearing. Good thing she didn't need to scream then.

"You look pretty tonight. Katherine, isn't it? We took World History together last year." He reminded her.

"Open the door and let me out, Rick." Her command was clear, just as her voice.

"So you do remember me. Excellent." Letting go of the door, Rick took two strides towards her, stopping only a few inches away. "I've always thought you were super hot, you know that?"

Frowning in disgust, Katie wished she never had a crush on such an asshole. Stepping back, she tried to put more distance beween them but Rick held onto her arm. "Let go of me. I won't ask again." Her threat was real only he didn't budge.

"Come on, princess. Just a quickie. I'll be nice to you, I promise." He stepped even closer and she could smell the alcohol with every word he spoke. What was it with everyone calling her a princess today? As if he wanted to piss her off further he asked, "You aren't a virgin, right, princess?" He lifted his hand up to caress her cheek, but she swatted it away.

"This is your final warning." She tried one last time, but he only took that as an invitation and tugged on her arm harshly, pulling her to his chest, and that was all she needed to reciprocate. In one quick movement she had him on his knees with his arm twisted backwards in a painful angle.

"Fuck!" He screamed, trying to struggle out of her grasp only to hurt himself further.

"Apologize." She ordered, tugging on his arm again, earning herself another scream mixed with a curse. Suddenly, the door was shoved open and the Alpha stood there breathing rapidly. Katie was surprised she didn't smell him before he was there, but the panting explained that he ran all the way up.

Zach's eyes found hers and his heart skipped a beat at the sight. Once he felt something was wrong he rushed to where her scent led him, thinking he would find a damsel in distress, but now he could see that he couldn't have been more wrong. The sight before him knocked the breath out of him. She had the idiot pushed to the floor on his knees with tears in his eyes. Just like a queen she commanded him to apologize. Zach couldn't help the proud smirk on his face.

Now that he was closer to her he couldn't help but appreciate her beauty even more. She was a goddess, alright. A true Luna, he seemed to think. Her eyebrows were furrowed, her full lips were slightly apart, and even though she was a petite little thing with a little over five foot three, she still had a fully grown man, twice her size, on the floor wincing in pain.

Noticing the bright pink tiara on top of her head, Zach pushed back a chuckle. It made sense that it was her birthday since the bond had only just clicked, yet what amused him was how adorable she looked, despite the fire in her eyes that dared anyone to piss her off.

"I'll take it from here." Walking closer to her, Zach ignored how her scent instantly filled his heart with warmth and calmed his restless wolf, as he grabbed the drunk by his throat.

Katie watched the Alpha shove Rick against the wall with a single hand wrapped around his throat, threatening to end him there and then, and couldn't help but admire how insanely handsome he was. His body could stop a truck, she believed. "I didn't hear you apologizing." His deep voice made Katie's stomach flip and her heart skip a few beats.

Zach shoved Rick one more time against the wall, satisfying himself when he heard a moan in pain from the idiot who dared touch the Alpha's mate. "I'm sorry, Katherine. I'm so sorry; please forgive me."

Her name was Katherine. Zach felt pleasure running through him and his wolf like a shot of electricity only by learning her name. He shoved the asshole to the floor across the bathroom, knocking him out cold, then focused on the beautiful female in front of him.

"Your name is Katherine?" He wanted to hear her voice.

Katie felt a rush of pleasure run through her body as she heard her name coming out of his lips. "Katie." She stated sweetly, her wolf just as excited as she was.

"Katie." The Alpha purred so seductively, his voice caressing every bone and nerve and muscle within her.

"Are you okay?" He already knew the answer yet couldn't help but ask as he gestured at the passed out idiot on the floor.

"Yes. Thank you, Alpha." She murmured and he suddenly wondered what that sweet voice would sound like moaning out his name when he had her writhing underneath him in pleasure. He bet it would sound delicious.

"It's Zach." The words rushed out of him on their own, yet much to his disappointment she didn't repeat after him as he did her. She only smiled in what seemed like victory and nodded her head.

"I wanted to talk to you, if you have a minute." She asked politely, before biting down on her lip, and he could tell she was nervous. He was too. Forcefully dragging his eyes away from her pink lips, Zach cleard his throat.

"Sure." Megan's drink long forgotten, Zach gestured for Katie to lead the way. She walked out of the bathroom and to the nearest couch she could find on the second floor, appreciating the fact that they had a little privacy.

Taking a seat, Katie decided not to beat around the bush. "I'm sure you've noticed that we are, uh, mates." She cleared her throat in discomfort and he admired how she decided to take matters into her own hands and talk to him instead of waiting. He knew it took courage to do so.

"I did." He nodded, a small smile creeping its way onto his lips, despite how he actually hated this conversation.

"Well, I know that you have a girlfriend." Sadness and jealousy both flashed through her eyes, disappearing in a mere second, but not before he caught them and his expression softened at the sight.

"I do." A part of him right now wished he didn't, yet he didn't dare consider the possibility. He loved Megan, and he made her a promise. He had to remember that. Yet no matter how hard he tried to, he couldn't bear the possibility of voicing those thoughts aloud.

Katie wondered if he was going to use more than two-worded sentences anytime soon. Feeling her patience run a little thin, she went straight to the point, "Alright. Have you decided what you're going to do about that, Alpha? Becau--"

"It's Zach." He interrupted her. There was something about her addressing him as Alpha that didn't settle quite well with him, much to his surprise. As if he didn't want to be Alpha Zach with her. But just Zach.

She nodded yet went on, "Because I'm not really comfortable with the idea of you being with the both of us at the same time. I don't really share and I'm sure your girlfriend doesn't either."

Zach's eyebrows rose at her possessiveness and he could feel his blood rushing down to the front of his jeans. Dear God.

Clearing his throat, Zach shifted in his seat. "I apologize if this sounds selfish, but I need some time. Please understand, I didn't expect to find a mate. This was a surprise."

Katie frowned at his formal tone. An unpleasant one, he seemed to silently add, and her wolf winced at the thought. The reality of the situation she was in hit her with full force. He truly was thinking about rejecting her. She wanted to be angry with him, to hate him even for not gathering her in his arms already, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't. Worse, she actually understood where he came from.

"I understand. It must have been a shock, and you must be truly confused right now. I'd hate to be in your shoes, having such a hard decision to make. And believe me, I wish it wasn't this way, but it is." She shrugged sadly, letting out a heavy sigh.

Zach found himself once again impressed with this gorgeous woman in front of him. He thought he would have to explain himself to her and already dreaded the conversation. Instead, he found her compassionate and understanding in a way he wasn't sure he would be if the roles were reversed.

He couldn't help the smile of pride that appeared on his face for having such a wonderful mate, only to instantly frown at the thought. God, was she right when she said he was confused.

"There you are." Megan clapped her hands happily once she spotted her boyfriend. "I wondered where you ran off to."