Powerless, embarrassed and pressured. Those three words could perfectly describe how I felt every time I attended one of the council meetings. The thought alone of standing before a bunch of old people trying to dictate my future was horrible, but to go through every need I hadn't met and every task I hadn't completed, was even worse. I hated every minute of them because it was proof of the little faith the Elders had in me. I think even my father also doubted me most of the time, doubted my will and my destiny.

I couldn't blame him though. Time was ticking on us and for the first time in my seventeen years, I found the Pack laws ridiculous. I couldn't bear the thought of having to find a mate in order to officially become the Luna. It was too soon.

When I was little, I followed every rule and did everything my father asked me to, but at this very moment, the tasks I was required to fulfill, felt like a burden. And I didn't think I was going to be able to do it all; I mean... I was just about to turn eighteen, I was young and certainly naïve. I hadn't lived many things due to my sheltered life and if there was a thing the council and I agreed on, was on my lack of experience. I didn't come close to what they were looking for in their next leader and I couldn't agree more.

I sighed and tried to ignore the feeling of pain in my chest as I looked up at my father. Disappointment clearly fogged his eyes as we both listened the council decisions on my next move. I gave him a sympathetic look and nodded to the Elders. After all these years of them teaching me everything from A to Z on how to be the Luna, I was still not ready. I was just Serena.

Even though I had been too young when my mom passed away, I had felt the change in my life. My father turned into a different person, his affection towards everyone ended and he dedicated completely to the pack. I felt so alone and as the years passed I couldn't help but wonder how it would be to have a normal life, a human life. One without werewolves, mates, rogues and specially, one without an entire pack waiting to be led by you. I looked at my friends and I could easily trade my life with one of them. A life with no title and no responsibility other than helping the pack. Trust me, I didn't hate my life, but sometimes it was too much for me to handle. I wasn't ready to be a leader and I wasn't the only one that agree with it.

I walked back home after the meeting trying not to give much thought about the situation. I took a few deep breaths trying to clear my mind. I still had a little more time off before training started again. As I rounded the House I saw Rebecca sitting on the porch and my mood lifted immediately. The moment she saw me a grinned spread on her face as she pointed to the pair of guards that kept the Alpha house safe standing behind her, and rolled her eyes. I chuckled as I got closer. Even though both guards knew who she was, they didn't let her inside until either my father or I would allow it.

"How bad was it?" She asked with a mocking smile and sighed as I gave her a quick hug. "That bad, huh?"

"I'm used to it by now so I wouldn't know if it was worse than other times. But I think they still have some hope in me." I answered, and she followed me into the house and up to my room.

"Come on Serena, we all have faith in you. I mean, we know it's not easy but you're making an effort and that's what counts the most. You just have to believe it." She nudged my shoulder and gave me a reassuring smile.

"I'm not even sure if I'm still trying my best, because trust me... It doesn't seem enough every time." I said and sat in my bed as she sat on my desk's stool. "I do have faith in me, but I would like things to be different. It seems like ever since I turned fifteen my father has a say in everything concerning my life. He has been teaching me so much about his work and how an Alpha should be but not the way a Luna should be. You know? I wish my mom was here..."

"Me too, she was so kind. I still remember how she would always teach us something." She smiled knowingly, "but for now, all we have is now... so..."

"What is it?" I looked at her as her eyes sparked.

"Are you coming tonight or what?"

I frowned as I tried to remember what she was talking about. She let out a frustrated gasp and said, "To the bonfire, remember?"

"Ugh, yes." I replied instantly. "I forgot it was tonight with everything that's been going on, but I don't know if I want to go."

"Are you serious? We've been waiting for it for months Serena! Everyone will go! You haven't been to a bonfire in like ages and they are so fun. Trust me." She encouraged and my stomach turned. I wasn't feeling very good. "Please come, everyone will be there. Ben, Leila, Eric, Oliver...Liam."

"That's what doesn't sound so appealing to me" I said with a laugh as her excitement seemed to turn into exasperation. She was about to argue and I stopped her, "Fine, I'll think about it."

The thought of everyone being there made me uneasy. I felt under the opinion of everyone and I hated the feeling. "Awesome!" she shouted, "Then I guess, we are all going to the bonfire."

That caught my attention. "Wait, you said Liam is going?" She nodded. "Isn't he like old enough to attend?"

"He's twenty-three, that's not old and he's hot and probably your next mate."

"Shhh, don't even go there!" I said stopping any naughty comment she was about to say. "Fine I'll go, just stop talking about mates, the pack, everything. I've had enough for today."

⌘⌘⌘

There was a reason I had never like bonfires, the attention. Everyone knew everyone, but when you were part of the Alpha family, even if we were supposed to be treated the same as the rest of the Pack, it wasn't always that way. It meant so much being part of the Alpha lineage and it hold an enormous responsibility, but ever since my father had introduced me to everyone as the next Luna, all families had taken very seriously the fact that I needed a mate.

