Beta's Bride [ShadowPack #2]
Chapter 1: The Vacation

4 years, 3 months, 5 days.

It was finally here. Why am I getting excited over here?!

4 years, 3 months, 5 days.

It has been quite some time for me to be able to do this. Argh!

4 years, 3 months, 5 days.

This is it, this is the moment that I am waiting for. Paphos, Cyprus, here we go!

These thoughts have been running inside the head of one Stella Canali, an Italian woman who just finished her undergraduate for English Language Studies, BA with honors before she hopped on a plane from Roma and headed to one place that she has been dreaming of about since her freshman year in college.

It has been a challenge to save the money for her graduation vacation as she had to work 3 part-time jobs just to get it into her savings. But of course, she did not tell her mother, Mrs. Canali who was apparently a CEO for a very successful empire of beauty cosmetics, about this vacation that she had been planning for years to come.

Stella wanted to come with her best friend, Laura Conti, to this magnificent island that was rumored to be the place where the werewolves dwelled since Ancient Greece. But of course, she did not believe in such a rumor.

That's just it. Rumors.

Maybe I met someone there and perhaps I lay with him for the first time, Stella mused as she was settling on the plane in the economy couch when she usually has a private jet to bring her anywhere she wanted.

But of course, she traveled with her mother and this was the first time that she will be someone that she was not born to be.

A commoner.

A normal person.

Not the next heiress in line.

Stella was putting on the classical music—old habits die hard—for she was looking at the island that was small enough down there. She was smiling from ear to ear before she heard the captain was announcing something in the speakers.

"We will be landing shortly at Kato International Airport. The local time is 8 AM and the weather is nice and sunny. To the tourist, I want to say welcome to Cyprus and to our Cyprus citizens, welcome home," the captain said before Stella can hardly believe that she was getting ready for the next chapter in her life as she was looking forward to spending one week in Paphos as a single, free, normal woman, hoping that this will be an experience that she will never forget.

A few hours later, she was standing outside the airport as she had gone through customs and all that shit that she had to deal with when she was getting into one foreign country. Stella was looking at her passport before she was walking down to replace a taxi to get to the hotel that she reserved for her stay.

"Hi, do you speak English?" she asked one taxi driver before he was nodding at her. She smiled before she was taking out the paper that she has printed out for the location of the hotel.

"Yeah, I can take you there but it will be quite expensive since it will be over 50 km. is that okay with you, miss?" the taxi driver asked before she nodded at him.

Then, she was off.

Stella was looking outside the window as they passed through the streets and buildings that were unique on their own. It was a sad tragedy that Cyprus was divided into two, the Greeks were conquering the east and the Turks were conquering the west. They have to draw a borderline in the middle which was controlled by the UN. It was a sad day for generations to come as they cannot live as one single, independent country.

But enough about the history. I am here to spend some time at the Folk Festival in Paphos. It has been one of my bucket lists to do so I will be focusing on that, Stella reminded herself not to get involved politically for who knows what will happen to her if she did.

And she was an Italian citizen!

The small town of Paphos was different from Kato. It was beautiful and quaint that Stella has to gawk at everything before the taxi driver told her to pay. It was 60 euros to get here but it was all worth it for she has been dreaming for 4 years, 3 months, 5 days.

"Thank you," she said as she was stepping out of the taxi with her backpack only. Once her foot was hitting the ground, she felt something different. Something that was pulling her deeper into the jungle, the darkest part as there was something out there that wanted to be discovered by her.

But of course, she was not an archeologist like her best friend. No, she was an English major and she was here to experience a different culture altogether.

She followed the directions on the map that she printed out for her as she was making her way to the hotel. It was simple and easy as she was opening the door before she was greeted by the receptionist behind the counter.

"Hi, I have a reservation under Canali, Stella," she said as she was letting the receptionist greet her and searched for her reservation.

"Ah, here it is," the old man said before she wanted to make sure that Stella was not a fraud and asked for the credit card that she paid with. It took some minutes before she gave the keys and Stella thanks her.

"Thank you, madam," she said as she was making her way to her room.

"Enjoy your stay," she said before Stella was moving along the long hallway before she was unlocking the door on room number 435. It was a good number for it took her 4 years, 3 months, 5 days to finally be here.

Stella got inside the room before she closed the door. The room was not too shabby as it has one bed, a door that leads to a bathroom, and a desk with a chair for her to work on. She smiled before she was putting her backpack on the table and made her way to the bed. She was exhausted as she was too tired to think of anything else but sleep.

It would be 3 AM in Italy so she took her chances to sleep for a while before she will be out exploring in the small town that will be hosting the Folk Festival in 3 days, 6 days before she has to go home.

And with that thought, Stella was drifted to her wonderland as she did not know what was installed for her when she first stepped onto Paphos that morning.

*****

'Mine,' the thought that first came to Xavier's mind was that. He can sense it. The footstep that belonged to his mate. His true mate. He has given up to replace his true mate when she did not show up when he was 18 years old but now that Xavier was 25 years old, just a month after his best friend, Alpha Caleb found his mate, he felt her presence.

'Mine,' it was getting stronger now as Xavier was jerking back to the present when Arthur was putting his hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" the Gamma of the pack asked him before Xavier was blinking his eyes at him.

"What?"

"You look a little pale," Arthur said before he was smirking at him, "you never look that pale before," he said, amusement was in his voice.

"Shut up," Xavier mumbled before he turned to look at the members of the pack, mostly pack warriors, who were carrying the lumber that he will be negotiating with the old man Mr. Papadopoulos.

He was not looking forward to it.

"Don't look so sad. I know that you wish Caleb will be talking to that old man but I think he was too busy right now to make little ones," Arthur said before Xavier was glaring at him. Arthur smirked before he was yelling at the warriors to pick up the pace as they will be leaving at 9 AM. And right now, it was 8 AM.

"Come on, people. Let's get moving," Arthur said before he was helping out as well to carry one lumber to the trucks that will be delivering them. To werewolves, carrying one lumber that would be weighted a ton was nothing.

But of course, when they were in town, they have to pretend to have 4 people to carry it.

"Do you have something for me?" Zack, the new member of the pack with his black hair and blue eyes, was asking Xavier for some works.

"You can carry the lumber like the rest," Xavier said as he was noting on the ledger that he was carrying.

"No, he will not. He barely recovered," Arthur said as he was grimacing at Xavier. The Beta rolled his eyes at the Gamma before he whistled.

"Okay, move out people. Let's go!" he shouted before he was getting inside the truck and drove off to town to deliver the ordered lumber. Zack and Arthur followed him as well for it was a privilege to go out to town once a month.

And they will be taking advantage of that whenever they can.