Linked By Fate

"Cooper Sinclair." My best friend called out from behind me. "Half of this party is for you, yet you're sitting out here. Was the noise too much for you?" No matter where I am, Riley always finds me. It's like he has a tracker connected to me or something. No one knows me quite the way he does. My parents have been gone for three years now. If I had not had Riley or his family by my side, I don't think I could have survived it. Being adopted by Gage and Jamie Sinclair made them the only family I knew. What I loved about them was the fact that they took in a black orphaned baby when they could have chosen a white baby instead. The color of my skin never mattered to them or those in their tight-knit circle of friends who are the people inside helping me to celebrate my twentieth birthday along with my best friend, Riley. "Dude, you know all that noise has my temples throbbing. My anxiety was kicking in so I had to escape before I went bat-s**t crazy. The last thing I need is to miss returning to school tomorrow because I was locked in a psych ward." I rested my head on his shoulder the moment he sat down beside me. Riley's presence has always been a comfort to me whenever I feel anxious or stressed. No matter what is happening in our lives, he has always been my rock. I could not have asked for a better bestie than Riley Jasper. His girlfriend Julie, though she is sweet, dislikes how close we are. Out of respect, I tried to distance myself from Riley a little when they began dating two years ago, but things did not go as I had expected them to. He was so pissed at me that he corned me one day at home. We share an apartment off campus since we attend the same college, so it was easy. I'd never seen him mad like that before. Riley made me swear that I'd never do anything like that again, no matter how his girlfriend felt about me being in his life. Linking our arms together, I admit my fear. "Honestly, I'm nervous about tonight. It's crazy not knowing who the Fates are going to pair me with, who's crescent is going to mark my wrist tonight. I've never dated anyone, so whomever they choose is already at a disadvantage. What am I going to do if it's someone I'm not compatible with? Speaking of crescents, do you still believe that Julie is going to bare your crescent?" There goes that heavy sigh he always gives when anyone asks him about it. Part of me feels that he doesn't want her to be his mate, but he is too nice to let the words slip from his mouth. Riley, though he is an alpha, is not the cold-hearted kind. He's sweet, caring, strong. A natural born leader who cares about the well-being of others. He's not cocky like most of our other friends are. Me presenting as an omega never caused him to change his attitude towards our friendship and I'm forever grateful for that. "Riley, I don't care if she turns out to be you're fated mate or if it's someone else. I'm always going to be by your side, in your life. You're feeling unnecessary pressure. Okay?" That drew his attention to me. I can read him like a book. When he's around me, Riley is less guarded. Turning so he could face me directly, Riley stared at me for a moment before speaking. "No matter what happens tonight, we are always going to be together. Nothing is coming between us. I'm not sure who will bear my mate crescent, but I do know that our friendship, our bond, is unbreakable. As for Julie, I feel it in my heart that she is not my mate. No matter how many times I try to broach the subject, it's like she refuses to hear me out. So, I decided to let things fall where they may, then move forward from there." I looked over his shoulder to see Julie walk out the back door, onto the porch. She is looking at him with this pissed off expression on her face. "Say her name, and she will appear. She's looking for you and it seems she's not too thrilled. Let's head back inside so she can't cause a scene. Want me to stick by your side for the remainder of the party?" "Yeah, that'd be great. Because I have a feeling that tonight will be my last night as her boyfriend. Whoever the Fates decide is who I'm going to be with from tomorrow on. You're still sleeping over tonight, right?" he asked as we stood up from the bench and walked back. "Hey, it's tradition, and we do not go against tradition. Besides, Mama and Papa Bear have already warned me that I had no say in the matter." Riley's parents, Braxton and Rita, took me in when my folks died. I've always called them Mama Bear and Papa Bear due to the way they've always treated me as their second child. "There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you. Why did you not tell me that you were coming out here? I could have come with you?" Julie asked with a snappy tone in her voice. Riley's body stiffens beneath my fingertips that are placed on his arm. Squeezing his forearm, I tried to calm him down a bit. The last thing we needed was for him to go off on her right now. Something about his gaze must have told her that she had overstepped, because she took a step back, swallowing nervously. It's useless to help someone who can't help themselves. Instead of responding to her, Riley stirs us around her and back towards the house. She glares at me as we pass by and I can only shake my head. I've tried and tried to help her out, but she keeps thinking that I have an ulterior motive. He's been in my life for as long as I can remember. What type of motive