Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Suzette sighed. “Well, I don’t feel anyone watching me, and I never have.”
Jezebel shrugged. “Maybe your mate doesn’t watch you like mine does.”
“Not sure if that’s good or bad,” Suzette grumbled.
“Me neither. But I like the thought that he’s watched me for all these years.”
“You don’t think it’s kind of creepy? You don’t have any idea who he is or how old he is. What if he’s seventy years old, and he’s been creeping on you since you were a toddler?”
Jez rolled her eyes as she lowered her face. “He’s not creeping. He likes to make sure I’m safe and happy. He’s kind and gentle. Forty maybe. He’s a protector. All he thought about until now was my protection.”
Suzette giggled. “You have a wild imagination. You can’t know any of that stuff about him. You can’t even know that he’s been watching you.”
“He has. I’ve felt him. Tingles rise all over my skin when he stares at me.”
“Okay, but you should probably prepare yourself for the fact that a forced mating might not be something he’s keen on. I’ve heard not all the Alphas appreciate the fact that they don’t get to choose their mates. And worse, they have to wait for them to be born and grow up. He might be frustrated or bitter or angry.”
“He won’t be.” Jez grinned. “I know it.”
At least she hoped. She was going to be very disappointed if her mate didn’t adore her. She’d spent twenty years waiting for this union. Girls like her and Suzette were revered. Other girls who weren’t born with the mark of the Alpha were jealous.
Suzette sighed and leaned her head against Jezebel’s shoulder. “Are you nervous?”
“Totally,” Jez admitted. “Panicked. But I don’t want my mate to see it.” She set her hands on the table behind her and leaned back farther as if she could project casual. She knew he was watching. No one could tell her otherwise.
“I’m going to miss you,” Suzette murmured.
“Not for very long. You’ll be twenty in two months, then we’ll see each other again.”
Suzette sighed. “We don’t even know that for sure. Maybe the Alphas don’t live near each other. Maybe they have separate dwellings too far apart. Maybe they don’t let their mates get together.”
Jezebel tipped her head to take in her friend. “Now who has the vivid imagination? They do come into town, you know. It’s not like I’ll never see my family again.”
Suzette threaded her fingers with Jezebel’s and held on tight. “I guess. But it won’t be the same. I bet your parents are sad.”
“Yeah, but only because I’m the youngest and last daughter to be mated. I think they’re secretly also excited to start the next chapter in their lives. They no longer have to guard my virtue twenty-four-seven.” Jezebel rolled her eyes.
The worst part about being born with the mark of the Alphas was that she’d lived her life under far more scrutiny, surrounded by guards. She’d lacked the freedoms other girls had.
At least she and Suzette had had each other. Their parents were friends. They’d grown up next door to each other. Jezebel’s parents had been delighted when Suzette had been born two months after her, also blessed with a mark.
The two families had raised the blessed girls together, sharing guards and dividing the responsibilities. Jezebel and Suzette hadn’t known they were different from anyone else—including their siblings and peers—until they’d started school.
It had been a rude awakening. Though taunting and jealousy was frowned upon and outwardly bullying and mocking a marked girl was forbidden, the two of them had felt a level of animosity from other girls over the years.
Most were simply jealous. It was a privilege to be born with the mark of the Alpha. But girls could be mean, and sometimes Jezebel had heard them talking behind her back.
“Are you ready?” Suzette asked softly.
“I’ve been waiting twenty years for this day. Only four days left. So of course I’m not ready.” She giggled. “Maybe you could come over and help me pack? I’m not takin’ much, but my mother says I can take a bag filled with my special things.”
“Maybe you should come over and help me pack mine, too. I’ll have it ready for two months from now, and then I won’t be alone doing the packing,” Suzette suggested.
Jez squeezed her hand. “Deal. Let’s do it.”
The truth was Jezebel was incredibly nervous. She hadn’t slept well in weeks. Perhaps months. She’d been faking like she was strong and brave for so long she’d mastered it. No one—not even Suzette—knew that deep inside, she was panicking.
Four more days. That was all she had left of her childhood. And then she would be mated to an Alpha wolf. A Protector. One of the elite.
It’s a privilege, Jezebel. Make us proud.
How many times had she heard this in her life? A million. Usually from her mother.