^Picture above is what I imagine the Mara to look like. Copyright for pictures goes to http://www.frostedproductions.com/blog/

I glanced down at the directions in my lap, then at the white picket fence house in front of me. I was finally here. The Mara was finally within my grasp.

I turned the ignition off in my SUV, and began to study the house of my prey.

It was a typical, all-american house with a white fence, green shutters, and a disgustingly homey front porch with a swinging bench seat.

A white four door car pulled into the driveway and loudly honked the horn before the engine was shut off.

A tall red haired man slid out of the driver's seat and stretched his arms above his head. He headed around to the trunk of the car and retrieved a black leather suite case.

Before he could make it to the house, the front door swung open to reveal a young blonde woman and a small red haired girl. They both raced down the stairs towards the man and tackled him with hugs.

I took my time to study the little girl as she was lifted in the air by the man. Her father, I presumed.

Her long curly red hair was loose down her back and flew in every direction as her father spun her. From this distance, I could not see her eye color even with my advanced sight.

She wore a simple yellow dress that made her pop out from the muted backdrop of her house as she twirled across the yard.

When the father finally set the Mara down, the happy family made their way back into their house, the green door clicking shut behind them.

Now came the waiting game. Night would fall in a few hours, and then, the Mara would be mine. I would be the strongest Alpha in the world, and not even my own pack would get in the way of my victory.

***

As night fell, the neighborhood slowly lit up with glowing warm lights. Every houses' windows were glowing with a welcoming and happy light, including the one in front of me. The one's happiness I was about to destroy.

***

I grinned as the house before me finally fell dark for the night. It was time to put my plan into motion.

I stepped out of the SUV and out onto the cold sidewalk. I closed the door quietly behind me so as not to alert any of the neighbors that someone was out and about.

I stealthily moved across the street and jumped the picket fence in one fluid motion. My werewolf genes making me virtually soundless.

I made my way over to the side yard where I gracefully climbed a very conveniently placed oak tree.

A few branches stretched out towards the Mara's bedroom window, and I swiftly walked across them.

I glanced inside the room before I slid open the window. The girl lay inside, fast asleep and all alone, her parents passed out for the night at the other end of the house.

I slid through the window and landed with a quiet thud on the bedroom floor, my black leather boots sinking into the annoyingly colorful carpet.

I quietly stalked my way over to the girl's bed, my shadow cast menacingly over the small girl's form by the nightlight shining brightly in the corner of the room. My feet pushed small toys out of the way so I had a quiet path to travel.

I stared down at the girl, a twinge of an unfamiliar emotion spreading like wildfire throughout my chest. How could such a small girl be such a powerful and destructive weapon?

I shook off the emotion, that unsaid weakness, and reached for the girl. I had just grabbed her blanket when she mumbled in her sleep, rolled over, and opened her eyes. She stared straight up at me and I finally got to see their unknown color.

They were a deep evergreen that reminded me of a dark forest that was not graced with the moon's soft glow.

The child seemed unaware of my danger as she stared straight into my very soul. I froze, perfectly still, even my breaths stilled within my chest.

A deep and unsettling emotion rose within me, then. The need to protect. To protect and cherish the small child before me.

She was my mate, the one destined to be by my side. The one that would complete and heal my already fractured soul. The Mara was my mate.

But one single fact haunted me as i stared back into that pool of deep green. Only a pure blooded werewolf could be an Alpha's mate.

And the Mara was human.

I jerked away from her and dashed across her room to jump out of her window. I didn't stop to close it. I didn't look back once. Instead, I scrambled as fast as I could down the oak tree and back across the still yard. The only thing keeping me silent was the wolf instincts inside of me.

I ran across the dark suburban street to my vehicle and hopped in. I sped down the road, careful not to disturb the sleeping neighbors.

And when I was far enough away that my instincts were not screaming as loudly for me to go back to my mate, I took a deep calming breath and evaluated what had just happened.

In the end, I finally realized that I, Alpha Nicholas Parker of the Eclipse Pack, had just ran from a small child like the flames of H*ll were licking at my heels.

And with my cowardly action, went the destruction of the world. No one would take the Mara from me. I had no choice, but to protect her.

Author's Note:
Thanks so much for reading At First Sight! Hope you enjoyed. Hopefully soon, there shall be many more firsts to come.
-Anna