Chapter 1: The Folk Festival

One month ago

Karisa Papadopoulus' POV

I was smiling as I was looking at myself in the mirror right now. I have convinced my friend, Sam, to go with me to the Folk Festival tonight. I was excited as this was the first time that I will be going there and there's nothing my father can do to stop me.

"Karisa! What are you doing so long? Your friend is here," my sister, Karin, was calling for me. I looked outside the window as I saw Sam was waving at me. I waved back before I went to take the small bag that I loved to carry around with me before I went downstairs.

"Jeez, I don't know why you're so excited to go there. All I know was that it was too crowded and too much sweat around you," Karin said as she was looking at me when she was reading the book on the sofa in the living room as I was putting on my sandals.

"You don't know when you will be meeting werewolves. Isn't that exciting? I mean, what if I was to be one of their mates?" I said as I was smiling before Karin was rolling my eyes at me.

"You know how to tell father where I go, right?" I asked Karin for the last time before she was sighing as she closed the book.

"I love you, don't wait up. Unlock the back door, okay?" I reminded my sister one last time before she was waving her hand dismissively as she continued to read the book. I wondered who will be her husband later on in life.

But for now, I will be waiting for my own.

I walked to the gate as I went out of the house. I hugged Sam who has been waiting for me in like forever.

"Sorry, I was talking with my sister and I think she needs to come with us," I said as we started to walk to the main event; The Folk Festival. It was for the locals and the tourists to come together and have some fun.

"Why don't you ask her to come with us?" Sam asked before I was laughing at her.

"She would rather be in the cave than to be in the crowd. She's weird that way," I said as we were looking around the crowd. Sam nodded.

"She sounds like my brother," she replied as I turned to look at her.

"Wait, you have a brother? How come I only know this?" I said as I was looking at her as Sam was smiling at me.

"Well, you never ask so I don't think that I would be appropriate to talk about him when no one cares," she said as she laughed at me. I scowled at her.

"Whatever, let's not darken our mood when we could enjoy this right now," I said as I was looking at the chaotic image in front of me. It was chaos. I was looking at the screaming children and people running. I felt like home, somehow.

"Let's get some iced coffee, I am thirsty all of a sudden," I said as Sam was trailing behind me.

After I was getting my iced coffee and Sam was getting her blended frappuccino, I was looking at the Folk Festival that has been going for months now, as long as I have lived on this island.

"I cannot believe it! It was much more lively than I thought," I said as I have never been here for my whole life. Sam chuckled at my reaction. I don't know what was so amusing to her.

Then, I saw someone was approaching Sam and suddenly I felt like I wanted to get to know him.

"Sam, I thought you don't come to this type of festival," the stranger asked Sam as she turned to look at him. I wanted to know who was this hunk and why he was talking to Sam? What was his relationship with her?!

Then, the stranger was looking at me in the eyes and he took a deep breath. I smiled at him as I know how much I was getting under his skin right now.

"I think we never met before. I'm Karisa," I said as I was looking at that handsome stranger. He nodded curtly at me.

"Sebastian,"

"Oh, you're Sam's brother. I heard a lot about you from her. I thought you don't come to this kind of event," I lied. I just know about you when I was listening to Sam just now. Sebastian scoffed at me as if he doubted that Sam would talk about him with me.

"You told her about me?" Sebastian said as he was narrowing his eyes at me. I know that question was for Sam as Sam was shrugging. Then, I have to defend my friend before her brother was losing control of his anger.

He did not like that I know about him.

"It's not like she was willing to talk. I made her talk," I said as I was smiling at Sebastian, hoping that I would melt some of the anger away. He frowned at me before I was ignoring his frown directed at me.

"I think I saw someone on the other side. I might have to go say hi to my neighbor. My father would kill me if I don't say to him," I said as I saw Pascal from a distance. I have to say hi or my father would kill me. Pascal saw me before I was smiling and waved at him. Someone scoffed behind me.

"Him?" Sebastian's voice was filled with venom as I turned to look at him. I smiled.

"Oh, it's no one. Just my intended. My father has been hinting on my childhood friend to take my hand in marriage but I was only 21 years old. So it was too early for me," I said as I was moving closer to Pascal to greet him. I don't know what happened after that as I was meeting with Pascal, my intended.

Sebastian Lykos' POV

I was looking at the interaction between Sam and her friend. She was a beauty as she was a redhead and her smile was contagious. I was smiling when I was looking at her animated face before I went to interrupt them.

What I don't realize was that I have looked into her eyes and I know what happened when there were flashes of images in my mind. I blinked before I was clenching my jaws.

'Mate,' my wolf said as I was looking at the redhead who just went away to meet her 'intended'. As if I will make her that choice now. She's mine and I will make sure that she will be mine at the end of the month.

But how to attract someone that I don't know about?

I was a recluse and I have come out for this Folk Festival because Caleb the Alpha was asking me to go. I sighed. Caleb thinks that I need to find my mate and it was due time for me to get married. I scoffed at that statement.

As the only thing in my mind was to get married right now.

But when I saw that redhead was talking with someone else besides her gender, my blood was boiling. My wolf was restless to claim her as I saw how that Pascal boy was looking at her. She was slim, toned, and lean. I know men would want her to be theirs.

But she was mine and I will make sure that everyone knows.