Wanted By a Wolf

2

Annette shook out her shoulders after a long massage session. She loved Mr. Henry, but he always made her muscles ache after she finished their session. He always chose the hour-and-a-half ones where she had to work deep into his tissue. The best thing about him, he tipped like crazy.

"Annette!" Her best friend Alexis came into the massage room waving her phone.

"What?"

"We got an invite to the Mate Me party! Those are hard to get these days. I had to sign up six months ago to get a chance at coming to one of these." Alexis jumped up and down around the room, shivering with excitement. Annette loved her bestie, but she always had the energy to spare. She blamed it on Alexis being a rabbit shifter. Those animals never ran out of energy.

"We?" Annette didn't recall agreeing to go.

"Yes, we! I put us both down as a pair. No one should go to these things alone. You never know what a shifter might do."

"You are a shifter. Hell, we both are. We could take on an aggressive shifter if we needed to."

"Not the point. The website said coming in pairs was best for women because the men are mostly shifters." Annette shook her head and cleaned up the space, readying it for the next customer.

"When?"

"May fifth." Alexis showed her the invitation, and she sighed. The address was an hour away from White Valley.

"That is a long drive for a singles event."

"Who cares! These have been crazy difficult to get in, and I will not let this opportunity pass us by."

"I don't need a mate."

"Bullshit." Alexis turned, her eyes narrowed.

"I don't want a mate. They are a waste of space."

"Don't say that. Mates are wonderful! The connection you feel between you and a mate can't be beaten."

"Says the girl who has never had a mate." Annette shook her head. Alexis always saw the bright side of things. She, on the other hand, didn't particularly want a mate. She'd seen what it did to her parents. Dad said her mother was his mate, but her mom didn't see it that way. She cheated and left her father for another man. Annette didn't need that in her life. Men and women were trouble and a waste of her energy. She had dated both, and neither left her feeling good about the world.

"Just because your mother was a bad example doesn't mean all mates are bad. The testimonies I've read on the website give me hope.

"Send me some. Maybe I can read some and feel a little hopeful."

"Done!" Alexis typed away on her phone at lightning speed. Annette saved the link to read once she was done with her shift.

"Thanks. I have another two appointments coming in then I am done for the day. What about you?"

"I have a three-hour dye job coming in, and then I'll get to go home."

"Lucky. Shoot me the information on the Mate Me event."

"Will do!"

...

Annette paced around her bedroom on the day of the event, trying to decide what to wear. The event was at a brewery that she'd been to once before.

"Annette! Hurry up!" Alexis banged on her bedroom door, making her jump.

"What are you wearing?"

"A cute sundress with shorts underneath. Just wear your normal clothes. It is a laid-back event, and you want the guys to see you as you are." Fuck! Annette stood in front of her mirror and sighed. "What is taking so long?" Alexis shoved the door open and stopped short. "You aren't dressed!"

"I don't know what to wear." Annette pointed to a solid light blue dress and a black shorts one-piece jumper.

"Jumper. You will stand out in the black with your hair." Alexis handed her the jumper and tapped her foot, waiting. Annette put on the jumper and took a look, and shook her head.

"I am too pale. I look like a vampire."

"Good, we agree. So wear the blue."

"Wait? Why did you tell me to wear the jumper then?"

"Because you always say no to the first choice and go with the second. We are going to be outside in June in Virginia. Black absorbs the sun. You are going to be too hot. Slide on a pair of shorts under that dress and get a move on!" Alexis dove into her closet, throwing a pair of sandals at her. Annette ducked to keep from being beamed in the head. She put on the blue dress and smiled. Alexis was right. Blue would be best in the sun.

"Thanks, Alexis. I am ready to go." Annette turned around to take in her best friend finally fully. Alexis wore a sunny yellow floral sundress that cut mid-thigh. Her brown hair was curled around her face to give her a wind-tossed look.

"Great. Let's go. I'll drive."

"Oh no! You are a terrible driver. If you want to go home with a mate tonight, I am not getting left behind." Annette grabbed her bag, slung it over her head, and headed out of their apartment.

She and Alexis lived in a large house converted into two-bedroom apartments. They happened to get the portion that had the original kitchen. Their kitchen had a wall of windows along one side, letting in natural sunlight. The house backed to protected parklands allowing them privacy to shift. Their bathroom was a joke. It had to have been a closet converted into a tiny bathroom. Neither of them had the money to get a larger place, so they suffered with their space. Annette hoped she would make enough to move into a one-bedroom condo. Her savings currently had thirty thousand dollars. She aimed to put twenty percent down on a condo and make the payment affordable. She couldn't leave Alexis behind, though, which made her decision to move harder. With mental fingers crossed, she hoped Alexis would find her mate at the event tonight.

"Hey, are you listening to me?" Alexis snapped her fingers in Annette's face catching her attention.

"Sorry. What?"

"I put the address in WAZE. We can go now."

"Oh, thanks. Do you think you'll find your mate tonight?" Annette let Alexis talk her way through her excitement about their first Mate Me event as she drove an hour south to a brewery. Alcohol was not something Annette enjoyed. She had one terrible experience during school and was put off it since. She almost always became the designated driver when out with their friends. The drive was easy, a straight shot down the highway into the Shenandoah Valley. Annette found a parking spot next to a massive truck, and they got out.

"This place looks amazing. They changed things up. Come on, the invitation said to go around the back and check in." Alexis pointed to the side of the building where a line of men and women stood. They queued up and waited five minutes to get checked in. A beautiful woman with a multitude of braids greeted them.

"Welcome, ladies! I am Josie Austin, your hostess. Whom do I have the pleasure of meeting?"

"I am Alexis Bloom, and this is Annette Tymes." Josie took a minute to check her list before smiling at them.

"Welcome. Drinks are complimentary. We are starting a cornhole tournament. I think you two would partner well with a pair of brothers here. Come on." Josie motioned them forward. They followed, Annette overwhelmed by the number of people. Ocelots are solitary creatures. She didn't do large crowds often. Alexis walked up to a tall man with blue eyes and blond hair.

"Hi, I am Alexis. This is Annette." Annette connected her eyes with the man, and her ocelot cried out in her head. MATE! Oh, fuck no! This was not in the plans.

"I'm Troy Whitman, and this is my brother Peter Whitman." He motioned to a man who looked almost exactly like him. Peter had a goatee, while Troy sported a full beard.

"Nice to meet you, ladies. Are you ready to play corn hole?" Peter asked, offering Alexis his hand to shake.

Let me know what you all think of Annette!