Their Forbidden Mate

Bexley Last home game of the season. Cheering was my passion and I considered myself lucky as the only junior on the varsity team to have won honorable mention since freshmen year at Ember Ridge High. Ember Ridge is our pack name and humans know it as a town in upper Washington. Most towns up here are pack ran: Mistwood, Solstice, Crystal Cove, Sapphire Falls, Willowbrook, Phoenix Peak, Astoria, Azure Bay, and, of course, Oakhaven, our rival pack. The team we so happen to be playing today. Since I can remember, we have always hated each other, and we make it clear how much we dislike each other to this day. "Bex, honey! Breakfast is Ready!" Mom yelled from downstairs. "Coming!" I said, fixing my skirt and making sure it was aligned perfectly. I had to play the part more than ever today. I was up for the running for Cheer Captain for next school year and I never wanted anything more in my life. Our coach made it a rule you had to be a senior and here I was waiting for that title for the last three years. I checked myself out one more time in the mirror, before I grabbed my lip gloss and rushed downstairs only to be stopped by my brother eyeing my cheer uniform in major disapproval. Jason was a senior and our soon-to-be Beta of our pack, but he really took his big brother role seriously. After dad died, he turned into the head male of our household and did everything to protect us. It's only mom, him and I. "What do you think you're wearing?" He said, crossing his arms. I don't blame him. It was a two-piece uniform exposing my abdomen with a very short skirt, which was not of my liking, but it did catch all the right curves on my body. Still, once I became Cheer Captain, getting new uniforms was going to be high on my priority list. "Not this again." I said, mimicking him. He always did this with my uniform and any piece of clothing that made me look good. "Cut it out honey, she looks cute." Mom said, coming to my rescue. Mom always had my back. She was the kind that would attend all our sporting events, had home-cooked meals ready for us, and supported our every passion. "My point exactly." He said, trailing off behind me as I made my way to my pancakes. I pushed him against the counter as I walked past him to the table with a full plate of pancakes and bacon in hand. "Let me find out some guy, tries to pull some funny business on you." He said, taking a piece of bacon off my plate. "Hey mom, are you going to the game?" I asked, ignoring Jason's comment and swatting his hand away from my plate as he seriously reached for more. "I wouldn't miss it for the world it's Jason last football game." She said refilling my orange juice. "Here ya go Princess, you look so much better." Jason said, putting his Varsity jacket on me. It draped heavily over my shoulders knowing the possibility of him messing up my hair was high. "Mom!" I pouted protesting at his playful yet possessive gesture. "Aww, you still look cute honey. Plus it's a little chilly out this morning. I don't want you catching a cold. Wear it till you get to school." She said, giving me a peck on the check. It was mid- October and fall was finally taking its course. Jason was going to use that as an advantage to make sure I stayed covered up. "Ugh, fine." I said, putting my hands through the sleeves, knowing this was a losing battle. "Oh sh*t, It's getting late. Let's go Princess!" He said, grabbing my book bag and leading me out the door with bacon stuffed in my face. "Drive safe!" Mom hollered out. "Bye Mom, love ya!" We yelled back as we jumped into Jason's Audi. Before dad passed away he left us a huge amount of money; millions of dollars each, to be exact. I always questioned mom on how that was even possible, and her response was always the same; our dad had pulled out a life insurance policy before he died. Which just never made any sense to me. Werewolves don't get life insurance policies. After questioning her over time, she started getting more and more upset, until Jason finally told me to stop asking. I would get curious and forget, but before I could even ask her again, Jason was always there to remind me "Stop asking mom, don't you see what it does to her? The loss of her mate still hurts her." "I'm playing my music." I said as I played Fangs, by Younger Hunger. I made sure to disconnect his Bluetooth last night, because I was tired of his same old songs. "Of course you are." He chuckled, speeding our way to school. He didn't mind as this was one of his favorite songs anyway. Ember Ridge High was only a 15-minute drive from our house and although it was pack ran we had about 20–30 humans who also attended our school whose parents worked as our pack doctors, attorneys, or accountants. As Jason pulled up to his usual parking spot, I bolted out the door, stopping shortly to stick out my tongue and say, "Just so you know, I'm taking this off first period." I could hear him chuckle behind me. Before I could even open the main door to the school Liza pulled me in a hug. She was the current Beta's only daughter and one of my best friends. We grew up and did everything together. "Bex, omg do I have a story for you!"' She said, squealing up and down before I was pulled back. "You forgot your bookbag." Jason said, putting it on my shoulder. "Of course I did." I laughed, thinking I won that little spiel back there. At least I tried. "I'll see ya later Princess, good luck with cheer!" He said with a side hug and walked over to his crew of friends which consisted of the Future Alpha of our pack, Dexton Carson, Future Gamma, Reed Taylor, and Head Warrior, Trenton Jackson. Those boys were the best of friends, they shared everything, even girls. They were, of course, the playboys of our