The entire crowd gasped as soon as the name was mentioned. Maddy couldn't recognize that name but she assumed that the girl was someone special judging by the looks on the faces of the people in the crowd. Soon the entire crowd started cheering as Xander continued to smile awkwardly and fiddled with his fingers.

However, the matefinder wasn't done yet. "There is one condition that needs to be fulfilled first. Xander's case is..." the matefinder trailed off, trying to find the correct word. "Xander's case is special, unique."

Diana immediately leaned forward with concern.

"The normal process will not be applicable for them. Instead of shifting to their wolf form to complete the second step, they will need to follow the older custom."

Immediately the crowd started murmuring with confusion. Xander too frowned and glanced questioningly at the matefinder.

"What is the older custom?" Maddy whispered to Alexa and Leia curiously.

"A long time ago, instead of shifting, the two mates used to meet under the moonlight on a full moon day for the first time. Something special happens and that completes the second part of the bond. Nowadays, this is not done because no one is patient enough to wait for the full moon."

Maddy quickly did the calculation. The full moon was only two days away.

"If you don't follow this, the entire pack will be doomed and destroyed," the matefinder shouted. She then nonchalantly stepped away from the podium, as though she hadn't just told the entire pack that they'll be destroyed if they didn't wait for the full moon.

One by one, the werewolves started getting up and leaving. Dinner was being served in the cafeteria and all the werewolves started making their way to the cafeteria.

"Well, that got dark really fast," Jeremy commented as he got up.

"No kidding," Alexa said.

"So, the pack is going to wait for this full moon?" Maddy asked.

"Definitely," Xander said as he joined the four of them. "No use risking the entire pack."

"Well," Maddy voiced out a question that had been bugging her since the start. "If you don't meet Sophia in her wolf form, you won't be able to get killed. Then why don't you like postpone this ceremony until this fight with the boss is over? That way you won't be able to harmed."

Jeremy chuckled. "You think people haven't tried that? Until you complete the first two steps to complete the bond, your soul is restless. Sure, you won't die, but it is also very uncomfortable and—"

"It is like a mosquito bite," Alexa interrupted which made Jeremy glare at her. "It continuously itches and makes you uncomfortable and restless. The only way to get rid of it is to finish the first two steps of the mate bonding process. Imagine having a perpetual mosquito bite. That shit is scary."

Jeremy blinked. "Did you just compare the mate bond to a mosquito bite?"

Xander laughed. "Only Alexa would compare the mate bond to a mosquito bite."

While the others made their way to the cafeteria, Maddy stopped to talk to the matefinder. Maddy found the matefinder near the podium. On seeing Maddy, the matefinder smiled. "I've been waiting for you. Now where is the book?"

Maddy blinked and then remembered that the matefinder could see the future. That would never become less freaky. "Yeah. Could you tell me what the writing means?"

For the next fifteen minutes, the matefinder went through the pages in the book and explained it to Maddy. It seemed that the book contained various faerie spells that tooth-necklace lady had been using which was why Maddy wasn't able to jump from the window when tooth-necklace lady attacked her two months ago and why the safehouses seemed to have endless corridors. Most of the spells in the book were harmless spells except for a few.

Just before leaving, the matefinder handed out a piece of paper. It had words written on them. Although the writing was in English, the words weren't English.

"If you use this spell inside the safehouse, it will nullify all the spells that were previously cast on the safehouse. Just recite it out loud."

Maddy took the paper and bid the matefinder goodbye. She then hurried to the cafeteria to join the others.

When she entered, she saw that even the cafeteria was decorated lavishly with streamers and balloons. No sooner did she take her food and sat beside the others than Diana rushed to talk to Xander.

"Sophia Clarkson! She is a wonderful girl, isn't she?" Diana inquired.

Xander frowned. "I hardly know her. I have met her for two times in my whole life and that too for about two minutes."

"Still," Diana insisted. "What did you think of her for those two minutes?"

"I have never even spoken to her, mom," Xander said exasperatedly. "She hid behind her uncle's leg the entire time."

"Well, I am sure that she is nice," Diana said to herself as she walked away.

Xander smiled sheepishly at the rest of the group. "Mom is a bit excited about me finally meeting my mate."

"No kidding," Alexa said as she started placing food on her plate. "A year ago, mom bought a green colored dress impulsively because she thought that the dress matched perfectly with Xander's eyes. She insisted that she would give it to Xander's mate in the future. She still has the dress in her wardrobe."

"Ah yes," Jeremy said as though he was recalling some distant memory. "Diana paraded the dress all over the pack."

As the five of them sat down, Katie walked up to the table.

"Alpha," she said with respect. "I think congratulations are in order."

Maddy didn't miss the smug smile that Katie had on her face and the way she glared at Maddy while saying the last sentence. Maddy narrowed her eyes back at Katie.

"Thank you, Katie," he said politely.

Without another word, Katie walked away to the table where she usually sat with the friends.

"So," Leia said once Katie left. "Sophia's is Bruce's daughter, right?"

"Yeah," Jeremy replied.

"Who is Bruce again?" Maddy asked, completely oblivious to who Sophia was.

"Bruce is the Alpha of the Megaclite Pack."

"Ah," Maddy said as she remembered who Bruce was. She had heard of him before. He was part of the Amalthea Pack when he was young. In fact, he was supposed to become the Beta when Justin took over. The two of them had been best friends, just like Xander and Jeremy. However, Bruce became too dominant to remain as the Beta. He didn't want to take over Justin's position as an Alpha because not only would it hurt Justin emotionally, but physically as well as the two of them would also have to fight for dominance. So, he left the pack and became the Alpha of the Megaclite Pack.

"He has a daughter? I thought he hadn't found his mate yet?"

Bruce was also one of the few Alphas who hadn't found his mate yet. The Luna was an important part of the pack. Most Alphas found their mates by the time they took their positions of being an Alpha, either by fate or by the interference of the matefinder. Bruce was one of the few Alphas who still hadn't found his mate.

"Sophia isn't his daughter per say. She is his niece. But since her mother died while giving birth to her and her father is too drunk to care, Bruce has adopted her. So, technically Sophia is his daughter."

Everyone seemed to be happy that Sophia was the future Luna. Everyone except her. When Sophia and Xander bonded, the two packs would become extremely close. Not to mention the fact that the two fathers were best friends. Sophia seemed like the perfect girl which only made Maddy more bitter. Why couldn't Sophia be some weird girl who no one liked? At least that way, she would be easier to hate.