"How do I look?"

Looking up from the book I am reading, I take in my sister standing in front of me. Gwen has always been gorgeous, getting the blonde hair and green eyes of our fathers. But today, she looks even better. Somehow, she has managed to tame her curls, most of them pulled away from her face to reveal the birthmark on her jaw that she usually keeps hidden. She has always complained about it, but I agree with Mom about it being unique, something that makes her different from everyone else.

"Eh, slightly less hideous than usual," I say, doing my best to hide back my grin.

Gwen lets out an indignant scoff, picking up the nearest pillow and throwing it at me. "Shut up, Matty. You're just lucky you got Mom's everything and don't have to worry about how you look."

Rolling my eyes, I set down my book, coming to stand in front of Gwen. She has always had a temper, running hot and cold. Grandpa says she takes after Grandma, leading with her emotions. She was worse when she was younger, speaking her mind and not caring who she hurt, but she is a lot better now. Mom isn't constantly apologizing for her whenever she accidentally offends someone.

"Gwen, you look gorgeous. Stop fretting," I murmur, reaching up to brush back a stray curl.

Her teeth catch her bottom lip, a habit that she only does when anxious. "I don't know, Matty. There are so many people who never find their mate. What if I am one of them?"

"There's nothing wrong with that," I tell her, giving her hand a squeeze. "Tate and Taylor weren't mates. Taylor's was an asshole, remember?" She gives a small nod of her head. "A mate isn't everything. You'll find whoever is right for you, mate or not."

A small smile spreads across her lip, and she leans forward, wrapping me up in a tight hug. "Thanks, Matty."

The moment is cut short by a knock at the door. Gwen quickly pulls away, wiping her hands down her loose dress in an attempt to get rid of any wrinkles.

Mom peeks his head in a second later, a wide smile on his face. "Oh, don't you two look wonderful." He quickly comes into the room, closing the door behind him. "The feast is going to start soon, so we better head out."

We both nod our heads, Gwen moving towards the door while I bend down to grab my brush, running it through my hair as quickly as I can. My hair isn't that long, but it still tends to get tangled easily.

"Matty, come on, we don't want to be late."

"Coming, Mom."

Even though I am twenty years old, Mom still tries to coddle. We are downstairs and finally out the door ten minutes later. Theo was too absorbed to hear Mom calling for him, so we had to go on the hunt for him. As per usual, he was laying out on the roof, completely absorbed in his own little world.

Darcy climbs up after him, able to get him to finally come down so that we can head to the feast.

The walk takes a little while since other families are starting to head out as well. Everyone is excited, as they usually are during these festivals. They only happen every five years, so it is a highly anticipated event.

But I just want to get this over with. The stirrings of my heat have already started, even though there are still a few more hours before the moon rises. All I want to do is curl up in bed and drink some soothing tea, just like I have done for every other heat I have had since I presented as an omega at fourteen.

But this year is different. Mom, Dad, and Papa are insistent, wanting me to participate in at least one mating ceremony before calling it quits. I know this is how they determined that they were mates, but this is just not something I want to do.

Being pushed outside my comfort zone has never been something I love, but if it keeps the disappointed look off of Mom's face, then I am willing to do it.

The music has already started up by the time we make it to the clearing. Gwen quickly grabs my hand, just like she did when she was younger and unsure. She has always been a pain in my ass, but she is my little sister. So, I give her hand a squeeze, attempting a reassuring smile. It must work, because she relaxes against me, returning the squeeze.

Rosalie is waving us over from where she is standing next to the buffet table. There is a ton of food, enough to feed werewolves from three different packs. Two weeks of preparation have all commenced to this, and I am not in the least bit disappointed.

"Hurry and eat before everyone else gets here," she says shoving a plate at each of us. "You know how Beckett and the twins are like bottomless pits."

"True," I murmur, nodding my head before following behind her as she starts to scoop up food.

Surprisingly, we are one of the first ones here, meaning the food has barely been touched. By the time I get to the end of the table, my plate is piled high with food. Pork, fruit, corn on the cob, potatoes, and even some salmon. All of it is enough to make my mouth water, and the fact that my heat is about to start makes me even more excited to eat all this delicious food.

"Make sure to leave some for us," a voice calls from behind us. Turning, I see that the twins have made it here.

Rowan is quick to make his way over, Henry trailing behind him. It is surprising how different they are, despite being twins. Unlike my fathers, they are fraternal twins, complete opposites of one another in looks and personality.

"Too late," Rosalie sing songs, a wide grin on her face.

Henry smiles at her, his face soft. Something inside me tells me that the two of them may be getting some news tonight.

Rowan cuts the moment short, coming over to slide in between me and Rosalie as he grabs a plate for himself. His body is warm pressed up against mine, and I try to scoot away, fighting down the heat that is trying to spread across my cheeks.

