"I feel horrible Aurora" Elle says as we pull away from the hug.

Elle is my best friend ever since childhood. Her father used to be our pack's beta until he passed away.

Elle and I were very close. We were like sisters almost. Even though my father didn't let me out much, not even to their place. We still kept in contact somehow through letters at school or just quick talks on our walks home. I never understood why my father didn't allow her to come over but I never questioned it, because if I questioned anything I would get a slap across my face.

That was until today.

You see, just last week she had found her mate. Eddie from one of the southern packs. I had wished that her mate would be from my pack but, the Moon Goddess must have had other plans for her and her mate and I had no say in the matter. Still, I was happy for Elle. She deserved to be happy with her mate.

"It's okay, you have to be with your mate Elle, the Moon Goddess saved you up for him," I reassure her by squeezing her arm softly and she smiles. "And your father would be so proud of you" I whisper as we both hug for what seemed like the hundredth time.

The sudden sound of a honk made us both jump.

"Someone is in a hurry to get you back to his place and give you some loving!!" I said with a smile.

Elle gave me a look and I knew what she was going to say.

"You will find your mate soon Aurora, I know you will! And when you do please reach out! Maybe we can go on double dates or something!" Elle said as she fought the tears back.

"Of course Elle, I will reach out, I promise," I replied back almost in a whisper.

Elle whipped her tears away and let go of my hand as she starts to walk away. I watch from the porch as her mate helps her get in the Jeep. Elle waves goodbye before putting the window up as they drive away, leaving a cloud of dust behind.

My mom comes out to the porch and leans closer to me. We both watch as the Jeep disappears into the distance. She puts her hands on my shoulder and gives me a half-smile. The kind of smile she gave me when my father and her would get into arguments, and like always, my mother would lose them or get smacked.

At times I wondered if they were true mates because my father would make my mother's life miserable. She would go days without saying a word to anyone.

"What is it, mom?" I asked concerned,

"Let's go to your father's study, he wishes to speak to you," she said before she pulled me inside the house.

"About what?" I asked her again but she completely shut me out.

We walked together in silence to my father's study.

My father didn't even look up to us when we walked in. The office smelled of alcohol and cigarettes. My dad always smoked, and he didn't care that it bothered me or my mom. The smell was so strong that I scrunched up my nose trying to not smell any of this mess. I was starting to feel a headache because of the smoke and smell.

"Sit" he ordered sternly and I did as he says. He seemed to be in one of those foul moods that he would always get when things were not going how he wanted them to be.

"Your nineteen birthday is in a week, and you still haven't found your mate" he stated and I nodded nervously.

It was true, any she-wolves my age would be mated by now, and I have yet to find my mate. All of my friends had found their mates. Except for me.

"I signed you up for The Games. You will be leaving tonight"

"What?!"

I was terrified.

I was scared.

The Games was brutal. It was an event where unmated werewolves would participate, in the hopes of finding their mate. Werewolves from packs all over the world would come. The scariest thing about this event is that you could be claimed by anyone. Even if they weren't your mate. It was desperate, and I wanted nothing to do with it. I didn't want to go through with it. I still had hope that my mate would find me. But not at the games. Not like this. I still wondered why they had such a brutal way of helping us find our mates, but one thing I knew, is that it shouldn't be like this.

"The decision is final, and you will say nothing in the matter" his voice was monotone, like he didn't care about me or my decision or what I thought was best for me. I never had a say.

"You can't do this to me, maybe I don't have a mate, I can still-"

"You will be leaving tonight. Now go to your room and pack" he said lowering his voice a bit as he continued to look over the papers on his desk.

I stormed out of his office, pushing past my mom who just stood there. She didn't go after me to see if I was okay, or if I needed help. I was used to this kind of behavior from her. It was to be expected. My mom was like a robot half of the time and she would just turn away when my father was hitting me or yelling at me.

Maybe I could escape tonight! My mind started to wander into all the scenarios where I could make my great escape. I started to pack and made sure to pack extra things like flashlights, lighters, two knives, pepper spray that Elle got me. I was ready for anything.

I sat on the stairs of my front porch waiting for the car that was supposed to pick me up. The sun has started to go down slowly, turning the sky above me into different shades of pink, orange and purple. Looking up at the sunset was one of my favorite things to do whenever I was allowed to be outside, so I made sure to take this all in, just in case I got mated to a psychopath that was planning on keeping me inside a basement forever.

I turn my head to the sound of a car, a black BMW comes into view as it parks in front of the house. My eyes go back to the car as the driver that's wearing all black comes out and greets me by bowing his head. He takes my bags from me and put them in the trunk of the car, before opening up the door for me to get in.

I got in without hesitation. Anywhere was better than being in this house right now.

The tears threaten to fall. But I didn't let them. Not now. I had to be strong. Even thought I felt like crying my eyes out. I couldn't cry in my house, last time I cried out loud was when I was five years old, and my father whipped me with the belt. I still have the scars from that day on my back. Crying was forbidden in an Alphas house according to my mother. Even in the pack. My father would whip and beat anyone, no matter who they were, for crying.

He saw it as a sign of weakness. Said that only humans could cry because they were weak creatures.

