Chapter 1 - Lena

There is a fresh, cold wind blowing down from the very tops of the mountains, gathering chill as it rushes down into the valley, where it caresses my skin and ruffles my hair. The sun above the peaks sinks slowly towards the horizon, leaving us in deep shadow.

The rising excitement of the crowd seems to be in direct relation to the leaving light. It's like an unspoken rule—once the sun goes down, that's when the party gets serious.

I've never been this close to Dallas Peak before. My pack comes from Silverton, close to the modest range of the West Needle mountains. Twilight Peak and its little sisters look like low hills compared to Dallas Peak and the monstrous Mt. Sneffels rising behind it.

The Silver Meadows Pack invited us here to make our alliance official. After months of meetings and negotiations, we finally have an agreement, and the packs can mingle and share territory.

"Lena," a loud voice barks at me. "Don't just stand there. Get in here and help."

A shock runs through my body, making me jump. I answer without thinking.

"Yes, Father."

I hurry over to where he's unpacking boxes from the back of the truck. He's brought a few cases of beer to the pack party as his gift to the alliance. Every family has donated something, with the idea that coming together and enjoying good food and drink will create harmony for us all in the long term.

I wrap my arms around a box and awkwardly head over to the barbecue area, stacking the beer with some other drinks.

"Be careful!" Father snaps. "Don't go breaking it."

"Of course not, Father." I don't enjoy obeying him, but I'll happily go along with whatever he says, so long as he leaves my brother alone.

Things have been so rough since Mother died. One of the most horrible things about this situation is that I can't remember what Father was like before Kelly, our stepmom. Was he always abusive, or did she bring it out in him?

"Get back to the truck," he snaps. "You're not making yourself useful. Where's that no good brother of yours?"

"Sam is around," I answer.

Even if I knew where he was, I sure as hell wouldn't tell you.

"Hey, Lana!" a cheery voice calls from the crowd. I look over to see Christina, one of my best friends, hurrying towards me.

"Uh, Chris, I really can't—"

"Nonsense!" she announces, linking her arm through mine. "She's got to go and mingle, Pete. After all, this party is about all the folks from both packs getting to know each other, isn't it?"

"Alright," Father says. "Have a good time, but don't forget to come and check in with me. There's always more work to be done."

I hold in a groan, trying to relax. He's always so nice in front of other people but brutal when nobody is watching. I know I'll pay for this early escape at a later time, but right now, I really don't care.

"Where are the others?" I ask, keeping close to Christina.

"Mae and Dana are here, over at this picnic table," she answers, pointing towards the tree line opposite us. Keeping a tight hold on my arm, Christina starts navigating through the crowd towards the picnic area.

The small campsite is almost overflowing with people. It looks like both packs have attended in full, and everyone is laughing, talking, and even dancing. Not far from where we're headed, I can see someone with a massive boom box spinning out tunes. Picnic tables are all full, and the tantalizing smell of barbecue is beginning to sizzle in the air.

I wonder if—

"He's not here yet," Chris giggles. "Or if he is, I haven't seen him."

"Are you reading my mind now?" I mutter. Chris shrugs.

"I don't have to. Why do you think I went and rescued you from your Dad? I know what you really came for."

A hot, tingling wave rushes through me, leaving my cheeks feeling warm. I don't know if I'm embarrassed because I'm so transparent, or if it's because I know I'm going to see him tonight.

Him.

Jack.

As Chris leads me over to the tables where Mae, Dana, and a bunch of my other high school buddies are sitting, I start to scan the crowd. Jack will be here, for sure. I can't wait to see him, but tonight has an extra edge to it. I don't know if it's excitement or fear.

Damn it, it's all of the above!

We've spent so much time together over the last few months. I know I trust him, and he's the only one I want.

Tonight, I'm ready to lose my virginity…

My chest tightens up, and I try to take a deep breath to calm myself down. I just end up dizzy. When someone shoves a beer into my hand, I take it gratefully and gulp half of it down. The boom box gets turned up, the conversation is drowned out, and for a while, I forget everything except dancing with my friends.

It doesn't take long for night to truly fall, and the clearing is full of shadows that run and ripple like black ink. There are small fires lit around the clearing, as well as barbecues where people are still cooking. There is a small commotion over at the parking lot, and I stop dancing to check out what it is.

My breath speeds up when I see it's Bailey Markson, future alpha of the Silver Meadows Pack. He's got a small entourage with him. My blood pounds so hard that my ears start to ring.

Where Bailey is, Jack is never far behind!

"Hey, pretty lady," a deep voice says from behind me. "How can a cutie like you be dancing alone?"

I swing around to face him, giving my hair a toss as I do. "I just haven't found a capable enough partner," I shoot back. "Let's see if you're fast on your feet."

Jack laughs, tilting his head and fixing me with those big, crystal blue eyes. His pale skin is an almost shocking contrast to the deep black of his hair. There are always a few curls falling across his forehead, and I struggle not to brush them back.

Jack reaches for me, and I step towards him, letting him put his hands on my waist. We start to move to the music, letting our bodies follow the rhythm and falling into sync with the beat.

