'It is today,' Marissa thought to herself as she checked out herself in the mirror.
"I would finally get to know who my mate is, not like I am excited about it, I wonder who is unfortunate enough to be my mate," she spoke to herself as she played with the bracelet on her right wrist.
She touched her face which was flawlessly smooth, but could cause harm to whoever lays their eyes on her. She wondered if she truly deserved to find her mate.
"Marissa, aren't you ready? There are a lot of men here, I believe you will find your mate," Marissa's friends squealed as they made their way into her room.
"I'm almost ready," she said to her friends as she put on her transparent blindfold, one which had become a part of her identity.
"Would you still be putting on that blindfold of yours?" Bethany, one of Marissa's friends asked with disdain, clearly directed at the blindfold.
Marissa did not reply immediately as an old memory surfaced. It was the reason she always put on a blindfold which covered her eyes.
Flashback>>
Little Marissa wandered the pack grounds, searching for her nanny. When she finally spotted the older woman by the spring, she smiled and ran toward her.
But the moment their eyes met, the nanny stiffened, her body hardening into stone.
Marissa screamed, but no one could undo what had happened. Since that day, her father had ordered her to wear the blindfold, ensuring no one else suffered the same fate.
Flashback Ends>>
"You of all people should know that the blindfold is now a part of my identity, that can never change," Marissa, now with her blindfold rose to her feet as she gestured for them to leave.
"We don't want people turning to statues once they see me, I'm glad that you both are immune to my curse, or I might never have found a friend," Marissa had a genuine smile on her face while staring at her two friends who gave her pitiful looks.
"Well, that is because of the rings your Father gave us, we would have long turned to stones if we didn't have the rings," Rose stated.
Marissa smiled at Rose's words, not denying what she had said.
"I would prefer if you weren't with your blindfold? It's the finding-your-mate ceremony, I don't know why the moon goddess is so cruel," Bethany cried out as she looked up as though she was blaming the moon goddess directly.
Marissa chuckled at the dramatic nature of her friend.
"I heard that the Alpha of Blood Moon Pack would be present for the ceremony, rumors say that he hasn't found his mate even after a long time, he might probably want to try his luck here, this is the only pack he hasn't visited,," Rose, another of Marissa's friends informed.
"I do hope I get to be his mate, I heard he is very manly," Rose wished with a dreamy look.
Marissa paused in her strides as she looked at her friend who had a dreamy look on her face, and she shrugged.
Her mind suddenly went to the dream she had a few days ago, and she shivered in fear, as her back became drenched with sweat while her face turned pale.
She really couldn't recall the details of the dream, but she knew that she was scared after she had woken up.
"What's wrong?" Bethany noticed that Marissa had a pale face, and she became worried all of a sudden.
"It is nothing, I just thought of something, and it scared me, this was why I paused," Marissa replied like nothing had happened after she had regained her composure.
"Are you sure?" Bethany asked, her voice unable to hide the worry she felt.
"I'm fine, I promise, shall we head to the arena?" Marissa chose to deviate from the topic as she didn't want them to be too worried about her.
Bethany took one quick glance at Marissa, and after confirming that she was okay, they all headed to the arena.
"I will go say hello to my dad," Marissa informed the two, and left after they had nodded.
Marissa navigated her way through the crowd as she made her way to where her father was seated.
She swallowed when she realized he was surrounded by other ranking Alphas.
"Marissa, you are here, have a seat," Alpha Kain, Marissa's father smiled at her as he motioned for her to seat.
Marissa glanced around the chairs for an empty space, and she found one. Only that it was beside an Alpha who looked quite dangerous.
Marissa looked over to her father who nodded. The nod was an assurance that the Alpha wouldn't hurt her.
Marissa pulled out the chair before she took a seat beside the grumpy-looking Alpha.
"Alpha Kain, is this your daughter? The rumoured queen of stones?" One the Alphas inquired while the others laughed at his choice of words.
Marissa raised her eyebrows at the Alpha's words, and glanced at her father, curious about what his response would be.
"She's my daughter, and her being the Queen of Stones, I never knew my daughter was very popular, thank you all for letting me know about it," Alpha Kain didn't disappoint with his words as a fleeting smug smirk appeared on his lips.
Marissa chuckled a bit. She knew how her father was, and surely, he didn't disappoint.
Marissa gave him a small smile, before she walked away, hoping to find her friends before the ceremony began.
A few minutes later, the ceremony was already in full swing.
Some people had already found their mates, with some people already discovering their mates.
Some accepted them, while some rejected them on the spot.
Marissa, Bethany, and Rose moved around while trying to find who their respective mates were.
The three of them separated all of a sudden with all three going separate ways.
Marissa inhaled deeply, her senses overwhelmed by the intoxicating scent that filled her insides. It was a mix of crisp pine, and something distinctly masculine.
Her heart pounded against her ribcage as she followed the scent, the cool night air whispering through the trees as she took slow steps towards the source of the smell.
Her wolf was restless, pushing against the surface, urging her forward with an unfamiliar sense of longing. She barely noticed the twigs snapping beneath her feet as she emerged into a small clearing, where the scent was the strongest.
Then, she saw him.
A broad-shouldered man stood with his back to her, his posture rigid, as though he, too, had sensed her as well. The moonlight caught in his dark hair, highlighting the sharp angles of his face as he turned, piercing brown eyes locking onto hers.
For a moment, the world became still. The wind stopped, the rustling leaves hushed, and even the distant chatter of the mating ceremony faded into nothingness. It was just the two of them.
Their gazes collided, igniting something raw and uncontrollable between them. Marissa felt the force of the connection in her very bones. It wasn't just a feeling—it was something she felt within. A tether formed, unbreakable and absolute.
"Her breath hitched, her heart hammering against her ribs. A sudden warmth flooded her veins, as if his presence alone had set something ancient alight within her.
Her feet inched forward of their own accord, drawn by a force stronger than logic. But she stopped herself just in time."
Meanwhile, his pupils dilated, as his wolf tried to break free. His lips parted, as if to speak, but the word came out as a mere whisper, charged with disbelief and something dangerously close to hunger.
"MATE!"
The word sent a shiver down her spine, a declaration, a promise, a fate neither of them could escape. And Marissa found his voice to be oddly familiar.