Isaac Duphrane was sweeping the kitchen when his father Julius came rushing in.

"Isaac!" he panted, having rushed home from the market. "Big news!"

Isaac stood up straight. "Yes, Father?"

"The future Alpha... He rejected his mate! Do you know what this means?"

"I do not, Father."

"It means that some lucky girl will have the chance to become his new mate! Sure, it wont be as deep as if it was a connection through the Goddess, but it could be anyone who hasn't found their mate yet." He paused for a breath. "And that means we could be part of that search."

How could they help? Isaac was confused, but did not show it. He stared blankly ahead. His father would tell him what he needed to know. There was no need to ask any questions. All he had to do was listen and obey.

After a moment, Julius continued. "Yes, we don't have a daughter or a niece to use. But that's okay. Because you, my dear boy, will be the answer. We will dress you as a girl. And as long as you do exactly as I tell you, we will be set for life."

Isaac bobbed his head. "I understand, Father."

"Wonderful! Lets start getting ready. We'll need dresses and a wig... Some light makeup... What else..." He trailed off as he left the room.

Issac returned to sweeping. He wondered how they would get away with it. But he believed his father wouldn't do anything the harm him. It had just been the two of them for the past six years, since the death of his mother. And in that time, though Julius had grown stricter and more demanding, he had never put Isaac in any sort of danger. Isaac learned to do exactly what his father said, the moment he said it, and all would be good. 

The next week went by in a blur. Julius kept coming home with new clothes, trying to figure out how to best hide Isaac's true gender. His feet were shoved into shoes that pinched. The amount of petticoats kept increasing and decreasing until Julius was happy with the look. He'd managed to find a shirt that was loose around the chest and  gave the illusion of small breasts. It buttoned up high on the neck to hide his adam's apple. Luckily, Isaac was already slim and feminine, so there wasn't much that needed to be done to his face or figure. A wig the same color as his natural hair was made.

Soon, everything was ready. The day they were set to meet the council that would weed out the girls that wouldn't make good mates had arrived. Isaac spent the morning tending to their two horses. Julius had found minor damage on their carriage, so they would ride the horses alone. Fingers were crossed that that wouldn't make them look too poor to be concidered.

As they rode up to the Alpha's mansion, a girl about Isaac's age emerged, sobbing softly. A woman that was probably her mother was gently comforting her. Julius ignored them and Isaac took that as a sign that he should as well.

After entering the house, they were led to a large room, where four people were standing there waiting. One stepped forward. "We are the council for The Alpha. Who are you?"

Julius gave a low bow. "Greetings. I am Julius Duphrane. And this is my daughter, Isabella Duphrane." 

Isaac curtsied as he'd practiced. "Lovely to meet you."

The four people looked him up and down. Isaac stayed still, hands clasped togehter in front of his body, trying as hard as he could to appear as girl like as possible. They walked around him, judging him silently. After a moment, one of them spoke. "Tell me why she would be a good mate for our future Alpha."

Julius took a breath before starting on an obviously practiced speech. "She is young, beautiful, and obedient. She will always do as you say, no matter what. Watch this. Isabella, curtsy." Isaac immediately dipped into a curtsy. "Bow." He bowed to the four council members. Julius pulled a moldy piece of bread from his jacket and held it up. "Isabella, eat this." Without hesitation, Isaac took the bread and raised it to his mouth. But before he could take a bite, Julius swipped it away. "Don't actually eat that, dear."

Isaac nodded. "Yes, Father."

Julius returned his attention to the council. "As you can see, completely obedient. She would make a very loyal mate for the future Alpha."

They turned to Isaac. "Miss Isabella. Why do you want to be the mate of our Alpha?"

"I believe the Alpha should have the best mate, as he is the best man in our village. I don't know if that's me, but I would love the opportunity to show how loyal and loving I can be to him."

The concil moved away. "We will discuss a few things. Please stay here."