Noah's P.O.V
The sun was bright, beating down gently on my back from where I sat outdoors, the sky as blue as it could ever be up above. Outside of the cafe was busy with conversations scattered as countless people walked by and the click of shoes against the stone walkways. In my own curiosity I tried to listen in as much as I could to take that slight peek into people, wondering what their day was like today. But my inner wolf was on high alert in the back of my head like he always has been since I turned sixteen, keeping any senses out for that special someone that could be anywhere.
Being a werewolf meant I was already different in the human world that we lived in. Our whole lives were a secret tucked into a dark safe only to be let out in the most special of circumstances. The race of beasts rarely ever brought humans into the mix even though we lived among them in peaceful silence. But with the Moon Goddess working her magic and looking over us werewolves, nothing was never impossible even with a rare chance.
A chime of the bell from above the cafe door rang out accompanied by a silly deep voice, "Ladies and gentleman, Noah your attention please."
My trance was broken and eyes darting up to meet my one of my friends James, who was walking out of the small establishment acting weird like he always did. James was never unable to make a person smile with his cheerful laugh and bright eyes. In his position of being the son of Third in Command to our pack, we both grew up together since we were born. James walked towards the round outdoor table where all of the rest of us sat waiting on him, holding onto two cardboard trays filled with hot and cold drinks we were all itching to have. One by one our eyes lit up as James stood in front of the table to continue on with his dramatic presentation like he was handing out trophies of some kind.
"I present to you, your drinks." James finished and set the assortment of beverages down followed by a small bow.
"Wow..." My brother Carter dragged out from next to me on my right as he reached out for his drink, "Could you be anymore dramatic?"
Carter was my younger brother and as some younger siblings may already be he was bratty. His whole aura screamed inflated ego and intimidation, a leather jacket hanging over his shoulders blending in with the dark colors he wore. Having the tile of the Alpha's son is meant to bear a lot of responsibility it didn't mean the same for Carter who only strangled it for power.
Cora also reached out for her drink on my left, leaning back in a cool composure, "I agree with Carter, way too dramatic."
Cora was a girl who could give you a look and you would be weary about approaching her. It was almost unbelievable that her and James were brother and sister despite basically being poplar opposites. Once you get to dig under the coldness thought that was Cora there was no questioning where her loyalty stood with you.
"Well of course you would say that." James replies and they both stuck their tongues out each other as he took his seat next to her.
"It definitely was an entrance.' Jasmine giggled from across the table, sipping on her drink that was almost as sweet as her.
No bad bone ever existed in Jasmine's body. She was the kind of friend that would be the shoulder to cry on, the type of person who once you started talking with her the conversation can run on for hours. The was she even swept her long brown hair over her shoulder made her seem enchanting.
"Why thank you Jasmine." James took her complement and dipped his head slightly as if he was tipping a brim of a hat.
Carter pushes my arm lightly to get my attention, "Hey, we are going out on a run when we get back. You should join us."
I shook my head and took a sip of my drink, "I can't, I have a meeting to go to with dad about the boarder patrol."
"Come on." He pressured on further, "You can miss one meeting."
I continued to shake my head, "I am next in line to be the Alpha of our pack so I really shouldn't."
Daniel cleared his throat out from across the table next to Jasmine, "You should be going to the meetings too Carter. You'll be next in line to be Alpha after Noah."
Daniel was the son of the Beta of the pack so we were both so close with each other since birth. He had a steely but calm gaze, a serious stature to his body. I never had to guess where Daniel would be standing with me, you never had to question what he had to say because he is always there for the people he cares so deeply about. The two of us were brothers and bound together by our responsibilities to the pack.
Carter scoffed at Daniel, looking of to the side as he carelessly responded, "I've still got plenty of time. It will be like, a million years before I'm the next Alpha."
I shook my head to myself more, knowing full well how Carter was going to react like he as been doing for years. My gaze was brought back down to the table where it was in thought. The pads of my fingers rubbed in between the fabric on the sleeve of my jacket just so that I could have something to focus on. But as I looked around my friends around me, laughing and hanging out freely I saw Jasmine and Daniel across the way from me. They were having a cheery conversation to themselves with smiles wide and personalities bright.
