Chapter One

Elena Rossi had been eighteen for only a few weeks and already her mother was constantly hounding her to find her mate. It wasn't that Elena was against mates. Her parents had mated on her mother's eighteenth birthday and she admired the love and devotion they both had for each other. They were nearing thirty years and Elena was sure that was why her mother would not leave her alone.

"Elena! I need you to get downstairs and look over these dresses your aunt brought over for the party!" Came Elena's mother shrieking voice through her closed bedroom door.

Luna Gianna Rossi was a wonderful woman and she-wolf. Dedicated to her mate and pack. Mother to six sons and one daughter, she always seemed to be ahead of everything and everyone. Currently, she was in the middle of planning the anniversary dinner. A dinner Elena wanted no part of. Mostly because she was sure her mother and father had invited every single alpha in the United States. Other wolves were coming, too, of course, but Gianna was positive her daughter would be mated to an alpha.

"I'm coming!" Elena screeched right back, rolling onto her side and pulling the light blue comforter over her head. "Insane woman," she hissed under her breath, positive her mother wouldn't hear her. She knew she had to get downstairs before her mother came barging in. She threw the covers off and sat up.

Her long dark curls were a mess. Her feet had traces of mud on them from a late-night run. She had at least managed to put on clean shorts and a tank top. As she left her room and headed down the large staircase, she was pulling her hair into a messy bun on top of her head.

She heard two loud tsk-s coming from both her mother and her aunt Isabelle. When her gaze landed on both women, Elena rolled her eyes with a huff. "I just got out of bed! The sun is barely up. Give me a break."

"If you'd just let me take you to my salon, I know we could get those curls in order," Aunt Isabelle said with a large smile. She had always been on Elena's case over her hair but no matter what she did, Elena just couldn't seem to tame her mane.

Dropping onto the only empty chair in the large living room, Elena looked around. Instead of focusing on the assortment of dresses, she reached for a piece of bacon on the coffee table and shoved it into her mouth. "Ok, let's see," she muttered over the food in her mouth.

Gianna huffed and pushed the tray of food away. "You could show a little more enthusiasm! It's our anniversary! I just want all of my children to look nice!"

Elena looked longingly at the tray and then took a deep breath, turning to look at her mother with bright, green eyes. "I am thrilled, Mom, I promise. I'm just hungry." And not looking forward to all the eligible suitors that will be hoping to be my mate. Wiping her slightly bacon greased hand on her shorts, Elena stood and moved towards the first section of dresses that were hanging up. She knew from experience these would be the ones her aunt and mother were favoring.

"If you weren't out at all hours of the night running through the woods, you wouldn't be so hungry or tired," her aunt pointed out, shaking her head. "We told you yesterday we would be trying on dresses today."

Elena was idly running her fingers slowly over the different materials of the different dresses. Her aunt was right but Elena was stubborn. She had planned on only going for a quick run but her wolf kept pulling her farther and farther away. Given that Elena fully trusted her wolf, she gave in to her instincts. In the end, nothing had come of it. Elena had run back disappointed and her wolf was feeling antsy ever since.

Stopping at one dress, Elena's wolf purred deeply and both Isabelle and Gianna were at Elena's side. "This one? Really?" her mother asked, raising an eyebrow. It wasn't exactly a rule but most women in the Blacktooth Pack wore black or even dark blue dresses to pack parties. This one was crimson and Elena loved it.

"I'm going to try it on," she said quickly. She wouldn't let her mother or aunt change her mind. She headed for the bathroom closest to the living room and was stripped of her clothes and into the dress in seconds. Spinning in a half-circle, she turned to the mirror. She wasn't exactly a supermodel but Elena liked her body. She was a little on the shorter side compared to other women in the pack. She was five foot four with almost the right amount of curves for her height. She was a little larger in the back. In this dress, though, it hugged every inch of her perfectly. It didn't show too much cleavage (her father and brothers wouldn't force her to change). It hit the floor but with a good pair of heels, it wouldn't drag. A slit up the side was only a few inches above her knee. The straps were thin but she had no doubts her amble chest would be to hold up the dress.

She would not let them change her mind. This was it. This was the dress.

