by Jenny Tia
Still, it was rude not to turn up, so I burst through the tree line and hurried across the grounds toward the glowing, domed building that seemed to shine as brightly as the moon herself. The scent of the party hit me even harder before I heard the moans and barks of omegas in full party heat, and the alphas and betas who were drooling and rutting after them. I rushed through the crowd on four paws, darting between legs and bounding over bodies that were already horizontal on the ground, going at it under the moon.
I shifted to my human form as I made it to the courtyard where my best friend, Stefan, was waiting with clothes for me and a scowl on his face.
“God, I thought you weren’t going to turn up,” he said.
Once I’d gotten dressed, Stef handed me a glass of arak, and its strong alcohol and aniseed scent hit me before I even took a sip. “Was I missed?” I asked.
“Well, I missed you.”
“But no one noticed I was missing?”
Stef shrugged. “No one said anything.”
“And what did I miss?” I swirled the arak and leaned into my friend as we walked over to a quiet place in the courtyard that overlooked the glowing lights and colorful domed roofs of downtown Goldleaf.
“You missed the whole thing—Ragan and Matthew did the whole ‘I accept you as my mate’ vow exchange, Alpha Truitt declared it official, and right now you’re missing the orgy.”
“Well, so are you,” I said.
Stef scoffed and took a strong sip of his arak.
“I’m used to wolves getting frisky after the full moon runs, but this is more intense than usual, isn’t it?” I craned over my shoulder to see two shifters going at it in broad moonlight, and I felt myself blush. As I went to turn back around, I caught sight of a beta named Chris gazing through the window, right at us.
“I think that beta with the blond hair is checking you out,” I mumbled as I turned back to Stef.
“Really? I don’t think so,” Stef said, craning his neck to look over my shoulder at where Chris was standing.
“You should go say hello. Have some fun.”
“I’ll pass, thanks.”
“You shouldn’t have to sit around with me just because I’m not at the orgy with everyone else,” I said. Or more like, just because no one wants to hook up with a barren omega like me.
Stef rolled his eyes. “Oh, please. You are having a party. A pity party.”
I let out a short laugh and sank back in my chair with a heavy sigh. “I mean it. I don’t want to put a damper on your fun if you want to get in on the action.”
“You know I’m not going to go join in on a rut-fest,” Stef said, not having a second of my self-sacrifice. “That has never interested me.”
I shrugged and looked up at the night sky. “I just thought I’d offer. You never know what you’ll find at a Mating Ceremony. Romance in the air, and all that…”
Stef chuckled. “I really don’t think anyone in there is looking for a relationship right now.”
“Yeah, that doesn’t seem to be the mood.” I heard the ornate glass patio door swing open behind me, and I turned to see Alpha Shane Truitt walking toward us.
“Oh, great,” I muttered to Stef under my breath, then smiled at my pack Alpha with as much friendliness as I could muster.
“Hello, lads,” Alpha Truitt said, smiling in that sad way I had come to loathe. He wore that heavy smile every time he had spoken to me in the last eight years, since I’d turned eighteen and never got my first heat. Now that Ragan, the baby of my family, had found a mate, naturally, Alpha Truitt’s focus on me was only going to increase. But I hated the idea of being pitied, even if he meant well.
“Hi, Alpha Truitt,” I grunted, hoping to disinvite any further inquiry into my relationship status.
“Didn’t see anyone you liked at the ceremony? No one here catch your eye?” Alpha Truitt asked me.
“No, not this time,” I said, forcing a smile.
He hummed and clasped his hands behind his back. “Well. There’s always time. Don’t worry, Julian. There’s someone out there for you.”
“Yes, I’m sure there is.” I smiled painfully. His pity was only making me pity myself even more.
“How about you, Stefan?”
Stefan just shook his head. Alpha Truitt seemed to sense our reticence to discuss the matter any further and turned to leave us in peace. But he stopped as he turned away.
“You know, I’m planning a singles party with Alpha Hughes of the Everglow pack. I expect both of you to be there, given your status.”
