1 Chapter 1 : Princess’s Night Out

*Kenna*

The driver opened the door for me and I stepped out into the warm, Illinois sun. Uncle Alex’s house was just as impressive as I remembered it. The red brick building stood two stories tall and lay at the end of a long, white stone walkway. I rushed toward the door as the driver got my bags from the back.

I was so excited to be here. It was the first time I was going to be allowed to participate in the festival, and I wasn’t going to waste any time.

The festival only happened once every five years, so I wouldn’t get a chance to do it again anytime soon. I didn’t want to miss out on a second of the six-week event. I knew that Juniper would be waiting eagerly for me. We were the same age, and it was the first year she was going to have free reign of the gathering, too.

Before I could knock on the door, it swung in to reveal Juniper. Her long, blonde hair was freshly curled and her green eyes were wide in excitement as she rushed out to hug me. She was just as beautiful as I remembered her. I threw my arms around her and we embraced for a long moment. It had been far too long since we’d seen each other.

“I’m so happy you’re here, Kenna!” she squealed.

“Me too,” I said.

“Are you ready to go? Daddy will have your bags brought up to your room, so you don’t need to worry about that.” She was practically vibrating with excitement.

I laughed and shook my head. “I need to get cleaned up and change,” I said. My uncle's house was only about an hour from Chicago, but the traffic from the airport added at least twenty minutes to the drive. Add the plane ride to that, and I was feeling a little gross.

I wanted to make a good first impression at the festival. You never know when you’re going to meet your future mate.

I hadn’t come into my powers yet, but I was nearly twenty-one, so I would soon. That was why my parents had finally allowed me to come here. They knew that they’d have to let me mingle with the other packs unchaperoned eventually. I guess they figured my Alpha King uncle’s territory was the safest place for that.

“Well get ready quickly,” Juniper said. “There’s no time to waste.” She took my hand and dragged me into the house. The driver had piled my bags on the porch beside us and I grabbed the suitcase with my clothes as we passed it. Juniper took me up to the guest room I’d been staying in.

I got dressed quickly and touched up my makeup. As soon as I opened the door, Juniper took my hand and we rushed down the stairs.

“I’ve been going to the festival for years,” Juniper said as she led me away from the house. “But this is the first year Daddy is letting me stay out late and participate in all of the festivities.” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and I laughed.

My father’s territory was far from small, but compared to my uncle’s, it wasn’t exactly impressive. As far as I could see there were tents, cabins, and bars set up. Each pack had its own area, including mine, but the fun of the festival was mingling with the other packs. Packs from all around the Great Lakes participated in the festival every five years.

“I don’t even know what I’m most excited about,” Juniper said as we neared the main festival grounds.

“I do,” I said. “The dancing!”

“What about the mating ball?” she asked. The nightly mating ball was one of the main draws of the festival. It was a chance for the younger members of the packs to find their mates. Without events like this, it could be nearly impossible to find your mate. After all, the packs didn’t typically mingle, so if your mate didn’t happen to be in your own pack, you might never meet them without attending a ball.

“Wouldn’t it be crazy if we met our mates at our first festival?” I sighed and looked around at the crowds.

Juniper gave a dreamy sigh in response, then we both burst out laughing. I wasn’t here to find a mate, though it would have been nice. I was really just here to have a good time and let loose a little.

The next few hours passed in a blur. There was so much to do and we were determined to visit each area of the festival. It was silly because there were too many packs for us to really take it all in and we had weeks to spend exploring, but we had a good time.

We attracted a lot more attention than I had expected. It shouldn’t have been surprising with both of us being princesses, but I still didn’t expect so many people to recognize us at a glance.

We lost track of time and stopped to get a bite to eat at one of the numerous stands set up along the walkways. We each got a drink and a sandwich, then found a bench to sit at while we ate.

My head was on a swivel as we rested. I couldn’t stop watching all of the interesting people passing us by. I should have been exhausted, but my excitement was giving me more than enough energy.

“I feel like I could go all night,” I said. I wiped my hands on a napkin and balled it up into my empty cup.

“Me too,” Juniper said. She looked at me and a mischievous smile played at her lips. “So why don’t we?”

“Because your dad is expecting us back at the house,” I answered. He’d made it clear that he wanted us to sleep at the house. The festivals could get pretty wild and, as an alpha king, Uncle Alex could be a little too concerned with reputation.

“He’s expecting us to sleep at the house,” Juniper said. “That has nothing to do with what time we go to bed.”

It was the kind of technicality that had gotten us into trouble when we were younger. I grinned at her. “There’s a mate ball starting soon.”

She squealed and kicked her feet before jumping from the bench. “Kenna, you’re so bad! Let’s do it!”

We found a trash can and disposed of our wrappers. “Promise not to run off on me,” I said seriously. “At least for tonight, we stick together.”

“Oh, of course,” Juniper said. “There’s plenty of time for us to sneak off for some fun later. Tonight, we’re having a girls' night.”

