Fated Mate

The Walk

“Move out of my way, Maeve!” I hear a woman shout as the stampede heads my way. I am bum rushed by two beautiful red headed women. The older one who I assume is Josie runs at me with her arms outstretched and encloses me in to a hug. I stand shocked as she hugs me tighter than anyone as ever held me. Josie looks like Merida from brave with a big mountain of red curly hair. She has a single braid hanging by her face with a bead that is shaped like a mushroom. Her big librarian glasses and her crystal necklace shines in the sun.

“Josie don’t suffocate her I just got her!” Lee shouts laughing trying to separate us.

“And it’s my turn Josie!” Maeve yells out as she run down the steps to help her brother. Maeve is almost the double of Josie except her hair is short and shaved on one side. She has on a choker with spikes that has a little dog tag on it. I am going to let you know now that this is kind of a controversial fashion statement within the werewolf community. I also spot some Celtic Knotwork creeping up her arm. Before I know it she has pulled Josie off me and has begun crushing me in tight embrace as well. These girls must train hard because they are stronger than heck.

“Okay that’s enough guys” Lee says trying to be serious but fails and begins laughing. “You didn’t even introduce yourselves”

“Oh! My name is Josie O’ Malley, Luna of the Clover pack” Josie says as she fixes her glasses.

“My name is Maeve O’Malley, the Clover pack’s little sweetheart.” Maeve says with a smile. We all stand there awkwardly for a moment before Maeve speaks again.

“Me and my sister kind of got super excited and planned a sleepover for you. I hope that’s okay because we planned a lot of fun stuff for you.” Maeve says this almost bashfully as she stands next to her sister.

“I have never had a sleepover before so I am sure it will be fun.” I say attempting to sound more excited then nervous.

“Well finish getting set up while I give a tour” Lee says getting my bags out of the car and handing them off to Sean so he can take them inside. “Ready to see our pack?” he asks holding out his hand to me.

“Sure.” taking his hand practically electrocutes me and I have to remind myself again that I will get used to that at some point. He leads me away from the house as the girls wave to me and then head back inside. He takes me down a little path that is alive with wildflowers.

“Do you like the flowers?” Lee asks noticing me staring at them.

“I do they are so pretty. I love how they are just everywhere. Our flowers are so controlled in Kinderwood”I say as I reflect on the colorful garden beds that line the buildings outside our community.

“We have a cute tradition for that do you want to hear?” Lee asks.

“Sure as long as it is not sacred or anything.”

“When a she-wolf turns 18 they are giving a satchel of wild flower seeds. Then they choose a bath to go into the woods, most choose one starting at their house. From there they throw seeds on the ground as they walk. Followed by their family and friends that will witness their first shift. It only takes a few months before you can see the flowers start to bud. It serves as a reminder that once you have shifted and turned into an adult then you are able to make your own path.” he stops to gesture to a trail of flowers to our right. “This is Josie’s path that she made when she shifted for the first time. If you manage to stay all week without being crushed to death you might get to be a part of Maeve’s”

“When does Maeve turn 18?” I ask following Josie’s path.

“A couple days from now” He answers looking out. “She really wants to find her mate she has a boyfriend now, but, I am not exactly his biggest fan.”

“Is that older brother talk or is he not a good guy?” I ask

“Liam is just not the best my sister could do, he’s been a trouble maker since he was a pup” He shakes his head. “He is also 19 and dating my baby sister so he should be more grateful his throat is still in tact.” I can feel for the first time the anger and power this Alpha carries and reverberates down my spine.

“What about Derek?” Lee asks kicking a rock on the path.

“What about him?”

“Do you think he is a good guy?”

“I don’t know I haven’t spoken to him much.” He stops.

“But, him and Diane have been together for years, even before he was Alpha?”

“Like the Moon Goddess said me and my sister are not exactly best friends.” I say growing uncomfortable.

“Who is your best friend?”

“I don’t have one.” He looks at me shocked.

“Were you born 19?”

“Sorry I am not a social butterfly” I say and I can hear my wolf whimpering sensing the tension between us.

“It’s not that it’s just- sorry” He grows quiet and begins walking with his head down.

Explain yourself to him.

I am shocked to hear my wolf speak, CiCi has been silent for a long time now and I am blown away that now is when she chooses to have a voice.

“Lee” He turns around. “My sister and I used to be best friends and then she got really concerned with rank. Our pack is not one of the ones that treats Omegas like slaves but, I still noticed who had new clothes and who didn’t. She started hanging out with Derek and all they could ever talk about was her being Luna and him being an Alpha.” I take a deep breath. “She forgot about me and cared only about her mate. I just never had anyone who was interested in being my friend whether it was because I was an Omega or maybe because my sister was a better option. I don’t expect you to understand.” He makes his way to me and envelops me in a hug. This hug shocks me just as all his touches do but it also makes me feel safe it’s like I am hugging him and his wolf at the same time He pets my hair as he speaks.

“I have known very little of your sister but, I am sorry that she has caused you pain.” He pulls aways to look in my eyes and as his eyes shine he says. “My job is to protect you whether you choose me or not I will lay my life on the line to protect you and I will welcome you into my family with open arms. my sisters are your sisters now. If you come to find that I am not your mate then I will be your brother.” I smile and he smiles back. “that probably sounds a little weird and like Twilight but, I mean it.” He brushes the hair out of my face and bring his hand down to play with one of my braids.