“Status?”
“Single.”
Stef and I groaned in unison.
“You’ll be there,” he said, rather than asked.
“Yeah, sure,” I said noncommittally.
Alpha Truitt smiled at me again, and then walked back toward the dome. I watched him go, and then asked Stef, “Have you ever been to Everglow?”
“Absolutely not, it’s over two hours away. Plus, I haven’t had a reason to.”
“Me neither. I’m surprised they’re bothering to come here.”
Before Alpha Truitt could close the door behind him, I caught sight of a shock of blond hair sneaking out through the open doorway.
“Oh, here we go,” I said to Stefan as I spotted Chris. “I told you he was eyeing you!”
“We’ll see,” Stef said, raising his eyebrows apprehensively.
“Hey, Stef.” Chris ran a hand through his hair as he approached us. I could smell the pheromones pouring off of him. He was basically frothing for Stef and ready to rut, although he was keeping it together pretty well.
“Oh, hello,” Stef replied, pursing his lips in a show of aloofness.
“Hi, Julian,” Chris added, like an afterthought and without taking his eyes off Stef. I just smiled in his general direction. I knew he didn’t actually want to talk to me, anyway.
“You know, Stef… I’ve always had a crush on you.”
Bold.
“You mean, back when we were in school?” Stef asked him, frowning. I was confused too. Chris had never shown any interest back then.
“Mm-hm, sure. And I’d like to take you on a date. Soon. Now, if you want.”
Stef squinted at Chris, trying to figure out if he had an ulterior motive.
Chris tried to bolster his case with a two-for-one deal. “I—um, I have another beta friend who’s also single, and he doesn’t even mind that you’re barren, Julian.”
My heart sank as soon as I heard the word “barren” come out of his mouth. Meanwhile, Stef’s claws had come out.
“He’s not a fucking charity case!” Stef growled.
“I didn’t mean—”
Stef wasn’t having it. “How dare you come over here, trying to get in my pants, and then choose to disparage my best friend’s reputation at the same time? Get out of here!”
Chris just looked at him in stunned silence with his mouth half-open.
“Go on! Shoo! Little pest.”
Chris backed away slowly then turned and went back into the dome with his tail between his legs.
“What a piece of work,” Stef growled as he settled back into his chair.
“I could have handled that idiot myself, you know.”
He sighed and looked down at his lap sheepishly. “Sorry,” he said to his knees before he turned back to me. “It just really bugs me when people make judgments about things they don’t know a damn thing about.”
“I know. Story of my life.” I sighed and slung an arm around his shoulders in appreciation of his loyalty. “Thanks for sticking up for me. I know you always have my back.”
Stef put his arm around me too. “That’s right. I do. Always.”
As I tried to fall asleep that night, I avoided thinking about Alpha Truitt’s singles party and what it would be like to meet new shifters who didn’t know about my…condition. All of Goldleaf knew me as the guy who had never had a heat. It was damn near impossible to have a conversation with anyone without it co
ming up—even my own family made it well known, as often as possible, that I was a disappointment because I’d never “developed”. I’d had relationships, but no one had stuck around. And why would they? There was no future with an omega who couldn’t breed.
I squeezed my eyes shut and shoved my face into my pillow, desperate for sleep to take me away from my feelings of inadequacy. But my mind kept circling back to the singles mixer.
It would be nice to meet people without having to deal with the usual pitying looks. It might be awkward, but if I actually met someone I could see myself committing to, then at least I wouldn’t have to worry about going to another stupid singles party ever again.
The hope was small and covered with a lifetime's worth of disappointments and skepticism…but it was there.
At the very least, there’d be some arak to drink.
3
Casius
“I am so ready to pounce on some fresh wolf meat,” Nic said as he tightened the top button of his silver uniform in the mirror.
“Hey, I thought you were going to be my wingman,” I protested. My right-hand beta and best friend had been trying to find me a mate since we were teens, and I’d assumed he’d be over the moon to do it that night at the singles mixer in Goldleaf.
