Linked By Fate

Chapter 3

My entire body, even the strands of my hair, hurt beyond belief. Fighting to sit up, I glanced at the clock which read 6 am. Grabbing a bottle of water while trying not to cause myself more pain, I wet my mouth, which felt as dry as the Sahara Desert. Placing the cap and the bottle on the night stand, I looked at my left arm. The markings had reached past the bandage that I had placed over my lower arm. Gulping for air to calm my overly active heart, I raised a shaky hand and began to unravel the bandage. What I saw scared the living daylights out of me.

Tears blurred my vision as I cried. My finger nails had turned black. Throwing the covers back, I spotted a long gray and white tail. Jumping from the bed, I rushed to the mirror that hung on my closet door. On my head were ears that matched the color of my tail. This can't be. I'm a beast-human. How could this be? Do I need anything else that makes me stand further apart from everyone else in my life?

The bandage that I had forgotten hung from my arm, so I continued to remove it. The mate crescent on my arm is one that I've seen everyday since it appeared on him. Dropping to my knees, I cried out in anguish at what had happened to me since falling asleep last night. It must have been loud enough to wake Rita and Braxton because they came running into my room to find me crying on the floor.

Looking up at them from the floor, I saw the shocked expression on their faces at seeing my ears and tail. It was when their eyes landed on the mate crescent on my arm, they began to understand why I was so upset. "Why would the Fates do this to him? I'm not good enough to be by his side as his mate. I'm only good enough to be his friend. Look at me. I'm an orphaned beast-human with no

family or knowledge of my birth parents. What can I possibly offer him?"

Rita rushed over to me, pulling me in her arms as I broke down in a fit of tears. "Don't you dare say such things again, do you hear me? There is no one we'd wait for Riley's mate than you. No one knows him like you do. The bond you share has been cemented since the day the two of you met. The Fates did not make a mistake in our eyes. It doesn't matter if you're a beast human or not. Riley would not see being your fated mate as a mistake."

"That's right, I wouldn't?" His voice came from the door. When did he show up? Did he come on his own or did Braxton wake him up?

Not able to look him in the eyes, I kept my eyes focused on the floor as the tears continued to stream down my face. Negative thoughts ran endlessly through my mind. He's just being nice to me because his parents are here. The moment they leave, he is going to tell me how disgusted he is to have me for his fated mate and end our friendship. I'm going to lose him forever.

Those are the types of thoughts I was having. I was so inside my head that I did not even notice the moment he came over to kneel in front of me. His big warm hands cupped my face. I did not want to look him in the eyes, to see the disappointment there, but he gave me no choice, being that he was way stronger than I am. Closing my eyes, I prolonged the inevitable.

"Cooper, please look at me sweetheart." Riley asked with a gentleness that I'd never heard in his voice before. Where the h*ll did that come from? What happened to his normal tone? "It's alright. Please open your eyes."

Knowing that I'd never been able to say no to him, I did as he asked me, slowly opening my eyes. Our eyes locked and I could see that tears had welled up in his eyes. "I'm sorry the Fates did this to you. I don't know how or why this happened and I don't know how to fix it. I'm a beast-human. I'm not like other omegas around here. Riley, I don't know how to do this or if I can do this. You're my best friend and you deserve so much more than to be stuck with me as your fated mate." I rambled.

The sudden scent of sugar cookies filled the air around me, covering me in a blanket of peace and comfort. My eyes closed on their own accord. Riley had pushed out his alpha pheromones to calm me down. Using a cooled rag handed to him by his dad, Riley washed my tear-stained face, giving me time to gather my wits about me. Not feeling the coolness of the rag anymore, I opened my eyes again to meet his cognac brown pools.

"Are you calmed down now?" He asked, to which I answered with a nod of my head. "Now, I want and need you to listen to me. The Fates do not make mistakes, Cooper. As I always said, no matter who the Fates chose for my mate, I would openly and happily accept because they know who would complement me perfectly. A bond began to form between us the day we met in the first grade. Since then, it has grown stronger and stronger, more solid than ever. Being fated mates only makes the bond unbreakable. I know it's going to take some getting used to, you accepting us as fated mates or that you're a beast-human. You're not fond of major changes or surprises. Let's take our time with moving from best friends to mates. We're already together every day, so it will be no small task to take baby steps. But do know this, I have no regrets that the Fates chose you as my fated mate."

With his finger tips, Riley traced the markings of the mate crescent from the side of my neck to where it began at my inner wrist. Using my eyes, I did the same from where I knew his crescent laid over his left pectoral, traveling down his arm to stop at his wrist. It was so clean and smooth that it would look like a tattoo. We head back to school today, so I know that our friends are wondering who our mates turned out to be. How will they treat me if they find out I'm a beast-human? Will they treat me, treat us, differently?

"We're going to get breakfast started. You two get ready for the day, make sure you have everything packed to return to school later. There will be time for talking while we eat. And Cooper," Rita called out to me, causing me to look over at her, "welcome to the family, my daughter." Blowing me a kiss, she left the room followed by Braxton, who mirrored what his wife said. This had me tearing up again.

Pulling me up from the floor, Riley engulfs me in a hug that makes my heart trip over itself. His scent is so sweet and strong that it makes my knees weak. "I need to take my suppressants so I can get ready for the day. We will have to go to register as mates before we leave town today, right?"