My father was training me to be an Alpha, especially since I was his only daughter. The deal was for me to take over when my father retires or dies. The training was horrible as he had me trained with his elite squad which I hated.

Usually, Alphas are male, but that was until a few years ago that a pack up North accepted a woman as their Alpha. Times were changing but according to my father, it was not meant to be like that, and only the males had that kind of power. She-Wolves were never equal, they were always below in our pack.

I looked out the window until it got too dark for me to see anything else outside. I closed my eyes and tried to calm my breathing as we drove through curvy roads to Goddess knows where.

We were driving for what it seems like hours until the car came to a stop. We are here I guess? the driver got out and opened my door. He held his hand for me to grab and he pulled me out of the car gently.

When I came out of the car, I was welcomed by a chilly and comfortable breeze.

I made my way to the side and watch as he opens up the trunk of the car and takes out my two small bags. He hands them over to me and he nods his head. I say my thanks again as he gets in the car and drives away and down the small dirt road.

I feel a presence behind me and I turn around to be welcomed by a small and fragile-looking woman. Her hair was up in a bun and it was pearly white. Her skin was pale, unlike the driver who was more tan and glowy. I could smell her wolf too. A very smart and loyal but tired wolf. In my pack, the elders were respected and treated like royalty, when my father wasn't around.

"You must be Aurora?" She greeted cheerfully. I bowed down to her respectfully and she shook her head. "No need for bows here, young wolf, follow me! My name is Dara, I'll be taking you to your room."

I smiled at her softly, she seemed nice but Goddess knew I was far from excited to be here.

I looked around as I take a sniff of my surroundings. I smelled dirt, trees. I could hear a river near which made me think I was in the shared territory and far away from home. My pack was near a city and we didn't have much nature or rivers around us, only a big lake that I heard so much about from my friends.

"What territory is this?" I asked Dara as I try to follow close behind her. For a small elderly wolf, she was moving fast.

"That I can not tell Miss Aurora but, I do hope that you find what you are looking for" she says to me as she leads me to a small cottage house. She hands me a key before walking down the small wooden steps, "Also, the games start in an hour so get ready."

"In an hour? It's past nine already?" I complained and she lets out a hearty laugh.

"Oh you are in for a treat young wolf" she laughs again as she walks away leaving me alone in my cottage.

"Guess I have to get ready, running away might not even be possible right now, especially since I had no idea where I was," I say to myself as I look around. I come out and lean on the railing as I look up at the sky. I was far away from civilization and I knew this because I could see the stars clearly. No light pollution around meant no cities around.

Just where the hell am I?

I put the key in and turn it. I push open the door to the cottage and I was welcomed by the smell of dust and mold, it smelled like the place had been shut down for years. It was dark in the cottage, and it seemed like the electricity was not working, but thanks to our wolf vision I could see just fine. I put my bags on a table and open the bag where I had put my work out clothes and shoes. I quickly changed into the clothes and tied up my hair. I tucked in my small pocket knife in between my large breast in the hopes that I didn't have to use it tonight.

I locked up the cottage and put the keys in one of the zipped up pockets from my leggings before I start to walk down the dirt path. As I was making my way down I come across two girls, they both smiled and signaled me to go to them.

"Hey" I greet them and they both bow. I guess they knew my energy and knew I was daughter to an Alpha. It was hard to explain but our inner wolves could tell what rankings we were."Are you guys on your way to the field now?" I ask.

Both girls seemed a bit nervous when I came close. "Yes, we are going there now. You can go with us, this path is kind of dark and creepy, not good to walk this alone" the shorter girl said. "My name is Jess, and this is my sister Katelyn"

"My name is Aurora, it's very nice to meet you both" I reply back with a smile.

Jess gave me a wide smile back but Katelyn rolled her eyes at me.

"We know who you are, your father is famous for his shitty way of running things. Hopefully, you do better if he ever dies." Katelyn growled and Jess smacked her arm and told her to shut up.

I chose to ignore her comment. She was right, what could I say right now to defend him? Not that I wanted to do that.

All three of us walk in silence until we start to hear laughter, chatter, and a lot of noise. The field in front of us was full of young girls, some were smiling, laugh, making jokes and some looked like they wanted to commit murder. I made a mental notice to stay away from all of them. I have watched the Assassination Classroom anime. I knew how this could go.

They all turned to us and looked at me and the girls up and down before going back to their previous conversations.

We walk to the far side of the large group of girls. Clearly wanting to avoid any type of interaction.

"So, Aurora...Is this the first time you come here?" Katelyn asked, her voice didn't sound too friendly but I smiled at her and continued on with what ever game she wanted to play.

"Yea, this is my first time here...I have no idea what to expect though, are we going to like do jumping jacks or something?"

Katelyn and Jess looked at each other before they started laughing really loud, earning us some stares from the other competitors.

"What?" I asked slightly embarrassed

"Aurora, The Game is a hunt...we get a five minute start before we get hunt down by unmated males...the idea is for our wolves to come out giving us a higher chance to get recognized from our mate" Jess explained to me after she had finished laughing.

"Are you Ser-"

A loud alarm sound got our attention as we turn to where the noise was coming from.