I smiled at her. I was grateful that we were on the same page. It would be just like Juniper to get distracted and wander off on me.

She led the way to a huge building near the center of the festival grounds. The sun was starting to set and there were people streaming into the building. We could hear music bumping from inside well before we made it through the doors.

I dragged Juniper to the dancefloor as soon as we were in. This was what I’d been waiting for. The music flowed through me and I moved my body in whatever way felt right. My hips swayed and my body followed the rhythm easily. I’d always loved to dance, but I rarely got to indulge like this with all the pack business I was always attending to at home.

I didn’t know how long we’d danced before Juniper grabbed me. She pulled on my hand and I followed her off of the crowded floor and toward a bar, where she got two glasses of water and we downed them in record time. We were having a blast, but it was warm in there and we both needed a break. I fully intended to get right back to the dance floor when she was ready.

“We’ll both be 21 before the final ball of the festival. We could really meet our mates here,” Juniper whispered to me.

The excitement in her voice was obvious. I smiled at her. I wasn’t in any hurry to settle down, but Juniper had talked about her future mate since we were little girls. She was like a human going on and on about Prince Charming. It was endearing, really. “What do you think it feels like,” I asked, “when the bond snaps into place?”

“I think it’s probably different for everyone, but I imagine it’s like an epiphany. Like you look at them and just know.” Juniper had a dreamy look in her eyes as she gazed out of the sea of dancers.

“I imagine it’s more like a physical sensation,” I said. “Like you feel a physical pull or reaction when they’re near. But I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”

Juniper looked out at the crowd and sighed. “Well, we aren’t going to meet them standing on the sidelines!” She grabbed my hand and began to pull me toward the dance floor, but our path was cut off as someone stepped in front of us.

It was a tall, dark-haired man with light skin and dark eyes. He was handsome, but his face was just a little too angular and it gave him a sharp, off-putting look. It might have just been the dim lights and shadows making the lines of his face look too defined.

He smiled down at me and I returned the expression tensely.

“Hello beautiful,” he said.

“Hi,” I replied awkwardly. I had a bad feeling about him. “Sorry, but we were just heading to the dance floor,” I said.

Juniper let go of my hand and put hers on her hip.

He kept staring at me, never even glancing at Juniper. It was rude, and I found myself glaring at him. He didn’t seem to notice. “I guarantee that you’ll have much more fun with me,” he said suggestively.

I didn’t mind so much that he was being forward, it was more his body language and attitude that was rubbing me the wrong way.

“No thanks,” I said bluntly. “I’m trying to spend some time with my cousin.” I hoped that he would take the hint and move on, but he just grinned at me.

“If that were true, you wouldn’t be here.”

“We’ll go where we please,” Juniper said angrily. “Now move aside.”

“You don’t really want me to go, do you beautiful?” he asked me.

I scoffed at him. “Oh, you’re a mind reader?”

“No, but I can read your body language.” He looked me over slowly and I felt my skin crawl in response.

“I’m not interested,” I said firmly. “Now get out of my way.”

“You’re never going to find a mate with an attitude like that,” he said. The smile had fallen from his lips.

“I’m not going to ask again,” I said. That idiot must not have known who me and Juniper were. He wouldn’t dare talk to us like that if he had.

“Neither am I.” He grabbed my hips and pulled me toward him.

I put my hands out and pushed against his chest.

“Let go of her!” Juniper ordered.

The man didn’t respond to her. He gripped my wrist and tried to pull me in. I struggled against him, but suddenly, he was wrenched away from me.

The man turned to glare at my savior, and a look of pure hatred crossed his face before he schooled his expression into something neutral.

“Another time,” he said. Then he turned and vanished into the crowd.

“Thank you,” I said as I turned to the newcomer.

I froze and stared at him as our eyes met. I’d never seen such intense, blue eyes in my life. A strange sensation came over me as he looked me up and down. He was sizing me up, not just checking me out, and it felt incredibly intimate. I felt warm and I hoped that the room would be dim enough to hide a blush.

He turned from me and looked at Juniper. He gave a slight bow and she acknowledged it with a nod. “Thank you,” Juniper said.

“It’s late,” he responded. His voice was smooth and sonorous. “And it’s too rowdy here for princesses to handle.”

Juniper sighed in frustration. “It’s not that late,” she argued.

“Later than your father would approve of,” he said knowingly.

“Fine,” Juniper said with an exasperated sigh. “We should get some sleep anyway.”

I gaped at her in surprise. “Absolutely not,” I said.

He quirked one eyebrow at me. I straightened my back and looked up into those blue eyes as steadily as I could.

“We aren’t children,” I said proudly. “And I can decide for myself how much I can handle.”

A wicked, sensual glint stole into his eyes that took my breath away. He looked me over again, slowly, then he smirked at me. The expression made his already handsome face incredibly alluring.

His head moved in a short, amused nod, then he turned on his heels and vanished into the crowd.