“Of course, of course,” Nic said in assurance. “But what if there’s someone at the mixer for me? I’ve gotta be ready.”
I growled with annoyance and wrestled with my own uniform.
Nic looked me over in the mirror. “Aren’t you excited? This event was basically planned for you, wasn’t it? I’m sure you’ll be drowning in slick.”
“That’s not the point.”
“Well, what’s eating you then?”
“There’s just a lot riding on this.” I sighed and ran a hand over my short, dark hair. I should have gotten a trim.
Nic slapped my chest with the back of his hand. “Look, you don’t have to be excited. But you should try and loosen up. Keep an open mind. You never know, you might actually have fun.”
I grunted. “Actually, I have to take this seriously. That’s exactly what Alpha Hughes said. If I want to be Supreme Alpha, I need to figure something out with this whole…mate thing. And I need to do it soon. Like, tonight.” I brushed my hair into place and ran my hands over my close-cropped beard. Too long? Too short? I couldn’t tell.
“But, Cas, taking it seriously is the exact opposite of having fun,” Nic grumbled, looking at me with exasperation. He squeezed my shoulder with his strong hand. “That’s not a very romantic mindset.”
“Exactly. There’s nothing romantic about this match-making event. I’m being forced into settling for something I don’t fully want. That sounds so fucking miserable. Is being Supreme Alpha worth it if I’m with a mate I don’t really like? Man, I wish my fated mate would just show up already.”
Nic sighed because I’d been chanting the same mantra for years, but then he nodded in understanding. “I know, man. I know you still wanna hold out for fated love.”
I grunted in affirmation, then paused to consider the argument Nic was making. “I guess it’s good we’re visiting Goldleaf, anyway, whether I find a mate or not. They’ve been Everglow’s allies for centuries. There might be something to learn from this.”
“That’s the spirit. Who knows? You might even learn how to relax.”
“I hope this Golden Dome venue can hold a lot of people,” Nic said as I drove across the city en route to pick up a couple more passengers. “It seems like every unmated wolf I’ve talked to this week will be there.”
“I wonder if we’ll outnumber the Goldleaf shifters.” I sucked on my bottom lip and headed east through the pack lands, and then curved south.
“Surely their pack Alpha has encouraged all of their singles to go. Right?”
“Uh, I sure hope so. Otherwise, we might as well have stayed in Everglow and gone to Deep Canyon Brewery.”
I pulled up to a swanky apartment building and idled outside. Nic did a double-take when he saw the building and let out a whining growl.
“Oh, man,” he said when he saw where we were. He put two fingers to his left temple as if he suddenly had a headache. “We have to ride with Sloan?”
“Alpha Hughes asked me to give him a ride, I couldn’t refuse,” I grumbled.
“Damn it.” He turned toward the window on the passenger side. Just then Sloan swaggered up to the car and opened the door to the backseat. He was wearing a cheetah print shirt, unbuttoned almost low enough to show his navel, which he had tucked into skin-tight black jeans held even tighter to his hips by a belt with a giant buckle emblazoned with a silver wolf. The wolf’s eyes were studded with reflective purple gems, and Sloan’s pointy patent-leather boots had purple laces to match. Wearing the protector uniform was voluntary to events like those, but Sloan was taking it to another level.
“If it isn’t Everglow’s most available bachelors,” Sloan slurred as he crawled into the backseat. Once he closed the door, he snaked his arms up to place one hand on each of our shoulders. I flinched when he squeezed me at the tender place where my shoulder met my neck.
“Lucky me,” he purred.
I glanced over at Nic and saw his jaw was clenched tight.
“Are you drunk already?” I asked Sloan. I refused to entertain his sleazy flattery.
“I’m just getting warmed up,” he said, parting his thin, dry lips to show off his mouthful of gleaming white teeth.
“Well, I hope you’ve learned to hold your drink,” I said, unamused. “If you puke in this truck, I’m leaving you on the side of the road somewhere.”
