Chapter 3 - The Mates

Kaleigh was laughing so hard her side hurt. Allie was running around like a tornado getting ready for the wedding that would start in two hours. She seemed to be making a bigger mess than actually getting ready.

Allie wanted to finish getting her hair done, but she couldn’t sit long enough for the hairdresser to do anything. She kept jumping up to do something else. Kaleigh and the bridesmaids were all completely dressed and ready to go. Allie was the only one that no one could get to calm down enough to get prepared.

The Luna looked over at Kaleigh and slightly nodded. Kaleigh knew what that meant. Leila wanted her to put a small spell on Allie to calm her down. Kaleigh walked over to where Allie was currently rummaging through a tub with every type of makeup you could imagine yelling that what she was looking for wasn't there.

“Allie, look at me.”  Kaleigh spoke very softly, and at first, Allie didn't respond. Kaleigh put her hand on Allies' shoulder and repeated herself. “Allie, look at me.”

Allie looked up at her cousin. She looked annoyed, but Kaleigh held her gaze, and Allie couldn't look away. Kaleigh slowly took her hands and let the calming spell wash over Allie while she softly talked to her. It looked like they were having a quiet conversation to calm the bride down to anyone watching. Kaleigh saw Allie slowly relaxing and could feel the calm energy coming from her rather than the frantic energy there just seconds ago.

“Allie, we need you to calm down to get ready. Lenny will be at the end of that aisle waiting for you. If you're not there when you're supposed to be, you know he will tear this place apart looking for you. Do you think you can get ready now, so you are not late for your own wedding?” Allie blushed and looked down.

“Yes, I'm ready now.  Sorry everyone, for making such a mess of everything. Thank you, Kaleigh, for stopping me. I was in a bad place, thinking that maybe Lenny had changed his mind. I have been going crazy being away from him for two days. Let’s get this show on the road so I can claim my man.”

Allie calmly sat in the chair while the hairdresser did her hair in a beautiful twist that left some of her curls to fall naturally around her heart-shaped face. Her makeup was done, and she was finally put into her wedding gown. After everything was completed, Allie looked like a fairy princess, and there was not a dry eye in the room. Luna Leila walked up to Kaleigh as they watched Allie put her heels on.

“Thank you, Kaleigh, for calming her down. I've never seen her act like that. She's usually the one that is easygoing and doesn’t let anything get to her. I could tell that nothing was going to work.”

“I'm glad it worked, and I only used a small spell to calm her. Once she realized what she had done, she did the rest herself.  I mostly just made her aware of what was going on. I wish I had captured how she was acting on camera; it would be nice to hold it over her head later on.” The Luna laughed with Kaleigh, knowing Allie would be mortified if she saw herself.

“Kaleigh, dear, have you thought about changing your mind on what you will do if you find your mate?”

Leila took Kaleigh’s hand in hers.

“You know I can’t, Luna. I don’t have a choice in the matter; it would mean death for us both.”  Kaleigh looked down, trying to stop the tears from coming and messing up her makeup.

“Kaleigh, you don’t know that. Please, if you do find your mate, give him a chance. Don’t reject him immediately because I promise you that would devastate you. Just think about it. Your parents wanted you to have a life of happiness. You won't be able to do that if you hide for the rest of your life. I love you like my daughter Kaleigh, and I want to see you happy with a mate of your own. Please give love a chance.” Leila lifted Kaleigh’s face to look into her eyes.

“I promise to think about it, Luna. That’s the best I can do right now.” Leila smiled before hugging her. She wanted to see Kaleigh happy, too, just like Allie. It broke her heart to see Kaleigh so sad all the time. She had faith that whoever the Moon Goddess picked for Kaleigh’s mate, he would be strong enough to keep them both safe.

As she thought about their conversation, Kaleigh watched her aunt walk up to Allie. To be honest, her aunt was right. She didn't want to be alone. Kaleigh wanted to be able to have a loving relationship with her mate. There was no way that was a possibility as long as the Dark Sphere witches were out there. She didn't want to fall in love and put her mate or future children at risk.

Kaleigh was one of the strongest female warriors in the pack and a witch, but she still didn't think that was enough to keep herself or anyone else safe from those who wished her dead. She wanted to do what her aunt said but didn’t believe she could.  Suddenly a tiny elderly woman stuck her head in the door smiling at them.

“Ladies, the groomsmen are ready to walk the bridesmaids down the aisle. Is everyone ready to go?” The bridesmaids started lining up with Kaleigh in the rear as the maid of honor. She quickly turned around and gave Allie a big hug.

“I will see you at the alter. I love you, Allie.”

“I love you, Kaleigh. Thank you for being my best friend.”

“Always.” They hugged again, and then Kaleigh headed for the door. She took a deep breath. Kaleigh wanted to get this over with. She was not comfortable having so many people looking at her.

As Kaleigh walked through the door, she froze. A scent she had never smelled before hit her like a punch in the face. It smelled like sandalwood mixed with pine needles and chamomile. It was the most calming, soothing scent she had ever smelled. The scent was calling her, and she looked around, trying to find where it was coming from.

Kaleigh's eyes collided with a giant of a man staring at her. Her breathing stopped momentarily when she realized what this meant; she had found her mate. Kaleigh couldn’t speak or move; all she wanted to do was run away.

As she was getting ready to run, someone pushed her forward toward the man. He was tall, about a foot taller than her, and absolutely gorgeous. He had a dark complexation and golden brown eyes penetrating into hers.

