Impossible to Ignore

Chapter Two

----- Chapter Two (Arabella) -----

I walk into Kaia's spacious room, where I see her stressing over what to do with her hair.

"Thank god you're here. Pretty please help me with this mess of hair. I'm struggling," she laughingly says as I make my way over to her mirror. I pick up her curling iron and finish off what hopefully resembles a cutesy updo, with tendrils of hair framing her face. Her dirty blonde hair matches mine, although mine is a little lighter.

"Here ya go, babe. Remember, you don't need to worry about today. It will be over soon," I try to reassure her.

"Over soon! Oh no, I hope not. You know how badly I want a mate. I want something like mom and dad had. You know that. They were beautiful together. I know we don't talk about them much, but please don't preach to me today. Let's go and have fun!" she insists before I can get a single word in.

"Fine Kaia. You really do look beautiful..."

The two of us make our way downstairs, and we meet Gran by the door. All un-mated wolves need to be chaperoned at the mating meeting, in order to prevent chaos from breaking out. Last time, my best friend Layla accidentally started a fight when her she found her mate. Her mate, Ryan, thought her brother was her boyfriend, and things went to crazy town.

Long story short, all chaperones are now required to be female.

Layla was ecstatic to meet her mate, but since her mate lives so far away, I haven't seen her once in six months. It has been hard because she was the only person I could really confide in after the rouge attack. When you find someone who has known you your entire life, and who cares so deeply for you, it is easy to pretend like everything is fine. I know that this sounds crazy, but I would rather talk to my problems with Layla than my sister or Gran because she is one of the only people who doesn't need me to be strong.

I miss her. I miss my parents. I miss Grandad. I want to go home.

Gosh, this is not the way to start the day Ari! Get it together now.

Gran, Kaia, and I get into the car and as we pull out of the driveway, I feel something big coming to an end. We drive past our lily-covered lake, and enter the road that leads to the nearest highway. Because Gran is the only one who can take care of us, Kaia and I live outside of the pack house, on the fringes of the territory. Don't ask me why it makes more sense to leave an un-protected family where rouges live and not in the center of the pack...it is what it is I guess.

As we approach the mansion that is our pack house, my nerves bubble up inside of me, eating their way through my gut. Kaia seems to notice something is off, but she is lost in her own head the moment we see the magnificent house, well more like a mansion.

"Wow Ari, I never get over this house. I lose my breath. It just seems so crazy that we actually live in one of the most powerful packs in North America" she exclaims as we pull up into the long driveway.

"Other than Full Moon pack you mean. Better not forget those lovely charmers," Gran cautiously jokes as valet takes our car to the off-site parking area. The valet was elderly, and seemed to look twice at Kaia and I as we hopped out of the car before he could open the door for us. I guess he expected us to wait. Maybe we are not quite used to stuff like that. It probably is a blessing Kaia, Gran, and I are tucked away in our own little paradise.

There is no way Kaia or I had forgotten the Full Moon pack. The Full Moon pack is the stuff of nightmares. They isolate themselves off from the rest of the werewolf world, and only come out if it is to wage war. It is a blessing they never attend these mate meetings because their members are known for their cruelty. The last thing I want is for my Kaia to be mated to one of them. I could not bear giving my baby sister up to one of those monsters and never seeing her again. I will not sit idly by and watch as her freedom is taken away.

I just pray to the Moon Goddess that she will at least give Kaia a few more years.

The chaperones are required to wait upstairs, in a viewing hall because only un-mated wolves and pack guards are allowed to attend the actual mate meeting. As I glance over to Kaia, her eyes seem to be glossed over with awe and wonder as she enters the special room designated for the meeting for the first time. Un-mated wolves travel all across North America to attend this mating meeting, and it has a legendary reputation throughout the werewolf world.

I have to admit it too, I am also in awe. Every time, the room catches me by surprise as I enter it. The different romantic themes, the seductive music subtly entrancing all who listen, the endless piles of food, and the ginormous amounts of people all come together to excite even the most reluctant and shy wolf. I mean, the food, would be enough for me. But you know how these type of things are.

My most favorite part of this gorgeous ballroom is the massive windows that look over a giant cliff. That is where I usually seclude myself each time I come. I sit in the chairs by the window, usually with Kayla right by my side, and we stare out into the nature that surrounds us. This is my first time here without Kayla. It really isn't the same.

Before I know it, I feel Kaia's presence leaving, and she walks over to a giant group of people who I recognize from her school. Because we live in such a were-populated area, there is a local high school just for young werewolves. I just graduated from there a couple weeks ago, and I am just starting to feel the nostalgia sink in. Kayla was the last of my friends to find a mate, and now even she has gone.

I go over to Kaia, make sure she is doing okay, and make some polite conversation with some of her friends before heading over to my favorite spot by the window. I reflect on what will happen when summer ends, or more realistically, what will not happen. I know from my classes on the human world that many females enter college after high school, but that just isn't the case with werewolves. Usually, most wolves find their mate by 18, and focus more on pack life.

Now not all she-wolves immediately focus on being the perfect baby-maker. Usually only Lunas really start that whole business right away. But most mates embrace the pack life, and work, live, and breathe within it. And with Gran and Kaia, college has never been a reality.

Staring out into the luscious forest, I find myself completely unaware of my surroundings until a loud, deep voice yells out, "Mine".
 
     My head shoots up, giving me whiplash, and terror clouds my mind as I look for the source of the baritone voice.
----- end scene -----