Chapter 1 THE INVITATION

Laura POV

"Laura, are you ever going to tell them about me? You cannot keep me a secret forever, sweetie," Luther asks me as he picks the petals of a flower and lets the petals blow in the wind. Seeing the big bad wolf playing with flowers sends a shockwave of emotions straight to my heart.

I touch his scruffy face and let my fingers brush through his long dark hair. "I will someday, but not today. You know that my family will freak out," I say with a sweet smile.

Luther lets the petal-less flower go and rolls over on top of me. "Someday soon, I want to marry you. I love you, Laura. You are my fairy princess. I do not want to continue sneaking around. I want the world to know that I love you, no matter the consequences," Luther says.

I kiss Luther deeply and passionately as we tumble in the grass. "How long can you stay with me today?" I ask him.

"As long as you want me here or until one of the faes spots me. They are nosey, arent they?" Luther says, laughing.

"You know you scare them," I say. Being with Luther on a grassy hill laughing and picking flowers is heaven to me. There is no other place on earth I would rather be than with him, but telling my family and my tribe that I am not only in love with a wolf but also the soon-to-be Alpha will not go over well.

"We cannot do this forever, Laura; someday, you have to leave here and come with me. I want you as my wife. I want this to happen soon," Luther says.

"I will, I promise you, I will be your mate. I will be your wife, but we have to be careful for now. Please give me a little more time," I say.

Luther leans into me, "Say that again, and I need to hear that again,"

I laugh as he kisses my cheeks and neck. "Say what, Alpha?" I ask him. I know what he wants to hear.

"Say you will be my mate, Laura Angel. I want to hear you say it again," Luther says, smiling.

"I will be your mate, Alpha," I say.

"The wolves will accept you and your tribe. Your family should see it as personal security for the tribe forever. The wolves will look out for them always when you become my wife," Luther says.

"Nothing bad ever happens here; we do not need protection. I know someday they will accept you, but Luther, I need time to tell them," I say.

"I will give you time, Laura. I can wait for you, but not for long. I need you with me. This is getting too hard, " Luther says.

Luther takes my hand and helps me to my feet. We walk in the high grass when one of the tiniest of my kind flutters by us. "I am going to tell, Laura Angel," she says and flutters away.

"Do you want me to catch her and rough her up a little," Luther says. I smack him on the arm.

"No, she will not say anything. Those little pests like to tease, but they will not say anything. They are fun to have around. They know all the good gossip," I say to him.

We walk toward the edge of his world and mine. The end of the grass where his woods begin and my tribe land ends, to the place I met him and the place we fell in love, the place a scared little fairy saw the big bad wolf for the first time.

"Are you leaving me already?" I ask him.

"No, I have a surprise for you; that is unless you are afraid? Keep walking toward the trees," Luther says.

"I am never afraid," I say.

We walk until we finally reach the edge of my tribe's land. The woods look dark and scary to me, but someday I will call it home. A home with Luther and his pack, but these secret meetings are all I have with him until then.

"Are you ready?" Luther asks me.

His long dark hair blowing in the wind, tiny flowers nestled in his hair from picking the petals off of flowers. I love looking at him and listening to him, just being with him.

"You are not planning to kidnap me, are you? You know the fae can be spiteful little creatures?" I ask him.

"No, but don't be mad," Luther says.

I look to the woods and see three majestic beasts coming toward me. I have only seen Luther in his wolf form a handful of times. I am in awe of these creatures walking out of the woods toward me.

"Laura Angel, these wolves are my family. Silas and Drake, my younger brothers, and my mother Selena, my father is ill, and he could not come with them today," Luther says.

The white wolf walks slowly toward me, and I touch her head. Her eyes are ice blue, and she is beautiful. Drake and Silas are both dark brown wolves with ice blue eyes. They play around and finally come over to meet me.

"We are all honored to meet you, Laura finally," Selena says.

As the brothers play and run around in the grass, the tiny fae comes back, and she has brought company. They surround the brothers and start teasing them. They fly under them and poke at them.

"Do you want me to make them stop?" I ask Luther.

"No, I am happy to see them pick on someone besides me. This is entertaining, " Luther says.

"I am honored to meet you, Selena. I do not venture into your part of the woods," I say. She shifts back into her human form in front of me. She is beautiful. Her long white hair matches the fur that her wolf adorns. Her eyes, ice blue, are piercing as she speaks to me.

"I know, I come with a formal invite for you and your family to have dinner with us tomorrow night, it is a celebration, and we want you to be there. You, Laura, are our future. As future Luna, it is time you step up and take your place; it is time to tell your family. I cannot condone this sneaking around anymore; it has to stop. Luther is taking his place as Alpha, and you should be by his side," Selena says.

"Mother, this is not the way. Her family needs time. Laura needs time, " Luther says. He looks back at me. He was not expecting her to scold me, but she is right; this has to stop.

"I am sorry, Laura," Luther says.

I touch his arm so gently. "She is right, Luther. I have to tell them. I will extend the invitation, and we will tell them together," I say.

Luther pulls me into his arms and holds me. "I love you, Laura," Luther says.

"I love you, too, Alpha," I say.

Luther kisses me sweetly on the lips. His brothers enjoy this moment with endless taunts as Luther takes his wolf form and follows his family out of the woods. As Selena gets to the tribe's land edge, she turns to look at me. Her ice-blue eyes seem to tell me that it will be okay. Easy for her to think, she has never met my parents— the king and queen of the tribe.

I have no idea how to tell them or how they will react. My parents will probably say no, but I have to try. If I ask my mother first, she can convince my father.