Book Two - The Hybrid Twins - Chapter 1 - The Ball

Jasmine and Brandie looked at each other and smiled with excitement. Today was their eighteenth birthday, and they both hoped to meet their mates.

They looked exactly alike and even had their hair styled the same in long waves down their backs. The only difference was in the dresses they were wearing. Jasmine had chosen a slinky black dress that was off the shoulder and clung to her curves. Brandie wore a white dress with short sleeves that also accented her figure but reached her knees.

They had decided to wear dresses that matched the color of their wolves. Jasmine's wolf is black, and her name is Dakota. Brandies wolf is white, and her name is Sterling. Their parents had sat them down when their wolves showed up at age five and told them how special they were.

The twins hadn't understood what it all meant back then, but it became clear as they got older and their wolves explained their powers. They knew they would eventually have to use those powers, but no one knew exactly when.

Jasmine and Brandie both wanted to find their mates before they had to fight. From what their wolves said, their mates would be essential in beating the evil coming for them.

Their parents had decided to throw them a birthday ball, and they invited every pack around to come in hopes that their mates would be among them. Dominick was not happy about getting his daughters mated, but Kaleigh had reminded him of how it was for them when they met. Jasmine and Brandie would be stronger with their mates by their sides.

The girls turned around when they heard a knock on the door. In walked their parents, all dressed up with smiles on their faces. With werewolves aging much slower than humans, their parents didn't look much older than the twins.

"Girls, you look beautiful. There are so many nice young men downstairs hoping to be your mates. It's incredible how many were able to come." Kaleigh hugged them both when she reached them.

Dominick hung back, looking at his daughters with a lump in his throat. He knew they wanted to find their mates, but he wouldn't mind holding on to them a little longer. Every time he looked at them, he still saw the cute little pups he saw for the first time in the nursery at the pack hospital.

"Dad, you're not going to give anyone trouble, are you?" Jasmine walked over to her dad, knowing how protective he was of his children. "Brandie and I don't want you scaring our mates away if they're down there."

"Jasmine, I won't give anyone trouble that doesn't deserve it. If I see any male trying to hurt either of you, whether they are your mate or not, they deserve whatever I give them." Dominick looked at the dress Jasmine was wearing and frowned. He didn't like her showing so much skin. He would prefer they both wore long sleeves with skirts to their ankles, but he knew that wouldn't go over well with either of them.

"Dad, we can take care of ourselves. Not only are we good fighters, but we have magic too." Jasmine hugged her dad.

"I know, Jasmine, but you two will always be my little girls no matter how old you get." Dominick hugged Jasmine and pulled Brandie to him as well. His heart ached, thinking about them no longer being under his roof.

They all turned toward the door when they heard footsteps in the hall. Their two brothers walked in, looking uncomfortable in their suits. Logan would be thirteen in a few weeks, and Chase was eight. They both favored their dad in their looks and skin color.

"Are you two coming? We're tired of entertaining everyone." Logan plopped down on one of the chairs while Chase walked over to Kaleigh. He was quiet compared to his brother and still liked cuddling up to his mom, even if he didn't want to admit it.

"Logan, what have you been doing to entertain them? Please tell me you haven't scared anyone away." Brandie asked her brother, who was known for his practical jokes.

"I promise I didn't do anything to scare anyone away. If they can't take a little joke, that's not my fault." Logan rolled his eyes at his sisters when they glared at him. He would never admit it, but he was hoping they didn't find their mates. Logan wasn't ready for them to leave. He loved his sisters.

"I think we're ready to go." Jasmine looked toward Brandie, who nodded her agreement.

"Okay, girls, we'll go down first to announce you. I love you both." Kaleigh kissed each of them on the head while trying to keep the tears from her eyes. Dominick kissed them as well without saying anything. Kaleigh knew he was having an even harder time than she was.

"Jasmine, do you think we'll find them today? What if they're not here?" Brandie was worried that their party would be a disappointment and they would still be alone once it was over. Or one of them would find their mate, and the other wouldn't.

"They'll be here, Brandie, don't worry. I have a good feeling about tonight." Jasmine hugged her sister. She didn't want to admit that she was scared they wouldn't find them. She loved her family but was ready for adventure and to go wherever her mate took her.

Jasmine took Brandie's hand in hers and walked to the top of the steps. When they heard their dad announce them, they began their descent. They both gasped at the number of people that were there. There were so many young men that they both blushed as they felt all eyes on them.

