Chapter 3

Dylan

T he room is a kaleidoscope of neon hues—electric blues, hot pinks, and acid greens. Blacklight fixtures trace the edges, casting an otherworldly glow on the dance floor. Graffiti-style murals sprawl across the walls, capturing the spirit of rebellion and late-night adventures. The speakers, colossal and unapologetic, flank the DJ booth. Their thumping bass reverberates through Dylan's chest, urging her to move. The playlist is a mix of nostalgia and fresh hits—hip-hop, EDM, and indie anthems. Bodies sway, collide, and lose themselves in the rhythm. Forget traditional seating. It's all about bean bags, inflatable sofas, and mismatched cushions. A vintage arcade machine stands proudly in the corner, inviting gamers to battle it in pixelated worlds. The bar stretches along one wall, adorned with fairy lights and mirrored panels. Bartenders, tattooed and grinning, shake up concoctions that defy gravity. Rainbow shots, glittering martinis, and mysterious elixirs—each sip a portal to euphoria.

Dylan couldn't believe that a bunch of Alphas put this party together for those who were unmated. Some were decades older than her here, hoping to find their true mate, off to the side, sneering at the younger ones in the middle of the dance floor, gyrating their hips and dancing like fools. It was kind of stupid to do that since their kind needed to touch one another for the mate bond to activate. Sure, the pull would be there for them to tug them close to their mates so they would actually touch to initiate the creation of the bond, but it felt a little useless to Dylan for them to stand off to the side and not mingle with everyone so they could find their mates relatively early in the evening.

I wonder if the geezers are hoping the females will get drunk so they can hop off to a room as soon as the bond appears, Dylan thought to herself as she stood at the bar waiting for a drink to be poured for her.

There was a plan in place for Dylan to circulate throughout the evening and do her best to find her mate. Valko gave her strict orders to talk to as many males as she could; when he came in, he would ensure that the hesitant ones would be brought to her. Being a dominant female could be intimidating, or so she heard. Dylan saw it as them being too scared to introduce themselves, and she would be royally pissed they were her mate. After Dylan pitched a fit and stated exactly how she felt about that plan, Valko relented. He then stated the first of the males would be the ones who had been without a mate the longest. It was to allow them hopefully the chance to find their mates and whisk them away so their wolves wouldn't lose it. It would become where there were times when certain males would come into the room, talk with the females, and stay if they felt a pull to someone. If a bond was formed, they would immediately leave somewhere more private.

A cackle rose above the music, and Dylan rolled her eyes and shook her head at the sound. She knew that laughing anywhere, and it brought a smile to her face, knowing that her best friend was there. It would make this entire night go faster and easier having Cassie here with her.

I feel bad for these males, though. They are going to have their hands full.

Sure enough, Cassie spotted her from the center of the dance floor and pretended to throw a lasso at Dylan. Dylan put her pointer finger at her temple and moved her thumb forward to portray being shot. Cassie's pouty bottom lip came out, and she tapped her foot as if she thought that would tell Dylan she had to get her ass over there. The girl was about two levels down in dominance from Dylan, but that didn't stop her from trying to boss Dylan around. They were around the same height, but Cassie had deep auburn hair and big green eyes. Sometimes, Dylan was jealous of how curvy Cass was compared to her, but she eventually got over it. Dylan would much rather have a smaller cup size since the bras tended to work better for B cups than Ds.

Cassie sashayed her way over to the bar, bent over to show off how little her shirt covered her cleavage, and pointed a finger up to the ceiling to tell the cute bartender she wanted another. The dark-haired bartender winked a brown eye at her, and Cassie pretended to swoon.

"I'd tell you the slutty act won't work on everyone tonight, but what's the use? More than half of these people are sloshed."

Cassie giggled. "I could literally have anyone in this room if I wanted them any day of the week." Her face got serious. "But then our Alpha just haaaaad to ruin my night by stating that no one is allowed to get in each other's pants unless there are signs of them being your mate."

Dylan looked at her friend and grinned. "It's like they knew you were the Pants Grandmaster in the game of Pants Chess and decided to tax you by establishing a "No Naked Act on you."

"SEE! You get it! Why did we need to tax my vagina?"

"Maybe because your vagina has won too many times in Pants Chess?"

Cassie lifted her lip in a snarl. "It's not my fault so many of these people don't have any game." The bartender slid a drink over to Cassie and gave her another wink, telling her it was on the house. Cassie jumped up and down with glee, showing off how her breasts could pop out of her shirt at any minute.

"Do you understand my father wanted you to dress like you are a respectable dominant in his pack? We aren't at a regular club here; almost every unmated male in the area is here. If our pack's males see anyone putting their paws on you, I guarantee this dance floor will turn into a bloodbath."

