Chapter 2

        After Costin left the room to change back into a man and put a shirt on (shame), I guess my mind couldn't handle what I had just seen. I fainted. I passed out in front of everyone. I know, smooth move, Crystal! I just couldn't process what I had just seen. 

        Once I came to, Sally proceeded to tell me the history of the werewolves, or Canis Lupis as she put it. For werewolves, there is a Great Luna who watches over their kind. She created the werewolf by giving men the traits and instincts of a wolf. The werewolf can now transform into his personal wolf that lives inside of the man.  After a while, she began to see that her creation was lonely and needed companionship, so she created female mates for them. These mates were also blessed with the gift to transform into a wolf and they held the other half of their mate's soul and vice versa. Once the mates found each other, they were able to communicate telepathically. A mate bond would form between the two that would link them as one. When the mates completed the mate bond by saying their vows and performing the Blood Rites (Sally said she would explain this later), they became one. 

        In my case, I'm supposedly  a gypsy healer. A gypsy healer also received a mate but didn't transform into a wolf. She healed all of the injured wolves, and helped with the pregnant she-wolves. Peri, the white haired high Fae (Sally said she would also explain that later too), received a message from the Great Luna that a girl with incredible magic was living in California. She said that she would be the mate of the most dominant wolf there was to ever be. The girl would be different and would cause a lot of disorder in the paranormal world; that's why she has a really powerful mate. And for some unknown reason, Peri, Sally, and everyone else believes that this mystery girl is me. ME?! How on Earth could this very important girl be me? I'm no one special. Sure, I have a pretty awesome life, but THIS?! 

        I tried to reason with everyone that I wasn't this big important person, that they were mistaken, and I just wanted to go home. All I got in return is a "I' m NEVER wrong! You are the girl so you can just keep quiet and listen" from Peri, a "I'm going to show all of my, uh, tricks for when you want your soon-to-be-found mate to actually have a little fun" with a wicked grin from Jen, and a "I'm sorry, but you are who we are looking for" from Sally as she escorted me to my room.  

        My room was not like any other room I had ever been in. I had a large, fluffy bed that had a gazillion pillows piled on top in a checker board order. There was a huge flat screen TV across from the bed with the latest game counsels.  The walls were painted a light tan color that looked like the sand on the beach in Malibu. Directly across the room from where I walked in were two glass doors that lead out to a small balcony that had ivy growing up the side and over the railing. A wooden door painted white was what connected the room to an extravagant bathroom with a shower with two shower heads and a huge tub with jets. I'm definitely going to use that, I thought to myself.

        On the way to my room, Sally said that this was the Serbian pack mansion. The couple Decebel and Jen were the Alphas of the pack and Sally was its gypsy healer.

        Just before Sally shut the door she said, "Oh and by the way, we'll work on your training tomorrow. After you're used to your powers, we'll find who you're mate is."

        Well, thanks for that! Not only do I have to worry about trying to see if I really do have magic, but I have a potential mate to think about? I thought.  I ran and fell face first into the bed. I couldn't handle it anymore. This morning, everything made sense. Nothing was out of the ordinary, and I was going to meet Riley and Dylan at school. Oh my gosh! Dylan! Dylan was the cutest and smartest guy in school. It didn't hurt that he was also the quarterback of the high school's varsity football team. I was crushing on him hard and when he asked me to homecoming after school one day, I just couldn't believe it. My so-called popularity skyrocketed overnight. Riley and I were suddenly known by everyone and Dylan started to sit with us at lunch. 

        But none of that matters now. I wondered how Mom and Dad were doing with my sudden disappearance and I had the sudden urge to call them. I sat up and reached into my pocket for my cell phone but it was gone. I searched the room for a phone and found none. Apparently, they didn't want me to call for someone to come and get me. 

        I'd like to say that I acted in a dignified manner and remained calm and collected but that would be a complete lie. I started to freak out. I ran to my bedroom door and tried to open it. It was locked. I turned around and frantically looked for a way to escape this now transformed cell. I saw the glass doors and found that they weren't locked. I threw them open and looked down. I was two stories up and if I jumped, I would be surely hurt or maybe even dead. That's when I saw the ivy. I pulled on them to see if they would hold my weight. I don't know what fertilizer these wolves use but it's amazing because the ivy was able to support my weight. I hopped up on the iron railing and slowly climbed down. Once my feet hit the ground, I took off running. It wasn't until I entered the woods that surrounded the mansion, that I realized  my first mistake. I had no idea where I was going and if there were going to be any hikers up this high in the mountains to help me. I slowed down to a walk and tripped over a large root when I realized my second mistake. It was getting darker by the second and I had run so far that I barely had any recollection on how to return to the mansion.

        I stood up and brushed the dirt off of my shirt. I tried to get a visual of my surroundings when I heard running water. I hurriedly made my way toward the sound but with all the bushes and trees, a girl can only go so fast. I finally broke through the mass of forest and found myself standing in a little clearing that had a stream slowly flowing into a small lake. There was a massive boulder near the water's edge and I heaved myself up and sat on the top. 

        It was when I took off my converse and was dangling my feet in the water that I heard a twig snap. I swung my head toward the sound and saw two dark green eyes staring at me. The creature moved out of the shadows into the little light cast by the setting sun. I was sitting only ten feet away from the biggest wolf I've ever seen. If I were to stand right next to it, the top of its massive head would easily be at the level of my shoulders of my modest five foot six height. It's fur was as dark as night which made its green eyes stand out even more. Its paws were a light grey that made the illusion that the wolf was wearing socks. It hadn't moved from its position and I hadn't taken my eyes off of it. 

        After several moments of our staring contest, it took a step forward and I knew that I was done for.