A tall woman with bright red hair and a scar that ran down across her cheek comes out from Goddess knows where with a whistle and a horn.

"Okay ladies, some of you know the drill, and some of you are new to this...to those that are new...you better run like hell. We will start you girls off with a five minute start...so get in your marks-

"But this is to quick?" I say to the girls who just looked at me if I was crazy. "Fuck" I curse under my breath as I get ready.

"Just run! And don't get bit by a male that is not your mate!" Katelyn urges as she adjusts her shirt. She was a bitch to me a few minutes ago, but she seemed concerned and like she cared.

"Get set!"

"Shit" I thought, as I prepared myself to run to Goddess knows where. She didn't even tell us how far out we need to run or when we need to come back, and when is it over?!"

"Go!" She yelled as she sounded the horn.

I take off just like the woman ordered us to. I look around to see myself running alongside thirty other girls.

I felt like I was running forever, and then I heard it. A second loud sound in the distance.

"Shit, here comes the boys" one of the girls yelled from inside the woods.

"The boys? shit shit shit I have to run and hide" I quickly thought as I look for a place to hide.

"Aura, hurry up and hide!" My wolf urged from inside my head.

I ran to an area that was muddy and I decided to cover my scent. I laid down on the cold and muddy ground and rolled around in it until I was covered with it from head to toe.

No one said how long this would last. But I continue to run until I heard a loud scream coming from one of the girls. It sounded as if she was getting killed. I froze in my spot and then all of a sudden, I picked up a scent, that of vanilla and sandalwood, It was sweet, and luring...I wanted to smell more of it.

Mate. The word ran through my mind so effortlessly. I felt my body getting warm as I continued to breathe in this scent...then..a second scent invaded my thoughts, it smelled strong as if this male was closer to me than the first scent. It made me feel warm especially in between my legs.

"What is going on?" I asked hoping my inner wolf says something about it but she is just as hypnotized as I am.

"Why are there two scents Aura?"

"Two scents?-"

"Aura, there are Two scents! Mates!"

My wolf had me confused and I had to move, if not I would be caught. Forgetting about her ranting I covered my nose and I continued to run until I found an old tree that was on the ground. There was a small hole inside the tree, enough for me to fit and hide there.

I crawl in, ignoring the scratches I was getting from the broken and rotting wood.

As I hide there in silence, I continue to hear the screams of other girls and the roaring of the male wolves as they claimed victory.

I had lost track of how long I was hiding there when I felt my eyes getting droopy. I was exhausted.

"Maybe I should rest for a bit," I said inside my head.

"You do not want to fall asleep right now Aurora"

"Why?" I replied tiredly inside my head.

"Because someone is here "

As soon as she had said that, I felt the tree being lifted up.

"Looks like I found you first!"

A raspy voice said before the tree was tossed with me inside of it. The tree broke when it got slammed down into the ground.

I rolled away and quickly got to my feet, getting myself into a defensive stance.

In front of me stood a large and scary looking male wolf, half way through transformation. He smelled horrible.

His hair was long and matted and his body odor was foul. He really smelled bad and I was holding my vomit in the back of my throat.

He laughed loudly and I took a step back.

"What do you want?" I asked him. Trying to hold my breath because his odor was too much for my empty stomach to handle. Still, I was terrified because I didn't know what this male would be capable of doing right now.

"I need a mate, and you were the only idiot who decided to stay close to this area," he said as he let out a maniacal laugh.

He ran quickly towards me and I jumped high, avoiding his hit.

"Come on now you little wolf, let me get some" he growled and I cringed at the thought of being in his arms. He smelled like he hasn't showered in years.

He was disgusting and looked like a demented pervert with the way he was looking at me.

"Well I guess I might have to cheat on this" he said as he took a large rifle from Goddess knows where, but I know that I did not see it on him a few seconds ago.

"A fucking rifle?" I say out loud in disbelief. "How low can you go? You are a pathetic excuse of a male wolf, and where the hell did you hide that? Your butt hole?" I taunted as he as he lifts it up and points it up at me.

"I don't ca-"

"

A roar so loud that shook me to the core both in fear and curiosity. I watch as a male covered in tattoos lands a nasty punch, sending him flying a few feet away. It wasn't long until he got back up on his feet.

I stand there frozen, watching as these two large males circle each other. The young male that's covered in tattoos looks at me for a quick second, his face becomes stern and he nods his head, signaling me to run. His eyes were the brightest of blue, a sign that shows when a wolf is really angry. There was something in his eyes that made my body feel like it was on fire.

"Mate!" My wolf screamed inside my head and I felt my breath getting cut short.

He looked at me again before growling at me and I took that as a cue to start running. But his scent is driving me insane.

As I was running to safety, I get hit by a second scent. This one was different from the other tattooed male but it was causing the same feeling inside my body.

I ran, as fast as my legs could carry me. But something inside me wanted me to go back.

"Mate, go back...please!"

My wolf was begging at this point. I never heard her beg, not even to go on a run"

"I can't go Lexi, I can't go back, he told me to run!" I thought back and she stood silent but desperate. I could feel her desire for him.