The Lottery Mate

Chapter 6

Lesley’s POV

I threw out the note the second I got home. Nobody cared if I was suspended for a week for beating up a couple of freshmen boys. But for now, I decided not to go back to the pack house. Hey, my life wasn’t exactly great, but I still preferred to be alive than dead. And if my uncle caught sight of me again today, that’s exactly what I’d become.

Since I was home early, I went around the pack to see how they were doing. Most of them were frustrated; understandable. Especially the warriors, since they were considered a rank 2, but their mates and children were rank 3 and, therefore, couldn’t get any medical care or any money for education. Their mates had to work double shifts at local stores or shops, and the ones with an actual education had to put in insane hours to provide for their families. And yes, that money was as black as tar, but seriously, what the hell were they supposed to do?

So, a little explanation about our pack’s money system: it all went to the Alpha! Before it was my dad, and he distributed the money equally to each household according to their needs. Because---pack mentality, bitches! But with my uncle in charge, the money barely got around. The ones of higher rank got more and those of lower rank got--- yeah, you’ve already guessed it! And to make it worse, those of lower rank had fewer privileges. As if there was a rogue attack, they didn’t get protection!

Like what the f**k?!

That defeated the entire point of being a PACK!

I’d been the one who suggested the black money work, so at least they got to pay off student loans and/or education for their kids. Not to mention essential medication. With the help of some of the accountants, I managed to create an offshore account and laundered the money back to another account back here (#ILoveDigitalWorld). And yes, that was money laundering, but like I said, we were desperate and although werewolves rarely get sick, we still have immune diseases, like diabetes and Alzheimer’s. They need money for medication; especially the older, demented werewolves!

I went around to check up on our illegal business and just confirmed that it was all still working like clockwork, although the stress of overwork and frustrations with the alpha was starting to get to them. I sighed, not knowing what to do. Even if Uncle Harry did drop dead, Trevor was just as bad; perhaps even worse, since he didn’t get any training in being an alpha. Uncle wasn’t giving him any lessons and Beta Sean, Dean’s older brother, gave up on him long ago. Basically, it’s Beta Sean running the pack or at least holding it together. And I’ll always be grateful to him for that, but because of one of my uncle’s stupid rules, I’m not allowed to talk to any of the higher ranks. Which includes him, his Luna, and their children. Understand now, why no one gets the rules? Because as soon as they’re made, my uncle is the one breaking them. But while he gets away with it, everyone else gets punished. And let’s just say that it didn’t take me long to meet Beta Sean in the guest bedroom.

And he’d been avoiding me ever since…

I came around the corner and saw a familiar face, that totally made my day.

Or at least so I thought…

“Tanja!” I screeched and ran over to her, throwing my arms around her neck. Because of the impact, she had to take a step back, so she didn’t fall. OK, I’m a tall girl. Like, really tall! 5 ft 10, to be precise! I’m, of course, underweight – because that’s sexy! (hint: sarcasm!) – but for some reason, I still have a decent figure. You know... boobs, waist, butt! And really, really long legs. Like ‘daddy long legs’-long legs! And yes, I loved it! I love how I can easily look like a s*x bomb in everything from leggings to a pencil skirt…

Speaking off…

Tanja was wearing the most gorgeous pencil skirt along with a stunning white shirt. I could smell the perfume on her, as she was trying to hide the scent of a male. I smiled but didn’t comment. Hey!

Her life, her choice, right?

She was shorter than me, like almost every single female I knew. She had long, chestnut-red hair that perfectly framed her beautiful, heart-shaped face, which was mostly dominated by her beautiful dark brown eyes. I know that she was 26 years old, but thanks to werewolf aging – that practically stopped at the age of 18 for females – she looked like that. I think it’s about 20 for guys--- but long story short is that you could run into a 50-year-old werewolf guy, and he’d still look like a f*****g 25-year-old!

I was Tanja’s complete opposite! I had white hair, but it was curly. And not pretty waves curly, but like ‘crazy witch in the woods’-curly. I tried to use conditioner anytime I got my hands on any, just to look like a normal person and because I didn’t know how to cut it or had anyone who would cut it for me, it was really, really long! I literally had hair all the way down to my butt cheeks! And keep in mind that it’s curly like crazy, so I had no idea how long it would be if I actually straightened it. My face was sort of standard egg-shaped, with a small boxer’s nose, because my uncle had broken it a couple of times during some of the assaults. Not my favorite body part anymore. But I kinda liked my gray eyes; I’d inherited them from my mom and, since Uncle Harry wasn’t a sentimental man, it was one of the very few things I’d gotten to keep from my parents.

“You’re back!” I engulfed her in a bear hug and only let go because she was running out of air. I stepped back and took a look at her. And that’s when I noticed…

“Lesley,” she sighed, poison and anger dripping from every word. Holy s**t! She looked ready to kill me! “How are you?”

“I’m good, thank you,” I answered, pretending that I didn’t notice the glare she was giving me. Perhaps it wasn’t anything personal. My brain went into automatic care drive. Had something happened to her? Was it a bad day? Had something happened to the other pack?

