Aurelia the Pink

- Aurelia (Ling) POV - The scorching sun blazed mercilessly as I hiked up the dormant volcano with my boyfriend, Kang. Once we neared the top of the volcano, I marvelled at the bird’s eye view of our beautiful Ash Moon Pack lands covered with rice paddy fields. The majestic Ash Moon Pack is reputable for two reasons: our fearless warriors and the bountiful crops grown on the fertile ground right beside this dormant volcano. Being near the earth’s equator has its benefits. It is summer all year long, as a result, our crops are always surviving at any time of the year. The greenery is a sight to behold. Just as I turned to face Kang, he snaked both his arms around my waist and crashed his lips onto mine. I reciprocated by tangling my hands in his jet black hair and kissed him back fiercely. We stayed in this position until we pulled away breathless. Then, I sat on his lap, leaning onto his chest while enjoying our little date together. “Sorry baby, we got to go back to the pack house… Future Alpha duty calls,” Kang mumbled as he interrupted what felt like mere minutes of peace. I groaned but nodded and got up on my feet nevertheless. “Last one to reach the pack house is a tortoise,” I cheekily exclaimed before sprinting off. I ran as fast as my legs could take me. However, when I was reaching the pack house, Kang tackled me and we rolled onto the ground. Although I was a fast runner with a head-start, Kang would definitely outrun me due to his physique as the future Alpha of the Ash Moon Pack. I squealed and giggle as Kang punished me with tickles. We only stopped after I caught a glimpse of my mum shooting us a disapproving look. My cheeks flushed a deep shade of beet red. Kang ran off to his dad’s office after greeting my mum with a sheepish grin. Our pack is extremely conservative; under the age of 18, before we shift into wolves and find our fated mates, we are strongly discouraged from dating others. Public displays of affection are frowned upon. However, Kang and I were exceptions. We were childhood friends who fell in love after spending so much time playing and studying together. I just know that we are fated to each other. Besides, he is about to turn 18 in a few days and I will be turning 18 in a month’s time. I am excited for that day when his wolf awakens and claims me as his mate. On the other hand, my mother always warned me to guard my heart until I confirm that Kang is my mate. Ugh, overprotective mothers, am I right? People always wondered why Kang and I were inseparable even though my mother came from a Northern pack. The Alpha always took good care of me and my mother because my late father was the former Beta of the pack. He sacrificed his life to protect the Luna during a sudden rogue attack. Also, at a young age, curious Kang was extremely interested in me since I was the only mixed blood in our pack, having a local dad and a foreigner mum. My looks are strikingly different as well. Both my mother and I have platinum blond hair while everyone else have black hair. I wondered where I inherited my characteristic pink eyes though… However, I was afraid to ask mum about dad since his death is still a sore spot in her heart. This is what happens when you experience the mate bond. When your mate dies, a little of your heart dies along with them. You never feel complete again. Sometimes, you die too. It took all the fight in mum to survive. She is the strongest and smartest woman I have ever known. But, even the strongest woman has her limits. Well, maybe this was the reason why she forces me to put on an enchanted ring that changes my eye colour from pink to blue, my mother’s colour—so that my eyes do not remind her of dad. This does not explain why she made me swear to hide my eye colour from everyone around me though. Strange. I pushed that thought to the back of my head. “Aurelia, ready for your lessons today?” My mother enquired with her eyebrows raised. I pouted and dragged my feet into our apartment to begin my personal class for today: Northern pack language. I was grateful yet dreading these lessons at the same time. In our pack, women were mainly taught to focus on homemaking. Basic knowledge was all that was needed for us to survive. My mother, however, thought otherwise. On top of basic pack school, she took it upon herself to teach me and Kang the language spoken in the North, world history, the different supernatural beings in the world (besides werewolves of course), and she trained me in fighting. She always quoted that knowledge is power. I did not mind extra power, I guess. After lessons, I rushed to the dining room to meet Kang for dinner. Despite lacking a fatherly figure in my life, I have a mother who loves me double, a boyfriend who adores me and a pack that I can count on. My heart is full. What else could I ask for?