To say that the both of them had grown up attractive would be an understatement. While Henry has the dark hair of Nik, Rowan has Avery's platinum blonde strands. The one thing they do have in common is the smattering of freckles across the bridge of their nose and cheeks. It's something that I have always found appealing, upset that I never got that trait.

"Looks good," Rowan says, smiling up at me with a crooked tilt of his lips.

Blushing, I step away. "Yeah. The food's great."

He just smiles wider before turning to start scooping up his own food. "Yeah, the food."

My heart is pounding, so loud that the conversations around me are slightly muffled. It is no surprise to me that Rowan can still bring out this reaction in me. For as long as I can remember I have had the largest crush on him.

But twins always have the same mates.

And Henry is clearly mates with Rosalie. It is clear as day to everyone around us. So I have always pushed those feelings aside. The hurt always becomes too strong when I think of Rowan with someone else.

Another reason why I didn't want to participate in the stupid ceremony. As if my heart doesn't hurt enough knowing that my best friend is going to have my first love as one of her mates.

Mom has always been understanding, always telling me not to jump to conclusions. But it is pretty damn hard to stay optimistic when I can't find any reference in our history book of twins- Alpha twins, nonetheless- having different mates.

"Ah, looks like Noah and Beckett have finally shown up," Rosalie says, nodding her head over towards the trail opening.

Sure enough, Noah stumbles into the clearing, only avoiding falling due to Beckett catching him. Their younger siblings come spilling out from behind them, Elva being the only one who doesn't immediately start running towards the band.

With everyone's eyes turned towards the approaching pack members, my eyes flicker over towards Rowan, using the distraction to get a good look at him. He is dressed well, a newer looking shirt that he must have gotten during the last market. It fits his broad shoulders well, but not too tight where it looks like the seams are about to rip.

Blonde hair falls across his forehead, which he manages to swipe away every time it gets in his eyes. And his eyes, a turquoise blue. So similar to Rosalie's, yet his have more green.

Everything about him calls to me. Everything about him makes me ache. A curl of heat wraps around me, and I can feel my heat getting stronger.

Giving my head a small shake, I turn away from him, just now realizing that Noah and Beckett have reached us. As per usual, Beckett is quiet, letting Noah do all the talking for the two of them.

"Oh man, I'm starving," Noah says, leaning over to snatch a blackberry off of Rosalie's plate.

"Get your own food," Rosalie practically growls, bringing her plate closer to her chest.

The gesture has me rolling my eyes, knowing that Rosalie can be pretty damn protective of her food. Noah knows it too if his smile has anything to say about it. He just chuckles, stepping around us to get his own plateful.

"Let's go sit down. This food is calling my name," Rosalie says, nodding her head in the direction of one of the picnic tables. Grandpa has gotten into woodworking ever since he stepped down as Alpha. He has been happier ever since, and all of his works have shown it.

The next few hours pass in a bit of a haze. The courtyard eventually fills up, more people than the last two ceremonies. It has been slow going, but our pack has been growing. Alpha Seren had always been picky about who he let join, meaning that he turned away half the people who tried. Papa and Dad have been no different ever since they took over, but it is rare nowadays for an outsider to come by.

Even the infected don't come around that much. But scouting trips are still conducted, where the infected are killed before they can get close to our fences. There has only been one time where we were almost breached, but the thing with the living is that we fight back hard, no matter the danger.

When the sun starts to set, a loud whistle rips through the air, cutting off all the chatter and music. Turning, I see that Dad and Papa are standing on two wooden boxes, waiting for everyone's attention to turn to them.

"Welcome everyone," Papa says, his voice carrying easily through the clearing, "to our third Mating Ceremony. We are honored to have members of the Shady Grove and Ashland packs here to participate, and we look forward to the bonds that may come from tonight." A few cheers come from the crowd.

Dad takes over then, a wide smile on his face. "The moon is close to reaching its highest peak, and so it is time for the omegas and betas to make their way out into the forest. As we all know, only pack members over the age of eighteen are allowed to participate, and we have all registered participants." The so no one underage try to sneak in is silent. "Now, time for our goodbyes for tonight, and good luck to all."

Rosalie is the first to stand up, reaching over to give my arm a tug. Both of our moms are waiting for us at the tree line. Taylor pulls Rosalie into a tight hug, murmuring something to her so quietly that I can't catch the words.

Mom does the same for us. Gwen goes eagerly into his arms, and mom brushes back her curls, leaning down to give her a kiss on the forehead. Dad and Papa give me a tight hug in the mean time, having made their way over from the middle of the clearing.

"Good luck, Matty," Dad says.

"You'll do just fine," Papa tells me, ruffling my hair.

"Now, you two stay safe," Mom says, quickly brushing away some of the wetness from his eyes. "If you run into any trouble, you just come back here and we'll help you."

