I had been waiting for this day for years, ever since I first heard about the werewolf community's mating ceremony. It was the day when those of us who were coming of age would finally be able to smell and recognize our mates. And today, on my 19th birthday, it was finally my turn.
I tried to push aside my nerves and focus on the excitement as I made my way to the clearing in the woods where the ceremony was being held. The air was thick with anticipation, and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I approached the bonfire.
The pack had gathered together, and I could see familiar faces all around me. But as I looked around, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. What if I didn't find my mate tonight? What if I was destined to be alone forever?
As I approached the edge of the clearing, the scent of burning wood and wildflowers filled my nose. The sound of excited chatter and laughter mixed with the soft rustle of leaves in the wind, creating a cacophony of noise that filled the air.
I could see the other wolves around me, their eyes shining with anticipation and excitement. Some were bouncing on their toes, while others stood still, noses lifted in the air as they tried to catch a whiff of their potential mate's scent.
As I scanned the crowd, I couldn't help but feel a sense of envy for those who had already found their mates. I watched as they stood close together, their bodies almost touching as they basked in each other's presence.
I at least was going to be meeting my mate today. I couldn’t wait. It was the only thing that was going to make sense in my already messed up life.
Although, a part of me was scared.
I took a deep breath and tried to shake off my worries, but I couldn't help feeling like an outsider among my own kind. I watched as the other werewolves mingled and laughed, eagerly searching for their mates.
I wandered around the edges of the clearing, feeling lost and out of place. I watched as couples found each other, their faces lighting up as they recognized their mate. It was a beautiful sight to see, but it also made me feel even more alone.
I was lost in thought when I heard someone clear their throat behind me. I turned to see my mother, who had a concerned expression on her face.
"Sira, are you okay?" she asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.
I tried to force a smile and nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine."
"You're not like yourself," she said, her voice softening. "I know how important finding your mate is to you, but it's not everything. You have your whole life ahead of you, and who knows what adventures and experiences you'll have."
"I know, Mom," I replied, feeling guilty for worrying her. "I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed."
"It's okay to feel overwhelmed," she said, giving my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Just remember, you are loved and valued, no matter what."
I took a deep breath and nodded, feeling a little better. It was true that finding a mate was important, but it wasn't the only thing that defined me.
As the night wore on, I tried to enjoy the festivities and socialize with my packmates. I even danced a little, letting the music and the warmth of the fire fill me with a sense of joy and belonging.
It wasn't until the end of the night that I started to feel a little discouraged again. I hadn't caught even a whiff of my mate's scent, and no one had approached me.
I was about to head back to my cabin when I heard a voice behind me. "Excuse me, Sira?"
I turned around to see a handsome young werewolf standing before me, his eyes bright and curious. He was someone I hadn't met before, but I could feel a strange pull towards him.
"Yes?" I asked, feeling a little nervous.
"I couldn't help but notice you tonight," he said, a smile spreading across his face. "You seem different from everyone else, and I find that intriguing. My name is Cancil, and I was wondering if you'd like to talk?"
“Hi, Cancil.” I said, a bit weirded out that someone was speaking to me.
“Hi. I’m from the infinity pack. Here for the mating ceremony, but it seems as though I won’t be finding a mate today, again.”
The infinity pack was the closest pack to our neighborhood. Some of them attended the same high school, I did. So I wasn’t surprised seeing someone from there, the only question was why he was talking to me.
I noticed how his brown hair was tousled, as if he had just come out of a strong wind. His hazel eyes were warm and comforting, and I couldn't help but feel drawn to him.
He wore a simple white t-shirt that hugged his muscular frame and black jeans that were slightly torn at the knees. Despite the casual attire, he exuded a sense of confidence and strength that was typical of werewolves.
As he spoke, I noticed a faint scar above his left eyebrow. It looked like it had been a deep cut that had healed over time, but the mark remained.
I realized I had been staring and quickly averted my gaze. "I'm Sira," I introduced myself, feeling self-conscious.
He replied with a small smile. "Nice to meet you, Sira." His voice was deep and soothing, and I found myself relaxing in his presence.
