My Destined - EDITING

Leia

"Don't touch her again. She's mine." Adriel growled again, this time louder, as his hold on me tightened. Ow... He smacked Cael's hand away from me, and Cael stepped back. I could feel that Adriel was much stronger than him, and I think he sensed it too.

"We'll see, lover boy," Cael smirked and winked at me before retreating. I could feel the anger radiating off of Adriel and shivered. My tattoo burned, and my wolf was howling in excitement at our mate's touch.

"A-alpha. That hurts." I tried wiggling out of his grasp, his hold becoming too tight around my waist. He let go but quickly twisted me around and backed me into the wall.

"Don't go talking to other males like that. Especially other Alphas!" He growled, and I could see the anger in his eyes. "You're my mate!" His naturally beautiful blue-grey eyes got darker with rage, and I felt goosebumps crawl up my arms. Although we were in a room full of people, my only focus was on him while everyone else faded out.

"W-well. Maybe if you cared enough to spend time with me, no other males would bother talking to me! I didn't do anything wrong and even told him I have a mate already!" I surprised myself with that outburst. I just met him! Why am I mad he isn't with me? My face turned red, and I instantly wiggled out of his grasp, preparing to walk away.

Adriel quickly grabbed onto my arm and turned me around again. His eyebrows were knitted together in frustration, and I felt terrible for trying to escape. No! He didn't bother talking to me at all, and the first thing he did was yell!

"Don't leave." He demanded with a low growl. It felt like there was more to it than an 'order from the Alpha,' but I didn't want to be ordered by my mate. We are supposed to be equal.

"Let go. You can't order me around like some pack member! I'm supposed to be your mate!"

My wolf was restless, not wanting me to fight with our mate. She wanted so badly to fall into his arms. Not yet. Adriel's eyes widened before letting go and letting out a frustrated sigh. Without touching me, he moved his face just inches from mine. So close! My face and tattoo burned at how close Adriel was. His scent of freshly applied cologne mixed with his natural smell was intoxicating, and I almost gave in to Tala.

"You are my mate. I'm sorry. I saw him getting so close and touching you that I got so angry." He looked awkward as he ran his hand through his black hair. "You're right. I should've come to you in the first place. But I don't know how to react yet. This is my third Choosing Ceremony, and I finally found my mate." My eyes widened in surprise. I didn't realize he was three years older than me... And waiting all this time for a mate.

"Oh." I cursed myself in my head with my dumb response. "I-it's okay. Sorry Alpha, I didn't know you've had trouble finding a mate." He stood up straight, no longer leaning in towards my face.

"Adriel. Call me Adriel." His voice had turned soft. My wolf was getting so excited it was hard to remain calm. "And I am sorry for my reaction." He sounded genuine, so I decided to accept his apology and nodded.

"Okay, Adriel. Nice to meet you." I held out my hand to shake his in an official greeting. He just gave me a strange look, and I stifled a laugh. "We haven't properly introduced ourselves since you walked away earlier without even giving me your name. I'm Leia." I gave him a warm smile. If we are mates, we might as well be friendly...

"Right, sorry about that." He shook my hand awkwardly and, for a while, didn't let go. I could feel the electricity between us from holding hands, and my heart raced. Is this what finding your mate feels like? We just stood there for a few minutes, looking at each other. "Well. Why don't we dance?" I nodded lightly, my cheeks turning pink as Adriel guided me to the dance floor.

A slow song had started playing, and now that I had brought myself back to reality, I could see many couples dancing together. I turned to see Althea and Lucas, Selene and Cleo, and Marco and Maia dancing as a couple. When I saw Maia and Marco, I felt a slight pang and frowned, which Adriel seemed to notice.

"Keep your focus on me," Adriel spoke huskily, and I suddenly didn't feel wrong about Marco and Maia anymore. I nodded my head with a small smile. "Good." He wrapped one arm around my waist and held my hand with the other.

Adriel pulled me in close and started swaying to the music. I could feel his strength even through the suit and instantly blushed. "He feels amazing. We need to be marked, Leia!" Tala said excitedly. I just shook my head, not ready yet to go that far. While we danced, I could feel someone's stare and somehow knew it was most likely Alpha Cael's. Why me?

I wondered what it must feel like for Adriel and Cael to continue attending the Choosing Ceremony and not find their mates. It must've felt horrible. I can only imagine the disappointment and loneliness that comes with seeing everyone else around you paired up and going home without a mate. It seems like Cael has become restless and desperate for a mate, not that I blamed him.

As we continued to dance for a while, I redirected my focus to Adriel and away from my lingering thoughts. His stare felt so intense; it was almost like he could see right through me. I wonder what he's thinking right now. Suddenly the music ended, and everyone turned their attention toward Alpha Grant and Luna, who had just walked in.

"Ladies and gentlemen. What a fine evening this has been!" Alpha Grant stood on the stage in the ballroom and got everyone's attention. "I hope it was to your liking and you could mingle well with your mates and friends. Tomorrow is the final part of the Choosing, so the ball will end so everyone can get some rest."

