Fated or Mated

T.G.I.F. Well, not really. What kind of evil, cruel, dark soul of a person holds finals on the last Friday before summer break? Worse, how did I land three of them as professors in one semester? 'Ugh!!' I scream internally. Oddly, I picture my mom scolding me for thinking this way. 'Anna Christina! Stop whining you're almost nineteen years old!' She'd probably scrunch up her face with anger; put her hands on her hips and tap her right foot like she always does. The image makes me giggle, almost choking on my toothpaste before spitting it out and rinsing my mouth. My parents wanted to give me the world without denying the opportunity to grow from hardship. Any sign of entitlement was dealt with swiftly and harshly. Looking in the mirror staring at my reflection my mind reels. I turn nineteen a week from today. Ay yay yay. Werewolves can scent their mate at nineteen. Goddess, I hope I don't find him for at least another decade. Most young she-wolves are crazy with the anticipation of finding their mate. Nineteen is too young in my opinion. I've barely begun to live my life. There's so much I want to accomplish before thinking about 'Forever'. Why do girls think that their future is determined by who their Fated is? "I hope he's a ranked wolf!" I'd hear them say. Some girls would fantasize, "Oh my gosh! What if I'm a Luna! I have to prepare!" Oh please spare me. A man defines a woman no more than a woman defines a man. We are who we are meant to be independent of one another. Rank is not a measure of potential, spirit is. Fated or chosen a mate is an addition to, not the determination of who a person is. If you want fame and fortune ; being a Luna is not for you. Try modeling or acting. If your aspiration is to lead then earn your own damn rank. I don't know if it's my alpha pedigree or my Latina independence talking, but I am not ready to be mated. My body developed a physical aversion to the topic. Not to mention the migraines pathetic, coat tail riding she-wolves give me. My frustration is taken out on my teeth as I brush more vigorously. A knock on the bathroom door pulls me from my thoughts. I had a feeling my bestie snoozed her first alarm, thus, missing her chance to use our bathroom first. Not that I mind sharing. She's the prima-donna that requires exclusive use of the vanity. "Good morning madam Bianca of house Brillion", I tease earning a glare. Usually my antics spark a sarcasm fueled exchange. I sigh internally, my girl is still feeling off. Bianca's been out of sorts since discovering her highschool sweetheart, Matt, wasn't her mate. She turned nineteen three months ago. We all went out for dinner and icecream the night before her birthday. This way we could distract ourselves till midnight. Matt, our other bestie Sean, and I subconsciously held our breath when our cell phones reached twelve A.M. Time seemed to freeze in that diner booth. Then Bianca's eyes filled with tears. Matt pulled her tightly against him. "Shhh, it's okay", he whispered while stroking her hair soothingly. Sean and I made eye contact communicating that they needed some time alone. The two of us left them at the diner and walked the mile back to the dorm in silence. Our heads hung low we walked shoulder to shoulder. Sean kept rubbing the back of his neck. When we reached our dorm a lump had begun to form in my throat. As the elevator door closed my tears fell and I jumped into Sean's arms sobbing. He kissed the top of my head and gently untangled me from him. They were so sure their love was fated. Hell, we were all convinced. This just makes no sense. Despite what we wanted to believe, it's impossible to know who your mate is before coming of age. Goddess, they made eachother so happy...now what? Sean kissed my forehead before getting off on his floor. I could only muster a weak smile. Bianca didn't get back to the dorm till sunrise. I sat up all night waiting for her. Seeing the dullness in her eyes I knew instantly. They chose to respect the mate bond and break up. It sucks, but it was the responsible, albeit painful thing to do. Still, now we have drama and a pretty good chance our group will split in two. It's a risk, falling in love before finding your mate. History has taught us it's irresponsible, selfish, reckless and almost always tragic to take a partner who's not fated to you. My parents encourage our pack members to wait for their fated if possible. It's not a law or anything, because, we believe werewolves should be free to live as they please. It's a guideline, not unlike the religious rules humans live by. Just like humans, not all moral missteps are punishable under our laws. We do not micromanage and besides, living with the consequences of our actions is punishment enough. Taking ownership of your actions helps you to be cautious with your decisions and smart about your choices. Which is why accountability is practically a pack motto. It sounds heavy but it's why we have thrived for thousands of years with hardly any wars. It's not a self righteous thing either. We just believe in avoiding the avoidable. As a result our pack is among the most respected. Instead of fighting with other packs to flex our strength we host athletic competitions and war games. We would do anything to spare our warriors and their families the turmoil and tragedy of war. These competitions replace the incentive of winning a war with the incentive to defend a title. Wolves need something to fuel their competitiveness and