Damon Pov

I cannot believe this is my last day here at the Alpha training camp, and I can't deny the excitement I feel to get back to our lands, and Slade agrees with me. If it were up to Slade, we would have left after three days of being here.

He has been agitated, not knowing what Elle had been up to in our absence. When we were at home, keeping track of her movements was easier, but being here with all my men meant I had no one on the land to monitor her for me.

It's not like I could ask my father's men to do it. Instead, I had to rely on the small tidbits Mom would give me when she called to talk to me, but she never gave the information willingly. Constantly forcing me to ask. I tried to resist the temptation; I did not want my mom to think I cared about the silly little orphan.

I want nothing to do with that red-haired, green-eyed vixen. It's Slade who is obsessed. I try my hardest to avoid her like the plague he just makes it impossible. Stupid wolf. I don't get his hype; she isn't even that pretty.

'I am not the one who forced you to steal her shirts. You did that all on your own,' Slade gloats from the corner of my mind, retreating before I can utter my response. Stupid mutt.

My phone starts ringing, pulling my thoughts from Elle. Looking at the caller ID, I see it's my mom calling me.

"Hey, Mom," I answer, knowing if I ignore it, she will call Andrew or Matt if she can't get ahold of me on the first try. I get her apprehension. I understand that it is nerve-racking for an Alpha and Luna to send their successor, especially when there is only one heir. It doesn't help that these young Alphas warriors and right-hand men come along. While Alpha training is relatively safe and well-guarded, things could always happen.

"Hi, honey, your father and I are just wondering if you and your men have left yet?" she asks with a hint of excitement. I know that she and her females are ready for their sons to get home.

"Not yet. I am finishing packing up now, and we will grab lunch then head to the airport." I say, telling her the plan for the fifteenth time. "Our plane leaves the Denver airport at 5:30 pm. We will land in Ohio around 9:30, and then we will board the 10 o'clock plane to NYC. We pick up the rental car from there and drive the 3. 5 hours home. We won't make it back to the pack territory till 1 am."

"Oh shoot, that means the girls and I won't get to see you, boys, until late tomorrow night," she says, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Why? Where are you guys going?" I ask, not caring when they will see us. While I missed my mom, I am no longer a pup, so I could handle not seeing her for an extra day.

"The girls and I are doing a last-minute trip to NYC to find dresses for your birthday ball," she says, reminding me of the ball they will be throwing for me five weeks after returning home. It was supposed to happen this summer, but I was here the entire time, required to stay on campus until the session was complete.

"Mom, don't you have enough formal dresses appropriate for the occasion?" I ask, knowing she, the Beta female, and the Gamma female have enough clothes to fill a medium-sized house with every square inch overrun with clothes, shoes, and accessories.

"A woman can never have enough dresses, Damon. Plus, this is an extraordinary occasion for our pack. Alpha and Luna's will be coming from all over the country. All four of us must look like divinity." she explains with an exasperated voice.

"Four?" I ask, confused. Did mom make a new friend over the summer? I don't remember her mentioning someone.

"Yes, Elle will be accompanying us this year. Your father and I put off debuting her, and we need to do it eventually," my mom says in a small voice, and I can tell she isn't too fond of this either. For what reason, I cannot figure it out yet. "I know she usually avoids these things, but unfortunately, she is turning seventeen soon, and we can no longer prevent her introductions to other packs."

"That's Bullshit," I spew, Slade and I's anger rising quickly. My mom is talking like she is trying to set Elle up with any loser Alpha present at my party. "Elle is an Omega; what could she possibly offer an Alpha, Beta, or Gamma?" I snort, hoping my mom doesn't read through the facade.

"Elle is a gorgeous young woman and gets more beautiful each day. You haven't seen her in months, but I am sure many Alpha's would be happy to look past her rank to claim her as their own, " my mom says. "But that's not the point, Damon; we need to do this now."

Her response has Slade raging in my head, pissed that my mom would even suggest Elle take a chosen mate. It sounds like they are hoping this Ball doubles as a way to introduce Elle to eligible young Alpha's and other high-ranking wolves. Could they be any more transparent?

Taking a calming breath, I control Slade enough to ask my mom what they think. "You can't seriously suggest we hand Elle off to some Alpha who isn't her mate!" I growl out. "Or do you think you and father know more than the Goddess?"

"Never. But there are things about a mate bond you do not understand yet because you haven't found your own," she replies, telling me she will not discuss the subject further. After a slight pause, my mother asks me the question I dread answering when it comes to Elle. "Why do you care?"

"I don't care about Elle." I quickly cough out, trying to cover the shakiness in my voice. "I was just shocked for a second. You and Dad are fated mates, and you have always pushed that belief on me growing up. I don't like Elle, but even she deserves her mate." I add, hoping that satisfies her curiosity.

