PROLOGUE. Carlos and Shaila
Carlos - 18 years old
Shaila - 12 years oldCARLOS.
"Did you say you made this?" I asked Shaila, holding the cinnamon bun in my hand. It was my second piece, and though I already knew she didn’t bake it, I still asked. I was giving her another chance, to tell the truth.
She nodded her head, her eyes beaming as she looked at me with her hands clasped behind her. "Did you like it? Or should I add or remove something?"
There was a bakery near their house that baked these buns, and I’ve been buying them there since... forever? So I knew where these came from the moment she showed me these. I initially thought I should tell her about it, but I changed my mind. Suddenly, I didn’t have the heart to hurt her 12-year-old’s heart.
Which I found strange. I was so used to being frank with her, crushing her confidence on certain occasions, but not today. Maybe tomorrow again.
I shrugged my shoulders before I answered her question. "Yes, they taste really good. Just perfect. Thank you."
"So, did you find your mate?" She asked almost immediately after I replied.
I almost choked on the pastry I was munching with her question as if she knew anything about mates.
My birthday was yesterday. I turned 18, and for shifters like me, it was the moment we were all waiting for when we could finally scent our mate. But I wasn’t sure if I was one of them.
I was happy just to be playing around, one female after another. Why settle for one when you could have a taste of many?
"No. I didn’t." I winked at her as I took another bun from the plastic pouch she gave me earlier and took a bite.
She breathed relief, and I knew what it meant, but I just ignored it. "Maybe your mate is still not 18."
"Maybe." It didn’t slip my eyes the way her eyes sparkled the moment I agreed to her words.
Shaila was only twelve, but I knew she had been crushing on me since, I fucking had no idea when. Probably when she first saw me.
To be honest, I didn’t care. I was used to the attention given by the opposite sex.
I’m the Gamma’s son, soon to be the Gamma of the Pack, if and if only — Caspian, the future Alpha of the Blue Meadows Pack, would choose me to be his Gamma. which I was certainly sure he would because I was hell-bent on proving that I was fit for the position.
I knew I played around with females, but they only came second to my training and workouts. I’m a warrior, first and foremost. It was my goal in life to be a Gamma like my father.
"...or maybe I don’t have a mate," I added, smiling at her as her face dropped before it warped into a scowl.
"You have a mate. You just need to wait for her."
"Yeah, whatever." I chuckled.
"Hmmm… but will you let me know if you find your mate?" She asked. She bit her bottom lip as she waited patiently for my answer while I finished the one I was eating first.
"Why?" Oh, that was a stupid question. Of course, this little girl would want to know when her heart would be broken.
"Hmmm... Because I keep track of who finds their mates or not." Smart answer. But I’m not buying it.
"Really, you keep track of everyone?"
"Yes." She answered proudly.
"So tell me who’s mated with Gerald? He found his mate recently." I asked, chewing the last piece of the pastry she gave me. Gerald was her brother’s best friend.
"Hmmm… I don’t know."
"And Theresa? She got mated a month ago. She’s your neighbor."
She swallowed as her eyes watered. "I want to go home now."
"Okay. Thanks for the pastries." I told her nonchalantly and I knew I had broken her heart again.
But I had no idea how she would get the hint that whatever she felt for me wasn’t meant to be. I knew it was just a childhood crush, but it had been going on for years. There were other boys her age who wanted her attention, and yet she followed me around like a lovesick pup.
Damn, I hope there was an easier way to tell her to not waste her time on me, but then, I was enjoying the food she would give me from time to time. So maybe I will just let her do what she wants.
I was pretty sure, soon, she would find someone else more interesting than me.
I watched as her little frame walked away, her head hanging low and her shoulders sagging. The sight of her crushed my heart. Maybe I should stay away from her and forget about the pastries.
Sweet little Shaila doesn’t deserve to be broken by someone like me.