would I have to jeopardize their relationship? Julie's head was as thick as a concrete boulder. A slow song is playing when we walk inside. Riley pulls me to the dance floor/ living room, pulling me into his arms. "Hey, the first time you step on my feet, I'm out." I joked with him. "Stop. I've been taking lessons from mom. Thank you very much. I've gotten a lot better these days." He says as he pinches my sides. A laugh comes from me. "That explains why she's been complaining for months about her feet hurting. You've trompled them to death. Poor, poor Mama Bear." That earns me a tickle, which he knows I hate. "Okay. Okay. I give. Stop tickling me buttwipe." The entire time we were dancing, we could feel Julie's eyes on us. It was grating on my nerves, but it was not my place to say anything. We spent the next half hour dancing and laughing with our other friends that had shown up from school. It was our last night as free, unclaimed young adults, so we did our best to enjoy it to the fullest. "Hey you two, everyone's about to start leaving soon, so come say goodbye and thank you for all the gifts and support everyone has shown you guys tonight." Papa Bear called to us as we walked over with Julie lagging behind us. Mama Bear reads the situation and looks at me. I gave her a slight shrug of my shoulders because there was nothing else I could do. Rita Jasper loves her son beyond words and has gone out of her way to get along with Julie. Since the day she met the girl, something did not click with her. Wanting her son to be happy, she forced herself to get along with the girl. No one knows this tidbit of information, no one but me that is. As we went about saying our goodbyes and thank yous, Riley stood so close to me that our arms brushed one another as we shook hands or gave out hugs. Julie was staring at us, completely livid. She is the last one to leave. Riley refused to walk her out. Part of me felt sorry for her, while the other part of me was vindicated because I told her that if anyone ever hurt their relationship, it would be her, not me. "Walk her out, Riley. Mama and Papa Bear raised you better than that. I'll be here when you get back." I pushed him towards the front door that Julie had just gone out of. As I pushed him, a tingling sensation overtook my hand as if it had been asleep. Seeing that they were in the process of cleaning up, I went about helping them out until they pushed me out of the kitchen, telling me to go get ready for bed so I could come back down to watch the movie they had picked out. As I turned on the water to take a shower in the room I've been in since moving in with them five years ago, I think about what tomorrow may be like. What will my mate be like? Will he think I'm a catch or a dud? My stature is on the short and chunky side, I say. Standing a mere 5'3, I'm what I call thick in my thighs and but area, My skin is the color of caramel, smooth, and flawless. Black wavy shoulder length hair. I'm caring, intelligent, a bit sassy, and reserved around people I don't know. Though there are moments when random thoughts pop up in my head. Sometimes I wonder if I'm fully black because of the texture of my hair and my unique bluish purple eyes. What black person has bluish purple eyes other than me? Does that make me a freak of nature? Maybe that's why my birth parents gave me up at birth. Who knows? Anyway, I got off topic. It'd be dreamy if he had the same characteristics as Riley. I've always thought my best friend was hot with his 6'3 muscular build, chesnut brown hair, sun-kissed skin, and his alluring cognac-colored eyes. Riley is strong, a natural leader with a magnetic personality. Even as an alpha, he is gentle and caring when he chooses to be. His mate will be a lucky omega. Finding some clothes, I headed back into the steam-filled bathroom, stripped down, and stepped inside. The water feels so good as it beats down onto my tense muscles. Suddenly hit with an overwhelming feeling of sadness, I started to cry. Why was I about to embark on another major milestone in my life without the physical presence of my parents? Did life have to continue to be so cruel to me? "Crap." I mumble as my tears mix with the water as it flows down the drain. "Cooper, you should not still be feeling like this after all this time. It does no good to feel these things. The past can't be changed no matter how much you'd like it to." I chastised myself as I finished washing up. As I was walking out of the bathroom, clean and dressed in my pjs, there was a knock at my door. I know it's no one but Riley. That hollow filling in my chest slowly begins to fill with warmth that I only experience with my best friend. Grabbing my blanket off the foot of my bed, I opened the door. Riley has also showered and is now wearing a pair of pajama pants and a tank top which hugs his upper torso like a glove. Using his index finger, he lifts my face up to his, taking in my red puffy eyes. "Come here," he says as he pulls me into one of his famous hugs. My eyes burn with tears yet again. We stand there just inside my bedroom door like that until his parents find us. They can feel the sadness in the air, I guess, because soon enough, they two are hugging the two of us in their arms. Right there in the comfort of their arms, for the first time in a long time, I let them see my tears. Witness the pain and suffering I've been hiding deep inside. It feels good to not be alone.