Chapter 1 Devon

This time next month I’d be mated.

       It was hard to believe, but that’s how it was for us lycanthrope. It both comforted me, knowing that somewhere out there belonged my perfect match, and–naturally–placed the fear of God into me since I was still in university and it was basically the equivalent of marriage.

Shit, I was only 21 years old.

I barely had time to play the field and “destiny” was going to place some random chick with me forever? It was supposed to be fated by the wolf gods, but what if she was ugly or mean? Or both?! What if I didn’t like her?

       Honestly, there was only one chick I’d be satisfied being mated to for a lifetime and that was Amelia Quinton. She was the most popular woman at UoL (University of Lycanthrope) and a total badass. Amelia had long, blonde hair–though she often put coloured streaks in it, crystalline blue eyes, a curvaceous body and a huge rack. This made all the guys at UoL lust after her, mainly myself. I figured if I wanted to be crowned the alpha of our graduating year, then I had to not only graduate top of my class–proving I was the best–but also bag the hottest chick in our undergraduate year. Also, I figured if I started creating a connection between us now, then I’d be far more likely to be paired up with her come the mating ritual next month. Usually the gods weren’t too cruel - couples sometimes got paired with each other, but sometimes…that wasn’t the case, and that always stirred major drama at school–one guy even got stabbed once for getting placed with some other dude’s girlfriend, like he chose it or something. Anyway, it made the people at school nuts, and even though I thought it was stupid and it placed the fear of the gods into me, I figured Amelia was my best shot, And that asking Amelia to the winter dance was my best in with her. Of course, I was having all these thoughts while staring blankly at the textbook I was supposed to be studying from.

       “Sup?” said Nate. His name was difficult to pronounce so most people called him Nate. He was my roommate and best friend. I’d known him since we were pups–which as lame as it sounded, was how we referred to children around these parts.

       “Hey,” I replied, glancing up from the textbook I was meant to be reading for my upcoming exam. I wasn’t. “Aren’t you supposed to be in fifth period?”

“Nope.” He flung himself onto the lounge beside me. “Free.”

“I thought you had woodshop or whatever gay elective you chose.”

“Ha-ha!” he replied mockingly, followed by a glare. “But no. Some kid nearly chopped their finger off, so we got dismissed while the teacher rushed them to the campus medic.”

“For real?”

“Yeah.” Nate tossed a cushion at me. “Pretty badass for a gay elective.”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. I guess it beats what I’m doing….”

“Studying?” he asked.

I closed the textbook and sighed. “Not studying–staring blankly at a textbook while thinking about being mated, but yes, that.”

Nate pursed his lips. “No luck with Amelia?”

“Not as of yet. I mean I’m the most popular guy in school…she’s the most popular girl. Ideally, we should already be dating. I mean, it’s simple math but…”

“You still have trouble talking with her?”

“What? No! I’m not a pussy.” I glared. Nate just stared at me flatly. “Okay, whatever. I’m a pussy, but you don’t understand.” I rolled my eyes. “Amelia is intimidating and I have this whole mysterious thing going on with her.”

“You mean Amelia is a bitch and you once jumped into poison ivy to avoid her.”

I paused. “Yes.”

Nate smiled and offered me some of his potato chips.

I grabbed a handful, half eating as I spoke. “Listen, it’s hard talking with women. I know I’ve hooked up when I’m drunk at parties and have this whole fuckboy vibe going on–”

“Despite not actually being a fuckboy.”

“Hey!” I kicked him. “I’m more fuckboy than you are, virgin Mary!”

He glared and kicked me back. “Hey, I told you that in confidence!”

“You didn’t have to tell me anything,” I retorted. “I know you pussied out in Seven Minutes in Heaven with Nancy Grey!”

“I did not!” Nate smacked my arm. “She tried to kill me!”

I smacked him back. And just like that, we ended up play wrestling. Limbs flew everywhere as we rolled from the couch onto the floor, bodies tangled around each other. “Tried to kill you with her tongue!” I retorted.

“She bit my face!” he cried out.

I slapped him.

“Ahhh!” he yelled, flailing wildly.

We rolled some more, knocking into the legs of the coffee table, which made some items fall as it rocked, but I was too distracted with pinning him down. Alas, I managed it. Nate grunted as I held his arms down to the wood of the floor. He stared up at me with submission flashing in his hazel eyes; his chestnut hair was a mess, half covering his sweaty forehead.

“Okay, okay!” he said.

“You give?”

“I give!”

“Then say it…” I prompted, still saddling his torso; my knees dug around his solid frame. “Say I’m the alpha!”

Nate shook his head stubbornly and tried to wriggle free.

“Say it!” I made a noise like I was hawking a loogie, and then I leaned closer, my face hovering over his as I slowly let my spit fall from my lips. It hung above his face, making the slow descent the longer he hesitated.

“Okay, okay!” he screamed. “You’re the alpha! You’re the alpha!”

I sucked my spit back into my mouth and released him from my hold.

We were both breathing a little harder as we recovered. I sat back up, but he chose to lay on the floor as he fixed his disheveled clothes and hair. My body felt warm all over and he was a little red in the face, too.

“You’re disgusting,” he said.

“You know you love me,” I teased. “In all of my disgusting nature.”

Nate rolled his eyes. “You made me spill my chips.”

“One day, you’re going to serve under me,” I told him as I leaned back on my elbow. I was a born leader. I could feel it in my veins. And Nate knew it, too, even if he didn’t often say it out loud. He knew I was the best choice for pack leader. I was bigger than the other guys - more muscular, stronger, but it went beyond that. I was smarter, too. Faster. Wiser. The only thing I struggled with was talking with women. Not fucking. That was easy. But forming a connection was another story. I sighed as I lay back onto the floor next to my best friend. “I wish talking to Amelia was easy, like talking with you.”

He glanced over at me. “I know, Dev. I wish the same.”

“You talk to girls easy,” I whispered.

“Hm?” He seemed a little distracted as he looked at me. I noticed his gaze fall toward my mouth and got a little self conscious.

“Do I have food on my face?” I lifted my hand to wipe.

“Huh? Oh no. Sorry, I was just thinking….” He turned away and sat up. “I was just, uh. What did you say?”

“About girls,” I said, leaning on my elbow. “And how you talk with them easily.”

“Oh, yeah. Maybe.” Nate seemed a little frustrated. “It’s not like–I don’t, um. It’s easy being friends with girls, but the more stuff…is well, you know, complicated.”

I nodded and reached toward him, lightly patting his shoulder where I could reach. “Don’t worry, Nate, the first time is always scary. Just do what I did–get drunk and fuck some random at a party. Once you do it, you’ll see it’s not a big deal. Besides, women love you, and you’re not horrible looking…you could have anyone you wanted.”

Nate looked back at me, his lip half curled. “Not horrible looking?” He grabbed a chip from the ground and pegged it at me. “Thanks!”

I laughed and rolled my eyes. “You know what I mean. You’re attractive for a guy.” I sat up a little more. My mind was still all over the place - focused on acing exams, ranking top of my class, being mated, talking to Amelia, and being crowned alpha. “So, what about you?” I asked Nate. “If you could be mated with anyone, who would you choose?”

Nate was silent for a long moment before he finally turned to look back at me.

A weird moment passed between us. I didn’t know what it meant or what to make of it, but yet again, his gaze lowered before it met my eyes once more. “I don’t know,” he said at last. “I don’t really think about it.”