It wasn't as if Dylan didn't want to do exactly what Cassie was doing. They were each other's wing women when they would go to clubs; one would be the one who stayed mostly sober, too, just in case. A few times, they ended up in scrapes with the males because they got too handsy, but not once did either of them worry about not walking away. They were both good fighters in their human and wolf forms, and it was a great way to take the edge off after dealing with all the pack politics and training they had to put up with.

Dylan stood at the bar and sipped her drink while watching everyone in the room. Cassie and she would scan the crowd, find a cute face, point them out, and discuss if either had a sneaking suspicion that it was their mate. Cassie often looked back at the bartender and gave him a smile or leaned in to say something in his ear. After a while, Dylan was pretty sure that Cassie's mate was right in front of her. Neither of them touched each other, which would give them the answer they were clearly looking for.

If neither of them plans to make their damn move, I'll make it for them.

With a simple hand gesture, Dyaln had the bartender, whose name apparently was Rowan, walking quickly to assist her. She could tell he wanted an excuse to be near Cassie. He stared at her the entire time he walked the length of the bar to get to them. Cassie's eyes watched him but simultaneously tried to appear as if she wasn't interested. Dylan stopped herself from rolling her eyes. Rowan stood in front of her, flashing her a radiant smile, and asked what he could do for her. Dylan leaned in with a grin, making sure she lowered herself just enough and pushed her boobs up with her forearms to make him look. Dylan had to take note of the fact that Rowan didn't look down her black dress even for a second. His brown eyes glanced over at Cassie, though. Rowan put his hands on the bar, and Dylan saw her chance.

"You're kind of cute now that my beer goggles are on. I couldn't help but notice how your eyes lighten to this amazing honey color in the right light and how hard your muscles look when making a drink. I'm thinking with your skills, and your hands, you can do all sorts of amazing things with them." Dylan ran a finger down his forearm.

There was no tingle or inkling of a spark inside her soul. Rowan was not her mate, which she was happy about. Dylan practically sighed in relief. She didn't want Rowan.

On the other hand, Cassie snarled at the sight of Dylan touching Rowan. Dylan rolled her body away from Cassie's claws before they had a chance to touch her. Rowan grabbed Cassie's hands with his, and Dylan saw their eyes light up when they did. The way they looked at one another made Dylan beam with happiness. It was as if the world fell away, and they were the only two people in the room.

"Hi," Cassie said breathlessly.

"Hi," Rowan said back to her.

Cassie looked over at Dylan, giving her friend the wave off. There was no apology needed. Dylan purposely set off her friend so she could claim her mate. Cassie told her months ago how she wasn't sure what she would do if she felt that pull to someone. It was a moment of vulnerability that they didn't often share. They were the first person the other thought of when it came to keeping secrets and needing advice, but neither liked talking things out that way. She didn't want to call Cassie out for not doing the very thing they came here to do since Dylan was avoiding it herself. But it was evident to her they were mates. It guaranteed happiness for life, and she would always choose that for her friends over faking it until they made it.

Interesting choice of words.

Shut up.

If you understand she was doing that, why aren't you trying a little harder?

One of the older males approached them, and Dylan assessed him as quickly as she could before this moment turned lethal. He was the tallest man she had ever seen, and she wondered if he had reached seven feet. His hair was shoulder length and dark brown, and his eyes were so pale green that they were scary. He was staring at her friend, and Dylan didn't have enough time to stop him before he tried to pat Cassie on the shoulder. A roar erupted from Rowan, and the music cut out. Dylan watched in slow motion as Rowan leaped over the bar and into the tall guy within a blink of an eye. Fists were flying, and Rowan, surprisingly, was winning the fight. Blood coated the man's face as Rowan rained his fists down with his inhuman speed. Dylan called on her power as an Alpha and allowed it to wrap around the men.

" Enough, " Dylan commanded.

Both men halted their movements and looked up at her. Rowan was in mid-swing and growled at her.

"He was trying to touch my mate," Rowan deadpanned.

"I understand, Rowan, but he didn't know you two had just found each other. He probably walked over here because he saw Cassie try to attack me. He is dominant, just like you. Even a fight between two females will warrant you dominant men to interfere."

The man on the floor underneath Rowan growled. "I felt the pull to her all night. I wasn't sure who it was until only moments ago."

Well, isn't that a twist.

Cassie and Rowan stood there with their mouths open at the man. Obviously, it was a possibility, but still, neither of them expected him to say it. Cassie walked over to Rowan and tapped his shoulder. There was a low growl from Rowan's throat, which Dylan knew meant he was still going to keep her from him until there was a sign they were mates since it was established that she was his. To Rowan, he was just protecting his mate.