His voice vibrates against my ear, which is laying on his chest. "Yeah. We can leave to do that around nine, so we can hit the road after that. Our only class today is at three, so we'll make it back with thirty minutes to spare." Stepping back a little, he lifts my face to his. "I meant what I said to you, and you know that I never say things I don't mean. The Fates have spoken and we are a fated pair. No one else's opinion matters when it comes to our relationship. As you can see, mom and dad have already claimed you as their daughter, so there is no turning back. I wouldn't let you go even if you wanted me to."

"Yeah I know. This coming from the guy who still has his milk money from the third grade." That makes us laugh, easing some of the tension that had formed in my chest. "Riley, I'm scared."

Kissing the top of my forehead, he admits, "I am, too. But for me, there is no future for me without you in it. Losing you is not an option. Not only are we fated mates, but we're also best friends. That fact alone is what we need to keep in mind. We're not starting out as strangers. Our union already has more pros than cons. I'm not saying that we won't have our problems, but whatever does arise, we will handle them together."

After that, we separate in order to get ready for the day. I dressed in a t-shirt, jeans that sat just under my tail, and pulled out one of Riley's hoodies that I found in my closet. It's his hockey jersey with his name and number on the back. His scent is all over the sweater, which I never noticed before. Tingles spread through my body when I inhaled in deeply. My ears twitched while my tail swayed back and forth with excitement. Riley Jasper, my best friend, is my fated mate. The thought still makes my head spin.

Pulling on my Vans, I headed out the door with my phone in my hand, backpack slung over my shoulder, as I wheeled my suitcase behind me. Riley is waiting for me at the top of the stairs. The smile that spreads across his face when he notices the sweaters, has butterflies warring in my stomach. He was about to say something when the doorbell rang. We did not have to guess who it was at seven thirty in the morning.

We make our way down the stairs as the doorbell chimes again. Sitting our belongings by the couch, we stared at his parents before Riley walked over to open the door. When the door opens, Julie is standing on the other side of the door with her parents, Will and Shirely. The three of them stepped inside, their eyes taking in my appearance from my ears, to my tail, which was wrapped around my leg, to Riley's sweater. Julie gritted her teeth when Riley came over to stand next to me.

Wearing a sleeveless shirt, the markings of his crescent could easily be seen. Looking at their daughter's naked arm, Will and Shirley knew that things were over between Julie and Riley. Both of them congratulated Riley on finding his fated mate. "Cooper, congratulations on your transition. Now you may be able to find out about your past and finally gain some closure. You deserve it after all that you've been through. Were you blessed with a mate crescent as well?"

Everyone watched as I pulled my left arm out of the sleeve of the hoodie. Julie gasped with shock when she took in the sight of my mate crescent and Riley's. We've all seen the mark on his chest, so there is no mistaking that it belongs to him. It's the swirling design of the vines that has Julie and her parents at a loss for words. There has not been a fated pairing in a long time. And the fact that I am a beast-human makes me the first beast-human omega to be fated to an alpha of noble heritage in history. It has never happened anywhere in the history of alpha and omega pairings that we know of.

"No. I am not accepting this. We can still be together, Riley. Refuse her and come stand by my side forever. You know that we are a better pairing than you and that cow could ever be." Julie spat in a nasty tone.

Riley takes a step towards her, but it's his dad that stops him. "Son, there is no need to make a scene. You have your mate already standing by your side. This just lets you see what kind of person Julie truly is. As for you young lady, I'd advise you to leave my house with your parents and never cross the threshold of this house again. No one talks about our daughter that way. From where I stand, the Fates made the right decision."

Dang, I've never seen Papa Bear like this before. He is usually laid back and Mama Bear is the more vocal one. It feels good to know that they accept me in their family.

"I don't care what anyone says, I do not accept that Cooper is his fated mate. It's supposed to be me at his side and I will get what I want." Her eyes locked on me.

Walking up until I was mere inches away from her, I could see the fear in her eyes. And she should be scared since I've never done anything like this before in my life. "Listen closely Julie, I'm only gonna say this once. Riley is my mate, mine. No one other than me will stand by his side. His mate crescent is on my being. Don't threaten me with your empty threats. Take the L like a big girl and move on. Don't look in our direction, or even breathe our way, if you don't wish for me to tear into you. No one threats me, my mate, or my family. Am I making myself clear?" I can feel my eyes shift to a more slanted position, giving me a more scary stare. The air around me was charged as I waited for her to make a move.

Riley came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. Taking my tail, I wrapped it around his waist, never moving my gaze away from Julie. I don't know what came over me. It's not for me to act this way.

"It's alright, sweetheart. Go on into the kitchen with mom and dad so you can grab a bite to eat. I'll take care of this." Riley whispered in my ear. Looking up at him over my shoulder, I raised an eyebrow. "I'm your mate, so there is no need to worry." Kissing my forehead, he gently stirred me towards where Rita and Braxton stood. Giving one more warning glare to Julie, who had a whole different demeanor now, I headed to the kitchen. With my ears, my hearing has magnified so I can hear whatever they are saying in the other room.

This is not how I thought this day would begin. I feel myself growing anxious and I don't like it at all. We could not get on the road fast enough for me. Anger, like I never known, is burning inside of me. What is happening to me?