The Alpha was supposed to choose a mate from the pack, literally it could be anyone and once they mated, the male acquired his full werewolf strength and the female could shift for the first time ever. It was a sacred thing for us and you had to take it seriously, because once you mated, there was no going back. It was a bond for life.

So now, the same process had to happen but with me choosing a mate. They made it seem so easy, like deciding what you're having for breakfast or picking what you were going to wear, but it wasn't, and I couldn't bring myself to the idea that in a short amount of time I'd have to do it. As a result, every woman on the pack seemed to think that their sons were the best option, regardless of their age. On the bonfire my father announced I was soon to be a Luna, it had happened and it was awful. I was quite young back then and ever since that night, every month I made up an excuse until people stopped asking about why I was not going and finally gave up. I had refused to attend another one until tonight.

If only they knew my excuses were mostly because I was afraid. The thought of having to choose a guy to spend all your life with seemed so intimidating. What if I chose wrong? What if I didn't love him? I had never even had a boyfriend. But here I was, left with no voice over the matter.

Leila, Rebecca and I walked through the woods until we reached the spot where the bonfire was taking place. It wasn't far from home, but the sun was out of sight already and the darkness of night was settling down. A part of me had always felt quite intimidated about the woods, even more so at night. If you stay looking hard enough at them, you could get lost in the darkness they hosted once you went in too far.

The Alpha had always told everyone to never go into it at night, especially if you couldn't shift. This order was mostly for single women and kids and the message was clear. If you couldn't shift, then you couldn't protect yourself. Your mom's dead is an example of how dangerous they can be... he always said to me when I was younger.

"Serena, you won't believe what I heard!" Leila practically shouted, startling me. My blonde friend looked amazing; both of them did. They had dressed with their best outfits. Apparently, news that I was finally attending a bonfire had spread around the pack and now we knew for sure everyone was attending. Of course, the girls decided we had to make an impression if every single boy was coming. They looked stunning in comparison to me. I had only chosen a simple red dress that ended a little bit above my knees and had put on some makeup to cover the darkness under my eyes. "I heard Liam saying he hoped he could talk with you tonight. Just wait until he sees you, he's going to want to do more than talking."

I chuckled and my cheeks blushed at had Leila had said.

"He is really good-looking; do you think he could be your mate?" Rebecca said as we stepped into the vast area surrounded by trees. "Look, there he is." She said looking his way. My eyes followed hers and I saw him. He was standing a few meters away and I didn't dislike the view. I'd known him since I was little due to the connection of our families and in some way, I did care for him. We had grown together even though he was six years older than me. Still age didn't seem to matter in the pack, we only counted our years on earth since birth like humans to know when the boys were ready to shift and us girls, were ready to take on the women tasks.

He was the son of the Beta so I knew he would definitely be a good choice that my father would certainly approve on. As I stared at him, I couldn't help to notice how much he had changed, he was taller than what I remembered and his hair was darker too. He was good looking and smart for sure.

"I mean, he's great but I don't know..." I murmured, shifting nervously. "Choosing your mate this fast is stupid. How do I know I'm making the right choice; how do I know he is the one?"

"There no such thing as the one, at least not for werewolves and you know it. True mates are very rare, I think you better chose him now before he set eyes on another girl." Rebecca murmured. "Remember once it's done, you are bound forever."

"Wait a second." Leila said, "You are still waiting for your true mate, aren't you?"

I shrugged and ignored the stir in my stomach. "At this point I don't think I'll find him."

"What? why?" Rebecca pouted, "You are almost eighteen, you have time."

"I don't, the Elders decided that if I don't find my mate in less than six months, I will have to choose someone and by someone I think they meant Liam. It's the best option for the pack and I guess for me too."

"Uh-uh." Rebecca murmured.

"Well, be thankful they didn't put Oliver on the list." Rebecca said and I laughed. Oliver was the son of the Gamma, he was so weird and a fourteen-year-old with way too many hormones. "Yeah, at least."

"There you are girls." Ben said, walking to us, with Eric by his side. "You all look way too serious. Are we interrupting an important girl chat?"

We giggled. "You didn't, just discussing whom of the boys is the most good looking." Lei said. "Apparently none of you fit the list."We all laughed, and Ben smirked at me. I smiled at my best friend and roll my eyes.

"Of course, that would be me." Eric said and wiggled his eyebrows in a odd way that made us all laugh again.

"Dude, just stop." Ben said. "Shall we dance?" he offered me his hand and I accepted. Everyone coupled up and starting dancing around the bonfire, letting the heat warm us.

Ben's arms went around my waist and I sighed. I have missed him, it hadn't been long since the last time we'd seen, but I had been so busy for the past month that it had been a while. The dancing felt nice and for the first time today I started to relax. Ben swayed us to the beat of the music, in a comfortable silence that made me think maybe attending tonight wasn't so bad after all.

"Are you okay?" Ben asked.

"Why?"

"You looked sad earlier when I saw you go into the Elder's house, but I wanted to talk with you alone." I smiled at the thought. He knew me so well.

"I am now. I'm just worried about a lot of things, but I'll manage somehow. I just need to figure out where to start."