"Mmhmm. Well, I better run, dear. I will see you in a few days. I love you, and sweet travels." mom says, hanging up before I have the chance to respond to her. I could tell by the sound of her voice that

Taping up the last box, I glance at the clock and see that I have enough time to take a run and shower before meeting the guys at the front of the building to leave.

******************************

After letting Slade run free for almost three hours, and a forty-minute shower, I was finally dressed and standing in the dorm lobby, waiting for my men to meet me there so we could get lunch before taking the shuttle to the airport.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzzz. Buzzzz. Buzzz.

"You gonna grab that Alpha?" asked Trent, my lead warrior and the Gamma's second in command.

"No," I say dryly. I didn't need to look at the screen to know who was calling me. The same person has called me over twenty times in the last 30 hours. Melanie Matt's twin sister. Thankfully, Matt stays away from our "relationship," or he might have to kill me.

Part of me knows he disapproves, I know he doesn't think we are mates, and neither does Andrew. My Beta is not shy of his disdain for Melanie and doesn't know why I am wasting my time with her if she might not be my mate. Andrew and Matt aren't virgins, but they do not sleep with she-wolves; instead, they have one-time encounters with humans who live near the territory.

But I have been in a relationship with Melanie since middle school, we have only had sex with each other, but we can be toxic. On again and off again rollercoaster. I like Melanie, but ever since we both turned eighteen this summer, she has become extra clingy. Calling fifteen times in one day, and when she is not calling, she is texting. I know she is hoping we are mates, but somewhere deep down, I am praying we aren't.

"She better not be our mate, or I might have to kill us. I have no idea how you handle her shrill voice. I know the sex isn't that good... Elle would be better." Slade adds from the corner of my mind while he flashes Elle in my mind.

The buzz buzz buzz of my phone going off again interrupts me from responding to the devious wolf. Taking the phone out of my pocket, I turn it off and turn to Trent to ask where the others are because they're late.

"They're coming down now, Alpha," Trent says, nodding towards the see-through elevator that is jam-packed with my men as it makes its way down to the lobby floor.

"Finally, I am fucking starved," I say as the group walks towards us, and we all head to the exit.

*****************************

As soon as the doors of my Bronco slam shut, Matt and Andrew are talking over each other, firing off a hundred different questions expecting me to answer. I stay silent, focusing on driving us away from long-term parking, giving them time to calm down before I bother responding.

"Seriously, dude, what's going on with you?" asks Andrew. "Ever since we got to training camp, you've been more of a dick than usual."

"Yeah, man, you became a different person in the past few months. Angrier, edgier, and scary as hell. Did you notice how the other Alpha's acted around you? It was almost like they were scared of you." Matt adds in from the back seat.

"Good. They should fear me," I snarled, especially with my parents trying to pawn Elle off on one of those mutts.

"The whole point of training is to make and keep alliances; Matt and I spent most of the summer covering for your shit attitude," Andrew informs me from the passenger seat, "towards the end, it started to improve. Now today, you're acting like a complete jackass. What happened?"

"My mom and dad are using my eighteenth birthday to introduce Elle to the neighboring pack Alpha's and their high-ranking wolves." I figure I'll tell them. I know they won't let it go if I don't say anything. I won't tell them about Slade's obsession with Elle, but I need to tell them about this. "My mom told me today when she called."

Andrew says nothing; he watches me from the passenger side as I navigate us out of the city.

"What would an Alpha want with an omega?" Matt asks from the back seat after he settles from laughing.

"I don't know," Andrew glances in the back seat at Matt before he turns back to look at my face before answering, "but my mom says she has gotten hot over the summer" Andrew's eyes never leave my face, so I know he sees the way my jaw clenches and my grip on the steering wheel tightens.

"Dude, I don't care what your mom says; there is no way that nerd magically got hot in 3 months," Matt argues from the back seat. "But why are you so angry about it, Damon? I thought you hated the orphan?" he asks. While Matt is not as logical as Andrew, he is still perceptive.

"I am pissed that my parents decided to use my birthday to find a chosen mate for Elle when It should be spent on me finding mine," I respond to Matt. I know this response makes me sound like a petulant child, but I cannot tell them the truth. That the thought of another wolf marking Elle wants to send Slade into a killing frenzy, they wouldn't understand.

I can still feel Andrew's eyes on me, and I know he doesn't fully believe my answers, but he doesn't say a word about it. Instead, he says something much worse.

"I guess you should be happy about it. If they find Elle's mate or a chosen you can finally get rid of her. You have wanted her gone since she stepped foot in the pack five years ago."

"NEVER!" Slade takes over and growls out, my eyes flashing black, so they know he is just behind the surface. I can see Andrew's reaction from the corner of my eye, knowing he won't say another word. If he is smart, he will mindlink the dumbass in the back and tell him not to say a damn thing.

Thankfully both of them are smart enough not to say a word the rest of the way home. Just another hour before we reach the pack borders, where I can finally smell the cinnamon swirl that haunts my dreams and every waking hour.