school, but who can blame them when the girls threw themselves at them. Thankfully for them, they hadn't found their mate yet, so they weren't tied down and enjoyed their freedom at its greatest. "Okay, how the hell does your brother keep getting hotter?" Maeve said, walking over to us. She's Dexton's younger sister. We were the same age and our mothers happened to be best friends, so we practically shared the same milk. "Can we talk about something else?" I said as we walked to our lockers. Maeve had the biggest crush on Jason since I could remember. She was all talk, but when it came to standing in front of him she froze like a cat. "Is it me or did Dexton get hotter today?" Liza said, eyeing f*****g him from afar. Liza switched her men like her bra, everyday. She made it a promise not to date anyone from our pack, so all her boyfriends were from other packs. To hear her speaking about Dexton like that was news to me. "Liza is that what you were going to tell me earlier?" I laughed. "Yes and No." She giggled as Dexton caught her looking and he winked at her. We all knew he was just playing with her as he made it a forbidden code for himself not to date either one of us. "Then what was it?" I said grabbing her attention to me. "Okay, so Anderson Bailey, the future Alpha of Oakhaven, is coming to see us!" She exclaimed, jumping up and down like a little kid. Oakhaven. Yeah right, they hated us and we them. There was no way he was going to come down and see us, the second biggest, most powerful pack in our sector. When they are the most ruthless, powerful and biggest pack in the U.S. and don't make us forget it. No matter the rivalry, all the girls from our pack and all packs swoon over Anderson Bailey. To be fair, I have no idea what the guy looks like. Jason keeps me away from anything Oakhaven related, plus I'm more of a homebody. The guy sounded like a tool anyway, and I have no interest in seeing what the fuss is about. "What do you mean coming to see us?" I said, opening my locker. "I mean he's technically coming to our school, and we technically are students who make up the school, so yeah he's coming to see us." She sighed against our lockers. "You guys are more boy crazy than usual." I laughed, switching my books out. "Come on Bex, you can't tell me you don't have a crush on anyone right now or that you don't find anyone attractive?" Maeve said, eyeing me hoping to catch a glance of mischievance. "You know he's off limits, right? Or did you forget?" I eyed back. Jason and everyone else made that very clear at the team dinner last night. "Don't you dear get near him or his pack. They are off limits." Jason's words replayed back in my head. "Forget what the guys said. Anyway aren't you excited to find your mate?" She edged on. All the girls were excited about finding their mate. I, on the other hand, not so much. Two years ago, one of our pack members had a birthday party at Evergreen Harbor, the middle ground city where all packs are free to roam. Lexi had just turned 17, and she found her mate. The thing is, he was from Oakhaven and he rejected her mid-party, but not before recording a s*x tape of each other and sending it to everyone in the room. She was beyond mortified and couldn't deal with the pain and embarrassment, so instead she killed herself. She was one of our friends, always so sweet and knowledgeable, Reed's older sister. He took it pretty hard and kinda went on a rogue killing spree after that. Poor dude was forbidden of killing him to prevent a war. A part of me is afraid that will happen to me. "No, not really. I kinda like how things are now." I admitted for the first time aloud. I mean I was. Life was perfect, I was the top of the class, excelled in my sports, cheer, gymnastics, and swimming. I had the best of friends, what more did I need? "Fine, but let me say one last thing. If I could, I'd lick his abs." She blurted. "Of course you would." We laughed. "Speaking of abs, I'd lick your brothers too." Maeve said as she watched my brother and his goons walk to class. "Eww, please stop." I said, closing my locker. At that moment, I felt arms wrap around my bare stomach. "What's up buttercup," Brady said, pulling me into a bear hug. Brady was my best friend and Trenton's younger brother. If someone wanted to know where I was, what I was doing, they'd call Brady instead of me and Vice Versa. He was my first everything: first hug, first dance, first-hand holding, first kiss, and he was sadly there when I got my first menstrual cycle. I did save one first for my mate and that was my virginity. Brady and I dated for two years until this year. We decided to stop dating since we were both about to turn 17 in just a couple weeks. We just wanted to make sure we didn't end up hurting each other, just in case we found our mate, but that didn't stop us from hooking up here and there. Which consisted of hot make-out sessions in the back of his car. He and I also trained every day after school. That's how we got the Alpha's attention. There was a rogue attack one day. Brady and I were surrounded by 10 rogues, and we managed to take 5 each. That led to us getting special privileges and going out on neighbor pack meetings. We were pretty badass together. I would accept him as a mate in a heartbeat if I could. We did promise each other if we didn't find our mates by the time we were 27 we would mate with each other. "Please tell Maeve to stop saying gross things about my brother." I complained. "Let her say it, since she's too afraid to talk to Jason anyway." He burst out laughing as I climbed onto his back. "You jerks, I can't help that I'm shy." She whined. We all kept laughing at her. When the bell rang, and we went on with our usual routine for the day.