I glared at my older brother across the breakfast table as he and his mate, my best friend Kaila, sang happy birthday to me in a child-like tune that I didn't care for. The last thing a twenty-two years old college student who still lived with her older brother and his wife in his house was for them to sing such a birthday song for an adult like me.
It was bad enough that I still lived at the house my brother inherited from our parents after their passing and treated me like I was still the young sister he had cared for the past years. And Kaila, my sister-in-law, who happened to be the only child in her family, treated me like that, too made it much worse. I have wanted to move out for some time, but I don't have the money yet. Going to college plus paying my bills with my part-time job as a waitress barely got me through. I wanted to add another job, but it wasn't an option for me due to my busy schedule and time.
Zander and Kaila had been nagging me about why I should move out when the house was too big for us three. I told them I wanted to have my place and that I'd still crash in their home until I saved enough cash. Although they don't want me to move out, I am a grown woman who wants them to have privacy.
Zander and Kaila stood and clapped at the song's end before Kaila pushed the cappuccino birthday cake with two double-two candles in front of my face.
"Make a wish, sis," Zander told me, grinning like an idiot, making me smile.
I stared at the cake, unsure whether to make a wish. I don't believe in wishing but seeing the happy faces of the two important people in my life, I could make one.
I closed my eyes, leaned closer to the cake, and thought about what I should wish for. Within a second, my mind instantly knew what to wish.
"I want to meet my mate," I told myself
before opening my eyes and blowing out the candles.It is funny because I have already reached this age but haven't met my mate. A female wolf usually meets their mate when they turn eighteen, but sometimes, finding a mate lasts up to forty. Or, the worse, never. This happens if a female wolf mate dies or chooses someone else to mate with.
But I am not in a hurry to meet mine.
Kaila cuts the cake and serves Zander first. My brother loves sweet things, and I'm sure he'll eat the whole cake if given a chance.
"This cut is for you, my dearest Rain," Kaila said, serving me a plate of slice cake. "I know cappuccino is your favorite, so come on eat, birthday girl."
I mumbled under my breath. This woman is evil. She knew I was on a diet and wanted me to eat the cake.
"Come on, a slice of a cake won't give you an extra pound, girly," she urged.
I have been on a diet for two months now. My schedule at university and constant changes and extra shifts at work made me too busy to run. If I wasn't that busy, I'm sure I'll be out running every day, and I wouldn't be on a diet. I am a werewolf, and that helps me stay in shape. I could burn those extra calories in one run, but my schedule is hectic, and I don't have time to run.
I stared at the cake in front of me—my mouth watered just at the scent of it. Cappuccino is my favorite flavor not only in coffee but also in cakes. Ugh, why did cappuccino was invented and become my weakness?
I dug my fork into the cake as the scent of cappuccino intensified. I saw a layer of beige color inside the cake. The frosting and the filling were all cappuccino which I suspected that Kaila had planned this cake before my birthday, and she knew I was a slave to this flavor.
I took a forkful of the cake and closed my eyes, making me savor the caramel and coffee flavor of the cake. Those flavors exploded inside my mouth, and they made me smile. Perfect.
"Oh, before I forget, sis, there is a pack meeting tonight," Zander told me. "Everyone is needed to attend as Alpha Killian requests. He said he has important news to announce," he added.
I was enjoying my cake when I heard Zander speak and couldn't help but furrows my brows. I have a shift tonight at the restaurant, and my workmate Selena will cover it for me, which I know she won't like. Selena hated night shifts, especially weekends. Those nights are the worst because the restaurant will be full of customers and less desirable people. I mean those bossy customers that cannot wait for their food, plus those who don't leave any tips.
"Why does it have to be everyone?" I asked him, irritated.
The night shift is great because I have a night differential from the morning shift. It means extra income for me.
"Beats me," Zander told me, shrugging.
"Can you do something about it?" I asked him.
"Sorry, sis but Killian specified that everyone needs to attend," Zander said before drinking his coffee.
I heaved a sigh. There's nothing I can do about it. I had to call Selena and promise her something in return.
"You never attended pack meetings after Killian took charge of the pack, Girly. It may be time for you to go and see what this pack meeting is," Kaila said.
"I prefer working to attending annoying meetings," I replied.
Kaila smiled at me, which made me uneasy.
"Maybe you'll meet your mate there. Who knows? You know you need someone to take good care of you, and you don't have to work anymore," Kaila told me before pouring coffee into my cup.
"You sound like a mother again, Kaila," I told her. "I don't want a mate for that reason. I want a mate that would love me like my brother to you. And besides, I am not ready yet," I added.
Kaila chuckled at me; when she did that, there would be a jinx. And I am nervous.
