Lupercalia is tomorrow, and although my mother did a lot to ease my doubts, I still grow more and more nervous as each hour passes.

Today I'm supposed to go with the other participating witches to pick out our "ceremony attire" as the elders put it. What they really meant, though, was the skimpiest red lingerie we could find.

I'm not entirely sure why, how, or when that became a tradition, but I'm assuming it had something to do with the fact that they wanted to encourage us to fully mate with our wolves- and the less clothing to remove, the better.

I wait outside my front door for my best friend, Lennon, to come get me. Her birthday was just two days after mine, so we were in this together. She was far more excited for this than I was, however- it's all she could talk about since our birthdays.

She swerves around the corner onto my street and into my driveway before slamming on the breaks, mere inches from my dad's car. I raise my eyebrows at her but don't comment. I know better than to criticize Lennon's driving. She's practically bouncing out of her seat as I get in and buckle my seatbelt, her grin stretching from ear to ear.

"Who did I hurt in a past life to be punished by being surrounded by the most annoyingly energetic people on the planet?" I grumble.

"You're an ornery old grump, but even you aren't going to bring me down today, Poppy! It's almost Lupercalia!" She sings cheerfully.

I can't help but crack a smile at her optimism.

"You're right. I know I should be excited, I'm just having a hard time channeling my inner Lennon right now," I joke.

"It's okay, I can be excited enough for the both of us. Now let's go find something red and see through."

We pull up to the mall just as she says that. The quick drive there from my house is made even quicker by her blatant disregard for road rules and the other vehicles around her.

"Who said anything about traffic laws," I mumble under my breath.

"I heard that!" She calls back to me.

She's already out of the car and skipping towards the entrance.

I climb out of the passenger seat and follow behind her sluggishly. The shops had only just opened but they were teeming with people, mostly girls our age shopping for their own seductive underwear. Even the shop displays advertised tomorrow night's activities, the mannequins adorned in all sorts of lacy and scrappy red contraptions.

I force Lennon to stop and get coffee with me before gunning for the first store she saw. It was an absolute necessity if I was going to put up with her all day. Once I get my usual- a cinnamon chai latte with an extra shot of espresso- I allow her to drag me into a rather sexy boutique.

Lennon is completely in her element here. I turn my nose up at most of what I find, but I do settle on a plain black garter belt with some black thigh highs. The more I'm able to cover, the better. Lennon didn't seem satisfied by anything either, much to my surprise, especially after her initial enthusiasm.

"I can't just buy the first thing I see. This is a very important purchase, we have to be thorough," She explains.

As much as I hate the idea of being here that long, I do understand where she's coming from and almost kind of agree with her. The more I shop with her, the more my nerves begin to subside and I begin to feel almost excited for tomorrow. The nerves are still there, of course, but I begin to think about what meeting my mate for the very first time will be like, and if I'm being honest with myself, I do want to look good for him.

Still, I want to make sure that I find something I'm completely comfortable in. I smile up at Lennon and wrap my arm through hers.

"You know what, Lennon? You're absolutely right. Let's go find the perfect set."

She stops in place to squeeze me in a tight hug. I'm sure the words coming out of her mouth are appreciative, but I can't quite make any of them out because they're all coming out so fast and high pitched.

I shake my head at her, but the smile stays. Maybe her enthusiasm is finally rubbing off on me.

Three hours and what feels like a hundred stores later, we both have our lingerie. Lennon settles on a vibrant red lace teddy. It has a neckline that plunges to her belly button and the back is almost completely bare, save for the thin straps that criss-crossed to each side.

She looks absolutely incredible as she tries it on. The piece hugs her slender frame perfectly and I envy her confidence. Lennon always knew who she was, always knew her worth and wouldn't let anyone tell her anything different.

I had always admired that most about my best friend and I could only hope her mate felt the same. I, however, had always been shy about my looks. Deep down, I knew I had curves that many girls would envy, but I never really had the confidence to really rock them and always hid behind baggy clothes.

The outfit I settle on is a rich, red satin slip. It's simple and unassuming, just like me. Lennon protested it at first, begging me to pick something sexier, but when I tried it on, she was ecstatic.

The neckline has a less drastic v-cut than her piece but it's lined with black lace and has a small slit up the leg. It wasn't too form fitting, which I was grateful for, but it did form in at my hips nicely. Paired with the garter and the thigh-highs, I had to admit I looked good.

I stare in the mirror at myself- long, tousled black hair that fell to my waist, bright green eyes and flushed cheeks. I smile shyly at the image in front of me, liking what I see.

This just might work.