They were the luckiest pair of werewolves out of all of our friend group because they are mates. When the word mate came up into my mind there was no containing the wide smile of a dork on my face. Every werewolf in existence has all felt the same thing, yearning for a chance to meet the life partner chosen for us but the Moon Goddess. A mate, a soulmate, the other half of myself that I was still waiting to find. My mind would wander off into the sea of endless questions I had. Who are they? What do they look like? How do they act? What kinds of things did they like? When do we finally get to meet?
"Uh oh, Noah is in dreamland again." Cora giggled, waving her hand in front of my blank stare.
James then snapped his fingers together loudly which finally broke me free from my trance. At the sudden noise I jumped lightly, almost crushing my cup with my hand but relaxed quickly before that could happen.
"What?" I ask, looking in between all the eyes that were staring at me.
James rested his cheek up on his hand with a big dumb grin dancing teasingly across his lips, "Imagining about your mate again?"
"Huh? N-no, I wasn't."
Only his eyebrow was arched up at me, clearly not buying at my poor attempt to cover up the fact I was staring off into space. The heat crept up into my cheeks and my eyes darted everywhere which just gave me more away at the fact that I was thinking about my soon-to-be mate.
So I sighed and gave up, surrendering to the hole I had dug for myself, "Okay, okay, I was. I was just wondering what they would be like."
"Trust me Noah, all the waiting in the world will be worth it." Daniel says as he wrapped his arm around Jasmine's shoulders.
I smiled and looked down at my cup again, "I know."
"Look at you, you're acting like a love sick puppy." Carter reaches up to ruffle my hair up in a mess, "You're probably not going to find her for a while so you might as well have some fun in the meantime."
Reaching up I pushed his hand away with my forearm, "I'm not like you. I'll wait for my mate just like you should."
He rolled his eyes in annoyance as if he was a kid listening to a lecture from their parent and ignoring it like usual. Carter's careless attitude always did the trick of getting under my skin, especially my wolf who desperately wanted to take a swing at his face. My brother has been this way for so long that I can't even remember who he was when we were children together, the change happened so fast that I couldn't pin point the day that it started. Sometimes all I wanted was my old brother back but Carter doesn't care enough to see the silent desperation in my eyes.
For the rest of the time though sitting there in front of the cafe all of the negative tensions were set off to the side as we all chatted amongst each other and enjoyed our small treats. It was nice to finally have some free time to hang out with my friends where I could let loose for a little bit. It almost felt like being in a separate world where I could be myself and nothing else mattered just for a few split moments. Being the next Alpha for my pack required a lot of my attention which didn't leave much room for moments like these so I soaked them up whenever there is a chance.
After a couple of hours we all finished up with our goodies and took our now empty cups to the trash to dispose of them. Just as I stood up from the table to toss my trash onto a nearby bin a sweet scent suddenly hit me, practically slapping me across the face. Within an instant my mind became foggy, closing my eyes to deeply breath in the intoxicating scent of flowers after a fresh rain. My heart started pounding, hands growing clammy, and my inner wolf going wild as only one word filled my blurred thoughts.
"Mate! Mate!" My wolf kept shouting, the sound of his voice echoing off the walls inside of my head.
"Are you okay Noah?" Jasmine asked, noticing my sudden pause and placing a gentle hand on my arm.
I opened my eyes so that she could see them glowing and I whispered, "Mate."
She gasped with excitement and looked around, catching the attention of our friends, "Really?! Where is she?"
I turned to my left and looked further down the sidewalk that curved up a hill. There I saw a girl walking down the hill towards us. Her soft blonde hair shined brightly in the sunlight and fell gracefully around her shoulders in straight strands. Glasses with clear frames sat on top of her nose but since she was far away I couldn't get a glimpse yet if those eyes that I knew were going to be enchanting. She wore a white shirt with black stripes that was tucked into a high waisted black skirt and black flats. In her arms she carried text books and struggled to keep her pink backpack up on one of her shoulders. But that scent, the sight of her walking closer and closer made my insides go crazy with emotions. This was it, this moment I have been waiting for since I was a kid was finally happening.
Jasmine followed my gaze and pointed towards the girl that was closer now while the rest of the group was catching on to what was going on, "That's her?"
"But she's human..." Cora said in surprise as she sniffed the air.
James gave me a light shove on my upper back which sent me a step forward, "Go on and talk to her."
