Chapter One

The rays of sunlight that reflected in the room put this special day into a whole new perspective for Aiden Lockhart. Today was the day of his college graduation, and he was ready to get the ceremonies over with. Aiden checked out his reflection in the mirror, but couldn’t help but groan in annoyance at the fact that his short brown hair wasn’t cooperating. He had already made numerous attempts to adjust his spikes just right, but they kept flopping down in his face instead. Finally, after a half an hour of struggling, he got his hair the way he wanted it and moved on to putting on the navy blue suit that rested on the bed. He carefully inspected it and verified that it held no imperfections or wrinkles. One by one, he donned the uncomfortable attire, buttoning up his white dress shirt and tying the white tie he had chosen for the occasion. His mind wandered to the celebrations planned for after graduation, and a broad smile spread across his face.

It’s going to be a fun night tonight!

Aiden stared at himself in the mirror admiring how the white shirt clung to his muscled arms. Grabbing the black bag, he had previously hung on his closet door at the beginning of the week, he unzipped it, and removed his blue graduation gown. A smile spread his face as he put on the gown, zipping it up with satisfaction.

Gazing at his reflection, he grinned, pleased with his appearance. The gown's hue accentuated the brown in his eyes, and its length flattered his tall frame. He chuckled at the idea of women vying for his attention at the after-party.

“Lock, are you ready?” His soon-to-be Beta’s voice echoed down the hallway and into his room. Suddenly David Monroe, his best friend since childhood, stuck his head in the doorway and sent him a smile. “You look good, Romeo; let’s go before we are late for our own graduation!”

Aiden rolled his eyes at his friend, grabbed his wallet and phone then left the dorm room. The two of them walked with their heads held high toward the theater where the graduation was scheduled to take place. As they strolled through the campus, they observed fellow graduates joyfully skipping and dashing towards the theater to bid farewell to their friends from the past four years.

The theater was set up traditionally, with graduating students in the front on the left, the teachers and faculty in the front on the right, and the guests filling out the back. Blue and gold bows, streamers, and balloons filled the main walkway and also served as a pathway to direct the graduating students to their rightful seats. At the front of the room was the main stage where they would obtain their diplomas. Sitting proudly across the center of the stage was the presenting faculty and the visiting speakers.

As he made his way deeper into the theater, Aiden caught sight of a group of girls who were clearly admiring him. He grinned at them and chuckled at their flirty giggles. He knew that he would miss the admiration, but it was time to mature and look for his mate. With a quick wink, he walked to his seat past the swooning girls. He sat comfortably and looked up at the man who was calling for attention on the stage.

The ceremony started with a long speech from the Dean, who spoke about the graduates and their future. Aiden couldn’t help but be bored as he sat there until he felt a poke on his shoulder. He turned and noticed David smiling mischievously at him and leaned closer to his friend.

“Hey, Lock, are we heading to Whipperwhill after this?”

Aiden nodded in confirmation as he felt the excitement bubble up in his gut. Whipperwhill was a local bar where the two of them had spent many nights drinking, picking up women, and solving life’s problems. That bar would be the only thing he would miss about his four years in this place. The memories flooded through his brain when suddenly his nostalgia was broken by the sound of his name being called. Aiden stood to his feet, proudly walked up to the stage, and accepted the degree in Business Administration he earned from the Dean. After he gave the Dean a firm shake and a proud smile, he exited the stage.

Walking back to his seat, he felt a surge of pride as he scanned the crowd, and then he caught sight of a pair of brown eyes gazing at him in admiration. He stopped in his tracks and locked eyes with this girl until the person behind him whispered for him to keep moving. Quickly, Aiden regained his composure and reached his seat. Once he sat down, he turned and frantically looked towards the back of the auditorium in order to find the girl with those beautiful brown eyes. Unfortunately, she was nowhere to be found.

The ceremony concluded, and Aiden leaped up, filled with excitement for the evening and what lay ahead. Yet, the memory of those brown eyes lingered in his mind, drawing him to search for their owner. There was something captivating about them that he couldn't quite place, but he felt an undeniable urge to seek her out. He began to walk frantically through the crowds until, his search was stopped by his mother as she wrapped him in a hug.

“Congratulations, Aiden, we are proud of you,” his father said proudly holding out his hand to his son.

“Thanks, Dad,” Aiden replied with a beaming smile, taking his hand and shaking it firmly.

“You go out and enjoy your night with your friends; we will have a party for you on Friday. Please be home by then,” his mother whispered as she hugged him again.

Aiden nodded, and walked to David. “You ready?” David questioned with a sly grin.

“I was born ready,” Aiden said as he gave the room one final scan for the mystery girl. However, she was nowhere to be found; Aiden sighed and followed David out of the theater and to his car.

The drive to Whipperwhill was full of conversation as the men began to plan what they would do once they were named Alpha and Beta. When they pulled into the parking lot; they looked around at the cars, then at each other with a huge smile. The place was packed, which meant that they would have a ton of girls to flirt with and possibly take home this evening.