feed their enormous egos. "Hey Chris, mind sharing the sink?", Bianca finally asked while squeezing in front of the vanity next to me. "No worries, wrapping up the oral cleanse as we speak" I respond with a wink. "Ewww, just say brushing your teeth weirdo" Bianca looks at me with disgust. We both laugh and quickly get ready for the day side by side for the millionth time in our lives. Shorts, tank and sneakers were practically our uniform in college. Hey, Florida is hot year round, practically. I promise we kept our neckline and hem at respectable lengths. Not that it matters, our curvaceous she-wolf bods look killer no matter what we wear. On my way to my Algebra final I bumped into Matt. Instinctively I quickly scanned my surroundings for Bianca. It's not like I am not allowed to talk to Matt, he's still my friend after all. This was a no fault break up and we all discussed the rules for this very scenario just in case. I am just sensitive to my best friends raw emotions right now. "Hey Chris", Matt greets me rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Hey, you doing okay?", I reply. "As okay as I can be I guess" "Matt...I...um...this sucks for all of us you know." "I know Chris...I know. What am I supposed to do? I F'ing love her man!" "I know...but...you know as soon as you scent your mate...you know...you guys knew...it's just better for you both to...I don't know." The words get stuck in my throat. I just wanted to remind him that this won’t matter once he finds his mate. "Yeah...the Moon Goddess sucks" "Matt", I whine. "No Chris! Don't! I'm sorry...but...why put us together...like in each other's life? Why make her perfect for me?" "I don't know...look...I gotta go. Where's Sean?" My eyes scan the court yard desperately once again. I don't want Matt to be alone right now. "I'm okay Chris. I don't need supervision...see you later", Matt just walks past me without another word. "That's not what I meant!", I called after him. Ugh, okay....Algebra...right...focus. After Algebra I had ten minutes to walk clear across campus for my Music final. Blinded by haste in a full New York stride I shouldered past Sean. "Hey killer!", he shouted at me. Stunned I spun around to see a sleazy cheesy grin plastered on his stupid face. His hands raised in mock surrender. I rolled my eyes at him and was about to spin back around when I remembered Matt. Just as I open my mouth to speak, taking a step towards him he licks his lips seductively, "When you gonna let me tap tha...". My hand covers his mouth cutting him off. I'm in a hurry and he knows he hasn't a snowball's chance in hell. In true icky Sean fashion he drags his tongue across my palm. I jerk my hand back glaring at him. He licks his lips and smiles, "yummy". "Gross Sean, my hand was just all over campus touching tables, railings...eww." He grabs my waist pulling me towards him. My hands land on his bulging defined pecks in protest with a slap. "Hmm, damn Chris" "Sean, quit it, I gotta go. Have you seen Matt today?" "Yup, on my way to catch up with him now...why?" Sean's eyes flash concern while his hands give my waist a squeeze. Anyone else would've had their butt handed to them for gripping me. But, Sean and I have been close friends since preschool. He's one of my best friends despite his lack of self control sometimes. On the outside he's a disgusting jerk but under that façade is an amazing guy with a big heart who's loyal to a fault. I push his hands away pulling my lips in. He knew that meant I was really worried and he let me go. Sean gently brushed my cheek with the back of his hand and said, "I've got him Chris, don't worry angel." We waved our goodbye and I was now flat out running to music class. One more class after this and I was done for today. Three finals took all day...I mean all day. I didn't even have time for a lunch break. I was ready to shift and snag a gator by the time I made it back to my dorm room. Yummy...Gator, okay I'm starting to salivate. Just as I collapse on my bed with a sigh Bianca walks in with a Steak N Shake bag and hurls it at me. "Here ya go love", she shouts. "How'd it go for you?", I ask with a mouthful of burger. "Honestly couldn't tell you. My head just isn't screwed on right these days." Bianca sighs and falls into a heap at the foot of my bed. I give her a sympathetic smile just before my eyes go wide with realization. "Thanks by the way...for the food." I blurt out with a mouth full of fries. My antics made her laugh and shake her head. "Chris, what would I do without my Bubbles?" Bianca gave me the nickname bubbles after getting to know me in the ninth grade. It's a long story so suffice it to say that despite my above average intelligence, I'm a bit clumsy, sometimes spacey and a bit naive. It's a stark contrast to my usual focused, determined over achieving attitude. Almost like a split personality. It drives my wolf Kira nuts. "So...", Bianca begins, "there's a few people getting together at Flippers Billiards tonight. I know we have to train and study tomorrow but can we puhleeeees go for a few hours? I really need a distraction." "What if Matt shows?", I ask. "Then we leave", she states plainly. I tip my forehead down pulling my lips into a one-sided smirk while glaring at her. She sheepishly grins in a plea for mercy. "A few hours Bonks!", I chastise her. "Eeeeeeep!", she squeals and runs to her bedroom to get ready. My hunger satiated. I get off my bed with a 'humf' and head to my closet to find an outfit.