"Are you sure?" I nodded. "Alright, I'm here if you need to talk, okay?"

"I know Ben, thank you." I rested my head on his chest and sighed. We dance a little more in silence, both of us comfortable with the position. But it had always been this way with him. He was the family I had when my mom died, he was like a brother and I worshipped him dearly.

"Serena, I need to tell you something. Uh.. it's kind of a big deal and I've been wanting to tell you for a while now, but I guess I.. I never found the right moment.."

"May I?" a voice interrupted, and I stood straight right away. I knew that voice and I turned around noticing Liam standing next to us. He grinned at me and I did too.

"Uh..." Ben looked at me and I nodded. "Sure, I'll catch up with you later Ser." I gave Ben a reassuring smile as he gave Liam a weird look before he turned and left us.

"Hey" Liam said with a beautiful smile. It had been a while since we had talked. Once he starting shifting I was still young and our friendship parted ways. Now, I wasn't sure I knew him like before, ever since then we had only shared a few words here and there. "Can I?" He moved his hands referring to the dance and I nodded. He came closer and I felt his warmth embrace me, his thick arms surrounding me. This was not the Liam I had known. He was a man and I couldn't help but notice how different he looked from my other male friends like Ben or Eric.

As I looked into his chocolate eyes, a strange thought invaded my mind. What would he be like as my mate? Would he love and care for me? Somehow I knew he would, he had always been protective and just maybe... he wouldn't be so bad as my mate. I could get something good from being with him but also a big part of me didn't want to give up on the idea of finding my true mate.

"Liam." I said and gave him a small smile. I was a bit nervous.

"It's been a while, huh? We were too young back then, I feel like I don't know you anymore Serena." he said while he swayed us with the music just like Ben had, but his arms around me felt more secure. "I'm Liam."

I rolled my eyes at how ridiculous this seemed but followed his lead, "Serena... although I'm sure it's been a while because from what I can see...You aren't the same young kid I remembered."

He chuckled and gave me a twirl. "Are you calling me old?"

"You aren't old, just... You've grown up Liam and I'm sure you know what you're doing with your life more than me."

He frowned at the last bit I said. "We all know, it just takes time to figure out everything. Trust me, when my father started training me to become the next Beta, I was scared as hell so I know how you must feel. At least I'm pretty sure I know better than anyone here." His eyes looked sincere and I bit my lip, unsure if I should pour my life to him this fast.

"Then you might know it's not easy..."

"I want to talk to you about that. Serena, I know about the council's decision." Great. That was the last thing I wanted to talk about tonight.

"Don't..."

"Please, just hear me out. I don't want you to choose right now, trust me, I wouldn't want to be in your position, but I want to give you a choice." I looked him straight into his eyes as he leaned down a bit, coming closer to me. "Especially because I know they might've let you with no choice over this... If the time comes and you haven't found someone, I'll be here. Whether we mate or not, what you decide will have all my support, okay?" he said. "I don't mind, I'm your Beta and I will be here no matter what."

He was talking about the mating. I sighed and looked down at our dancing feet. His father probably told him about the decision and about how he was probably the one I'd have to choose. At least he had been soft on the topic.

"Liam... I still don't know what will happen but thank you, I'm really..."

A loud noise followed by a piercing scream interrupted my words. "What was that?" I asked Liam as he stopped the dancing and our conversation.

"I don't know." Everyone had stopped and all eyes were on the direction the scream had come from, beyond the woods, where the darkness enveloped it all. Another scream was heard and the leaders started shouting instructions for everyone. Everyone listened and moved quickly, mostly the girls surrounded by the guys as they made their way back to safer grounds.

"What's going on?" I asked Liam again, gripping his hand.

"I don't know, but go home and stay there. Go with them, you need to be safe. Go!" He said before heading to the direction everyone was running away from. I did as he said, walking towards the group that was already leaving...

A growl was heard above from the crowd and that was all it took for chaos to spread. "Rogues!" I heard a man shouted and everyone started running. I moved my eyes around trying to get to my friends but they were nowhere to be seen. I was just about to run when I tripped with something and fell.

"Ahh, damn." My ankle hurt and I had a small gash on my knee. Stupid dress.

"Help! Please, someone help me!!" My body froze when I heard the voice and recognized who it belonged to; it was Leila's. I stood up slowly and walked with difficulty in the direction where her screams where coming from.

"Leila?" I shouted and kept walking. A chill crept down my body as I noticed I was walking further away from the bonfire and into the woods. The dim light putting out as I walked. "Lei?"

"Where are you?" I shouted desperately; I couldn't find her. I could barely see now, there was just darkness with every step I took away from the safety. My eyes watered, I had gotten lost and now I couldn't even see the damn fire from where I was.

"Leila, where are you?" I asked again and folded my arms over my chest, the cold air giving me goosebumps.

I heard a sound and turned around thinking it was her, but I was so mistaken.

The only thing I founded was a pair of yellow eyes looking at me and a loud growl that made me shiver from head to toe.

I was in so much trouble...