We stood there in comfortable silence for a moment, watching as the others mingled and searched for their mates. I didn't know what to make of Cancil, but I couldn't deny the way my heart raced when he looked at me.
Someone called him as he smiled back at me.
“I’ll be back.” He smiled again, jogging away from me.
The noise was getting too much for me, so I decided to move to a calm place, which was in between the woods and the bush.
I was yet to settle down on the floow when all is a sudden, my nose was attacked by something delicious. It made my skin itch, it was something I wanted to find. My wolf stirred in me, purring at the smell, and I knew what was about to befall me.
I had just found my mate.
looked around, trying to locate the source of the scent. It was strong, almost overwhelming, but at the same time, familiar. My heart was racing, and my palms were sweating as I followed the trail, getting closer and closer to the origin.
My heart started racing as I tried to follow the scent. It was overwhelming, and it was difficult to pinpoint the exact direction it was coming from. But I knew I had to find them.
I got up and followed the scent, my wolf leading the way. It was like an instinct, one that I couldn't ignore. The closer I got, the stronger the scent became, until I finally saw a figure standing among the trees.
I hesitated for a moment, unsure if I was ready to face my mate. What if they didn't feel the same way? What if they rejected me? But my wolf was insistent, and I knew that I had to at least try.
Out of nowhere, I felt a figure approach me from behind, a feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. A hand grabbed me shoulders, turning me to look at them and immediately our gazes crashed, I choked on thin air.
It couldn’t be. I didn’t want to believe it.
I was staring at no one other than him. The him i has sworn to hate ever since that incident in the hallway.
I was staring at Eros.
Eros’s face suddenly turned grim as he took in who I was. He scoffed, like he was staring at a joke. And I knew that he knew. He could smell it, and he could feel the pull.All of a sudden, he grabs my hands, walking us to the crowd, not even bothering to look at me. And that was when I began to sense something bad was about to happen. I tried to remove my hands from his grip, but it was too starting.We reached the crowd, and Eros pulled me forward, still not looking at me. The other werewolves around us seemed to sense that something was off, and they grew quiet as we approached.Finally, Eros stopped and turned to face me. His expression was cold and hard, and I could feel my heart sinking in my chest.As Eros's grip on my hands tightened, I could feel the tension in the air. The other werewolves around us were watching with a mixture of curiosity and unease. I tried to pull away, but his hold was too strong."What's going on, Alpha Eros?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly.He d
There was an acute pain in my heart like it was a tangible force. I felt my lips quibble with pain as I slowly crashed to the floor. It was in that moment that strong hands hoisted me towards him. I angled my face to the side as I stared right at Cancil. He had a small smile on his lips, which instantly put me at ease.“Are you all right?” He asked softly.I wanted to speak, but words could not easily be formed. Internally, I screamed for him to get me out of there. I felt like a puppet at an exhibition. It made me want to hide somewhere, and never come out again. These people were a part of my pack, yet they didn’t care about my feelings. It was not like it was a surprise, but still…“Come,” Cancil said this time with all firmness. He helped me to my feet, and lightly placed his arm around my waist. I leaned closer to him, and allowed him lead me out of the tense field. The rumours seemed to breakout at that exact moment, and I blocked my ears to the words they said.As we walked th
My head hurt as a demon as I tried to stand on my two feet in the dining area. I was slightly weak and I didn’t want to go to school. The humiliation would be too much, but I had no idea how to tell my family this. They wouldn’t be able to understand anything, and it felt like a giant waste of time. Don’t get me wrong, they loved me to the moon and back, but there was the enviable feeling that I should suck things up and move forward.Now, mother beat the egg as she tried to make my breakfast. I watched the press without any feeling. I was not hungry, and I was down. “Sira, please go over to the dining and wait. I would be done soon,” she said softly.I looked at her. “I don’t want to eat,” I said quietly.She looked at me as she stirred the eggs, and I noticed that she had on a grimace. It was weird to see that on her face when she was always so supportive. I sighed as I turned towards the breakfast table, feeling my shoulder slump forward.“Is it because of him?” She asked calmly.
