☽Ⓛ❈Ⓒ☾

'I can't believe they still hold masked mate balls...aren't they a little corny?' Tilly, my friend, comments as she ties her mask into place.

'I don't think they are corny,' I reply gently. I apply some lip balm and rub my lips together. 'I think it's a romantic tradition.'

I spot my best friend rolling my eyes at me in the mirror.

'Of course you would think it's romantic, Annie,' she quips. 'You're a hopeless romantic. You think girls tripping and falling into guys' arms is romantic.'

I spin around and narrow my eyes at her.

'Don't diss the trip and catch, Tilly! Many great Wattpad novels include the trip and catch as the meet-cute for the leads.'

She snorts with amusement and stands up from my bed. She comes over to me and pulls a few hairs from my clip to frame my face.

'I know you love those romance novels, Annie. I'm just saying, don't get your hopes up too much, okay? I don't want you to be disappointed if you don't find your mate tonight, it's only our first ball, after all.'

I nod and bite my bottom lip. 'You're right, I know.'

Deep down, I know I will be disappointed. I'm so excited to meet him. I feel like I've been waiting my whole life to turn eighteen and finally be able to attend one of these things.

The vampire community is so large nowadays that we need events like this to help us find our soulmates.

The masks came about because the royals agreed that hierarchy, status, appearance and wealth should not be factors in whether you accept or reject your mate. About fifty years ago, there was a host of rejections based off of shallow reasoning, leaving a group of vampires mateless or in self-forced matings and a whole load died from the rejection.

The royals decided that half-face masks would be worn that would cover the majority of the face, leaving the eyes and mouth accentuated. Mates must spend the ball dancing and getting to know one another.

At the end of the evening, they can remove their masks and then decide if they want to go through with the mating or reject each other. After being forced to get to know one another, the number of rejections went right down.

I like the idea. It means that there's no judgement.

Despite the fact that half my face is covered, I make a lot of effort with my make-up. Thanks to Tilly, my blonde curls are piled high on my head and looking lovely.

'Come on, Miss Vassilieva, we have a ball to go to.'

I take Tilly's proffered hand and let her lead me out of my room and down the stairs.

After having a million photos of us taken by my parents, they wish us a good night and pray for us to find our mates. A limousine takes us to the impressive hotel. We both have rooms booked for tonight, just in case we get lucky and meet our mates.

We check in when we arrive. We got ready at mine because we didn't want to have to bring all of our make-up and hair products to the hotel and then back again in the morning.

I slip my room key into my clutch and snap it shut.

'Ready?' Tilly asks.

Her smile is wide and her eyes are bright with excitement. I nod shyly and take her hand again. We enter the room, filled to the brim with buzzing vampires.

This is the event of the season. There are four balls hosted each year, one in each quarter. The location changes each time. As luck would have it, our first ball is hosted only an hour from where Tilly and I live.

'Do you want a drink? I think it will help calm our nerves,' Tilly suggests.

I nod quickly and follow her to the bar. We order a couple glasses of champagne mixed with blood. The bubbles make it truly decadent.

'I can't believe how many people are here,' my best friend comments next to me as we scan the crowd.

'Mum told me that up to five thousand vampires attend each ball.'

'Jesus. That's a lot of fang.'

I scan the faces in the crowd, or at least, what parts of them I can see. A sea of eyes greets me.

'How are we supposed to find them?' I ask Tilly, leaning up on my tiptoes to reach her ear.

'I'm not sure,' she replies with a shrug. 'Scent? But there's so many, I'm struggling to distinguish yours from the people around us.'

'Maybe eye contact?' I suggest.

'Maybe. We should move around, makes us more likely to bump into them.'

I feel nervous at the prospect of leaving our safe space in the corner and mingling with the crowds. I haven't spotted anyone that I know yet.

Mated vampires are advised not to attend so as not to confuse the potentials who are trying to find their mates.

Tilly takes my hand and leads me through the throngs of vampires. I take deep breaths, trying to inhale the scent of someone familiar, someone comforting.

Someone who smells like home. Only no home that I've ever known before.

(sleepless in Seattle reference❤️)

Someone who is new to me, but smells familiar, as though my body already knows them.

And, just like that, I catch a scent.

My head snaps in the direction of the scent. It's both warming and arousing at the same time, forest layered with spice. I can't put my finger on it, but it's addictive.

My hand slides from Tilly's hand at the same time hers loosens. We both walk in opposite directions, led by our sense of smell.

I find my mate stood with two other men. I know it is his straight away. Just seeing his masked face makes my heart beat a little faster. He looks tense, despite the fact his stance is casual. He's wearing the same tuxedo as everyone else, but somehow it looks extra good on him. His hands are in the front pockets and he's nodding to something that one of the other guys is saying.

I know the moment that he manages to catch my scent. He starts looking around, trying to find me. His eyes land on me, a bright red behind his mask.

Red eyes.

That means he has made a lot of kills. It's something to be respected in our world. It doesn't mean he is a mass murderer or a serial killer, it probably means he is a member of the Royal guard.

The moment his eyes lock with mine, it's like everything clicks into place. Everything in my life has brought me up to this moment. This one, pivotal moment in my life.

He smiles widely, making his mask moves up slightly on his face. I remain frozen a few metres away. My legs wouldn't listen to me even if I did manage to regain the brain capacity to tell them to move.

He excuses himself from his friends and strides towards me, his eyes not leaving mine once. I feel breathless when he stops in front of me.

'My name is Joab,' he introduces himself.

His voice is rich and smooth like decadent honey. I love it instantly.

'What is your name?'

I smile at his question. 'Annika.'

He reaches for my hand and I place it in his. He pulls it up to his mouth and places a kiss on the back of it. A flurry of tingles rushes down my arm in response.

'It is a pleasure to meet you, Annika. May I ask you to dance?'

I can only nod. My mouth and brain have stopped communicating. He pulls me into his arms and gracefully spins us into the mix of dancing bodies.

He's a confident dancer which is a relief. He leads well, helping me to not mess up the steps and trip over my own feet. I try to concentrate and keep up with him, but I keep getting lost in his eyes.

'My friends dragged me here this evening,' he confesses. 'I'm so glad that they did now.'

'I'm here with my friend, too,' I reply and then want to hit myself.

What a stupid response.

I can do better than this. I swallow and rub my lips together, steeling myself.

'I can't believe that I've actually met you here,' I tell him. 'It's my first ever masked mate ball. I just turned eighteen.'

He smiles at me and my heart goes all funny again.

'This is my fourth that I've been dragged to. I'm twenty-two,' he responds. 'I can't believe that I've met you, either. I never thought I would actually meet my mate at one of these things.'

We talk and dance, somehow getting to know one another as he leads us around the room. I spot Tilly dancing with her mate and we wave at one another, expressing our excitement and happiness in our eyes.

I'm relieved that she has met her mate, too. We can both enjoy this wonderful experience together.

When the song ends, my mate and I break apart to applaud the band. I'm suddenly desperate to get out of here and get him alone.

My kind aren't known for long courtships or beating around the bush. I want him and I want him now.

'Would you like to come up to my room?' I ask him boldly.

Inside, my heart is thumping and adrenaline is rushing through my veins.

Please say yes.

Please don't embarrass or reject me.

My mate hesitates for a moment but then nods. 'Yes, I'd love to.'

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Just a reminder that, tomorrow, the first chapter of The Alphas of North Forest (TAOSF sequel) will be posted on my other account . Feel free to check it out!

Proud of it, it's my new baby. L x