Monachopsis

Monachopsis © 2020 by Lyra Winters. All Rights Reserved.
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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Printed in the United States of America
First Printing: January 25th, 2020


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Monachopsis | Lyra Winters
For my own soulmate, Jacob. | This one's for you babe!


MonachopsisLyra Winters


For my own soulmate, Jacob. This one's for you babe!


"Do you think you'll meet him tonight?" My sister, Riley, nudged my arm as Ivy and Xavier gathered around us in the pack's ballroom.
The ballroom was a work of art; with chandeliers, white marble floors, and crown molding carving out the intricately designed ceiling. The walls were a timeless grey with large windows that allowed natural light to pour through.
I shrugged with a smile. "I hope so."
"Too bad I'm not your mate, huh Sophia?" Xavier wiggled his eyebrows suggestively before Riley smacked his shoulder.
Xavier and I had been best friends since diapers. He had long suspected we were soulmates, so he arrived at the party an hour early to test his suspicion; however, his theory proved wrong as soon as he saw me. There were no sparks, no butterflies, and certainly no matebond.
I covered my mouth and laughed. "Yeah, that is too bad!"
"Why did that sound insincere?"
I patted his cheek, his scruff rubbing against the palm of my hand. "I love you to death, but you are such a playboy!"
He grabbed my hand and kissed my palm with a roughish smile. "Damn. Still no sparks."
"She's not your mate, silly wolf." Riley snickered, shaking her head at him.
Rolling his eyes at her, he released my hand and tousled his hair.
"Mates are nothing but shit." Ivy, my youngest sister, clicked her tongue.
"Don't do this." Riley sighed.
"Do what?" Ivy ran a hand through her short black hair. "I'm just telling her the truth."
"No one needs your negativity," Xavier said.
"Well, I'm just saying. Mates suck. They draw you in with the matebond and then crush your soul when you least expect it." She scowled, making eye contact with me. "You'll be disappointed."
I hadn't once doubted anything when it came to my mate. We weren't taught to. We were taught to expect the fairy tale love story all werewolves were promised. Ivy's past with her mate was traumatic but also exceedingly rare. And yet, her words spurred anxiety in the pit of my stomach that sweltered like a wildfire.
"Not tonight, Ivy. Please," I whispered.
"Yeah. Besides, aren't you too busy with Nolan to worry about Sophia?" Xavier chuckled.
She waved him off. "Nolan is nothing but a distraction to me and a perk within the pack."
"He has a mate out there, you know," Riley stated, taking a sip from her glass.
"Not my problem." Ivy smirked. "Besides, he already told me he'd reject her if he found her."
I studied her face. She was confident about her words and didn't seem to care about the impact of them. Rejection was not something any wolf should take lightly. It was one of the most malicious things I'd ever heard come out of her mouth.
"Rejection is nothing to laugh about," I said.
"Why should I care about some she-wolf?"
Xavier's face twisted into disgust. "Because rejection kills wolves. Don't be so heartless."
"I lost my heart when Jackson left me," she replied.
I shook my head and turned on my heels. Her selfish words had made me sick, and I was too antsy to loiter around. I heard Xavier and Riley arguing with her but I knew it would do no good. Ivy would never change.
Pack members lingered about, taking guesses about who my mate would be. I was used to the pack talking about me since I was the Alpha's daughter, but the topic being about my mate made me anxious.
"Sophia, happy birthday!" A guy with red hair and freckles approached me, placing a hand on my shoulder as I walked past. I could feel the stares of the pack on us.
His face fell at the skin contact.
There were no sparks, no feelings, and no matebond. He let his hand drop before offering me a sheepish smile.
"Thank you. If you'll excuse me." I smiled at him before making my way down the long hall next to the ballroom and toward the nearest bathroom.
I heard him sulk to his friends on how he hated that he wasn't my mate. I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Was he interested in me because of who I was or just because I was the Alpha's daughter? Considering that I had barely spoken to him before, I was guessing it wasn't because he liked me for my charm.
I opened the door with sweaty palms and locked it behind me. I leaned my back against the hardwood and let out a breath. Why did finding my mate have to be so hard? I cleared my head and walked to the vanity. Gripping the sink, I stared into my worried blue eyes. Raven-black curls tumbled down my shoulders and my red lips parted as I sighed.
"You will be fine," I chastised my reflection as I fixed the straps of my little black dress. "You're an Alpha's daughter. Act like one."
I shut my eyes and calmed my breathing. Everything would be fine. The fates knew what they were doing.
The entire purpose of this party was for me to meet my mate. It's werewolf tradition to host a party on your eighteenth birthday. Eighteen is the age our wolves would recognize each other as mates. Only one in the