Academy Of Mates novel Chapter 3

Chapter 3

By the time the sun rose up in the sky, I was already wide awake, the sounds of morning activity filling my mind. I’ve been up for hours now worried and anxious beyond belief because today was the day.

The day of the dreaded Academy… or should I say, the School of Love.

I should think that after my talk with Jeff I would be in a much better mood- calmer perhaps, but honestly, it only made me more nervous.

Worry towards the Academy is not normal. Excitement is.

Everyone I know has been waiting for this since they were mere pups, either for the neutral land where the Academy is held or just the anticipation of having our soulmates. When you finally come of age and are added to the enrollment list by the Alpha, it’s supposed to be the best thing in the world.

A knock on my door brings me out of my thoughts and a second later, my hesitant looking father comes in, his messy gray hair popping out from the small opening. He had just come back from what seemed to be a very long patrol shift.

“Hey, hun. Good morning.” His tired voice spoke through the quiet of our home.

I forced a smile to hide the worry that I was feeling and sat up. “Good morning.”

He sits on the edge of my bed and takes my hand in his. “How are you feeling?”

“Really great.” I blatantly lied, not wanting to add to his stress. He was tired enough as it was. He didn’t need anything else to worry about.

From the look he was giving me, I know he caught my lie, but being the best father in the world, he doesn’t mention it. “Don’t think about it too much. Enjoy it as much as you can. Don’t worry if you don’t get chosen. You are always welcome at home.”

He doesn’t bother with lying to me, giving empty promises and other words of encouragement about being chosen or finding a mate. My father has always been practical and has taught me to accept the reality of things instead of living in denial. He cannot guarantee that I will be chosen and he will not tell me lies just to comfort

The fear of every girl is to never get chosen for these things. Our pack in particular is not known for being the first choice or any choice for that matter. This new mating… it’ s like a business transaction these days. If you have nothing to offer; beauty, power or wealth, no one will choose you. I have lost count of the number of girls that come running home crying because they were not chosen.

We only have until the age of twenty five to be chosen and I’m only eighteen. It’s my first year.

My father reached for the side of my cheek lovingly. “Promise me you’ll try to enjoy yourself. I know you’re worried about me and the pack- the cost of keeping unmated females or whatever it is you’re worried about that you shouldn’t be. Know that it’ll make me very happy if you’ll let yourself enjoy this moment.”

I held my father’s gaze and nodded. It wasn’t a hard request. “I promise.”

The smile he gave was heart clenching. “Good. Now get ready. The car that the Alpha rented will arrive in an hour.”

Cars and other mechanisms like that are foreign in our lands. The few humans that live within our territory don’t even have it. That’s why our Alpha has to pay someone from another pack to let us rent a car.

Within the hour, I shower and get myself ready. Still dripping wet from my bath, I stepped outside my room to find a group of unmated women who were already waiting for me. The women were holding hairbrushes and other things I was not familiar with.

It’s a custom in our pack to help each other, especially on special occasions like this. The women do not waste any time. They brush my hair, detangling the knots and taming my wild curls as best as they can. By the end of it, they’re biting their lips in frustration and groaning to themselves.

“She’s a lot of work.” They whisper to themselves, not caring if I could hear them.” Soon we will have another one of us in our midst. Our poor Alpha.”

“Her poor father.” Another chimed in, making me swallow anxiously. It felt like cotton balls were in my throat. “Another mouth to feed.”

When my hair was tame enough, they assisted me into a beautiful soft white dress that fell just above my knees. This was the dress that the Alpha specially ordered from another pack. It was simple but elegant and detailed with the finest lace, the material hugging my body and allowing the little curves that I had to show. The dress is backless, dipping all the way down right below my bottom.

I was showing a lot of skin- more than I’m used to, but I know from the mumblings of the women that this is what clothes are supposed to look like in the Academy. Everyone was supposed to look their best… and sometimes we had to show what we had to offer.

As small as that is for me.

Nonetheless, this dress is single handedly the most beautiful piece of clothing I’ve ever owned. It made me wonder how long it took for the Alpha and the others to afford this.

After they’re satisfied with my hair and dress, they begin to attack my face with powder and lipstick. We don’t often dress up here. There wasn’t ever a need for it.

Pretty clothes, paint on our faces, it all just got in the way of our daily chores so I was all new to this.

“Vareesa is taking twice as long as we did with Kelcey.” One of the women complained under her breath. Much like the Alpha, it was not a comment to be mean to me but of truth.

“That’s because Kelcey is prettier.” Again, not to be mean, but only stating facts.

Kelcey is much prettier than I am and, with an event like the Academy, that meant a lot. I can only hope she finds a mate so that there won’t be two failures this year.

“And Kelcey actually takes care of herself.” They say, shooting me pointed looks. “Like brushing her hair and taking more baths.”

It can’t be helped. I didn’t have time. Every waking second of my day is dedicated to ensure that my father and I would have something to eat at the end of the day.

Kelcey has five older brothers who all excel in the pack. With five brothers, there’s very little she has to do outside their home.

Whereas there’s only my father and I in ours, so there’s a lot more things to do

physically that are eating away at my time. And honestly… if I did have time, it wouldn’t exactly be to brush my hair.

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