A Rebellious Moon

Chapter Two

The best part about coming home from college after a long while was that her parents were just so excited to see her that many rules from her childhood went out the window, including her curfew. Not that Amanda noticed the time, she was too wrapped up in her girl talk with Cassie.

Amanda and Cassie had been friends since middle school when Cassie's family had joined their pack. Previously, Cassie's father had been a lone wolf and when he met his mate, they were comfortable in their solitude. But as Cassie grew older, her father began to worry about their secrecy and safety from werewolf hunters. They had chosen to move to the Vermilion pack because of its distance from a major city and relatively large size of the pack. The pack had approximately 50 members, most of whom were adults at the time, which meant that besides Lana, Amanda was the only other girl from the pack close to Cassie's age. Amanda being the alpha's daughter as well was what made Cassie's parents push for her to cultivate a friendship, not that the girls needed much help. Within a month, they were practically inseparable. Amanda actually felt more homesick for Cassie then she did from her parents when she first left for school.

Currently, they were in Cassie's bedroom which took up the top floor of her parent's bungalow. Because her parents arrived at the pack with little to offer, they had been given one of the houses on the property. Cassie and Amanda did not take for granted that their houses were mere steps from each other. It didn't count as a sleepover if you hadn't actually left your parents' property, right? Just like their middle school sleepovers, the girls were locked into their juicy pack gossip.

"Wait, so Lana found her mate?" Amanda exclaimed in disbelief. "She transitioned like a month ago!"

"Yeah, tell me about it," sighed Cassie. "She's been kind of a prick about it, too. I mean, it hasn't been that long for me, but we have some pack members who are going on 5 years without finding a mate. I kind of feel like she's unnecessarily flaunting it."

"Wouldn't you though?" shot back Amanda. She wasn't defending Lana by any means; she just was sure she herself would be flaunting it all over the place if she had found her one true love.

"Haha, fair enough," Cassie replied. "To be honest though, I'm not that jealous because her mate is Gerard. I mean, ew."

"Wait, Gerard, like that guy who was the star quarterback in high school and then transitioned terribly? Him!?" Amanda was not shocked the two were paired, just that they had found each other while a great guy like her brother was still single.

"Uh-huh, and the only reason it didn't happen at her birthday party was because Gerard was out of town with your brother on another pack meet-and-greet," Cassie explained. "Obviously your mom didn't want Aaron to be paired with Lana. I think she purposely planned to have him away for her birthday just in case. Like it would have made a difference, though"

Amanda and Cassie burst into giggles at that. Lana was generally fine but had greatly pissed off Amanda's mother when she had tried to pursue Aaron in high school. Amanda's parents had been hopeful that Aaron would follow in his father's footsteps to being a future alpha, but Lana would not have been a good fit in that case. She tended to be emotional rather than rational when making decisions, to say the least. Also, Lana's parents tended to stir up trouble for the alpha couple, alienating their daughter to the pair as well.

"So, enough about Lana's transition..., what are you thinking about yours?" Cassie pressed.

"Weelll, I mean, you know," started Amanda.

"Spill," demanded Cassie.

"I'm terrified of changing in front of people and doing it wrong and getting laughed at and not being what my parents are expecting and, and," Amanda spit out.

Cassie giggled at the word vomit before straightening. "That's exactly what everyone worries about before they transition. Honestly, it's more natural than you think which is why none of our parents consider to give any tips or explain the process. There is no process the first time, your body just starts to do it and you just naturally relax into the wolf form. The next time you do it is actually a little harder, but after a bit you build up the muscle memory, it's easy peasy. Remember, you're supposed to be able to transition to a wolf. It's literally in your DNA. For the rest of your worries, no one is going to laugh because everyone there had been through it before. Also, I have a feeling you are going to be exactly what your parents are expecting. I think for Aaron they knew already he wasn't going to have alpha potential, they were just holding out that parental hope, like those people who think their C+ student is going to be a neurosurgeon. I mean, it could happen, but realistically no."

"That makes sense about Aaron. He's never liked major responsibility and being in charge of anything, let alone a pack of wolves. Hell, he didn't even like leading sparring practices when we were kids," remembered Amanda. "You're right. It'll all be fine, just...," she hesitated. "What about finding my mate? I, well, I want it to be Devon."

Amanda couldn't believe she admitted that out loud to somebody, even Cassie.

Cassie did not look surprised though, just mildly amused. "Did you think I didn't notice you mooning over him for, like, the past ten years? I think the only reason anybody didn't notice was because they weren't paying attention. Devon probably knows you like him. Your parents definitely do."

"Wait, what?" cried Amanda.

"For sure. Aaron actually asked me about it one day. Not that I said anything, because you know, best friend rules and everything, but he totally noticed what was up. I would be surprised if he didn't mention it to your dad," Cassie said nodding her head.

"My life is over. This is so embarrassing," moaned Amanda.

"Oh stop being such a drama queen. If you do end up mated to Devon this will all just be a funny story," said Cassie

Amanda smiled at the last remark. She would be thrilled if her and Devon ended up mated. That would make her way less embarrassed in front of her family and anyone else who had apparently noticed her "mooning" for the past ten years.

"Hey Cassie, speaking of mates, what have you been thinking? Is there anyone particular you've been looking at?" said Amanda, not quite trying to change the subject.

Cassie frowned for a second. "I'm not really interested in anyone in our pack if that's what you mean, and you know my high school sweetheart was Harry Styles so unless he's secretly a werewolf..."

Amanda and Cassie shared a laugh with that one.

"No, but seriously Cassie. We are kind of isolated out here in small town Ohio. I mean do you have a plan?" said Amanda.

"Honestly, I'm not too keen on the mate idea, Mandy. I like my job at the hospital and I like the town here with the lake. My parents would move with me if I had to change packs for a mate, but I know they like it here and that would hurt my heart a bit to make them leave for me. If werewolf hierarchy wasn't so male-based and I could have my mate move here it would be fine, but he would just be looked down upon."

Amanda was stunned. The girls had constantly discussed what their mates would be like once they found them. Cassie had always been the more romantic one as well which made Amanda even more at a loss.

Sensing her friend's discomfort, Cassie plastered a smile on her face. "Well, hey, I still have a chance that Harry will decide that Vermilion, Ohio is a nice place to live, right? Maybe he'll bring Liam with him."

Amanda smacked her friend on the arm as she giggled, the mood visibly lifting.

Feeling satisfied that her friend wasn't too put off by her lack of interest in mates, Cassie decided to end on a high note.

"By the way, are you planning on sleeping over? Or is your mom in her 'overdrive' mode already?" asked Cassie.

"Duh, I'm sleeping over," Amanda replied with a smile. "Did you even have to ask?"

With a last shared laugh, the two girls fell asleep in Cassie's bed together dreaming of a future with their fictional mates.

Author's Note:

Thanks for continuing to read! Please vote if you like it and comment why you don't. I would love feedback.

What do you think of Cassie? Are you surprised that she's not into mates?