“Is something the matter? You look kinda…” I asked and as an i***t, I tried to gesture at her body, but since there was nothing there, I ended up gesturing at her face. Big mistake!

“Screwed!”

“Screwed?!” Tanja scoffed, her hostile and aggressive nature coming up. Ok, keep in mind, that I’m an omega! Everyone here can kick my ass, and when my friends get like that, I get scared! “Well, wow, Lesley! You really know your way around dumb, ha?” she barked at me, her brown eyes ready to burn holes in my body.

“Manners like street rats, baby,” I quickly fired back, hiding the fact that actually hurt me. Yeah, I knew that since I couldn’t read like normal people, people had a way of concluding that I was dumb or a retard; but never Tanja. She’d always been kind to me, and I could always count on her to help my pack. So, seriously! What was wrong with her? And did I even want to know? What if something had happened, and she didn’t want to help anymore? The way she was looking at me, definitely suggested something like that. I needed a distraction…

“But you already know that so what’s cooking your bacon?” I joked on, doing anything in my power to escape this suffocating atmosphere. “Oh my god! It’s the knowledge, isn’t it? It’s getting to you now! Oh, no! May the goddess have mercy?! She knows too much…”

I pretended to be mourning her disappearing emphatic, with fake tears and hanging around her neck, pretending my heart was aching. It worked. She smiled before she pushed me off her.

“You’re impossible to hate,” she sighed, not laughing fully, but at least she’d forgotten for a second whatever was bugging her. I didn’t know why she felt the need to hate me, but I couldn’t ask either. If I did, she might end up not wanting to help me and, thereby, Doris!

“And irresistible to love,” I shrugged it off, thankful for my acting skills. “Try and restrain yourself. Any-w***e,” I quickly continued before she got pissed again. “I was wondering if you would do one of your rounds now while you’re here? Doris isn’t getting better and Adrian is very worried about her.”

To my surprise – a surprise I hid, pretending I didn’t notice – she actually stalled. Like she had to think about it. What the s**t?! Normally, I had to promise her I would make a list for her when she got here. She was always so eager to help, especially since she hated the ranking system my uncle did. But now, she stalled?! OK, whatever was bugging her, I had to get to the bottom of it! As soon as I got her to agree to help Doris.

I folded my hands, pretending to be begging with my puppy eyes and lips pouting. I had to make her forget whatever she was angry about so she wouldn’t take it out on the pack. If she didn’t go see Doris, I knew Adrian would be heartbroken, and I wasn’t sure she’d hang on much longer.

“Fine,” Tanja finally gave in with a slightly irritated sigh, but a small smile rested on her lips. “I’ll look in on them.”

“Thank you!” I jumped up and just as I was about to hug her, I decided against it at the very last second. If she was pissed, perhaps it was best to leave her alone and just let her calm down a little, before I tried to help her. So, I just clapped my hands, looking like a retarded toddler on a sugar high. “It will mean so much to Adrian.”

“Yeah, yeah! Just f**k off already before Alpha Harry becomes suspicious,” she scoffed and continued walking toward her father’s house.

“See you around,” I yelled after her, trying to keep my chirpy, normal voice, while dying on the inside, wondering what the hell was bugging her. I swear, if someone had done something to her, I’d personally kill them…

“Unfortunately,” she muttered angrily. I don’t think she intended for me to hear it, but---werewolf hearing, bitches!

OK! There was definitely something bothering her. I wanted to ask her about it, but once I got time to sit down with her, she just snapped at me. She called me things I will not and shall not remember, before storming out, leaving me and her father in a rather awkward situation, just looking at each other and NOT getting it!

I tried to ask him if he knew what was bothering her. Her long-term boyfriend in the other pack, The Silver Moon Pack, had broken up with her, because he found his mate.

“Ouch,” I snorted, but when it came to mates… What can you do? Yeah, it must hurt like a b***h when you fall in love with someone that wasn’t your mate, but… The wolf wants what the wolf wants! And that’s a mate – not a girlfriend.

I got back to the pack house and started to make dinner, but I still couldn’t let go of the thought of Tanja and her boyfriend. I knew her twin sister had found her mate in the Silver Moon Pack, and therefore she was bound to see her ex-lover again, but this time with someone else! Another woman. I couldn’t imagine how badly that had to hurt. I only hoped she’d find her own mate soon.

This made me think about what would happen when I found my own mate. I don’t know what he’ll be like or if he’ll even accept me, since I’m an omega and s**t. Although I know of very few mates that rejected each other because of status; usually it had to involve some sort of psychosis-deranged murderer or other bullshit like that for any wolf to reject a mate…

At least I knew one thing for sure: my mate would be the one person in the entire world who would never hurt me.

I remember my dad telling me about when he first met Mom; he first smelled this delicious, overwhelming sweet scent. Then he looked into her eyes and that’s when they knew. The magical moment when you're face to face with your mate. The world stops spinning, time doesn’t exist, and you’re the only two people in the entire world. He knew that from that moment forward, he only lived to protect and love her. She was his life and he dedicated his life to making her life as wonderful as possible. And he did that by protecting her, their children, and their pack.

And that’s how I knew, that mates would never hurt each other. He was the only person in this world that would never, ever hurt me!