Mate Bond - Finished

Chapter Five - Sixteen

Serenity's POV

Luka and I were skipping school today, with permission from our parents, to celebrate my sixteenth birthday. My birthday, though a year away from his, was really only a few days away from each other. Each year, we typically celebrated together with Mika, who's birthday was just a few days apart from me. Our moms were pregnant at the same time.

Luka knocked on the door before I was even ready to get up, seemingly eager to get our birthday celebration day started. It was actually my birthday, but with so many wolf pups born around the same time as us, a popular time for wolves to give birth, I got used to sharing my birthday. '

I answered the door for Luka and Mika came down the stairs at the same time. Our dynamic was weird. Sometimes, I forgot that Mika was both of our half-brother. Luka lived fully with his parents across the road, and I lived fully with mine. Mika went back and forth, but honestly, the three of us never really acted like siblings. Luka and I were not at all ever treated like siblings, and even Mika preferred staying with his mom, so I didn't see a lot of him. Luka and Mika shared a mom, they had a closer bond than I did to Mika, who only shared a dad with me. Luka and I were not at all related, and only really became friends because we lived next door to each other.

“Mika, I'm so sad you don't get to skip school with us today.” I whined.

“Me too, but I've got a test. We can all celebrate this weekend.” He offered as he grabbed a bottle of juice from the fridge and scooted out the door to school.

“What's the plan for today?” Luka asked, taking a seat on the barstool next to me.

“It's your year to make the plans.” I protested.

“Why don't we have breakfast, take a walk, go swimming, and come back for the fire tonight? OR have our own fire?” He suggested.

“Sounds fun.” I said.

“Let's go over to my place, I have a present for you. Happy Birthday, by the way.” He said with a smile, helping me off my stool and opening the kitchen door for me. I turned sixteen today, one year closer to finding my mate.

Although, my mood got sour as I thought about Kale telling me he was my mate. Luka was right. When a wolf turned seventeen, they found their mate. If they were older and their mate wasn't seventeen yet, it was very illegal to tell their mate. Kale would never risk losing his heir to Alpha just to be with me. It had become obvious he had lied, but in the days following the incident, I hadn't made it clear that I knew. I was going along with his lie, a sick feeling in my stomach. My mate was out there, but it wasn't Kale.

We walked into Luka's house for him to make breakfast. I sat at the island, watching him fry bacon and eggs. I was in charge of toast which was my small contribution to our breakfast. Before I knew it, there was a plate piled high with bacon, eggs and toast. Luka sat next to me at the island, making a point to scoot onto the stool with too much force and bump into me with a huge grin. I laughed and tossed a piece of egg at him.

After breakfast, we changed into our bathing suits and started our walk through the woods to the river.

“Have you thought more about what you'd like to do about Kale?” Luka asked me.

“I obviously can't keep dating him, but he's dangerous, I can tell. I'm afraid of what might happen if I break it off. I think I'm hoping to wait it out until he finds his mate. His actual mate.” I explained.

“I would never let anything happen to you.” Luke huffed. It seemed strange the way he said it, but I didn't pay a lot of attention. We walked in silence until we reached the river.

Approaching the water, I started taking the shirt and shorts off that I'd used to cover my bathing suit for the walk. Luka took off his shirt and was already wearing his swim trunks. He went ahead and walked down the bank into the river, and then held his hand out for me. I grabbed his hand and my entire body felt like static. I froze.

“Are you okay?” Luka asked.

I nodded and let him finish helping me over the slippery rocks and planted my bare feet in the chilly water. Goosebumps formed over my skin instantly, as they usually did before I adjusted to the cold river water. Luka came behind me and started rubbing my arms quickly to warm me up – we'd been coming here since we were kids and it was always the same routine.

The same fuzzy, staticky feeling came over my body again. I'd never felt this before, but knew that the only similar thing I had heard of is the feeling you get when you find your mate. Like fireworks, the best and strangest feeling you could feel. I wasn't old enough to find my mate, I had another year, so that couldn't be it.

Luka led me by the hand into deeper water where we could swim and adjust to the cold. We swam for a while, splashing each other and doing under water tricks like we did when we were little. I loved this birthday tradition and realized this may be our last. I was sixteen, and Luka was seventeen. He could find his mate this year and next year, I would find mine. We were best friends, and I never wanted us to grow apart.

Eventually, we stopped swimming and sat on a few huge rocks in the sun.

“Do you think we'll still hang out when you find your mate?” I asked him.

“Always.” Luka said.

“How can you even say that? You don't know what it's like to have a mate. Our parents have always said you become obsessed.”

“We've been friends forever, Serenity. I'd never just ditch you.” He said.

With that, we decided to walk back.