Once again my eyes trailed down the cement walkway, looking towards the girl who was even closer now. I bravely took a step forward, knowing that this was my one to be. The girl I was going to share my entire life with. But then when my foot touched the ground it was like a weight was thrown on me, causing my knee to slightly buckle in the sheer terror at the fact I would finally meet her hit me right after. This girl in front of me was the love of my life. What would I even say? Could I talk without sounding like a babbling mess? What would I do? What if I screwed this all up and ruined my chance?!
I turned back around to face my friends, shaking my head frantically in the anxiety that was crashing over me heavily, "I can't. I don't know what to say!"
Carter sighed and strode over to me, "Quit being a wuss and just talk to her."
He placed his hands on top of my chest and shoved me harshly backwards, making me stumble over my feet. I would have fallen onto the ground if it wasn't for the exact perfect time of for her to be there, breaking my almost fall and causing all of her books and backpack to tumble all over the ground. I turned around to face her, in complete shock as my brain was still trying to catch up with what was happening.
"I'm so sorry!" We both say at the same time.
I bent down to pick up her books that were laying open across the ground but she copied my movements, making our heads knock into each other. We stood up straight after the hit, rubbing the spots on our heads where they connected but froze the moment our eyes met. Just like I had thought I gazed into the most gorgeous pair of blue eyes I've ever seen, those flushed cheeks growing darker every few seconds, and soft lips. She was even more beautiful then I ever could have ever imagined...
"I am so sorry, are you okay?" She asked as she picked up her bag.
I bent down to pick up her books, making sure I left enough space between us to not hit our heads again as I blushed madly, "I'm fine. Are you okay?"
Her hands clutched her bag strap as she stared at me, "Yeah..."
"Hey, why don't you help her carry her books to her destination?" Daniel says to me as he lightly pats my shoulder.
Her slightly pale cheeks turned a dusty red, "Oh no, I can carry those myself-"
"Nonsense." James grabs both of our shoulders and pushed us gently to the direction she was heading, "He will be a gentleman and help you carry those heavy books."
Then my group of friends left me, all of them smirking and giggling as they went inside the cafe. With really no other choice the two of us started walking in the same direction she was going before. I kept my eyes down with the exception of a few sideways glances at the girl next to me. She looked over her shoulder to where my friends were previously standing and softly laughed, swinging her bag over her shoulder again. I took notice that her backpack was a light pink with little cat ears coming from the top which made me smile.
"I'm sorry, you really don't have to carry my books for me." She says as we turned around the corner into a neighborhood.
"I can't let a lovely lady-" I cringed at my own words, "c-carry something this heavy."
She blushed and tucked her hair behind her ear, "Well, thank you."
"So where are you heading anyway?" I ask, trying to know more about her without coming off as anymore creepy then she probably already thought I was.
"To my tutor's house for piano lessons."
"Piano? But these don't look like music books." I looked at the books stacked in my arms and the covers read English, Astronomy, and Science.
"I get help with my homework there too. Those books just couldn't fit in my bag."
We walked in silence for the next few moments because I didn't know what to say. The love of my life was walking right next to me, what if I said something stupid and she doesn't like me anymore?! Suddenly she paused at the front gate of a house. The home was small, mostly white with some blue accents and with the short white fence around the front yard.
"This is where I was going." She brushed her hair behind her ear again and looked off to the side in embarrassment.
Oh god...this is where I die. Every single one of her movements she made, brushing her hair behind her ear, twisting the small little decorative ring that was around her finger, blushing a bit when she caught my eyes all made my heart throb uncontrollably. My wolf continued to go crazy, desperately clawing at my mind to try and take control over my body so that he could kiss his mate right here and now. I managed to keep him down though.
"Here, allow me." I shifted her books over to hold them with one arm and opened up the little gate for her.
She walked through first, "Thank you."
I followed close behind and went up the wooden steps of the house with her and stood up on the front porch. She then took her text books from my hands and moved them to prop them up on her side. Our hands brushed over each other as we exchanged the books from one another which sent sparks all throughout me, also giving me flapping butterflies in the process.
"Thank you again..." She trailed off quietly while waving her free hand in a small circle.
I quickly realized she was trying to figure out my name, "Noah. Noah Turner."
"Celia Woods." She told me her name in return.
"Celia..." My wolf hummed her name with a pleased tone.
"Well, thank you again." She turned around to face the front door.
