"That's enough, Amari!" a voice barked, grabbing her attention, making her hesitate before landing a fatal wound to her sparring partner. She looked towards the wall-to-ceiling glass her father stood behind with a disapproving face. Amari gave him a bow and awaited her next orders.
"That's enough for the day. Get cleaned up and meet me in my office in an hour. We have much to discuss," he demanded in a chilling tone.
Amari waited until her father disappeared to let out a breath of relief. She peered down at her bloodied and groaning sparring partner and was itching to help him up, but according to her father, showing mercy to an opponent was a sign of weakness.
"Are you okay, Beta Marco?" she whispered to her beloved trainer of thirteen years.
"I'll live," he groaned, picking himself off the padded floor. Amari winced at the sight of Marco's dangling left arm.
"Don't worry. It looks worse than it feels," he expressed, trying to offer her reassurance. In reality, he was thankful Alpha Winters stepped in, or that morning may have been the last time he would have told his pups he loved them.
"A-are you sure?" Amari asked, not convinced Marco was as well as he claimed.
"I'm fine. I'll be healed up in no time. You better quit lollygagging with me. You have to meet Alpha Winters in less than an hour, and you know how he feels about tardiness.
Amari's blood ran cold as she thought about the punishment she'd receive if she was late. Last time, she received ten lashes from a riding crop. She shivered at the memory of having to sleep on her stomach for a week. Usually, her wolf would quickly heal her, and the harm inflicted upon her would be an afterthought. However, her father wanted her to feel the brutal pain for days on end. He injected her with a serum of silver before her lashes. He insisted he was teaching her discipline and building her character.
Amari had been undergoing extensive training since the age of five, all for the goal of one day replacing her father as Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack. Today was her 18th birthday, and she wasn't even sure if she wanted to be Alpha, but the idea had been ingrained into her since she was a child. She questioned her father once about becoming Alpha and asked why her older sister, Camilla, wasn't training to become Alpha. Amari was backhanded with so much force that her jaw fractured. She never dared to question her father again and accepted her place in the Blood Moon Pack.
"You look like crap," Amari's sister, Camilla, teased once Amari made it to her room.
"Wow...and here I thought you were going to wish me a happy birthday," Amari sarcastically drawled.
Amari and Camilla's relationship had been on the rocks as of late. Amari noticed Camilla had become snappy and impatient with her. Despite Amari asking her sister what her problem was, Camilla would mumble something under her breath and storm out of the room. Amari felt Camilla's rude demeanor could be a result of her not finding her mate. Most wolves found their mate around their 18th birthday, but Camilla was 20 and still mateless. Amari could only imagine Camilla's wolf must be driving her up the wall.
Amari prayed she'd find her mate soon, but that would be difficult, seeing how she'd never seen the light of day. Beta Marco was the only one outside of Amari's immediate family that knew of her existence, and he was sworn to secrecy. Amari's father claimed she had to be kept a secret to preserve their bloodline and keep her safe from their enemies...the Dark Moon Pack. Amari became misty-eyed as she recalled stories from her father about how vicious the Dark Moon Pack was. In fact, according to her father, the Dark Moon Pack was responsible for her mother's death, forcing her father to raise a two-year-old and a newborn on his own. Again, Amari didn't understand why Camilla was allowed to live a normal life, but she wasn't. Wouldn't keeping Amari safe but not Camilla be a sign he loved one child more than the other?
Amari shook her head, erasing her troubling thoughts, and proceeded to shower. An overwhelming feeling flushed her while she bathed. Her nipples pebbled, and she felt the temperature of her body spike. The urge to touch herself was great, but she resisted.
"He's close," Amari's wolf, Titania, whispered.
"Wh-who's close?" Amari whimpered.
"Don't play stupid! You know exactly who I'm talking about!"
"My mate? Who is he?"
"I cannot tell you that. You must discover him naturally."
Amari rushed through the remainder of her shower, eager to meet with her father to let him know about the possibility of meeting her mate. Maybe then, he’d allow her to leave.
**********
"Sit down," Alpha Winters ordered as soon as she was given permission to enter his opulent office.
"Thank you, Alpha," she answered, quickly sitting in one of the chocolate leather wing-backed seats in front of his large mahogany desk.
"There are things I wish to discuss with you."
Amari waited with bated breath for her father to continue.
"You are 18 today. Congratulations for making it this far."
Amari's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She nor her wolf appreciated her father's verbiage. It almost sounded as if he didn't expect her to reach 18.
"From what I've seen and what Beta Marco has reported, you are highly trained and are more than capable of protecting yourself. With that being said, you are free to leave the house."
"Are you serious?"
"Are you questioning me, girl?" he asked with a raised brow.
"Of course not, Alpha. It just seems unreal. It feels like a dream. Thank you."
"Do not thank me yet. You are the future Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack, and you should act accordingly when in the public eye. Do not disappoint me, Amari, or you'll find yourself back in the house for another 18 years. Camilla will escort you around the grounds to give you a feel of everything. She will also introduce you to some esteemed guests."
"Guests?" Amari questioned with a tilt of her head.
"I have invited Alpha Alexander Beaumont of the Artemis Pack and his subordinates to our pack land. As you know, we are in alliance with the Artemis Pack, and if we're lucky, you might find your mate amongst them. Camilla will get you ready for the party later. Your dress has been picked out already. Don't embarrass this pack, Amari. You're dismissed."