Chapter One

Lucianna’s POV

It was impossible to contain the overwhelming joy I felt. I felt like dancing though there was no music, I wanted to sing but couldn't find the right song, which left me humming and giggling every other second! If someone had seen me like this, they might have thought I'd lost my sanity.

And I felt like I might have soon!

"Let's run, Ash!"

I talked with my best girl over the phone, Ashira. It had been days since the mapping and I finally knew where my mate was! He was from the Shadow pack! Mapping was a pack tradition. Every pack in every region did it once a year for She-Wolves to locate where their mate resided.

The mate bond for females would be activated once at the age of eighteen. The Mapping served as a guide for us to find our mates, then we would travel to that pack to attend the Mapping Ball.

The only party I had ever dreamed of attending!

Ahhhh! Finally!

"I can't. I need to do some things."

I rolled my eyes. "Come on! I'll leave the pack tomorrow! Don't tell me we won't bond before we go? And! You haven't told me why you run off after the mapping! From which pack is your mate? You didn't say a thing!"

"I don't want to go out. Just come here if you want and I'll tell you."

I snorted. "Fine. I'll train for a bit then I'll stop by your house."

"Okay."

I hung up the call with a wrinkled nose. Ashira was no fun! But then, she had always been like that since I met her. I was the noisy type, the extrovert, and she was the silent one.

Hmm, maybe that was why I befriended her when I saw her at training. She was easy to be with, and she was okay with my noisiness.

I shrugged to myself.

I was an orphan. My parents had been killed in a war with the rogues when I was eight years old and the pack had taken care of my needs since then. I had continued living alone without any guardian, but the pack consistently visited to check on me.

I headed out with my training equipment. I was one of the best fighters of the North Region, having won various exhibitions with Prime pack and Trivian pack in the She-Wolf Fighters Game.

Ever since my parents died, I had resolved to become strong. To improve, to protect myself, and to fight for my pack.

"Hey, Lucy."

I stopped and looked at who called my name. It was Gamma Sol, the Alpha's third-in-command.

"Goodmorning, Gamma." I bowed slightly, showing respect.

"So you found your mate? Is he from the North?" I nodded. "Which pack?"

I smiled sheepishly, excited and proud of the person I'm yet to know, but I'm sure is worthy of my praises.

"He's from Shadow pack." I grinned and Gamma Sol laughed at my reaction.

"I can tell you're happy." he laughed once more when I scratched the back of my head. "Well, I can see you're out here to train. Don't build some muscles or you'll scare your mate, okay?." he grinned.

"Oh, I won't! I'll give him the beauty he can't resist, Gamma."

We laughed before parting ways. Gamma Sol was always like that to me. He was old and would stoop down from his position as third-in-command when his son turned twenty-one. I had become close with him because he was the one who visited me often when I was young and alone.

After my daily training, I went straight to Ashira's house and found her sulking in the living room. I couldn't sense anyone in the house, so she was probably alone.

"Hey, where's your brother?"

Cruz wasn't her real brother. She had been a lone wolf before Beta Eric found and kept her, but they treated her like their own blood.

"I don't know. I woke up and everyone's not home."

"Hmmm." I slumped on their couch and looked at my phone. Ah. I couldn't stop looking at the time and date. "So! Where is your prince charming?"

I could tell that my eyes were sparkling as I waited for her response. I hadn't had the chance to know the result of her mapping because she had run away, shifting in the air and showing off her white wolf.

Ah! I envied how beautiful her wolf was.

Mine was the same color as my hair, a shiny golden-brown wolf, but taller than Ashira because of my long-legged gift. I had gotten that height from my father. Oh, damn. I hoped my mate was taller than me.

Well, as if I could choose, right? Whatever he looked like, he would still appear perfect in my eyes once I met him.

How I loved the way mate bonds worked!