CARLOS.I entered the warrior’s lounge, and I was immediately welcomed by a yelling female voice. Seriously? Why would anyone take their problems at home inside the warrior’s facility?This was not the first time that this thing happened, so I reminded my warriors that none of their females should come or attack them inside the facility. This place was our relaxation area, and I wanted the atmosphere to be just that. But surely, someone forgot to restrain their girlfriend. I might have to tell them to carry her out and they could continue outside.I chuckled at my own thoughts. This was the reason I didn’t do relationships - no female, no problem.I let out a sigh as I entered the room and nodded at the few warriors around who acknowledged me before heading straight to the small kitchen where I thought the voice came from.And there I saw Santo. His face was furious as he stared at the petite female talking too fast in front of him.Shaila. His younger sister."What’s going on?" I int
CARLOS. Tonight is a full moon. I knew Shaila would be shifting tonight. I haven’t seen her for weeks. The last time I saw her was when I teased her about her new haircut and she got pissed off. A few weeks ago, she arrived at the training grounds with short hair to bring something for her brother. She didn’t look bad - in fact, she looked sexier and older. But I missed her long hair. I missed the innocence in her face that I was used to. I was kind of surprised by my reaction. I thought I preferred older women, but when she showed up looking older than her age, I flipped out. I teased her and told her I would hunt down the person who cut her hair because she looked terrible. I couldn’t forget the disappointment on her face before she left without saying a word. And I never saw her again, until tonight. She showed up with long hair. I was baffled for a moment. How could she have gotten it back so quickly? Well, fucking hair extensions. She didn’t say a word to me for the rest
SHAILA. My name is Shaila Rivera. I was born into a family of shifters. And tonight I was expected to shift for the first time. Santos, my older brother, also a pack warrior, told me that he wouldn’t be at my shifting tonight because he was scheduled to man the border on the other side of the territory, but he said there was nothing to worry about as the Gamma and the other warriors would be there to help me. And that made me worry more. Shifting for the first time should be a happy moment, but I was filled with anxiety. I was terrified of making a fool of myself in front of Gamma Carlos. I’ve had a thing for the Gamma for as long as I can remember. I had a crush on him even before I got my period, but no matter how many times I tried to get his attention, he never paid attention to me. So the last thing I wanted to do tonight was to embarrass myself in front of him. What if I couldn’t shift? What if I did something wrong and it affected everyone? So many things were running in
CARLOS."It’s okay. I’ve seen naked females, Shaila." Fuck me now! Why did I say that? I just wanted her to feel comfortable around me, even if she was naked, but it came out so wrong.It was my fault in the first place that she ran away. If I didn’t look mesmerized by her naked body, she wouldn’t probably react the way she did.But she caught me off guard. I saw her at the exact moment she shifted. Her naked breasts and pink pussy were just in my sight before she sat down on the ground and pulled her knees against her chest, and the way she was positioned, her pussy was fucking too visible in my wolf’s eyes.And then her hand reached for me, making her breasts jiggle as she rubbed my fur.I’m a fucking man, a hormonal one, and her innocence was drawing me in as no other younger female had."I know. That’s why it’s embarrassing. I know I could never be on par with them. Do you think you can find some clothes nearby?"I knew there were clothes nearby. We usually leave shirts everywhere
SHAILA.Carlos said he would walk me home after our run, and I didn’t protest. In fact, I was thankful. It was already midnight, and I didn’t want to walk home alone with just a big shirt covering my body. So we walked back together, and Carlos found some clothes along the way. He gave me the shirt and he took the shorts for himself. After a while, he offered to take me on Hugo’s back because he said I might collapse and pass out soon, which was normal for she-wolves shifting for the first time.As much as the idea of riding Hugo without underwear excited me, I didn’t want to sound too eager. So I declined at first, but he didn’t stop asking until I gave in.Soon, we were treading the way to my home, and with my arms coiled around Hugo’s neck, my nose digging into his fur, it was no surprise that his scent was lulling me to sleep.'Shaila,' Carlos’ voice snapped me out of my almost slumber. 'Hmmm…' I replied.'Would you like to walk the last 300 meters to your house?''Okay. Am I th
SHAILA.I was still daydreaming when the dismissal bell rang, and I immediately rose from my seat, grabbing the bag that I had fixed already even before the bell sounded. I wanted to go to the restroom and check myself before stepping out of the building.Two nights ago was just perfect. I shifted for the first time, and my wolf, Maya, was nothing short of wonderful. She was small but fluffy, and I thought she was so beautiful. Carlos said that too!Aside from Maya, Carlos made that night extra special. He stayed with me while I was shifting and ran with me the whole night until it was time to go home. I didn’t expect him to walk me home, but he did. And he stayed for a couple of hours after that. Santo was already home when we arrived, so they talked while I prepared midnight snacks for them.I didn’t get to have Carlos alone that night, but I wasn’t complaining. I saw him glance at me more than ten times that night. Yes! I was counting and I couldn’t count more than ten because my h
SHAILA.Shit! My eyes rounded as my heart hammered in my chest. My head snapped in his direction, and it was too late when I realized he was too close.His peppermint breath brushed against my skin, causing my lips to part, and before I knew it, his lips crashed into mine without a warning. His strong arms wrapped around me, while a hand held my nape, holding me in place as he kissed me gently.I just found myself kissing him back, my arms coiling around his neck, and it made him move forward so that he was leaning on me, pressing my back against my seat.The kiss was longer than the first time that I couldn’t stifle the soft moans coming out of my throat. I’d had my fair share of kisses, but none of them compared to the ecstasy I felt right now.Carlos’ tongue intruded into my mouth, and I couldn’t help but moan more and a bit louder, making him pull away from kissing me. My cheeks burned with embarrassment. Was I too loud? Did I sound like a frog when I moan, making it awkward for h
SHAILA.The next few days went by in a blur. The school week was about to end and within this week, Carlos had picked me up three times. Many of my classmates who knew him were already teasing me that I was the Gamma’s new apple of the eye.It could mean a negative thing, that I was just one of the females with whom he was hanging out. But in Carlos’ defense, he hasn’t gone out on a date with any females this week. Well, actually for a long time now, even before the full moon. How did I know?I had my ways. No, don’t get me wrong. I was not a stalker. But Santo and his friends hung out at home most of the time, and they would talk about the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. So I knew things about what was happening in the pack house, especially the problem with Andrea, but of course, all my attention was drawn to their conversation when it was Carlos they were discussing. And so far, I haven’t heard any female names connected to him. So it must be a good thing."Fuck, Shaila..." Carlos grunted