Hope

Connor followed me deeper into the party, holding my hand and smiling down at me sweetly. The pack house lawn looked beautiful and I made a mental note to thank each and every person that had participated in making my birthday so special. I hadn’t thought much about leaving my pack to be with Connor but thinking about it now made my stomach hurt a little.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart? I can feel how sad you are.” I looked up into his concerned eyes and gave him a small smile.

“I was just thinking about leaving my pack. I’m going to miss them.” Connor stopped walking to pull me into a tight hug. He ran his hand soothingly up my back and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead.

“I know my pack could never replace yours, but I think you will find happiness with us as well.”

“Of course, I will. But I’m allowed to feel a little nostalgic right?” He smiled down at me and nodded.

We walked around the party, Connor made sure that I ate and always had something to drink. I introduced him to all of my pack mates and the hungry stares of the girls my age didn’t go unnoticed. One girl in particular, Katie, couldn’t take her eyes off of him. So, while she was ogling him, I pulled him down into an intense kiss. I caught him off guard and he nearly toppled over on me.

“What was that for?” He whispered in my ear causing a shiver to run through my body.

“Just showing these girls what’s mine.” I said with a sweet smile. He puffed out his chest in pride and I swear I could practically see his wolf preen in his mind. Shortly after, I felt the hair on my arms stand up and a familiar but uncomfortable presence invade my space.

“Happy birthday, Hope.” I heard the deep voice behind me and turned. I was met with dark brown eyes on a pale face. Asher was the Alpha’s son, so he stood just over six feet. His dark blonde hair was styled to be slicked back and his thin lips were pulled into a tight smile. He wasn’t as muscular as most Alpha’s, but I knew he made up for that in speed. He was wearing a black suit with a red button up that pulled taut against his chest and I could see why most girls lost their minds around him, but he had always made my skin crawl.

“Thank you, Asher. Connor, this is Asher. This pack’s future Alpha. Asher this is Connor, my mate and future Alpha of the Eclipse Pack.” Asher’s eyes visibly darkened and I could tell he did not want to take Connor’s outstretched hand.

“Ah, you met your mate, huh?” His eyes flicked from my face to my still fresh mark and a deep frown emerged on his face. His jaw was clenched, and his words dripped with agitation.

“I did. It was a lucky coincidence that we were at his pack this morning.” I smiled up at Connor but could feel the anger rolling off of Asher. He attempted to keep his composure, but the air around him practically crackled with the energy he was keeping at bay.

“I have to be honest. I was kind of hoping the Moon Goddess had chosen you for me.” Asher nearly whispered as he inched closer to me, causing me to step back as if we were magnets of the same force, repelling each other. Connor was quick to catch on to my discomfort. His eyes started to swirl with black and he stepped in front of me, between Asher and I.

“I’m sure the Moon Goddess has chosen someone special for you, Asher. And she will make you very happy.” I tried to keep my voice light, but there was no hiding the slight shakiness to my tone. I had always known Asher was interested in me. He always thought of reasons to touch me and tried to get me alone. He had even tried to kiss me once. Luckily Kade walked in and I asked him to never let me be alone with Asher again after that. At my comment, Asher’s eyes narrowed, and his hands clenched into fists. Connor crossed his arms and flexed his biceps in front of me.

“I’m sure you’re right, Hope. I’ll be very happy. You’ll see.” He spat at me, refusing to budge an inch.

“You would do well to stop eyeing what is mine.” Connor spoke quietly, but his voice was full of power and warning. Asher’s eyes flicked up to him as if he had almost forgot he was there, since he had refused to take his eyes off of me. Asher scoffed and turned to walk into the packhouse. I released a shaky breath and Connor wrapped his arm around me to pull me in to close to him. He planted a firm kiss on top of my head but didn’t take his eyes off of Asher’s retreating form until he was out of view.

“Seems like a nice guy.” Draven spoke from behind us.

“He’s a dick. He’s always had a thing for Hope.” I heard Kade say. Connor let out a low growl, so I mind linked him ‘I’m yours’ and he visibly relaxed. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Liz walking towards us in a gorgeous red strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline and a flared skirt, black heels and her luscious blonde hair was floating down her back in gentle waves. I was in a hurry to move on from the unpleasant encounter with Asher so I waved to her excitedly.

“Liz! Over here!” I called her over to us. She came up to give me a hug and I felt her stiffen in my arms.

“You ok?” I looked at her with concern. Her pupils had dilated, and her eyes snapped to something behind me. I turned around to see Draven staring at her. They both whispered ‘mate’, and everything clicked into place. I couldn’t stop the excited squeal that escaped me as I clapped and bounced up and down on the balls of my feet. Draven stepped up to her, bowed slightly and held out his hand.

“Hello, beautiful. My name is Draven.” Liz giggled and took his hand in hers.

“Hi. I’m Eliza, but you can call me Liz.” Draven smiled and kissed the back of her hand.

“How about you let me twirl you around that dance floor and make you fall in love with me?” Liz cocked her brow and smirked.

“If that’s all you think it’ll take, then you have severely underestimated me.” Draven spun Liz and pulled her in close, resting his hand on the small of her back before leaning down to whisper in her ear.

“Or maybe you have underestimated my dancing skills.” I couldn’t stop the smile that spread when I saw Liz shiver and have no response. Liz has always been a lot of things, but speechless isn’t one of them. A moment later they were off in their own world, spinning away on the dance floor. Connor let out a low chuckle next to me and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling my back to his front. He nuzzled his nose in my neck, making me giggle.

“Looks like we’ll have to make room for another on our return trip.” I smiled up at him.

“Yeah, that worked out well. They’re cute together.” Connor smiled and spun me around, pressing his forehead to mine.

“Not as cute as us, chuisle mo chroí. Now, come dance with me please.”

We stayed at the party until my feet hurt and I could no longer contain my yawns. Connor lifted me to carry me to the car. As he was loading me into the passenger seat, I felt goosebumps on my arms and my wolf stood at attention. Someone was watching us. I looked around and saw a figure in the highest window of the packhouse. Asher was glaring at me, once our eyes connected, he turned and left the window. I tried to ignore the gnawing in my stomach when I thought about him. Connor and I changed into pajamas and as he pulled me close to him in my bed, my only thoughts were of my mate as I drifted off to the most blissful sleep I’ve ever had.