Jalen

The overpowering smell of old, musty leather filled my dad's beat-up sedan, and the sound of his angry voice rose above the roar of the engine as he scolded me for shifting into my beast form. Tension filled the car, and my anger radiated off me in waves.

"Is it such a difficult task to control yourself in public? Have you never seen a girl before that you had to shift into your beast form? Now everyone in the pack will yap about how my son was aroused by a stupid werewolf."

"I wasn't aroused by her," I lied, trying to defend myself, but he was too far gone in his rage to listen.

"Griffin, please hear him out. There may be other reasons why he shifted, and besides, Jalen can't be attracted to that spoiled brat."

"Oh, shut up," my dad barked at my mom, who had stepped in to try and calm the situation. "That's all you do, make fat and silly excuses for him. He never does anything right. I'll be retiring in a year, and I don't even know the future of our pack."

She sat in silence, her eyes fixed on the road ahead, as the car shook and juddered, the engine struggling to keep up with my dad's anger.

"Dad, you need to stop treating me like I'm four years old. My shifting was a reflex action, and I didn't mean to scare the girl."

"You overestimate yourself because four-year-olds don't have the amount of baggage you carry."

As he spoke, we nearly got into a car accident as he engaged in a bout of road rage with another driver.

My twin sister Jaelyn, struggled to speak but failed. Instead, she grabbed my hand, trying to silently reassure me to stay calm. I returned the gesture, gazing out the window as I let out a sigh.

The image of my mate filled every space in my mind, her blonde hair falling like a halo around her head and her steely blue eyes piercing into my soul.

The sound of my own heart pounded in my chest as I struggled to come to terms with my feelings for her. She was a woman, through and through, delicate and refined, but her mouth was sharper than a razor. Her beauty, class, and sophistication were beyond me, and I could bet that the price of the cologne she wore could buy my whole wardrobe.

Our worlds were too different, and I didn't know the joke the moon goddess was playing on me.

We drove past my pack's territory, the scenery changing from huge, beautiful mansions to old houses. My dad's words kept ringing in my ears. I needed to get my act together, but the more I tried, the more difficult it seemed.

I jumped out of the car and stormed into the house to grab my jacket, then rushed out again, ignoring my mom's calls as I ran out of the house.

The forest scent, earthy and alive, filled my nostrils as I raced down the street, my heart pounding and my footsteps echoing through the empty streets. I made my way over to my best friend Cade's house, feeling agitated and moody. His house, a small dingy one with peeling white paint, was dark from the distance, and I hoped someone was home.

My breathing was ragged as I pounded on Cade's door. He opened it, surprised to see me.

"Do we need to punch someone?" he asked, and I walked past him into the house.

"How did the summit go? I'm guessing the werewolves were bratty as usual?"

I didn't say anything to Cade, but I made small talk with Sylvanus, his dad, who was more of a dad to me than my father. He offered me a cup of tea, but I refused politely and went upstairs to Cade's room.

"Do you ever clean up?" I groaned, staring at the chaos of his room cluttered with video game consoles and piles of clothes.

"You've not answered any of my questions," he said, sitting next to me. "What's bothering you? Is it your girlfriend, Malory?"

"That bimbo isn't my girlfriend, and you know this," I snapped. Malory was my dad's choice for me but I didn't feel any form of attraction for her. 

We started playing a video game, and for a few minutes, I was able to get absorbed in it and even laughed as I won against Cade. He was a sore loser and complained the whole time, but it was good to have a distraction from my problems for a little while.

"I found my mate," I said casually to Cade in the middle of the next round. Cade stopped playing, and his face contorted in shock.

He jumped to his feet, shaking my shoulder. "Man! That's great news! Finally!"

"It's terrible news," I said, shaking my head, and Cade stared at me, confused.

"What do you mean?"

The tension in the air thickened, and I sighed. "She's forbidden."

He kept staring at me without saying anything. I was waiting for him to explain, but when I didn't, he began bombarding me with questions, getting more and more impatient with my vague responses.

"Fine, I'll tell you. My mate is Clarissa, the billionaire Alpha's daughter."

The moment Cade registered what I said, he gasped in raw shock and disgust. "Jalen, she's a werewolf. This is not good at all. You need to reject her."

I stared at him in disbelief. "Have you forgotten that I need my mate to break my curse?"

"Shit!" Cade winced. "What are you going to do?"

 I shrugged, lost in thought. My life was beginning to sound like a badly scripted movie. 

"It's like the universe is playing a cruel joke on me," I said, running my hands through my hair in frustration. "I finally found my mate, the one person who can break my curse, and she's forbidden fruit."

Cade paced back and forth, his brow furrowed in thought. "Okay, okay. Let's think about this rationally. You need to break this curse, but going after Clarissa is going to cause a major rift in the pack and eventually, a war. You could even get banished. We must find …"

I watched him and he gasped, a light bulb going off in his head "I have an idea," he winked.