Power swept through the room, and Dylan immediately recognized it as her father's. Valko briskly walked over to them, and she could sense his power wrapping around Rowan and commanding him to get off the wolf on the ground. Rowan whined as he peeled himself off and leaned against the bar. He motioned for Cassie to come to him, but she stood her ground by not moving.

"Darius, get up. Does anyone care to elaborate on why this occurred?"

Dylan looked at her father. "Cassie found a mate, possibly two. Rowan and she established a spark in their bond. Darius felt the pull and tried to talk to Cassie right after she and Rowan found out they were mates."

"Causing Rowan to want to defend his mate around another unmated male, I see. Alright. Has it been established at all that Darius is your mate, Cassie?"

Cassie shook her head while not meeting Valko's eyes. Dylan could see her friend being torn to go to Rowan, but she knew damn well that could cause another fight. Rowan wasn't thinking clearly as the wolf inside wanted to claim his mate before the other male could. However, Darius was allowed to explore the possibility of Cassie being his mate as well.

"Well, let's not waste any more time here. Darius, why don't you give Cassie a handshake, and we will see if we can celebrate three people finding their fated mate tonight?"

Darius held out his hand for Cassie to take. Dylan watched Rowan stare at the male's hand, and his lip lifted in a silent snarl. Cassie looked at Valko for reassurance, and her father gave her a nod.

"I assure you; Rowan cannot move. I hold more power than he does, and I have it to the point where his wolf is submitting long enough for you to see if Darius is also your mate."

Cassie nodded and took Darius's hand in hers. Once again, Dylan got to witness her friend's eyes light up in recognition as her soul stitched together with another's and appeared as if the world had fallen away.

Valko chuckled. "Looks like Cassie, indeed, has two mates. If she accepts them, that is. Cassie, dear, do you wish to become bonded to Rowan and Darius?"

Cassie turned to look at Valko with a dazed expression. Dylan laughed at her friend. "It's like she's been given some good sex, and her mind is mush."

Valko looked at her and lifted his eyebrow. "Does she now?"

"I'm not a prude, Dad."

He looked at her questioningly before returning his gaze to Cassie. "Cassie, do you accept the bonds you now share with Rowan and Darius?"

Cassie looked over at Rowan first. His handsome face was contorted in rage but softened when his eyes found Cassie. Dylan watched her friend exchange looks with Rowan. Dylan realized they had formed a mate, a sign of sharing a telepathic connection, and were having a silent discussion. Rowan relaxed and gave her a nod before Cassie turned to face Valko.

"Yes, Alpha. I accept both bonds."

"Very well. I believe Rowan is the third of his pack, and Darius is the," Valko looked at Darius for assistance.

"Third as well."

"Right then. You two are not in the same pack, and you must transfer to mine. I'll speak with both of your Alphas about it. I want all three of you to head upstairs to a room to get acquainted. There will be no fighting for rights to claim Cassie for yourself. You both have been chosen for her, therefore overriding any claim you believe only you should have. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, Alpha."

Cassie winked at Dylan and led her two mates out of the room. Dylan felt a pang of envy as she watched the men look at her friend adoringly. She now had two men who would be devoted to her until their dying day. If it weren't for those two being dominants themselves who would try to keep Cassie glued to their sides to keep her safe, she would want that for herself.

Valko nudged her with his arm. "I see you staring at them, almost as if you were wishing that was you instead of Cassie."

Dylan chortled. "More like I am wondering if those two will survive her. If they think she is going to be a submissive mate and do what they ask, they have another thing coming."

Valko laughed. "You have a fair point there. Cassie isn't exactly one who takes orders well."

The music started playing, and the party began again. Dylan felt the energy in the room differ after the fiasco with Rowan and Darius. She was ready to call it quits and go home, especially without her wing woman there to keep her entertained or assist her with finding her own mates, when her father cleared his throat.

"You still need to meet the last few of the males."

Dylan groaned. "When the hell are they coming then? I did my part by helping Cassie find hers. If mine doesn't show up, cool. I'm okay with that."

"They should walk into the room any minute now."

The air changed as an aura of power swept through the room. For a second, Dylan thought her father was signaling the other males to come in but noticed it felt different. Since she did not spend much time with wolves that were not Shadowborn, she realized it was someone without the power of the shadows inside of it. Dylan turned her head to seek out the one behind the aura. Her wolf surged to the surface, and Dylan felt the power caress her skin, begging for her own power to come out. Her eyes landed on a tall man with broad shoulders. His auburn hair was practically in spikes, and his emerald green eyes landed on her teal ones. The smirk playing at his lips sent a shudder down her spine. She couldn't peel her eyes off him.

Who the hell is that?

Mate.