The way we move in such harmony, and the low, humming thrill that sings in my blood every time we touch, makes me absolutely sure that he is my mate. I can tell by the way he looks at me that he can feel it, too.

We are meant to be together!

Jack smiles, the curve of his beautiful lips mesmerizing me. His hands tighten on my waist, and I let him pull me even closer to him. As I press against his chest, his scent swirls around me, and my body throbs with desire so intense that it's almost painful.

"You thirsty yet?" he asks. "We've been dancing for a while."

"Sure," I agree happily. "What do you suggest?"

"Head over this way," he says, tugging on my hand. "I think Seth has a case of mixers."

We cut through the crowd over to one of the barbecues. A tall, skinny guy in a weird cloak is standing over the grill like a maestro, clicking his tongs and making wordy announcements.

"That's Jenks," Jack explains. "Now that the packs are joined, you'll just have to get used to him. He never misses a party."

Jack hands me a chilled bottle full of strawberry crush and takes a ginger ale for himself. We shuffle away from the main crowd to open our drinks. For some reason, my mind has gone completely blank. I've been seeing Jack for a few months now, and this has never happened to me before.

Maybe it's because the only thing I want to say tonight is, "Jack, take my virginity."

"So, it's good we have the alliance," Jack says. I can't hold in my grin as I realize he's lost for words as well. The idea that he likes me that much it robs him of coherent thought is almost too thrilling to entertain.

"Yes, it's very good we are all in bed together now," I quip, taking a sip of my cruiser. Jack laughs.

"I have no doubt that is the plan." He looks at me, and with the light of the fire dancing across his face, his eyes look dark and mysterious, but his expression is perfectly clear against the shadows flickering around us.

"The plan for us?" I ask softly.

"Generally speaking, packs will usually join through marriage."

I take a sip of my cruiser and keep my eyes on his. It only takes a second before his cheeks color up, and he puts a hand over his face.

"That one took a moment to sink in," he laughs. I grin back.

"Well, I don't think anyone will miss us if you'd like to… ah, take a walk?"

Jack nods and takes my hand. We walk into the cover of the nearby trees, the light and the sounds of the music fading as we sit down between a pair of tall, thick-trunked trees.

My stomach is twisting up and flipping like crazy, but it doesn't matter how nervous I am—I want this, and I want it badly. I've seen Jack every few days over the last couple of months when his pack came to us for peace talks. We already know how well we get along… we've just never been alone before.

I can barely see Jack in the dark, but I feel his hands on me and turn towards him. His hot mouth touches mine, and the shock races through my body, crashing through every inch of me. I open my lips and let him pull me close and tease me with his tongue.

My body feels like it's being set on fire, inch by inch. My nipples are painfully hard, and my skin is sizzling as if there is electricity running across it. Deep between my legs, a powerful ache pounds in time with my heart.

Moaning, I reach for him and wrap my arms around him, pulling him on top of me. A satisfied groan slips out of his mouth, and I writhe against him, urging him on as he kisses me even more deeply and starts to explore my body with his hands.

For a while, I lose myself in pleasure. There is no thought, only sensation. Jack's tongue on mine, his hands caressing me, the weight of his body on top of me. I wrap my legs around him and writhe, feeling that ache inside me getting sharper as I give in to my urges.

He should know. I should tell him that I'm ready.

"Wait," I whisper, coming out of my stupor reluctantly. "I have to tell you something."

"What would you like to say?" Jack asks, brushing my cheek with his fingertips as he looks into my eyes. "You can tell me anything."

A feeling wells up in my chest and floods through me, almost bringing tears to my eyes. It's love, and it's lust, all my feelings and all my urges colliding in one great big, incomprehensible emotion.

"I'm a virgin," I say very softly. "But I'm ready to go all the way, with you."

He stares at me, and suddenly, he seems miles away, even though he's still on top of me, body pressed against mine. From what I can see of his face, he's gone completely blank.

"Tonight, right here, right now," I add, my voice picking up an edge of urgency, and I give him a squeeze with my arms and legs.

Jack shakes his head just a little and disentangles from me, sitting up.

What the fuck is going on?

"Lena," he says gently. "I really appreciate that. I know it's a big deal for you, but I'm not into anything so serious."

"What?" I mutter, my voice a tiny squeak as I sit up and look at him. There isn't much light, but I can see his face. He looks very apologetic. And distant, which is so much worse.

"I'm just doing a casual thing right now," he says, a bit more confidently. "I'm not the right guy to lose your virginity to."

"What?" I whisper again.

"We can still hang out sometimes," he says cheerfully. "Don't worry about that, I like you a lot. I'm just not qualified to be your first. Trust me, I don't have the skills."

He gives me a lopsided grin and I know he's making fun of himself to take the edge off. It's not working. It stings worse than a hundred mud wasps. I get up and stagger a few feet away from him, wishing I could return the casual banter.

I can't think of anything to say. I just turn and run into the forest, my heart hurting so much, the soul of my wolf longs to let loose a howl that could be heard all the way to the peak of Mt. Sneffels.