it wasn't drugged

I walked back and forth the front patio of the pack house where everyone was waiting for the esteemed guests. I've been trying to formulate a plan of escape, but that's useless because mother dear easily sees through my lies.

As I was in the middle of doing this, all of a sudden, I felt the same pull I felt back at the party and I knew that it was over.

Goodbye freedom.

My heart pumped rapidly and heavily with just the scent that came from miles away, there's no way out of this one anymore. Damn it.

"What's the matter with you Hazel? Would you sit down or just stay still." my mother reprimanded my behaviour, but I was far too nervous to stop fidgeting.

"Are you not feeling well? You can go and take a rest, if you're sick again." my father said, concerned still. This made me turn to him quickly, my hope renewed.

Oh father, I knew I could count on you!

Just as I was about to agree the life out of me, I heard cars pulling up one by one at the parking spots beside our pack house.

The pull was strong and I am now sure that there is no more escaping out of this.

I'm going to have to face it head on this time.

My family lined up beside each other as we waited for the guests to descend of their vehicles. Our pack's Beta and Gamma were also present as well as other workers of the pack house.

I watched the men get off their car one by one, eagerly hoping that Archer Hamilton would not be one of them.

But alas, there he was.

A perfectly handsome man, tall, but not too tall. A good foot taller than me, let's say. His hair, a shade of light brown that matched his lightly tanned skin. He was wearing the casual black jeans and white tee, almost boring, but on him it looked formal.

He must've been feeling the same pull as I was because I saw his hazel eyes looking around until they rested on me. From where he was standing, the sunlight was on him and so I was able to clearly see the emotion in his eyes.

At first he seemed shocked, but then he looked down as he walked towards us and then he looked back up with a smirk as if he was also telling me that I am doomed.

I suspected that the blonde man next to him was his Beta or Gamma, I recognize him a bit, but we were never formally acquainted.

Their other pack mates were walking behind him and stopped when they were a few distance away from us, however.

However.

Archer did not stop walking.

His steps were heading to me and I was panicking. I felt the curious eyes of those people around me. My heart was beating so loud that it was deafening me and my brain has gone blank.

Five meters away... Oh gosh, please don't come closer.

I thought that the pull couldn't get any stronger, yet with each step he took, the strength amplified.

I-- I can't.

At the moment of panic, I turned around, ready to walk away as fast as I can, but I felt a hand stopping me by getting hold of my arm.

As soon as our skin came into contact, I froze at the shock that I felt. No, it didn't hurt, in fact it was the opposite.

The wave of shock travelled everywhere made me feel... calm. At peace and at ease.

"It wasn't drugged." were his first words.

My eyebrows met at the confusion of what he was trying to say, but then I remembered the lame excuse that I made up when we met.

I had pretended that the mate pull that we were feeling was cause of drugs and promised him that we would meet back in 30 minutes... which obviously never happened.

"H-huh. I guess the 30 minutes are over?" I say quite nervously, my breath slightly ragged.

"Oh, believe me, it's been long over." he says, an end of his lip tugged upward.

Everyone else gathered around us, especially my parents and my brother and his mate, our current Luna, Kathy.

Everyone else around us had confused looks and I took a deep breath. I had some explaining to do. I wriggled my arm free from Archer's hold.

"Uh, what's going on?" Nash asked, his eyes switching from the Alpha of the West to me, trying to connect the invisible dots.

I sighed again and took a few steps in front where everyone could see me so that they would all be able to hear the great news from me.

I first bowed my head in respect to my parents who have done their best to raise me and next, to my current Alpha, who also happened to be my brother.

"I would like to announce that I have found my mate." I say as I keep my head bowed.

I could hear the gasp of my parents and those around us, both from our pack and the pack mates of Archer.

Raising my head, I was greeted with the surprised face of my parents. My dad was already holding onto my mom as to not let her fall from the shock.

Perfectly reading the situation, Archer stood a step away from me.

"M-my mate is Alpha Archer Hamilton."

I kept my eyes on my parents the whole time. I saw my dad sigh and I knew that once he was going to get home, he was going to open a bottle of cold beer.

As for my mother, I wanted to see if she was going to be happy. I knew that she always hoped for my mate to be an Alpha. That's why she raised me, teaching me how to be a future Luna although that had no guarantee.

I could see how she was conflicted.

What I didn't expect though is that Archer also bowed his head towards my parents for a while and looked back up. "It seems, things has turned out to be this way. I'm Archer Hamilton, nice to meet you."

"Alright, I think we can talk about this inside?" Nash said which had all of us agreeing. "Rob, tell the pack workers to usher the pack members of Luna Flumine into their rooms and prepare the food. Now, please, let us all go inside."

❀

"So you're telling me that you both met at the Sol Party a few weeks ago, but Hazel ran away?" my mother summarizes the story that Archer and I just recounted.

That had my father, brother and Archer's Beta laughing, but not my mother.

"Well, that's a very Hazel thing to do isn't it?" my father says as he chuckles some more.

"I'm so sorry, you must've been surprised." my mother seconded.

Archer shook his head lightly with a small smile on his lips.

"I guess that's the purpose of your visit today? I heard that you've visited a few packs." Nash asks, sending me a teasing smile.

"Indeed. We were also trying to trace some suspicious activities of some rogues, but fate just works its wonders, doesn't it."

Fate? This man knows that word?

"Well then Archer, Hazel here is a bit of a trouble maker, but she is a good girl." my dad says. I send him a killing glare because it sounded like he was letting me go. Which was the truth anyways.

Archer turned to me for a few seconds and then smiled.

I think my heart dropped.

Damn, why does he need to smile like that though? That's foul play!

"Yes sir."

"Well then, I think we can start eating so we can let our guests rest? I'm sure they are feeling tired." my mom says and no one disagreed.