"Uh, um..." I stuffed my hands into my pockets, risking to take a leap of faith, "Will I see you again?"
She turned to look back at me and shrugged a shoulder, "Who knows? Maybe you will."
"Cool..."
I walked backwards down the steps to leave and stumbled on the last one, almost sending my body crashing to the ground but I caught myself. While I was burning with embarrassment Celia had covered her mouth with her hand to contain her snickers.
"Are you okay?" She asked with concern but still giggling at the same time.
I rubbed the back of my head, "Yeah, sorry. I-I'll just go now."
I turned around to head back to the gate, thinking in my head how stupid I probably looked. My wolf wasn't much help either because he was telling me the same thing anyway. I listened to Ceila behind me and with my hearing I heard that she knocked on the door gently with her fist and the door clicked open to reveal the owner of the home.
"Hello Celia! I am so glad to see you dear." An old women chirped with a happy tone.
Celia's sweet voice filled my ears as she replied, "Hi Mrs. Bridges, it's good to see you too."
"Who is that?"
I walked past the little front gate and turned around to latch it back closed like it was before, looking up to see both the women named Mrs. Bridgington and Celia looking at me.
"He helped me carry my books." Celia explained to her as she pointed at me.
"I see." The women gave me a friendly wave before going back inside.
Celia lingered on the porch for a few moments longer before waving to me as well then stepping inside the house, disappearing completely from my view. As soon as she was out of sight I let out a large breath that I felt like I was holding in forever and laced my fingers behind my head. Slowly I strolled my way back to the cafe, looking down at my feet as I replayed every single moment with my mate in my mind with the extraordinary thought making me bubble up in happiness. I met my mate! This moment that every werewolf waits for in their lives and it happened to me!
When I got back to the cafe my friends were all standing there in front, grinning like weirdos and laughing uncontrollably as they cheered.
"Ahh! Noah!" Jasmine ran to me and jumped up into my arms making me catch her, "You found your mate!"
She planted multiple kisses on my forehead, super excited and happy that I have found my mate. When I set her down after a minute on her own two feet James and Daniel took their turn to come up to me, being the good friends that they are and ruffling my hair into a crazy mess while patting my back.
"Aw man, I'm so jealous! I want my own boo..." James pouted like a little kid who didn't get the cool toy he wanted.
Daniel laughed at James and patted his shoulder lightly, "You'll find her some day."
When I looked over at Cora the expression on her face told me that she was upset but she covered up with a smile anyway. I figured it was just her remembering that she was rejected by her mate.
"That's awesome Noah!" Cora cheered as she threw her arms around me for a hug, "I'm so happy for you!"
"I guess you did alright." Carter shrugged as he leaned against the wall, "So, when are you going to see her again?"
"Uh..." I let go of Cora and rubbed the back of my head.
Carter's face dropped along with his shoulders, "You didn't get her number or anything?"
"I'll find her again, I promise."
He responded with an annoyed scoff.
My phone buzzed inside of my pocket which caused me to sigh. When I pulled it out there was a notification reminding me about the meeting that was happening soon back at the pack house. I was conflicted because I shouldn't miss attending a meeting that was about the concern of my pack but at the same time I didn't want to leave the area either in case I would never see Celia again.
But that thought was ridiculous because if the two of us were mates we were bound to run into each other again. So I reminded myself that I would indeed see her again in the future and left for the meeting.
(Time skip: At the meeting back at the pack house)
I sat in the meeting room back at the pack house which included myself, my father who was the current Alpha of our pack, and some of the boarder patrol wolves who's jobs were to protect the edge of the pack's territory and catch any wolf that may try to trespass onto our land. We all sat around a large rectangle table with a map in the center of it that was of the pack's territory, discussing about the recent problems of stray rouges that have been entering into our territory and causing trouble for the pack. Even though I deeply worried about my pack every single word that was said from my dad and the others whizzed by my head because I was so lost in thought.
I dozed off into daydream land while my elbow was propped up onto the table, pressing the palm of my hand to my lips. All I could think about was Celia. Celia. To her beautiful blonde hair and the way it framed her angelic face, her cute glasses that sat on top of her nose. I imagined the dates we would go on, the things we would do together and the memories we would create, and just...everything. I couldn't wait to learn everything about her, her likes and her dislikes. To hold her securely to my chest while she listened to my heart beating for her. To kiss those soft lips at the perfect moment and whisper 'I love you' into her ear. I could see it all, picturing our entire future together and emerging myself entirely into the sea of endless imaginations.