“Don’t be scared,” Cancil said beside me.I turned to him slowly. “I’m not scared, but I just want to go to class,” I said firmly.He nodded. I turned towards the place where I had seen Eros last. He had left there. He simply didn’t care about how they bullied me. I don’t know what I was expecting, but at least, he should have been kinder to me at least. It hurt me so much when he treated me this way.I felt a hand on my arm, and I noticed that Cancil had given me the signal to move ahead. I did as I was told, while pulling my bag closer to me. He walked in front of me, while the I followed closely behind him.“She needs a protector… such a slut,” someone rang out as I went closer to the gate.I blinked the pain of those words down, as I blinked in shock as I hit Cancil’s back. I had not realised that he had stopped moving, and turned towards the bullies. What was he doing? I didn’t want more trouble, and I wanted to get out of this type of situation. It would be for my own good, if t
I rushed after Cancil as other students snickered at us. I honestly didn’t care what they did because they had proven time and again that they were nothing but bullies, and nothing good could ever come out of them, so I have to be strong about the whole thing. It was the only way that things were going to work out for me. Cancil was moving so fast, and I quickly caught up with him, pulling him by the arm.He stared at me with sadness visible in his eyes. I had caused that?“Cancil, please talk to me,” I pleaded.He sighed. “Why?”I shook my head mentally. “What do you mean by why?” I asked back. Then, I realised what I was doing. This was no way to make a friend open up to you, and it brought the opposite results. “What I mean is, I have taken you as a friend, and friends always say whatever they feel to each other. I don’t think either of us would like it the other went home sad, or angry. Please, talk to me. I could make whatever he is right,” I pleaded.He sniffed and finally sigh
I was finally done with the chores, and I was so exhausted, emotionally, and physically. This was a pain that I never imagined that I would go through in my life. I knew I had to be strong, and I was actually good at it since Cansil came back, but seeing Eros had made me so weak. It was so painful to note that I would never be loved by him.The more I acted like I didn’t care, the more the hurt dived deeper into my chest. With a sigh, I placed the cleaning tools where in the storage room, and grabbed my box. I was so grateful to the moon goddess that Eros had not able to return. I didn’t want to see him at all to avoid being hurt anymore.The pack house was so quiet, as I made my way out closing the door behind me. It was getting late, so I decided to quicken my pace. The weather was a bit chill this period, and I tried hard not to break under the intensity of it.I sighed as I followed the clear path, and tried hard to think of positive thought, even though my brain was making it dif
Should I go in there?I was standing in front of the porch, staring at the dark wood that served as our door. I didn’t want to go in. Honestly, I didn’t wish for mom and dad to see how weak I was. I just wanted to curl up in some place that was far away from here. That wasn’t going to be possible though, I knew it. It was simply wishful thinking. With a sigh, I made my way to the door, and rapped on it twice. I tried my best to clean my tears as I looked down on the floor.The door opened, mom tried to look at me, but I averted my gaze from them. It was a childish thing to do, but I didn’t care. She finally moved back into the house, when she noticed that I wasn’t looking up. I sighed inwardly as I made my way in.“Sira,” mom called, as she closed the door behind me.I swallowed the pain that I felt. There was so much that bothered me right now, and I wished that I could be able to handle it somehow, but I wasn’t able to do so. Everything felt so clustered and I couldn’t even tell a
Cansil was standing out of my house in the flesh. Now, it was beginning to make sense why mom and dad was acting they were just seeing me for the first time. In the history of my time here, I had never had friends. Neera had been the only one who hung out with me when we were still kids. But, now, I wished I had never pulled her close to me. She had joined the rest in making a mockery of me, and it was not something that I could easily forgive.I shook the memory away, and focused on Cansil’s grinning face. “I don’t get it,” I said calmly. “How are you here?”He shrugged. “I ran in my wolf form, and shifted when I got to your place. Unfortunately, your dad caught me butt naked,” he said with an inconspicuous wink.I gasped in shock. I turned back to the house, and noted that my parents were still staring at me. Ok, that was getting weird. Closing the door firmly behind, I walked over to Cansil who had pushed himself off the tree, and walking to meet me halfway.“How could you do that?