Game of Destiny by Dripping Creativity novel Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I stepped carefully across the soft grass, balancing a stack of thick wool blankets in my arms. Tonight was the full moon celebration, one of the pack’s most cherished monthly traditions. I always looked forward to these gatherings—the warmth of the fire, the shared laughter, and the ancient stories passed down about our pack’s history and the gods who watched over us. Those who could shift into their wolf forms would disappear into the surrounding woods, running free beneath the moonlight. The rest of us, the ones without the gift, stayed behind by the fire, pretending we weren’t envious of those who could roam wild. For eighteen long years, I had been part of the group left to watch over the pups and keep the fire safely contained in the pit. It was becoming tiresome. I longed for the moment my wolf would come to me, to prove I wasn’t a failure.

“Hey there, pumpkin.” The familiar voice of my father reached me, and I turned with a smile. Earlier, I had been out scouting the woods with Alpha Mark and Gamma Jonas, making sure everything was ready for the night’s festivities.

“Hi, Dad,” I replied cheerfully. I gently set the blankets down on a nearby log, then arranged a few on the other logs around the firepit. They were more for comfort than warmth—after all, all werewolves ran hot, even those like me who hadn’t yet found their wolf. “Here, these will make the seats cozier,” I added softly.

Alpha Mark, Gamma Jonas, and my father approached, their footsteps light on the grass.

“Excited for tomorrow?” Mark asked with a grin.

“Sort of,” I answered, feeling a mix of anticipation and unease.

“What do you mean, ‘sort of,’ green bean?” Jonas teased, his eyes twinkling. My father and the Alpha chuckled along.

The three of them had been close for years—Alpha Mark had named my father his Beta and Jonas his Gamma when he took over leadership from his father long before my brother and I were born. We had all grown up intertwined, like one extended family. My brother Elder was best friends with James, the Alpha’s son, and everyone expected me to be close with Cindy, Jonas’s daughter. But Cindy and I barely got along; we kept things polite but distant, bound together only by family ties.

“I think my pumpkin’s just nervous,” Dad said, draping an arm around me and pulling me close. “Turning eighteen is a big deal.”

“That’s right,” the Alpha added with a warm smile. “Once you’re eighteen, you’ll be able to sense your mate, and he’ll be able to find you, too—if he’s over eighteen as well.”

Dad scowled playfully. “She’s far too young for all that,” he said, making the others burst into laughter. Their easy camaraderie always made me smile.

I had never told them the whole truth. Yes, I was nervous about sensing my mate, but deeper than that, I was scared because my wolf hadn’t come to me yet. I hadn’t shifted even once. Each full moon that passed without change made me feel weaker in the eyes of the pack. Most began to shift between sixteen and twenty-five. The younger your wolf came, the stronger you were considered. James had shifted just a month after his sixteenth birthday, my brother seven months after his own sixteenth. Cindy had shifted a little after seventeen. And me? I was nearly eighteen, and I hadn’t even felt a flicker during a full moon. What if, when I finally found my mate, he rejected me for not having a wolf?

“Still worried about your wolf, little one?” the Alpha asked gently. I nodded, feeling the familiar knot of anxiety tighten in my chest. We had this conversation many times over the past two years. “Armeria Rose Winstone,” he said, using my full name, “two years is nothing. Your wolf will come to you.”

I flinched at my full name. My mother adored all things botanical and had named her only two children after her favorite plants. My father never argued—he loved her too much to deny her whims.

“I know, Alpha,” I whispered.

“You’re perfect just the way you are, pumpkin,” Dad said, kissing the top of my head.

“You’d have to say that—you’re my father,” I teased.

“And if any boy dares to tell you otherwise, you let us know. We’ll beat his ass for you.”

“Thank you, Luna,” I said quietly.

“Time to blow out the candles and make a wish, pumpkin,” Dad said, joining us.

“Not yet. Elder isn’t here,” Mom pointed out.

“He’s off with James and Cindy,” Luna explained, snuggling close to Alpha Mark.

“I can wait,” I offered, earning a smile from the Alpha pair.

“Honestly, the whole pack is here, and we’re just waiting on our son,” Mom said, impatience clear in her voice. I heard my brother and friends before I saw them. Elder came half-running out of the forest, closely followed by James, while Cindy strolled behind them at a more leisurely pace.

“Sorry, sorry, I didn’t realize how far into the forest we had gone. You haven’t blown out the candles yet, have you?” Elder asked breathlessly.

“No, she’s been waiting,” Mom replied, shooting him a look that told everyone she wasn’t happy.

“Sorry,” he said again. But I wasn’t listening to his apology. My attention was captured by a familiar scent—sandalwood and pineapple. Even without my wolf, I knew that was the scent of my mate. I turned toward it and saw James standing at the edge of the forest, looking back at me with the same surprise I felt. James, the Alpha’s son, was my mate?