Yil

Fifteen years later

"Yil McCarthy, come out of that shower now! What are you? A fish!" Zena screamed as she pounded on the door. "Don't you dare try to sabotage my chances at this ball or I will have you strapped to the bed for a whole week"

"As if that's a threat," I replied, rolling my eyes. "I'll just burn your straps," I increased the run of hot water and sat back on the cabinet.

She wasn't using this shower anytime soon and if the mate ball was so important to her, she'd soon realise what I wanted. Zena's mood escalation usually worked like clock-work. Right now she was in the scream/threat stage. Next up came the bargaining stage, it usually took three seconds.

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"Okay, I'll whip up those oat cookies you love so much huh. How about that?" She pleaded.

Hmmm very tempting but still not enough. "Zena, I know you can do better than that. Come on, it's the mate ball we are talking about," I doubled over with silent laughter and almost fell off the cabinet but I hit one of the shampoo bottles and it clattered to the floor noisily.

"What was that?" She asked. I tried hard to suppress my laughter and wave off the steam that was becoming too much. "You're not bathing are you?"

No, this glitch couldn't happen. I had to get her to the desperate stage.

"I am but your annoying voice is distracting me," I said, feigning annoyance. "I need absolute concentration, you know. I might just have to start my bath again," I mused. With this performance, I might as well join the pack drama club.

"Oh come on," she cried. "I'm seriously thinking of burning this door down. How about that?" Okay I didn't mean this kind of desperate.

"Not a good idea," I added, hurriedly. "Don't want you smelling like burnt wood even after your bath. And what would we do if you don't find your mate because your scent was masked by a horrid smell," I said, trying to sound sympathetic.

At this point it became evident that I was grasping at straws but I was fast becoming the desperate one. If she burnt the door down and discovered that all this was a ruse. I might as well kiss my portal travelling goodbye.

"What do you want?" She groaned.

Sweet sweet relief. I got off from the cabinet and turned the shower knob, ceasing the run of water as I tried not to giggle out loud. Finally.

"Portal travelling to a destination of my choice," I whispered smugly.

"Oh no you don't," she gasped. "You know we can't," she added.

"If we say it's to gather wild flowers from the faeries no one will doubt a thing," Our clan members were never allowed to portal travel out of the pack land except Maeser Fern and his two top apprentices Iona and Amot. However, ever since the peace treaty between Queen Lira of the faeries and our pack, free unrestricted travel between the two worlds was now allowed.

"Since you've forgotten that you are the princess. I'll remind you. Kiba and your other flock of entourages will not let us be," she reasoned.

She had a point but I had been planning this for months, all that was missing in my airtight plan was an Ortion or Seer and I finally had one cornered. It also didn't hurt that we were bestfriends, I trusted only her to keep this a secret.

"Leave that to me," I stated, hoping I sounded convincing. "So do you want the shower or not? Time's ticking"

After what felt like an eternity, I was even starting to think that she had left, she answered.

"Fine, now get out," she said, her tone laced with resignation.

I pumped the air with my fist and did a little victory dance before I slowly opened the bathroom door. As I did this I zeroed my gaze on the only escape route in the ensuite room, the room door, and sprinted towards it.

"What is up with you? You could have bashed me to death with your ...." She started but then stopped with her mouth agape when she took in my appearance and noticed that I was fully dressed. "You weren't bathing were you?" she asked deathly silent and her eyes were doing that weird twitch thing. The things I do for adventure.

"Well we both got what we wanted and you still have thirty minutes and a teeny tiny bit of hot water left. But that's not a problem for you," I said backing out slowly as she advanced. "I mean you have Forlin blood in you, right?" I added with an uneasy laugh before I ran out as her eyes sparked red.

"Yil!!!!!!"

Her scream was my only companion as I sprinted down the corridor and only stopped when I ran into a soft but strong body. The impact of the hit was not bad as the person gripped my body gently and righted me to my feet.

The familiar sweet, vanilla scent filled my nostrils and I was aware of who it was before I even looked into their eyes.