“Let’s go take in the scenery,” Aiden said as they exited the car. They walked up to the line that was formed at the entrance and gasped at the length of it; they never expected it to be this long. They both groaned in impatience at how long it would take them to get in when they heard Aiden’s name being yelled over the crowd. Both men looked up and noticed that one of the bouncers was waving them to the front of the line. With a nod of understanding, Aiden tapped David on the shoulder and motioned to follow. They approached the bouncers and exchanged high-fives as the bouncers gestured for them to enter.

The bar door swung open, revealing the loud music that filled the air. The lights were dim, and the walls were covered with flashing red, blue, yellow, and green strobe lights giving the place a rave look. The dance floor was packed with dancers who swayed to the beat and men trying to ogle the women as they danced. Aiden forced his way through the dancers to the bar, waved over the bartender, and ordered them two shots of tequila and two beers. He grabbed the shots and drinks, tipped the bartender a five, then handed the drinks to David.

They grabbed their shots, looked at each other, and smiled. “To the future,” they toasted as they clinked their glasses and licked the salt rim. They quickly downed their shot and threw the lime in their mouth. Once the lime was removed, they shook their head to help the burning sensation of the liquor descending their throat, and then quickly downed their beers. David ordered the second round of beers, and they found a few empty stools at the bar perfect for people-watching.

“Hey Monroe, are you going to stare at that girl all night or go talk to her?” Aiden chuckled at the third time he caught his friend staring across the room at this girl. David chuckled, downed his beer, gave Aiden a two-finger wave, and took off across the bar to the petite black-haired girl he had been staring at. Aiden shook his head with a chuckle and decided to order another drink for himself. The bar buzzed with energy, providing plenty of entertainment as he started to sip and observe the action happening around him.

“Is this seat taken?” Aiden looked over at the seat David previously occupied, and he noticed a girl standing where his best friend once sat.

He looked at her and realized that the girl owned those brown eyes he had seen at graduation. She was beautiful; she had long blonde hair running down her back, she had full lips that he wanted to slam his lips into, and her voice was one of the most melodic sounds he had ever heard.

As he checked her out, he shook his head no to acknowledge she could sit there. The music seemed to have taken a side seat to his wolf screaming MATE in his head. Aiden held out his hand as he looked her over and smiled. “Nice to meet you, my name is Aiden Lockhart, and you are?”

She sent him a sheepish smile and lightly blushed as she extended her hand, placing it in his. “Roxanne Messick.” The blush on her cheeks darkened when he took her hand and kissed it, giving her a sexy smile.

“Care to dance, Aiden Lockhart?” She asked with a seductive smile.

Aiden stood to his feet, took her hand, and led her toward the dance floor. The DJ was playing a slow song, so he pulled her close and began to sway with the music. Looking across the dance floor, he noticed that David was in a lip lock with the girl he left to talk to earlier, which relieved Aiden, he knew that he could fully concentrate on his mate.

“So, what takes you here tonight?” Aiden asked as she buried her head into his chest and swayed with the music.

“My brother graduated tonight, so I had to go sit through that torturous ceremony,” she replied as she rolled her eyes.

“It couldn’t have been that bad,” he countered as he laughed at her crinkled-up facial expression.

“Oh, trust me, it was, but I know something that would make it better,” she said slyly.

“What’s that?” He asked as he looked into her eyes with curiosity.

Roxanne pulled her head off his chest and began playing with the top button on his shirt. “Well, if my mate would take me out of this Goddess Forsaken club and spend some quiet time with me, my night would improve immensely,” she answered with a smile.

“Your wish is my command,” he whispered as he took her hand and led her toward the exit. They walked back to his car, and he politely opened the door for her. Sending her a bow in courtesy, he smiled as she sat in the passenger seat. Aiden closed the door, grabbed his phone out of his pocket, and sent a quick text message to David instructing him to find his own way back. Aiden climbed in, started up his car, and they headed back to his dorm room.

The following afternoon, Aiden opened his eyes to see Roxanne asleep beside him. He rolled over and kissed her shoulder as he thought about the day and the evening before. They spent the entire time getting to know each other and mating.

This girl is perfect; she would make a great Luna. Hopefully, she will agree to go home with me and take the position that is rightfully hers.

Aiden lay there, apprehensive about asking her to come home for the party tomorrow. Never before had he been so concerned about a girl's wishes and it was a new feeling for him. He was unsure how to ask her when she rolled over and smiled widely at him.

“Good Morning. Did you sleep well?” Roxanne asked giving him a tender kiss.

He smiled in adoration at his mate; he couldn’t believe how lucky he was. “I did. I hope you did as well,” he answered. She nodded in affirmation as a sly twinkle sparked in her eye.

She seductively bit down on her lower lip and he instantly knew what she had in mind, but first, he needed to discuss her returning to is pack wit him with her before he lost his nerve. Aiden cleared his throat and looked at her thoughtfully. “I need to head back to my pack tonight, tomorrow is my graduation party, and my parents are demanding I be there. So my question to you is would you like to join me? It will give our pack plenty of time to meet their new Luna before I am promoted to Alpha in a few weeks.”

Her eyes grew wide in surprise, and she rolled over on her back and stared blankly at the ceiling. Then, after a few minutes of internal debate on whether or not she would go, she rolled back over to face him. “I’d love to go back with you,” she answered as she climbed on top of him and kissed him passionately.

Aiden smiled into the kiss, wrapped her up, and decided to live for the moment.