Alyssa's POV:

I woke with a throbbing headache. I put my hand to my head and rubbed my temple. Very slowly, I got up into a sitting position and looked around me. My vision was clear enough to see that I was in a tent. I noticed I had a new outfit on. I wonder where that came from, I thought to myself. Then, aloud, I said, "Where am I?"

Right on cue, someone came through the opening. Her glowing pale skin looked like an angel's. Her hair was smooth, silky, and dark as melted chocolate. "Hello, Alyssa. It's very nice to finally meet you." She sat next to me on the mountain of blankets and pillows, legs crossed. I said nothing, and stared at her pearly white smile and dark brown eyes. She seemed like a nice person.

"Where am I? Who are you? How do you know my name?" I demanded, starting to feel panicked. I was in a tent that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, with nobody but a strange woman for company. Already, I was starting to miss Blake.

I looked away and tried to steady my breathing. She put her hand on my back. "It's okay, I'm not much older than you. I know your name because of Blake. You're in what we call the Evergreen Forest. We are not going to hurt you. And yes, we are werewolves. Does that answer your questions?" She looked at me and smiled.

I smiled back, hesitant. "Yes, it does. Thank you. Sorry, I'm just new to this. Why am I here?"

She giggled, and smiled. She pulled her hair behind her ear. "I'm Savannah. Everyone knows me as Blake's older sister. It's a pleasure to meet his mate."  She put her hand out, but I didn't accept. All I wanted was to go home.

"I am not his mate!" I said indignantly, blushing furiously, though I couldn't help noticing the warm feeling in my chest. "I'm only 16," I pointed out, rolling my eyes in disgust.

She glared at me. "Really? You're the girl he talks about all the time? You are such a brat! You should be lucky he chose you!" She looked absolutely livid.

It's not my fault that I was chosen, I wanted to remind her. I looked down at my bare feet. "Listen, I do love Blake, but I'm not ready to be a werewolf's wife or whatever it is you mean by 'mate.' I just want to go home, and go to sleep and pretend this is all a dream. I do like Blake more than a friend. I have always felt that way. But I'm not ready for some Twilight Saga Part Four. Hey, if werewolves are real, does that mean vampires are?"

She gave me a sore look. I stared back apologetically. I didn't mean to annoy her. "You're starting to sound like Dakota," she said, and she got up and left without another word.

I got up and walked slowly around the large tent. After I was confident she was far away, I walked to the opening to peek at my surroundings. I was surprised at how many people were walking around. There was a massive campfire and piles of extra firewood around it. I saw other tents of every shape and size. There was also a few log cabins. It was so alive, I was almost frightened. The tent I was in was in the dead center of the clearing. I wouldn't be able to leave unnoticed. I might as well try, I thought to myself.

I walked out of the tent, trying to look as natural as possible. With this many people, nobody would notice one unfamiliar face in the chaos, right? It was no good, I found, as everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at me. Am I a zoo animal to them? I thought, frozen in place. I was afraid that one movement would send them chasing after me.

"Hi!" a cheerful voice said behind me. I turned around to see a teenaged boy with hair the color of sand, and eyes as green as the trees around us. "I'm Dave," he announced.

''Oh, you're Dave, the wolf that was at my home," I said, relieved to see at least one familiar face. "I'm so happy you're here," I continued earnestly. "Where's Blake?"

"He's hunting right now, he'll be back later. Sorry. In the mean time, you can hang out with me and and my best friend." He took my arm and led me to a furnished log fashioned like a bench. There was a tall, thin girl sitting there, staring contentedly at the fire.

"Hey, Dakota!" Dave said, forcing the girl to look up. Her eyes, dark as night, flashed in slight annoyance at the interruption, but they quickly softened once she realized who had interrupted her. They were too dark to distinguish from pupil and iris, but anyone would be effortlessly mesmerized by them. They were framed with long eyelashes that she flicked almost constantly. Her skin was as shade tanner than ivory, with a metallic rose-colored tint to her cheeks. Her faultless champagne black hair fell loosely over her shoulders into skinny, slack curls. Her lips were like a frozen rose, dangerous but beautiful.

"I could smell you from a mile away. You must be Blake's mate," she said blankly. It was easy to tell that she could express no emotion. I couldn't tell if she was happy or angry that I was here. Did she like Blake? "I know what you're thinking," she said, startling me from my thoughts. "I'm not the romantic type, and I'm definitely not going to get in the way of you and Blake. He's more of my punching bag," She smirked. "If he causes you any trouble, I won't hesitate to let him have it. So, your name is Alyssa?"

"My name's Alyssa," I confirmed. "I was just talking to his sister. She didn't seem that happy, just because I don't wanna be Blake's mate." I crossed my arms. I wanted them to know I was mad.

Dakota laughed. "I can tell you're lying, at least partially. I wouldn't worry about it. Savannah just doesn't welcome competition."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that you'll be taking away from sibling time. She's hated Dave and me since we joined the pack, apparently. Can't be too close to Blake."

I uncrossed my arms. "I'm glad, because for the record, I'm not interested in being Blake's mate." I felt a hot blush creeping into my cheeks. I turned my head, trying not to appear bashful. "Not in the least."