"Who wants your head on a spike this time?" my mother asked, chuckling

"Nobody," I said, smiling sweetly. "Just getting some good ol' exercise." I said bending at the waist from side to side. "I do apologise for hitting you though"

"Hmm hmm," she answered, unconvinced. "Sprinting with your face turned backwards, almost as if you were looking to see if the next victim of your pranks wasn't closing in on you," she remarked.

"Oh come on," I said, blowing the tufts of hair on my forehead. "You make it seem like I'm a mischievous prankster purposely looking for trouble," I said rolling my eyes but no sooner had I said this that Zena immediately groaned loudly. "Arrgh!! Just wait until I get my hands on you, Yil!!"

The room was relatively far off but with a pack house full of hyper sensitive lycanthropes, a pin drop on the first floor could be heard in the living room.

"You were saying," she said, with a slight smile

"Fine, I might have stepped on her toes a little bit," I said, with a shrug.

Upon hearing this she burst out in laughter. She laughed so hard tears sprang to her eyes. Grateful that I could be the source of her entertainment, I changed the subject. "But what are you doing here? Aren't you meant to be alongside dad to welcome the unmated males?"

She stopped laughing, wiped her tears and then looked at me. "I wanted to talk to you about something. Mind if we talk in the kitchen"

"Sure," I said as I placed her hand in the crook of my arm and together we walked to the kitchen. Once inside I got her a glass of water and juice for myself.

When we were settled on the island kitchen chairs, I waited patiently for her to speak while I sipped my drink.

"It's about finding your mate this ceremony," aww not this conversation again.

I placed my drink down slowly and began.

"I know finding my mate is important to you. I mean it's the only thing you've constantly talked about since I turned fifteen," I said, mixing my drink unconsciously with the straw.

"It's just that you are the future...." She started but I cut her off.

"....luna to this pack and just as an Alpha needs he's Luna so does a Luna need her Alpha" I recited. It was the one sentence that I had heard continually for four years. "I get it mom, I really do but I'm not the only one who hasn't found her mate. Zena hasn't," I reasoned.

"I know that," she replied. "But being the daughter of an Alpha you should have found him four years ago at age sixteen. It's how it has always been."

"Well I'm not sure why I seem to be different," I got up from the chair and emptied the juice into the sink. The faster I ended this discussion the less likely an argument was to ensue.

"Maybe that's because you never stay till the end of the ball and end up bailing," she countered.

"But surely if he was in this pack I'd run into him during practice, element training or even on the street." I walked back and forth, pointing this way and that trying to make my point.

"Or he could be a seer or an ortion who occasionally wanders the Faerie world to learn more about magic and the ceremony was your chance of meeting each other but thanks to you that didn't happen," she slightly smiled.

I know she was only concerned about my future as well as the pack's but the ceremony became boring after a while. Also, witnessing other pack members find their mates while I remained alone was not pleasant.

"Or what if he's just not in this pack?" The severity of what I had just said didn't register in my mind because I had always really wondered if it might be true but taking one look at my mother's shell-shocked expression I knew I had asked the wrong question.

"What?" I asked, concerned.

"You are a white-wolf Yil. White-wolves get paired with white-wolves never with anyone else. So what do you mean?" She asked with a confused expression.

"I mean it's been four years mom," I groaned. "Even if he wanders faerie land I'd have sensed him. I happen to frequent there as well," I reasoned.

"Doesn't still mean he isn't here," she got up from the chair and crossed over to where I was standing. "You'll find him if only you try harder, let's start from the ball and I'm pretty sure you don't actively try to find your mate during practice or your occasional travel to faerie world. Your love for adventure is far greater," she cupped my face gently in her hand and smiled.

"Or maybe I don't need an Alpha," I whispered.

"Nonsense," she chuckled. "I promise you'll find him soon and he'll be none other than a white-wolf"

I stared at her not saying anything as I studied her features. It was almost like she was trying to convince herself.
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