“Kaleigh, this is Dominick. He is Lenny’s best man and next in line to be Alpha of the White Raven Pack. Dominick, this is Kaleigh. She is Allie’s maid of honor and cousin. You two need to get a move on it.” They were pushed together, and Kaleigh felt her arm placed in Dominick’s. The sparks that traveled through her body made her shiver and gasp. Skylar was running and jumping around, repeating the same mantra.

“We found our mate. We found our mate.”

Dominick was dumbstruck by the beauty holding his arm. He saw the look on her face when she saw him, and he knew she was his mate. However, they both seemed to be at a loss for words.

Dominick couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was tall with long wavy reddish hair that went past her waist. Her eyes were the most beautiful emerald green he had ever seen; he knew he could be lost in them for days.

The most amazing thing was her scent that hit him. It was like a fresh morning sea breeze mixed with the light scent of lilacs. Her scent was refreshing and addicting at the same time. Ash was jumping up and down with excitement at finding their mate.

When he first saw her, Dominick wanted to run up to her, but Ash stopped him. Ash told him that something was telling him that they needed to tread lightly with their new mate and let her take the lead.

Dom took a deep breath to calm himself. He felt the sparks in his body when her arm was placed in his, making him feel like he was walking on air. He was over the moon happy, but Ash kept reminding him to stay calm.

They walked awkwardly towards the front door and outside, where a large tent had been set up for the ceremony. Neither Kaleigh nor Dominick said anything as they kept stealing glances at each other. Kaleigh wanted to say something, but she didn’t know what. Skylar kept telling her she could at least say hello rather than just acting like he wasn’t there.

“It’s nice to meet you, Dominick.” Kaleigh said nervously.

“You too, Kaleigh.  I'm assuming you don't want to talk about us being mates as we walk down the aisle at our friends' wedding.  So how about we find somewhere we can talk quietly after the ceremony?” Dominick looked down into her eyes hopefully.

“Uh, sure. Thank you.” Kaleigh felt like a young girl, not knowing what to say. She had never had a problem speaking her mind, but she seemed to stumble over her words in front of this man.  Kaleigh got lost in the sound of his voice, which was smooth like honey.

They continued walking together and finally got to the tent, where they stopped until their turn to walk down the aisle. Dominick reached over and covered Kaleigh’s hand that was on his arm with his hand. She gasped and looked up into his eyes. He gave her a dazzling smile.

“It’s okay, Kaleigh. I can tell you're nervous. I won't make you do anything you don’t want to do. We may be mates, but I'm not a caveman who will throw you over my shoulder and take you away. That's why I want to talk with you, Kaleigh. I want to get to know you. We have plenty of time, so please take a deep breath and calm down.”

Kaleigh was speechless. How had this man understood her feelings even though they had just met? She nodded as they walked down the aisle towards Lenny and the others. Kaleigh was too aware of the man next to her to care about everyone’s eyes on her. She did feel herself calm down, though, from his words.

Many males made their mates leave and go to their pack immediately with no choice. Kaleigh was glad that Dominick said he wanted to get to know her. This would allow her to explain why she can't mate with him. She felt sad about that.

He seemed to be an amazing man from his aura and how he talked to her. When they got to the alter, it was time to separate, and Kaleigh found herself not wanting to let go of his arm. Dominick felt the same way, and he slowly released her but not before giving her hand a slight squeeze. They walked to their assigned sides, but neither looked anywhere but at each other.

Even as Allie began walking down the aisle, they stared into each other's eyes like they were the only two in the world. Kaleigh couldn't believe this man was her mate, her heart was racing, and against her better judgment, she wanted to run over to his side.

Kaleigh had never had such a strong desire to kiss someone, but looking at his full mouth, kissing him was all she could think about. Skylar was panting in her head so much that Kaleigh was afraid she would start drooling. She kept telling Skylar to knock it off before they made fools of themselves, but Skylar wouldn’t stop prancing around with excitement.

Kaleigh knew that her wolf reflected her feelings, but she couldn’t let herself feel excited. When she and Dominick talked, she had to explain her dilemma to him and why she would have to reject him, for both their sakes.

Looking at him made her heart ache at what she would be giving up. She had always been able to read people very well and pick up on their energies. Everything she picked up from Dominick was good; she picked up nothing negative or sinister about him. However, that just made her not want to drag this out longer than necessary. She would tell him the truth about being a hybrid and why they could not be together, that would be the only way to make him see that there was no other choice.

On the other side of the alter, Dominick watched Kaleigh’s face go through several emotions in that short time. She was so perfect and beautiful that he couldn't believe she was real. The only thing that worried him was the look on her face.

Kaleigh seemed sad, not happy that she had found her mate. Maybe she was not pleased about him being her mate.  Was she already seeing someone else that was her chosen mate, and she would reject him? That thought made his heart clench up in pain. He didn't want to think about her with anyone else or her rejecting him. Dominick didn't believe he could live through that pain.

Ash was listening to his thoughts in his head and rolled his eyes. Ash was happy about their mate and couldn't wait to meet her wolf and mark them. Dominick had to tell him to calm down. He meant what he said to Kaleigh; Dominick wouldn't push her to leave right away. He wanted to get to know her first.

Dominick knew many males treated their mates like property, but that wasn't him. He saw his mate as being his partner, not an object. He wanted to love and cherish her, not own her. His parents were partners in everything they did and were still in love after all these years. Dominick wanted that same love with his mate; he just hoped Kaleigh wanted the same thing.