The Fated

Chapter Five

MAVERICK

It doesn’t take long for Blair to find me.

“You really are a bigger p*ssy than I thought you were,” he sounds less pissed off and more annoyed, surprisingly.

“Look, I’m sorry, okay? I just panicked. Now I’ve made it worse with Nova and my parents, I feel bad enough as it is… Plus, you got yourself caught,” I say defensively.

“Hey, would I even be a true friend if I left you to go down alone? Sheesh, this is what I get for loyalty," Blair whines jokingly.

"Whatever, you just wanted an excuse to smoke pot, man." I chuckle and lean in to bump him lightly on the arm, he dodges. The two of us laugh off the tension for a moment before I become serious once more.

"I have to talk to her. I need to clear the air before tonight. I can't drag this out,”

"You probably should. If not, you'll end up a lone wolf like me."

"Come on, you don't actually believe the soon-to-be Gamma would end up without a mate, do you?" I counter.

"You never know. It's not like I've been saving myself for my mate the way you have. I'm not the purest of souls, we can all agree on that. Whatever the Moon Goddess chooses for me is out of my hands."

I feel sad hearing Blair admit to his true doubts and worries. It's often just fun and games between the two of us, but soon we’ll become the future leaders of this pack and we need to start being real with each other. Who knows what lies ahead.

"Let's go to the training center and spar while I wait for Nova to finish school. I'm going to go pick her up at the end of the day and talk, I owe her that much at least." We sprint the four kilometers to the training center, laughing and shoving each other the whole way there.

*****

Walking out the heavy metal doors of the gymnasium, I feel the adrenaline pumping through my muscles. It always does after a good training session. I feel a lot more myself, more centered, refocused. I know the future I want is one I have earned, I plan to fight for it. I’ll start by telling Nova how I really feel... In case I never get the chance.

I glance down at my phone’s lock screen and read the time.

1:48PM

"Human high" as we call it, let's out at two-thirty. I have enough time to quickly shower and rush back to school. Once I am clean and dressed, I tousle my curly hair and run to my parents' office.

"Can I borrow the truck again?" I blurt out within seconds of bursting through the door.

Mom narrows her eyes at me and opens her mouth to speak, just as Dad cuts her off.

"You skipped out on your last day of school, pal. You used the truck to do it, too. What in the world makes you think your mother and I will let you borrow it again, on the same day no less!?" Dad looks bewildered.

"I know, I totally screwed up. But I also flaked out and left Nova alone, I need to make it up to her. We need to talk about--" I snap my mouth shut.

Dad's eyes soften, some of the tension leaves Mom's shoulders.

"Give him the keys, Blake," Mother says softly with a nod of her head.

Dad tosses me the keys from his desk. I snatch them in mid-air with the precision only a wolf could have.

I don't have to thank them, I shoot them both a meaningful glance before I rush out the door towards the parking garage building.

At 2:09PM, I toss myself into the truck and press the start button. The truck roars to life and the garage door opens at a snail's pace. I'm bouncing in my seat, wishing it to move faster as the seconds tick by, delaying me another minute from my drive back to Nova. I hope there's a good reason why I feel this magnetic pull towards her and I hope she feels it too. The door finally opens enough to allow the truck to roll under it. Tires skidding, I race the clock to make it back to school in time.