Chapter 3

“What?!” I say frantic, backing away.

His dark eyes turn back to normal as he realizes what just happened.

“What do you mean mate?!” I ask again.

“I’m sorry,” his eyes pleaded. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

We both go silent, trying to grasp what this means now, mate. Me! Mate… me, I’m Luke’s mate. This can’t be happening, it didn’t even make any sense. This has to be a dream. This was playing out like a badly written w*****d werewolf fanfiction. I couldn’t understand or believe it.

Luke avoided me for the next few weeks. He stopped coming over, it was like he disappeared from school, he just vanished and wasn’t around anymore. But at night I’d look out my window and see yellow eyes staring at me through the woods. By that time I basically already had his wolf memorized, it was so unlike his appearance in human form. Very light ash with deep spots of jet black, black paws and dark spots around the left eye. It was stunning, I was always fascinated by it.

He would shift and sit next to me when I was little, even more playful in wolf form. We would roll around in the dirt and run around. Simpler times I thought staring back out at the eyes watching me. I wished he’d let me go close to him, talk to him. I missed him, but I also knew myself enough to know that I was scared of what it meant, what would come of it, or even… my answer. 

I was fourteen, I didn’t know enough of all the responsibilities that would. One of being a mate but I… I knew enough, knew I couldn’t handle it but also had an idea what it would mean if I rejected him. I didn’t even know back then if I wanted to reject him.

“Why don’t we keep it a secret..? For now, I…I…. Just.” I started grasping at the words to say , to convey what I wanted to, like the words would magically come out of my mind and I’d realize what I wanted to say.

“You don’t have to explain. I understand, I agree.” He relaxes his shoulders as though a weight has been lifted off him. 

The ways he smiled back then, like everything was going to be okay… was already okay… He was so much my friend in that moment, putting his needs under mine. Letting me do what I felt was best for me at the time. It was the same way he was smiling now, as he watched the couple dance and laugh, people jeering and wooing.

Weddings were beautiful and a mating ceremony was as close to a wedding as a werewolf could get.

Slowly one by one the couples advance to the dance floor joining the newlyweds, leaving me and some other unfortunate singles sitting down.

I spot my mom and dad swaying next to Callum and Raina, they all look so happy, content to just be in the arms of one another dancing to music.

“Look at happy couples, how sickening.” Luke jokes coming behind me.

“When they are not happy in this town, I feel like we could fast forward fifteen years and it’ll still be the same, they’d be here, in this moment, undisturbed.” 

He looks up for a second, observing the glitter of laughter as Lana swats Draco’s shoulder a small blush on her porcelain skin… playful bickering of an old married couple from my parents… His eyes darken and he scowls. 

“Yes, well, let’s hope it stays this way for a long time.”

Hm, how ominous, what does that even mean?

A cool breeze blows through and Luke takes a deep breath, his eyes going black for a second at the whiff of my scent. After years of practice it has become easy to hide, but sometimes, at times like this. I remember how hard it must be for him suppressing his instincts.

His hands reach out and grab mine, tight, but not too tight. His muscles flexing and bulging with muscles, veins popping. His slender fingers wrap around my wrist.

“I…” he stutters before he finally calms himself down, taking his hands back.

“What do you mean by let’s hope it stays for a long time?” I try to distract him by talking, and watch how his eyes immediately zero in on my lips.

“There’s been some news from the South… hunters, creeping in on villages and cohabiting towns. They blend in as one of the humans and have been picking small packs off.”

“That’s horrible,” I exclaim. … and scary. I couldn’t imagine my life without most of the people here. They were a part of my family as much as I was part of their pack. We’ve always lived in harmony in Ravenstown but there were still some backward people in other places who couldn’t come to terms with werewolves and thought of them as vile beasts to be hunted. How ironic to become a beast to hunt down the very thing you hate.

“But there’s no cause for alarm yet, it’s just rumors..”

I shiver and Like immediately takes off his jacket draping it over my body thinking I am cold. A very clearly drunk Callum staggers towards us.

“If it isn’t little Cher and Lukey missing all the fun. If I don’t know any better I’d say you both are mates. I wish you were, sometimes with the way Lukey looks at you, I think you are…”

“That’s enough Callum,” Luke says, looking visibly distressed.

“Don't take it so seriously Lukey. Although, I could’ve sworn I saw your eyes change from across the room, trick of the light… I think not…” Callum sloppily says tripping over his words as he tried to speak.

Another much stronger gust of wind blows and I immediately glance at Luke who’s eyes go black for a split second.

“Aha!” Callum exclaims. “Is that..?” He asks,peering at Luke. “Was I right?”