To Elena's surprise, neither Gianna nor Isabelle disagreed with the dress. She was sure the color would make them force her to pick something else but they had been the ones to leave it on the rack. Though, Isabelle had been so sure she sorted through everything and left out any of the nontraditional colored dresses. Regardless, Elena had the perfect dress and was able to relax until the dinner which was quickly turning into a huge party.

For the most part.

Being freshly eighteen meant Elena hadn't left the packhouse. It wasn't customary for unmated children of the Alpha to leave the packhouse, either. She was put to work, helping with table set up and making sure every alpha had a place in the packhouse or one of the close, empty homes for those with families. Her brothers were busy with training, her oldest brother Marco was next in line to be alpha and he was shadowing their father.

Six siblings and Elena was the only girl. It wasn't that she wasn't feminine. She enjoyed manicures and pedicures, mostly because it made running as a wolf easier. She wore the occasional skirts and dresses. She preferred clothing that was easy to take off. Easier to shift and run. Elena would be wolf every single second if she could. That could be dangerous, though. The longer you stayed wolf, the harder it was to shift back.

Her uncle Lincoln had loved being wolf and a few days after his first shift, he went running. Through the mind link, Elena's father and grandfather knew Linc hadn't changed back for months. When a group of hunters caught up to him, nearly killing him, Linc had been pushed back into his human form. It took days for the pack to find him. By the time they had, it was too late. Silver in his wounds had made it impossible for him to heal. He had died before his eighteenth birthday.

Elena tried hard to keep a good balance between wolf and human. She knew her father had kept a close watch after her first shift. She had spent three straight days running through the woods by the packhouse. That was when he told her the details about Lincoln. Despite not being the youngest and very last in line to be an alpha, she did stay close to her father. She sat in on meetings sometimes and her father listened to her ideas sometimes. Most of the wolves on the council weren't too thrilled over having a she-wolf in meetings but they bit their tongues.

The day before the party, many packs were arriving. The packs there were farther away usually came earlier and would spend more time on the Blacktooth territory. There were a few people who Elena did know from past parties and other gatherings. Even some of the Rossi family were different packs. The Rossi family were one of the largest werewolf families in the world.

As the day went on, Elena could feel a pull in the pit of her stomach. Her wolf wanted to run. It had been days since she had been able to get out. After showing an alpha and his luna to their room, she slipped outside and quickly stripped. Leaving her clothes in a neat pile by a tree, she leaped and when she landed, she was on all four. Most of her fur was a dark grey but underneath and the tips of her ears were black. Her eyes stayed the same bright green.

Within minutes, she was miles from the packhouse and once more, following her wolf. This time though, Elena could smell something. She wasn't sure what but it was growing stronger. Her wolf was panting in excitement and then abruptly came to a stop. About fifty feet away a couple stood close to one another. He had his hands on her waist, while her arms were wrapped around his neck. She seemed to be wanting to close the distance but he looked like he was trying to create more space between them.

Elena's head tipped to the side, breathing in deep. This was it. Where her wolf wanted to be. But why? She wanted to get closer. She could tell by smell they were both wolves but strangers. She scraped at the ground with her paw, trying to draw attention to herself but it wasn't working. If only she could see his face.

"Get. Home. Now." Came an irritated voice in her head. Mateo. One of her brothers.

Elena growled low in her chest. "Fine." She knew disobeying wouldn't' end well.

It was hard to pull her wolf away and run back to the packhouse. Her wolf was definitely dragging her paws. When she was dressed and walking through the back doors, her aunt was waiting.

"We have an appointment," Aunt Isabelle reminded her, sighing. "If I had known you were going to keep me waiting, I would have come here earlier to stop you from running off." She stepped closer to Elena, grabbing one hand. "Though I guess it's a good thing you got the run out of your system now. No more runs until after the party," she ordered, narrowing her eyes at her niece.

Elena snatched her hand away, sticking her tongue out like a toddler. "No promises. My wolf has a mind of her own," she told her and then grinned. "I promise. No more runs until after."

It was going to be hard to keep that promise, but she knew her mother wanted everything perfect for tomorrow and something has silly has a hangnail would be enough to ruin the whole evening. Elena managed to go to bed that night as human, without damaging her freshly polished hands and feet. Tomorrow, she would let her aunt take her to the salon for her hair.