“Thank you Lee” I say, he kisses the top of my head.

“There is no need to thank me love. The Moon Goddess sent you to me for a reason and I trust her completely.” He grabs my hand and goes back to leading me down the path. We walk a little farther until he gestures to another path of flowers that is converging with Josie’s.

“That is my mom’s path. It kind of makes sense they converge like this because Josie certainly set out to make her own path but ended up a Luna just like my mom”

“Does she not enjoy it?” I ask.

“It’s just that being Luna with your brother is not ideal. Even though we are siblings I still feel an Alpha growl coming anytime she is talking to someone else. It’s not jealousy, it’s like I am looking out for the pack because I know that once she is mated it will be near impossible to force her to stay in a Luna position.”

“Do you normally get a long with her boyfriends at least?”

“That’s the thing is Josie is a lesbian so I just look like a douche growling at the she-wolves who try to go to her.” One thing about the Moon Goddess is that she is not a homophobe. There are plenty of people who end up with same-gender mates. Some get them assigned before they even know they are gay at all. The case for Alphas and Lunas are normally straight just for the fact that one of the qualities they possess is passing down their genetics to make stronger wolves. Some doctors are working to make it easier for gay couples to share genetics, they are hoping that by doing this the Moon Goddess will work in order to have the first gay Alpha and Luna led pack. I should say now Alphas can be any gender. Lunas can too but, typically when they are male or even non-binary they prefer to go by the term Sentinel.

“Has she ever gone out to look for her mate?” I wonder.

“No, not really. She has said she will go to do so whenever I find my mate she insists she would rather stay to run the pack.” He smiles. “I don’t know if you noticed but, she is kind of motherly. Even before my parents left she was pretty much running the pack.” We approach a large meadow that was covered in every inch with wildflowers of every color. It was an explosion of colors and smells that looked like something out of a movie.

“This is where we all have our first shift” He announces proudly.

“What is the tradition for the boys?”

“Well the boys obviously could not do something as girly as planting flowers” He grins. “I’ll show you that later.” He winks and leads me to the center of the field.

“Would you like to shift and have our wolves meet?” He asks as I sit amongst the flowers.

“Oh gosh I haven’t shifted in so long”

Mate.

I feel CiCi chomping at the bit to meet Lee’s wolf.

“What’s your wolf’s name?” He asks this taking off his shirt which we both know is a formality and is just an excuse for him to show me his shirtless body. Which I am not complaining about. I take in his tanned freckle skin and how I could imagine myself drawing constellations all over his body. I also note the Celtic symbols that are all over his arms. I notice the trinity knot and the flowers at each point. Really all the empty space in between his tattoos is occupied by flowers, clover, and all other sorts of greenery.

“Her name is CiCi” I say blushing as I realize I have been ogling him instead of answering his question. “What’s yours?”

“Rourke.”

“So, you go by your wolf’s name?” I ask confused.

“Rourke is also just my first name.” He starts stretching which is again a formality and he is just doing to show-off. “I just thought that Lee sounded soft somehow, Rourke had some bite to it. Plus, Rourke is a family name so a lot of respect comes from hearing it with my last name.” He starts to step back so he can shift. He then erupts into a blur of ginger fur. He lands in front of me staring up at me with big green eyes. He walks towards me and bows his head and I place a hand on his forehead. Even in wolf form it electrocuting to touch him. I take some steps back and let the shift happen.

Mate!

“She sounds excited” I hear Lee say in my mind. My wolf CiCi has not been out for a while but, already I feel natural in this form. Her grey coat shimmers in the sun like there is glitter in my fur. Lee comes over to nuzzle me. Or should I say Rourke.

“Whatever you please my love” A deep voice I have yet to hear sounds through my skull. This must be Rourke.

“It is my love, pleasure to meet you”

“Mate!” CiCi shouts again.

“Maybe we should let them get to know each other.” Lee suggests. When in wolf form we can let our wolves takeover. I let myself go and trust CiCi to bring me back.

I do not know exactly how much time has passed since we shifted but, as we come to I can see the sun has changed positions. I feel stirring next to me and under me and look to see that I am cuddling Lee pretty hardcore. I blush and adjust myself as he smiles and opens his eyes.

“Top of the morning beautiful” He says in an over exaggerated Irish accent. I smile back at him as I stand up and dust off my overalls.

“Do you think they had fun?” I ask watching him rise and sadly put his shirt back on.

“Seeing as this is the first time that Rourke has shut up since I met you I would say so.” He walks over to me to take my hand. “Ready to see the boys tradition?” He says with a grin.

“Sure!” I ask giddy to be holding his hand again already. He takes me away from the meadow and takes me down a dirt path that is vacant of flowers. We follow until we reach a cliff with several stone cairns.

“When a male turns 18 he comes here to add a rock to his family’s stone cairn. He leads me to the very edge of the cliff where a particularly tall one is standing. He grabs a rock and flips it over and I see it has his full name on it written in ink. I look around and notice a single rock all by itself. I pick it up and flip it over and see it reads Sean James Frost.

“We told Sean he could add it to ours but, he said he didn’t feel right. So he started his own stack for the Frost Family” Lee says watching me flip the rock over in my hands.

“How old was he again?” I ask.

“He was 2” He answers as I set the rock back down.

“What was it like to find him?”

“That is a question for Josie, speaking of which I should probably get you back to her now.” He takes my hand to lead me back to his house. “If I don’t get you back there soon she may just come to get you.”