HIS MATE: Fate’s joke.

Chapter 1

“Damn!” Jared cursed hitting the steering wheel of his car as it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to maneuver his way through the early morning traffic. It was an old car, and he wasn't ready to part ways with it as he felt very sentimental towards it. Probably because it was the first thing he bought when his life started taking a good turn, or the fact that it reminded him of how far he had come. Either ways, the old guy could still stay with him for a few more years.

“I should have just stayed home instead” He sighed. It was weekend and he had been stuck in the traffic for two hours despite coming out early to beat it. Getting out of bed at 7 on a weekend was early enough for him. Heaven knows he wanted to sleep in for a few more hours while cuddling his lover, roll around on the sheets, and wake up to the aroma of a sumptuous meal around noon — Seth was an expert in this. It was the least he deserved for the stressful week he had and the one ahead of him.

He loved his job and all, but the manager of his team made him do more than he was supposed to. Not mentioning the fact that there were somethings he still managed for Seth, as his lover of three years, wouldn't have it any other way despite having a new assistant.

“Brurrrrhhh” his stomach rumbled audibly. Sighing for the umpteenth time, he began stuffing the sandwich Seth had help him put into the car in his mouth when he insisted on not having breakfast at home. Feeling a bit hot, he removed the khaki jacket he had on as it was cold during the early hours of the morning when he had left the house and leaned over to unwind the glass of the co-pilot seat’s door before sitting back to savor his breakfast. After what seemed like forever, Jared sighed once more because he had wasted so much time in the traffic as he turned of his engine in the town’s library car park. Running his fingers through his shiny black hair out of habit, he grabbed some books from the back seat, and walked into the library.

***

“Excuse me, let me through” Jared said giving a flirty smile as he maneuvered his way through the group of schoolgirls standing in front of the library attendant’s desk trying to borrow some books.

“Good morning Ms. Fletcher” He greeted the elderly woman having an innocent smile on his face.

“I’m so sorry I am returning the books late” He continued his eyes twinkling as he ran his fingers through his hair.

“Jared, there will be no next time” The elderly woman said with a frown visibly creasing her features as she recorded the return of the books.

“Sure, sure no next time”.

“Alright then Ms. Fletcher lemme go look for something new” He winked at the girls before walking further into the library, going straight to the section where the books on the shelves have accumulated a lot of dust and Spider webs — The section where journals and books that were a collection of myths and fables on mythical creatures and witchcraft are kept. Most of the useful books in there, had animal-skin leather jackets and even came with locks. They were mostly handwritten and over time, the prints were already faint and difficult to read, but he still came to read them and had somehow managed to read almost all the books there except for the ones that he couldn't figure out a way to undo their locks. When he started borrowing books from the library at first, the library attendant always gave him a weird look and had once directed him to a part where she thought he could find something more interesting to read but now, she didn't bother with him anymore and was even a bit more friendly. When he returned the books he borrowed late she didn't ask him for a fine nor did she call his residence if he was yet to return them.

Going through the shelves, he took out an old book with a leather jacket that its lock was already undo and settled into a lonely corner of the library to read it like he usually did on days when he did have to go to work. Reading this time, he really wished he would find answers or something that could help him know more about the beings he dreamt of. They were becoming more frequent and so realistic that sometimes he couldn't help but think they are real.

Jared Black now 29, had always dreamt of mythical creatures so he had a lot of interest in them and even researched on them. But, it all began after he read an old book about them in the school library back in his high school days which he still blamed himself for and since then, he was stuck with the dreams. It was not always the same dream, sometimes it changed but something about the woman in his dreams made him sad. There were times he cried uncontrollably after waking up, times he woke up in the middle of the night unexplainably sad, and times he dreamt but doesn't remember. All in all, he always felt something was missing, something he should know but didn't _ the reason he researched so much about mythical creatures with hopes of finding answers.

Of all the mythical creatures that were said to have ever 'existed' he had ever read of, Jared hated werewolves the most as though a part of him was born to do so. For him, the myth about them was too unrealistic to be true. Their lives were pretty much planned out and already had a pattern to follow. What else would a person want when from a young age, they already know what the future is going to look like. Like who wouldn't give anything to know what the future would look like? Things like whom one would take orders from and whom one would give orders to? For a young alpha, he doesn't need to struggle hard to find his place in the pack unlike in the real world where people work for what they want. Even those born into rich families still work hard to keep what they have. For crying out loud, even an abusive alpha still gets to keep his position since he can keep his pack under control as they can not defy him; everyone cowers at an alpha's command. Betas know it's only the alpha above them while humans can not possibly count the number of people above them, the ladder is too long to climb. For him, the society and life, in general, is much messier and complicated. Being a very realistic person, he always felt like they lacked ambitions since for them the 'key' to a good life no matter how hard things are is finding their 'mate' ordained for them by the moon goddess, the one person who is said to own the other half of their soul. This did not sit well with him because if one’s partner dies the other follows and some wolves actually rejected their mates. So, he kept wondering how someone can own the other half of your soul and you are still able to resist and reject them. Werewolves didn't have to date different people to find the person they want to spend the rest of their lives with, so most of them keep on having flings as they were extremely horny beasts who are ruled by lust and desire until they meet their mates and suddenly they grow up 'mentally' and are set for life. Unlike humans who have to date several people until they find a person they feel like they are compatible with and might still end up breaking up even after finding them.

Flipping through the pages of the book he was reading, he was already becoming bored as he no longer paid attention to it. He had found nothing striking and his mind kept drifting away.

“These creatures are so brutal. They kill to live and live to kill” his thoughts strayed once more as looked at a diagram of a lycanthrope baring its fangs ready to fight.

“They tend to settle everything through a fight I guess I would too if I could heal that fast. But, when people eat good free food, and have a roof over their head without working for it, that would be heaven” he muttered rolling his eyes.

A little breeze blew from the window, sending shivers down his spine. Parting the light curtains to look outside the library through the windows, he cursed inaudibly and a sigh escaped his lips yet again when he saw that the sun was setting already. Checking the time on hid phone, he let out an audible gasp gaining himself scowls from the library attendant and the few people remaining in the library. Looking around the now deserted library lowering his head in apology, he packed his things. It was 6:13 in the evening, he had lost count of time again as usual and to make it worst, he had eleven missed calls from Seth whom he was supposed to go out with.

Too bad