Jasmine stopped halfway down and sniffed the air. She closed her eyes to hold on to the scent she smelled. It smelled like fresh-cut wood mixed with amber. Jasmine felt light-headed when she opened her eyes so she could look for the source of that amazing scent.

Brandie saw her sister's reaction and knew Jasmines' mate was here. She felt her heart flutter a little, hoping that maybe her sister was right and her mate would also be here. Brandie sniffed the air, but she was disappointed when she didn't smell anything.

Jasmine was looking all around, trying to find her mate. Dakota was in her head telling her to let her out, and she would find him. Jasmine held back her laugh at her wolf's eagerness. She wanted to find him, but she wasn't going to embarrass herself.

Jasmine continued to the bottom of the steps with Brandie while scanning the room. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, she could smell the scent even stronger. She felt someone tap her shoulder when she was about to start walking through the crowd.

Jasmine turned to the most handsome man she had ever seen. He was tall like her dad, with dark blonde hair, light tan skin, and deep blue eyes. She was speechless as she stared at the demi-god in front of her. He smiled at her and slightly bowed, making her blush.

"Hello Jasmine, my name is Aaron, and it appears I'm your mate." Jasmine continued staring at him. She couldn't believe this man was her mate. She was almost drooling as she looked him up and down. Dakota was howling her excitement in her head. Jasmine shook herself to speak before she made a complete fool of herself.

"Hello Aaron, it's nice to meet you. I believe you're right from my wolf's reaction; you're my mate." When Jasmine smiled at him, Aaron almost felt his knees go weak. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. His wolf Jax was panting.

"How about we go find a quiet place to talk?" Aaron reached his hand out for Jasmine, and she took it excitedly. They both felt the electric current from that first touch and looked at each other, laughing. Jasmine held Aaron's hand tightly and led him to an empty table.

Brandie watched as her sister walked away with her mate. She felt like crying because her mate didn't seem to be there. Brandie pulled herself together and started mingling. She was still hoping that her mate was there somewhere.

When Brandie had made it through most of the crowd, she was overwhelmed with despair. She decided to go outside and get some air away from everyone. She didn't want to be there if her mate wasn't there. Brandie felt a tear slide down her face as she walked onto the front porch.

As she got outside, she leaned on the railing and breathed a deep breath of fresh air. She sniffed again, and Sterling's ears perked up. There was another scent she was picking up on. It wasn't very strong, but she could tell it was outside.

Brandie stepped off the porch and started walking toward the garden. It was dark out, but the full moon gave her plenty of light. As she got closer to the garden, the scent got stronger. It smelled like the Earth right after the rain, making her heart race.

When she got to the garden, she looked all around. She saw him standing next to the large fountain. The man was staring at her as she walked toward him. The man was tall, with black hair, a dark complexion, and dark brown eyes.

Titus stared at the young woman walking toward him. From her scent, he knew she was his mate. Out here in the garden, with nothing but the moonlight shining around her, she looked like a mirage. He wasn't even sure she was real.

"Hello, my name is Brandie." Titus felt his heart race at her soft, whimsical voice. He had almost changed his mind about coming because he didn't like crowds. Now he was standing in front of his mate and couldn't find the words to speak to her. He saw a look of worry cross her face, and he snapped out of it.

"Hi Brandie, I'm Titus, and it looks like we're mates." Brandie gave him a bright shy smile and ran the rest of the way to him, flinging herself into his arms. Titus was so surprised by the feel of this beautiful woman in his arms and the sparks flying around them that he almost lost his balance.

"I'm sorry, Titus, I just got really excited when I saw you. I was hoping to meet my mate tonight, but I came outside when I couldn't find you in the packhouse." Titus smiled and wrapped his arms around her.

"Never apologize for wanting to be in my arms, Brandie. They were made for you. I'm sorry I wasn't inside, I get a little claustrophobic from crowds, so I decided to step out here for a while. Do you want to stay out here and talk or go back inside?" Brandie felt tingly all over from being held by Titus.

"Let's stay out here. I'm not much for crowds either." Titus put his arm around her shoulders and led her to a bench, where they sat holding hands.

From the packhouse porch, Kaleigh and Dominick looked at each other with a smile. It appeared both of their daughters had found their mates. They would give each couple time to talk before insisting on being introduced