All But Forgotten Mate (EDITED/COMPLETE)

1: The Claiming

Chapter 1: The Claiming (Izzy's POV)

Once I finished, the house was spotless. All of the laundry and dishes were all washed. There were four full meals set in separate containers that just needed to be placed in the toaster oven for about 10 minutes each. My father would be set for about two days. I really had no plans on returning to eat the food.

I was being picked up for the Claiming at 9 pm. It was now 8:30. I went into our small bathroom to shower. Once scrubbed clean, I dried my body and my hair. Knowing I didn't have time left to blow dry it, I just ran my brush through my hair. Then I twisted the front of each side out of my face and clipped it in place. Gathering the rest of my long main of hair into a loose ponytail at the base of my neck and pulled it over my right shoulder. I slipped on the mandated white cotton eyelet dress. The dress has about a one-inch strap and scoops low in the front. It hugs my chest and is tight till it reaches my hips, where it flairs out and stops high on my thigh. It's revealing, to say the least. I dusted my face with a little highlighter, put on some eyeliner, mascara and finished my look with some peach lip-gloss.

I finished with five minutes to spare. I sprayed on some of my favorite perfume and leaped down the stairs. I was met by my father at the door.

"Well don't you look like the perfect little whore. Don't get your hopes up I will be seeing you in the morning." Father said as he landed a punch to my gut and brushed by me heading deeper into the house.

My eyes watered and I bent over holding my stomach. I finally made it to the door as the limo pulled up in front of the house. I ran to it as if my life depended on it because I felt it did. I was barefoot as per the rules and the grass under my feet felt like the path to freedom. A very large man came around and opened the door for me. As I scooted my way in I saw that there were six other girls all ranging in age from 18 to 25.

As our driver got in he let us know,
"Last stop ladies until we reach the Claiming Grounds. It will take us about an hour and a half to reach the grounds. So sit back and relax. Also if I forget to tell you later. Happy hunting!" This caused us all to giggle. As we pulled away from my house, I sat back in my seat, leaning my head against the door, and listened to the girls' chatter.

"So this is my fifth year coming and still no mate. Don't get yourself down if you don't find a man. Be careful of the creepers, they are old assholes that use The Claiming to stalk pretty young girls that aren't with their mates. They have been known to do very bad things to those that don't have proper training and are easy targets. I thankfully am no easy target, but I do hope that this will be my last year. My mate has to be here." One said to the group.

Another cut in "I heard that we have a few heavy hitters coming this year. Two new Betas are coming from friendly packs in Georgia, as well as their Gammas and Deltas. Pity both of their Alphas already found their mates in each other. But we do have Alpha Blake from Tennessee, Alpha Ryan from Texas & Alpha Roman is flying all the way to the Everglades from Oregon."

One more piped up saying "My dad's an Alpha and I heard that Alpha Devon from Elders' Island is also coming. It will be the first claiming he has ever attended and he is 23."

"What's Elders' Island?" I asked with my eyes still closed.

"It is this totally protected island. That is a sanctuary for retired Alphas, Lunas, and other high-level officials. It is on a small island that is in the Gulf of Mexico. It is very hard for invaders or rouges to access, so it is a safe haven for the Elders. Alpha Devon has been Alpha since he turned 14 when he shifted after his parents died in a horrible storm. From what I hear he doesn't want a mate, but the Elders are making him look for one anyway. He needs an heir and he needs someone to rule at his side. I doubt he's coming through they have been trying to get him to come for the last 5 years. I met him once when I went to an Alpha meeting with my father and let me tell you he looks good enough to eat." The Alphas daughter proclaimed. It caused us all to giggle.