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Adam and Sarah (2).

THE YEAR 2022 (PRESENT-DAY).

Adam Richards stretched his arms open as the maids helped him prepare for the ceremony which would be starting in less than two hours. The maids helped him put on a green shirt which Adam knew would complement his eye color perfectly well.

He watched in amusement as the maid in front of him ran a quick finger over his flying wolf tattoo before she helped him button up his shirt. His wolf whispered in his head that they could have a good time with the maid before the ceremony began and Adam quickly shushed him off before the thought took any root in his body and his desire rose. He sat down and two of the maids helped him with his pair of shoes and another maid helped him comb his hair perfectly into the favorite style he loved wearing.

Adam sighed and waved the maids away when they were done prepping him up. He waved his hand once more as the maids bowed their heads to him before they disappeared from his sight.

Adam picked up the mirror when he was done and stared back at his handsome face in the mirror. His ocean blue eyes stared back at him in boredom and his wolf screamed for freedom. Much as he would like to oblige his wolf, Adam knew that today had to be perfect. Not just for him, but for his mother and also the rest of his pack.

Today would determine who his Luna would be among the females of his pack. If luck was not on their side, Adam would be getting his Luna from outside the pack. While that was sure to break the hearts of the ladies who were hoping to take the space beside him as his Luna, he knew that everyone would still be happy as long as he got a Luna and started the procreation process as soon as possible. Even if the whole pack weren't that eager, Adam knew his mother was more than eager that if there was another greater word for it, Adam wouldn't hesitate to use it as a description for his mother's eagerness. While Adam could understand his mother's eagerness, he also feels burdened by the weight of expectations on him.

When he was only thirteen years old, he had taken over the Colven Pack after his father had gone hunting with the pack one certain night alive, only for his dead body to be brought back along with several other dead bodies. The few people who returned had explained how they ran into another neighboring pack and a fight had broken out. The other pack was much more than the Colven pack which had allowed them to emerge victoriously.

Adam had been furious and had shifted into his wolf form and ran off before anyone could stop him. Luckily for him, he met the leader of the pack at a stream where he was drinking. When Adam realized that the man was alone, he had engaged him in a fight. Even though the man's wolf had been bigger than that of Adam, the thirteen years old boy had still won the battle between the two. The scar on his left shoulder twitched as if to remind Adam about how close he had come to death because of that reckless decision.

He unbuttoned the first three closed buttons on his shirt and fingered the scar. True, he had nearly lost his life in the fight before the rest of the pack found him but he had also gained the respect of everyone in the pack. When he had taken over as the Alpha of the pack, no one had questioned his power to lead nor had they thought he was too young. But the burden had only seemed to grow since then. The Lead Pack, which was their neighboring pack, had turned to their enemies after Adam had killed the leader of the pack. The son of the man,

Evan, who was the new leader, was always looking for opportunities to launch an attack in the Colven Pack and Adam had always had to be on the guard against the man ever since. Anything that concerned the well-being of the pack was always thrown into Adam's lap. He had had to make every decision concerning the pack ever since then. Even the things that wouldn't affect the pack in any way were always brought to Adam for what to do about it. Sometimes, Adam wishes he could just go away from all the troubles for a while. And now, he was getting another burden piled to the ones he already had on his shoulders.

A knock sounded on the door, distracting Adams from his thoughts and he commanded the person to come in. Adam smiled when he saw his Beta, Ian, walk in.

"It is time," Ian announced to Adam.

The smile that had decorated Adam's face fell instantly. For the past month, he had kept praying that somehow, his 25th birthday would not come but then, like a crawling child trying to get to his mother, the day had hit him in the face. He was sure that if the goddess was still their leader, she would be laughing down around him.

"You don't have to look like someone who is being led to slaughter, Adam," Ian told him with a smile.

"I can't wait until it's your turn in a few months and throw your words back at you," Adam replied with a snort.

"Easy peasy, Alpha. I'll just keep her somewhere and go on living my life as if nothing has changed. There's no way I'm getting tied to a single woman all my life when I can have varieties. Unlike you who has no choice being the only son and Alpha," Ian said with a shrug.

Adam picked up a book on his desk and tried to hurl it at the other man. He stopped when his sister, Alisha, opened the door and walked in. Here comes trouble, Adam thought and quickly dropped the book in his hands back on the desk. He watched as she hissed at Ian before she fixed her gaze on her elder brother.

"Mother said to call you." She announced it to him.

"Hey, sugar," Ian called to her. His voice dripped with sarcasm as he said the words.

"Did you hear a tiny wolf speak a few seconds ago, Adam?" Alisha asked her brother.