Mated, Engaged, and In Love With Three Different Wolves

1: Overruled

Chapter One: Overruled

As I sit in my room, I reevaluate my life. As the Alpha's daughter, I get some pretty sweet perks, but for the most part it's boring. If there's any chance of danger, I have to stay in the house. I can't remember the last time I went for a run alone; there's always someone with me, watching me. I have to follow all of the rules - the no fighting, the respectfulness, the damn curfew. It's virtually impossible to get away with anything, because just about every member of our pack will rat me out in a second.

As I stare at the wall, I listen. I hear people downstairs - guards. Their footsteps echo on our wooden floor. Their deep, masculine voices carry boring conversations. They discuss defensive strategies in case something goes wrong. One of the three walks into the kitchen.

I sigh and roll over on my bed. The men suddenly stop and I know that they're listening for me. I roll my eyes and grab my phone.

My boyfriend picks up before the second ring. "Hey," he greets warmly. "I was just thinking about you."

I lay back on my bed and smile. "What were you thinking?"

"How I want to come see you, but I know the guards won't even let me in the door."

I breathe a sigh. "I wish you could be here, Cody. It's been three hours, and I am so bored."

A sudden loud knock on my door makes me gasp.

"Diana," Paul, one of the guards, says. "Your father didn't say you could be allowed access to your phone."

Cody patiently waited on the other end of the call, hearing all of this and being used to it.

"Well, did he say specifically that I can't?" I yell.

"No," he admits.

"So don't you think that if he wanted to prohibit me from telephonic use, he would have taken my phone himself? Or at least let you know?"

"Just make it quick," he snaps and heads back downstairs.

Cody chuckles. "Telephonic use, huh?"

"Yeah, I think that's a word." We laugh.

Cody is not my mate - I have not found my mate. He's not the strongest man of our pack, or even the most handsome. But he is my favorite. He is the funniest, brightest, and just all-around best guy I have ever met, and I love him very much.

My father, however, tolerates Cody. He, like many other older men of our pack, sees him as a child. But that isn't true. Cody doesn't stalk around here threatening everyone because he is civilized and respectful, unlike Betas such as Paul. He can be shy, which is adorable, and he doesn't always stand up for himself, which is okay because I can do it. But he will stand up for me. No doubt. I constantly ask Dad to show more respect for him because when he ridicules him it encourages others to do so as well, but he hardly listens to me.

Cody listens though. He is always there for me. He knows me better than anybody. His voice is amazing. Whatever the topic is, he's always excited. He could talk for hours, and I just listen. It's very peaceful. A nice distraction.

He's telling me about a project he and his friends have to do for school. He tells me he wishes I was still in with him, and I tell him he just better hurry up and finish.

Cody and I are the same age (to be fair, he does have one month on me, but we've always been in the same grade). But I finished school early, when he was a junior. Now, I'm waiting for him to graduate so we can go on our trip.

Dad promised long ago that he'll pay for us to go anywhere we want when we're both graduated. We can be completely alone in another world. The plan is Europe. Amsterdam, London, France. I want to see it all. It's not exactly on the way, but I want to see the Niagara Falls in Canada before coming back down to the outskirts of North Carolina, where we will live the rest of our lives comparing every second to that journey and knowing it will never be as good, but being okay with it.