Kaila has the biggest grin on her face."Who knows? Maybe you'll meet your mate at the pack meeting, girly," she told me before cleaning the table, and I was about to stand up to do some running. "Let's see," I challenge her. "I am one hundred sure that my mate won't appear tonight," I smirked at her."Like I said, who knows? Mates change everything, darling," she finishes our conversation by taking the dishes into the kitchen.I was about to go outside and call Matthew, the resto's manager, and asked him to be late at least two hours or so, but when I was about to call him, suddenly my phone vibrated, and I saw the guy's name on the screen. "Hey, Matthew, what's up?" I asked him in a friendly tone."Rain, just a person I needed to talk to," Matthew's voice sounded relieved."Yes, boss, it's me. What's up?" "I need a small favor, Rain.""Uhmm, what is it, Mat? Did someone dump you again?" I teased him but ensured it wasn't below the belt since he was still my boss.I heard him sigh
My hands were trembling when I maneuvered the car out of the pack house parking lot. My wolf keeps growling at me as to why I run away instead of claiming what belongs to us. "That is our mate! Go back to him! He is ours!" I kept hearing those shouts from her, but I was shocked to even talk to her. Killian? Is Alpha Killian our mate? Why have I never thought about this? I remember Killian went abroad to study when he was sixteen and when I turned seventeen, a ripe age for female werewolves to find their mate. I didn't find mine, and I assumed that my mate was still out there and that fate would make way for us to meet. Killian studied abroad for six years and recently graduated, so he went home to take charge of the pack last year. I never attended pack meetings nor visited the pack house that whole year. I was busy trying to work and study simultaneously to see what was happening in the pack. My best friend is the only one who tells me the news about the new alpha and his beloved
The loud knock on the front door woke me up. "Daniels! Open the door!" What the heck? Who in their right mind would knock like they wanted to burst the door open the way they knock? I got it my older brother is the beta but what the hell?Annoyed, I stood up, snatched my robe, and went down to check who it was. I opened the door and was only greeted by the scent that allured me last night and felt my wolf stir again. "Mate! Mate!" she whispered, but when she probably realized what happened last night, her spirit died and curled in a ball. "You," Alpha Killian said, looking at me like I'm a goddamn piece of meat. His mouth waters and keeps on inhaling, probably my scent. "..are my mate," he continued. Killian imprisoned me in his arms and kissed me passionately. As soon as our skin touched, millions of electrifying tingles exploded in my body. Those tingles made their way to where my chest was and gently stirred my sleeping heart. Ah…it felt good. It felt like everything between
I asked Matthew for a day off, which he immediately agreed to. Killian told me that he bought me an apartment outside the pack's territory which he knew I would like. And he didn't disappoint me. The apartment is simple yet has a warm interior. The human broker told me that the apartment has all the access to necessities and even the college I am attending. She told me that it is already fully paid and she's asking me when I will move so that she can arrange everything. In the other's eyes, this is all wrong. Killian is mated Alpha, and he will be a father soon. My pack mates had already assumed that Isabelle was his mate and that they would get married soon. And in their eyes, I will be the thorn between Killian and Isabelle if they will find out about me. I am the wrong one despite being the right one for him. I don't care what they are going to say, but all I know, I am his rightful mate and that he chose Isabelle out of obligation because if she didn't get pregnant in the first
"I'd like to invite you to our baby shower, baby," Killian said while kissing my forehead. We are in my bed, cooped around for the rest of the day.I looked at him with furrowed brows and tried to confirm what he said. "Are you sure? I mean, that is your baby shower with Isabelle. Do you know how I will feel?" I asked him. "Yes. It's a mandatory party. Father told me that the whole pack must be there. I don't have any choice," he added before touching my face. The tingles that traveled from our skin temporarily made me forget about the baby shower and my protest. My wolf and I love the tingles we share because it connects us to Killian."Can I not go?" I asked him. "No, you can't, baby. I'm sorry," he said, starting to kiss me again. Ugh, I don't like it when he does this. He knew I couldn't refuse his request without considering how I would feel. "Alright. I'll be there. When is it happening?" I asked him. "The night after tomorrow. So I expect you to come, and I could tour y
Killian and I have established a relationship, although it's just between us. I can't help but be envious of the couple standing on the makeshift stage, happy and excited while trying to pop a gender-neutral color balloon.They look so perfect. It was like they were royal highnesses, the king and queen. The pack members cheer on them despite being divided in their guesses."Aren't they so cute, Rain?" Kaila asked me, smiling."No, they are not. I would rather say we are lovely if I were that woman," my wolf answered. Thankfully, Kaila can't hear, or she will wonder why my wolf said that."Yes, they are," I replied, faking my smile."Isabelle is a kind woman, Rain. She will be a good luna for us," Kaila added.My wolf didn't like what she heard, and she growled, protesting."Did you two talk?" I asked her, pushing my wolf to the corner of my mind."No. Never," I answered."This woman is disrespecting us, Rain! Tear her to shred and burn her! Show her her place! How dare she praises th
The food is about to serve. Why are you leaving? You need to eat first," she said, still with a sweet smile on her face plastered, and it didn't go away."Ah, does this woman know she's hurting someone just by staying by Killian's side despite knowing she is not his mate?" I ask my wolf."Someone who doesn't wait for their fated pair is considered an indecent woman. This woman in front of us has the nerve to get pregnant by someone who isn't even his mate. It'll make me wonder if, once we ask her if she is aware that Killian is not his mate and that there is someone destined for him instead," my wold replied. I can feel my wolf's burning stare on Isabelle. The hatred is apparent, but she is off-limits since she is with Killian.With forest-green eyes that match the color of her maternity dress, Isabelle is beautiful. No wonder why Killian has fallen for her. "Of course, our mate and us didn't have the chance to meet earlier. If he did meet us first, Isabelle would have been out of t
My fingers were trembling as I tried to insert the key into the keyhole. '"Damn it! Insert!" I scream in frustration. My heart is aching, and it makes me want to lash out. My wolf's pained howls aren't helping too.I know both of us were hurting, but what else could we do? Our mate is with someone else. I thought my wolf and I could carry on his terms, but damn, it hurts. The reality is freaking hurt.As soon I managed to insert the key and start the car, I drove away from the pack house and doubted if I would see it the way I did before, back when I hadn't met my mate. This situation is frustrating, painfully frustrating. I am incomplete, and my heart is yearning for Killian. I want him. My wolf wants his wolf. We want him so much... I wiped my tears as they started to blur my sight while driving. I can't do anything to claim what is mine. Killian...Killian.I'm still holding on because I don't want to let him go. He is mine. When I arrived at my house, I noticed a moving truc