His Unidentified & Untouchable Mate

Zahraa POV My heart was pounding in my throat as I stood from my seat upon the stage of St. Marjorie’s Academy for Girls. As valedictorian for the class of 2023, I was expected to give a speech. I’d labored for weeks in advance to choose the perfect words. I was still unsure if I had succeeded, but I couldn’t keep teetering in uncertainty forever. “Hello and welcome,” I said stiffly, casting my smile over the crowd before me of robed students. I took another deep breath. “My dear classmates, please join me in thanking the faculty and staff of St. Marjorie’s Academy for Girls, without which I am confident we would have grown into a herd of unkempt beasts. Dear faculty of St. Marjorie’s, please join me in thanking the student body for not allowing that to happen.” The chuckle I received loosened me, and my smile became more natural. “Not everyone here walked these halls for four years. Some left us early. Some joined us late. It doesn’t matter- if you joined us at all, I am happy to call you my classmate. They say all things must come to an end, no matter how good they may have been, and that may be true. However, graduation is not an end: it is a beginning for many things to come. Some will go to college, some technical school, some will go straight into the workforce. It doesn’t matter - regardless of your path, I hope it leads you to happiness.” I beamed. “I could talk for hours about the happy memories formed here. For instance: do you remember year one? When a senior threatened a shy first-year student, and the entire year’s worth of students decided to start a food fight about it?” My eyes found Ingrid Kemp, the one who’d thrown the first hot dog. “Did you know how happy that made her? How about in year two, when they wanted to chop down a big, historical tree from the school courtyard. One student felt particularly strongly about saving it, and a group of ten students joined her in the branches of that tree, singing loudly over the threats of the crew that had been called to cut it down.” I looked to Tanis Elara, who’d rounded up several friends - myself included. “And you did it - it stands there today. There were a lot of events that stood out to me in year three - we lost one of our own. We could have let that loss define us, but instead, we held a wake in the halls, and bullied poor Janitor Wilson into leaving all our flowers, candles, and pictures of her in the hallway for a whole month.” I looked to Alanis Young, who’d made the poor janitor cry. “My favorite memory this year, was the senior prank- I mean, come on, hundreds of plastic cups filled with water and rubber ducks? Hilarious!” I offered a cautious wave to where the janitors stood. “And again, Janitor Wilson, I’m sorry on behalf of my entire class.” I let the laughter die down and scanned over the crowd. “The friends we’ve met here will last a lifetime. There are a hundred more memories I could share with you, and I’m sure each and every one of you has a memory of their own to share. I wish we could stand here and exchange them all day long, but we can’t. All good things must come to an end, right? And so, too, must this ceremony. Thank you all for joining us today, on the first day of the rest of our lives. Now, who’s ready to get their diploma?” I stepped back, and the principal shook my gloved hand. “Good work, Miss snow. Very good work.” “Thank you,” I said, returning to my proper place among my classmates. The principal had a speech of his own, and we listened anxiously before diplomas were handed out. I thought it might last forever, in a graduating class with 250 plus students, but once it got started, things moved along quickly, and before I knew it, we were tossing our caps in the air. The view of hundreds of caps and tassels fluttering over the football field made my heart surge – I wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing. I’d spoken of beginnings, but what I feared most was change. Though I wasn’t a werewolf, I lived with the Wild Fangs, the largest pack in North America. Now that I was graduated and out of high school, there was no telling whether I’d be accepted as a ward of the pack anymore. Tomorrow, in fact, I had a meeting to determine if I would be made homeless. A hand slipped into mine and squeezed. “Honey,” a girl with blond hair and striking blue eyes said, her hip bumping into mine. “You’ve got that faraway look in your eye. There’s no point in stressing – not here at least. Not now.” “I know,” I breathed. “I know that, Ingrid, it’s just…” Ingrid nodded knowingly, even when I couldn’t come up with the words to describe my tumultuous feelings. “No matter what happens, I’ll support you. And hey! If you can’t stay in the pack, there’s always college housing!” “Sounds like you ladies are talking about something way too serious,” A girl with hair so brown it might’ve been mistaken for coal said. Her eyes were a rich red-brown, and her smile played over her dangerously pointed teeth. “I’m going to snatch Tanis up, and we’re going to have one ever-evolving wild night out. You in?” My eyebrows shot up. “Wild night out? I thought we were doing that tomorrow?” “Oh, we’re going to party hardy all night long tomorrow too. We’re graduated! It’s a celebration!” Alanis threw her hands in the air and did a twirl. “We’ve got no homework, no deadlines and no worries for two months! Let’s live it up!” “I’m always game,” Ingrid said with a broad smile. She used to be a lot more reserved, but since her 18th birthday last month, she hadn’t missed a chance for a single outing. Because unlike me, Ingrid was a werewolf, and a valid member of the Wild Fangs. As a werewolf, she’d meet someone guaranteed to be the love of her life – a luxury the other races, sadly, did not get. I was jealous. I could tell the way she perked every time we went to a destination, how she was sniffing for him – searching for him. I wish I had something like that. Her blue eyes settled on me, and I could see the underlying plea before she even clasped her hands and whined, “Please?” “I’ll go,” I said, forcing a smile. If I was left alone, I’d only catastrophize anyway. Alanis did a happy little jump for joy, and spun around. “Now, where’s Tanis?” We helped her search, staying in a group and watching for her red, spiked hair. Tanis had beautiful dark skin contrasted with a bright yellow dress. She always had her hair dyed a different color pushing the boundary of what the school board would consider a “natural color.” She was also tall for a woman – and in true Tanis fashion refused to let that stop her from wearing heels. She towered over the other girls, and we found her quickly. “Tanis!” Alanis yelled, sprinting ahead of the rest of us. She dove at her girlfriend, wrapping her tightly in her arms. They shared a kiss, unheeded by the stares of those around them. “We’re going to the bar tonight! You’re in, of course.” “Of course,” Tanis replied with no hesitation. A sudden knot of apprehension tied itself in my intestines. “A bar?” I asked, glancing around to make sure no teachers were listening. “We’re all underage,” I practically whispered. “So?” Alanis huffed. “Listen, when we toured USC, I met some hot seniors that are totally willing to buy our drinks for us.” She grinned in that awful wicked way of hers. “We wouldn’t want to waste their generosity, would we?” My heart rate accelerated. The last thing I needed in my life was a handsy drunken college guy. “I don’t know…” Ingrid’s hand was firm on my back. She gave me a reassuring nod, “Nothing will happen. We’ll all be there to support you.” Tanis nodded her agreement. I gulped. I had a feeling this was going to be nothing but trouble – and I couldn’t let the pack catch wind of me getting in trouble right now. But under the unyielding stares of my friends, I did what I always did. “Alright,” I sighed. “But I’ll be leaving at ten!” Alanis threw her arm over my shoulder, leaning heavily on me. “Sure, you will.”