As usual, mom is overprotective, but I just give a small nod. Our parents will spend the entire night worrying, not relaxing until we get back. They had been through the worst of the infection, so they tend to get a little overprotective when it comes to being separated from any of their children.

"One last thing," Dad says, hand going into his pocket before pulling out two glass vials. "You'll need this later tonight. Trust me."

A fierce blush spreads across my cheeks, but I take the vial from Dad anyways, the sound of Mom scolding him behind me as I take my first hesitant steps into the forest.

"See you tomorrow," Gwen whispers.

I give her a small smile. "See you tomorrow."

And with that, I turn away, walking in the opposite direction as her. There is someplace I already know where I want to go. It's a good way out, nearly an hours walk, but I trudge through the under brush anyway.

The hope is that I can hide out there until this whole night is over with. It is going to be a long night, but as the warm breeze brushes over my arms, I think about how lucky I am that it is at least going to be warm.

It takes a while to make it through the forest to my special spot, long enough that I know that the alphas are just now setting out. But this spot is ideal, where the creek meets the meadows. There is a flattened patch behind a newly fallen log, my go to place when I want somewhere to hide away and read. It keeps my pestering siblings away, and the sounds of pack life are drowned out by nature. In total: perfection.

It is pretty dark by the time I finally find the spot, and I settle in for the night. There is a basket that I keep here since I come so often, filled with the essentials. I pull out the small pillow but leave the blanket inside. It may be starting to get chilly out here, but my heat is starting, making me feel warmer than ever.

The stars are bright out tonight, and it is nice to look up at them, a familiar sight during a stressful night. Well, upsetting at least. Which is why I am surprised I manage to drift off a few hours later.

In fact, dawn is almost here by the time I am snapped awake. There is someone wading through the creek, and I know that they will be upon me in seconds. I tend to walk around the water, something that takes a little longer, but at least I won't be wet. The person approaching doesn't seem to be too concerned about that, though.

Scooting back against the log, I flail my hand in the direction of the basket, trying to find something I can use as a weapon. My fingers close around something cold and hard. Quickly, I pull it out, my fingers tightening around it. It may be just a flashlight, but it's a heavy one. I can inflict some damage if need be.

"Stay back," I say, unsuccessful in keeping my voice from trembling. I can't help it. My terror is rising. I am in the middle of the woods, my heat still going, and someone is getting way too close for comfort. "I-I have a weapon."

Finally, the person breaks through the long grass, my heart picking up in terror. "Relax, Matty. It's just me."

That voice is familiar, but it takes me a minute to realize who it belongs to. "Rowan?" I say, finally lowering my hands. "Why are you out here?"

"Coming to find you," he says, stumbling over to where I am sitting and falling onto the grass next to me. "And you just had to find the place farthest away from the clearing."

"It's comfortable."

He just hums, rolling his head to the side and looking up at me. The moon is full tonight, casting more light than usual. It makes it possible for me to see his face, his eyes hooded as he takes me in.

When he doesn't say anything more, I set the flashlight down with a sigh. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with Henry and Rosalie?"

He shrugs, eyes never leaving my face. "I was for a little bit, but it just wasn't right."

Confused, I look down at him, and when he pats the ground next to him, I lay down without protest, too interested in what he has to say. "What happened?"

It seems like he is having difficulty finding the right words, his brows furrowed as he thinks. "I felt the pull, the same one as Henry, and so we followed it. Sure enough, it led to Rosalie, but while Henry was happy, I just felt deceived."

"What do you mean?" I whisper, turning on my side so that I can see him better.

"I've never felt that way about women," he says, words soft. "The heat wasn't there. The want was missing. So I left. They were upset, not wanting me to go, but I couldn't trap myself in a mateship where I would never be happy."

My lips turn down in a frown, seeing the displeasure on his face. "What do you want to do about it?"

He shrugs his shoulders again. "I don't know exactly. All I do know is that I want to be with you, mates or not." He looks over at me, our faces only inches apart. "Will you let me, Matty? Give me a chance to show you that we can be great for each other."

Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I give a shaky nod of my head. This is all I have wanted, to be with Rowan, despite knowing that he isn't my mate. "Yes, of course."

He smiles wide, scooting closer to me so that he can wrap his arms around my waist. It feels wonderful to be pressed against him, a soothing balm to my overheated body. But I don't want to push it too far, so I just lay my head on his chest, watching the stars in the sky as he nuzzles against me. We may not be mates. But it does feel right.

Tomorrow will bring a hell storm trying to explain everything to everyone, but not even the thought of that can bring me down. The smile stays on my face as I drift off, worries abated for at least a little while.

*****

So there will be another part, which is this night but from Noah's point of view. I was going to have it as one long chapter but it was over 5000 words. It is almost done and will be posted sometime tomorrow!