"Everyone has a room with three other roommates, and you will find your names posted next to your room door. No co-ed rooms! You may not continue the mating process until you go home with your mate." In the crowd, you could hear snickers and groans. "Now, sleep well! Follow the guards to the halls where your rooms will be."

Adriel and I broke away, and I looked around for Maia and the girls. Once we saw each other, we all smiled and gathered together, dragging our mates with us. Altogether we walked out of the ballroom and followed the hoard of young wolves through the halls to the second floor. We got fortunate as the four of us were assigned to the same room. With short goodnights to our partners, we rushed into our room quickly.

"Can't wait to take off all this makeup and these heels!" I groaned, already in the process of removing the heels. Althea laughed, and Maia agreed.

"Leia, you were pretty popular today, weren't you!" Althea teased.

"W-what? I wouldn't say that!" Taking my hair out of the braids, I avoided looking at Althea.

"Aww, come on! First Alpha Marco, then Alpha Cael, and then Alpha Adriel! Who are you, Leia? What a lucky girl!" Althea jokes and Maia's head shoots up at the mention of Marco.

"N-no one! Marco just came to say hi before finding Maia. Alpha Cael, well...he said he's been looking for his mate for four years. Is that true, Selene?" I looked at Selene, who had been quietly smiling this whole time. She must like Cleo.

"Y-yeah. He told you that?" Selene looked surprised, and I nodded.

"He said he's been waiting and doesn't want to anymore. He said he wants to make me his Chosen!"

"His Chosen? Leia, he can't until he has gone through the rest of the ceremonies." I could tell Maia felt just as shocked as I was.

"I know. I told him that and that I have a mate! He said it didn't matter as long as he caught me the next day before Adriel." Gasps filled the room, and I nodded, letting them know he did say that to me.

I felt unsure how he thought that would work out, as even if he were to 'catch me,' the Elders would only approve Adriel and me. The Running is more of a fun event and tradition to us than it is about having to be with the wolf that catches you - because, of course, having a mate presides over everything. Although, there have been particular circumstances before.

"Wow. He's a cocky little bastard, isn't he?" Althea scoffed.

"Althea! That's my Alpha!" Selene scolded her, and Althea just rolled her eyes in response.

"I know, Selene. But he saw Leia's connection with Adriel, and she even told him to back off. But he still thinks he's going to get her!"

"I know. He won't. Adriel is fast, right, Althea?" I looked at Althea, hoping she would say confirm. "It doesn't matter, he's our mate, so he is the only one we can be with regardless of Cael being an Alpha without a mate," Tala spoke knowingly, and I internally nodded in agreement.

"Adriel will definitely kick Cael's ass!" She sounded so confident in her statement that I breathed a sigh of relief. "Have more faith in our mate!" My wolf scolded.

"Right. Tomorrow is going to be so scary!" Maia finally spoke, and we all agreed.

"How about you guys? What were your nights like?" I asked the three of them, not wanting to talk about me any longer.

The following two hours went on like this, gossiping about the night. All the while, the four of us removed all the makeup, jewelry, and hairpins, took turns in the shower, and changed into pajamas.

Although Althea seemed disappointed initially that the mate she has been paired with is not an Alpha, I could tell Lucas was growing on her. The Moon Goddess sure is powerful. Selene remained timid when talking about Cleo, but her face said everything. She liked her. I awkwardly listened to Maia brag about how sweet and funny Marco was all night and tried not to roll my eyes. She had never even liked him before. But I guess the pull is strong with your mate. I don't know why I feel so conflicted; I should be over the moon about finding my mate at my first ceremony!

Althea asked me many questions about Adriel, wanting to make sure he had 'behaved' as she put it. I laughed when she said she would beat him up for yelling at me as he did. They were all surprised I stood my ground but agreed that he should've approached me initially as their mates did. Finally, the excitement died as we all got snuggled into our beds. Maia and I shared a full bed, while Selene and Althea shared the other.

Tomorrow is The Running. I thought about tomorrow, unable to get to sleep right away. They were lucky they could all fall asleep so soon. I felt utterly restless about running from a hoard of young wolves, even if they wouldn't all be after me. The Running has traditionally been males chasing females, but it has become a bit more mixed and based on the ranking of pairings. The higher-ranking wolf does the chase, and the lower-ranking wolf runs; whoever does not have a pairing yet picks a side or sticks with the tradition.

Part of me didn't want to be caught so I could go back home, but the part that wanted Adriel to tag me started growing stronger. I also knew there would be no way I could avoid going with my mate, even if I somehow made it to the end without being caught.

And then there's Alpha Cael... I wanted to believe that Adriel was much faster and would get to me first, but I did now know him well enough to know his speed and strength. He felt powerful... "He will be the one, Leia!" Tala was so sure, and I wanted to believe that too. With that lingering on my mind, the exhaustion from the whole day finally set in, and I closed my eyes to sleep.