The Alpha and His Perfect Beauty

he enters, holding a folded piece of golden cloth in her hands, and I can already feel the dr

mall escape from the reality of my life, a world where nothing ever changes. I'm sprawled out

other says, her voice soft but firm as she steps cl

nt me to go, but there's no point. I have no mate," I say for wha

she's trying to remain patient. "

f I'm that one? The one who doesn't have a mate?" The idea sits bitterly in

start now. My daughter has a mate. Now, I've let you laze around for the past three years, so it's time you start taking this seriously. You're nineteen, Rae. Girls

defiance surging through me. "A guard can't do

ward the door. "They will now," she calls over her shoulder, he

s. My mother has always been like that. She means well, but sometimes I wish she could see things from my perspective. I don't belong at these gatherings. I'm

've spent the last three years avoiding these events, hiding behind the excuse that I don't have a mate. But maybe, just maybe,

s. The bust area is too big for me, leaving me feeling exposed and uncomfortable, like everyone is going to know I don't fit in with the rest of the pack's expectations. My s

led up in my bed with a good book and a hot cup of tea, not traipsing around in a fancy dress, trying to play the

earlier. They're too short for me, making my legs look strange as I slip them on with a

om, my mother is standing there, tapping her foot impatiently. Without a word, she hands me a small c

try and lie saying you got lost or couldn't find it.

e doesn't understand that it's not just about the party. It's about feeling like I'm

laughter and chatter floating from the direction of the event. The pack always gathers in the same place-just outside the main clearing, where the trees p

d ground, and I wobble a few times, nearly stumbling on a rock. It's like the universe is mocking

like to be the odd one out, the girl who doesn't belong. Half the girls at these gatherings have already found their mates, and they wear it like a badge of honor. I think back to last year, watching them paired off

ing so common to others

hout thinking, I dart off the path and into the trees, heart hammering. I press myself against the

w tones. My chest rises and falls quickly as I strain to

to ask for help, but I know better. I'm not here t

er, sharp, cutting through the ai

e?" a deep v

her growl, this one f

he's hiding again,

hes in my thro

he shadows, praying t