“Chill, Trashius.” Sloan kicked the back of my seat with his pointy-toed boot. “I’m not going to sully your precious vehicle. Even if I did, my dad would probably just buy you a new one, so don’t get your jockstrap in a twist.”
Nic sighed. “This is going to be a long drive. Are we picking up anyone else besides Mikel?”
“Mikel Donnelly?” Sloan asked.
“Yeah,” I said to Sloan as I pulled out and headed toward the outskirts of the city. I turned to Nic. “No, that’s it. Just picking up Mikel.”
“Oh, golly,” Sloan said in a sing-song voice as his head lolled from side to side. “Mikel Donnelly is so hot. Dumb as a doornail though, shame about that.”
I growled in annoyance because Mikel was definitely not dumb, but before I cursed Sloan out, Nic came to my aid.
“Shut it, Sloan!”
Sloan reached his lanky arm between our seats to display his middle finger, which was sporting a large gold cameo ring with a face carved into it. He leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms with a grunt. After a minute of tense silence, a droll snore came from the backseat. I glanced back and found Sloan passed out, slumped against the door.
“Thank god,” I said to Nic.
“With any luck, he’ll be knocked out until we get to Goldleaf.”
“If the moon has any mercy, he’ll sleep through the whole party,” I said as I pulled into Mikel’s driveway.
“Hello, boys.” Mikel slid into the backseat. “Oh! I didn’t know you guys adopted a baby,” he said when he saw Sloan’s face pressed against the passenger side window. A trail of drool was slowly sliding down the glass from Sloan’s half-open mouth. “I would have brought a bib.”
Nic snorted. “So thoughtful of you, Mik,” he said with a laugh.
Mikel reached up to squeeze my arm and smiled at me. “Good to see you, Cas. How are you doing?”
“Pretty good, man. You excited for the party?”
“I’m excited for you, boss,” he said, a smile spreading across his wide, bearded jaw.
“You think I’ll actually meet someone at this thing?” I asked doubtfully.
“Absolutely.” Mikel nodded, then leaned back in his seat and buckled his seatbelt.
“What makes you so sure?”
“Just a feeling.”
“Hm! Think you’ll meet anyone?” I asked.
Mikel shr
ugged. “That’d be nice,” he said with his usual sweet smile.
I had to grin at his innocent optimism. Mikel always helped lift my mood. I liked having him around, ever since we were kids. He would always break up fights at school by just putting his huge body in between whoever was going at it, like a big peaceful bull. Everyone knew he could flatten them if he’d wanted to, but I never saw him lift a finger against anyone. He was still like that—peaceful, strong, and solid.
“What do you think Goldleaf is like?” Mikel asked.
“I don’t know, really,” I said.
“Me either,” Nic added. “But they grow a lot of flax and cotton, which ends up in factories in Everglow. And I’ve heard they’re pretty cultured, with lots of different restaurants around town and unusual food.”
“And the golden leaves, of course,” I said. “But I guess that won’t be a feature of this trip.”
“Guess we’ll have to go back later this year then,” Mikel said as he watched our more familiar vista pass him by out the window. “Golden leaves sound nice.”
Even without the autumnal glow, the landscape changed as we drove closer to Goldleaf, straight down the Hawksight Highway. An hour into the drive, the dense pine forests of Everglow gave way to flat grasslands and meadows, bursting with wildflowers. Nic rolled down his window and took in a deep breath, filling the car with the scent of wet earth.
As we drew closer to our destination, the grasslands grew up into tightly packed forests of oaks, hemlock, and cottonwoods, and the scent changed to a woodier fragrance. The fresh spring leaves of the trees were bright green and vibrant in the early evening sun. It sure was beautiful, but I was in such a bad mood about the pressure to find a mate at this event that I could barely appreciate the scenery.
“Goldleaf, here we come.” Nic sighed softly. Something about it nipped at my bad mood. I growled and powered up the electric windows, forcing Nic back into the car when he almost got his nose caught in the glass.
He turned to face me. “What’s eating you?”