"Noah."
The thump of the table snapped me out of my thoughts as I looked up towards my dad. He was standing at the head of the table and had a slight annoyance in his eyes because I wasn't listening, like if he was a teacher and I was the student ignoring his lecture.
"S-Sorry." I sat up straight and fidgeted with my hands, "I was just um..."
"Is something wrong?"
"No, no. Everything is fine."
"Okay, just pay attention."
"Yes sir."
He gave me one last concerned look before continuing to talk to the rest of the pack members. Over the next hour I got the occasional glances by my pack mates followed by concerned whispers if something had happened to me. Of course the topic of that I had found my mate came up a couple of times but I just stayed quiet. After the meeting was over I went into my office, sinking into my chair behind the desk. Just as I was about to power up my computer to do some work there was a knock at the door and my dad poked his head in.
"Hey." He said as he stepped in.
"Oh hey." I stood up and walked towards him, "Did you need something?"
He didn't respond to me, only crossing his arms over his chest with a smug look on his face. I raised an eyebrow in question to his actions, confused but also slightly afraid of what he was about to tell me.
Of course with him being the dad and that I am his son, he saw right through me, "You found your mate, didn't you?"
"Dad!" I ran up to my office door in a panic and looked out, taking a breath to see no one was there and shit the door, "Someone could have heard you."
I turned to face him and shrugged my shoulders, "How did you know?"
"Oh, come on." He gestured to me with his hands, "It's written all over your face, you were daydreaming with a stupid grin, and most obviously, I can still smell her on you."
"You can?!"
Grabbing the edge of my jacket I sniffed it and sure enough, mixed in with the faint smell of fabric softener I could clearly smell Celia's scent. I didn't understand how that could have happened since I never touched her
but then I remembered that I carried her text books she was holding before, therefore her scent had rubbed off onto my clothes.
"Hey." He dropped his arms as his face softened, "Why didn't you tell me?"
I looked off to the side, "Because I just met her today and..."
"Do you not like her?"
"No no! Nothing like that! It's just that...she's human..."
"And you don't approve?"
"No! Of course not! But dad, she's a human and I'm-"
"A werewolf?" He chuckled, "I am well aware of that."
"It's just..." I let out a deep sigh, "I have to be more careful with her being a human. I can't just walk up to her and be like, 'Hey, you're my mate and I am a werewolf and now you have to help me run a pack full of werewolves'. She'll think I'm nuts!"
"You can't do that anyway you wuss." He hooked his arm around my neck and ruffled my hair.
I pushed myself out of the grip of his arm and stood up again, "I just wanted to wait until I told you or the pack so that I can warm up to her first."
"I know, I get it. Your uncle's mate is a human and hoo boy, that was an interesting adventure we had." He looked upwards in thought, a grin on his face as he remembered back to when he was younger.
I gave a wide grin as I watched my dad's face. One of thing things I've always enjoyed was the stories my dad told me from his past. They way his eyes sparkled as he told me the things he did around my age and back never failed to give me a giddy and fuzzy feeling inside.
"Dad, how did you meet mom?"
This was a question I have asked over a thousand times but I still loved to hear the story no matter how many times it was retold. He got this special twinkle in his eye when he remembered back to that day.
"Oh, it was way before I ever knew she was my mate. When your grandfather was the Alpha of this pack, a neighboring pack visited us to establish ties. I remembered standing behind grandpa's leg to hide because I was too shy to talk to any of the grown ups when this little girl came bouncing through the front door. She immediately introduced herself to me and grabbed my hand to go explore. We played for hours that day playing tag and house and whatever other little kid game you could think of. But when the day ended she had left and the pack ended up moving away to the other side of the country.
"I was sad because I had lost a friend and no matter what, I still felt that connection towards her as I grew older. Then finally this one random day durning the summer when I was sixteen I smelt the most wonderful scent and ran out the door to follow it. On the porch stood the little girl who had grown into a beautiful women and you bet I floored when I saw her. She told me that she had feeling we were mates back when we met as kids and sure enough...she was right. Now years have passed and I have my beautiful sons." He reached out with his hand and rubbed my cheek lovingly.
I leaned into his touch with a smile but then the tears began welling up as the familiar pain of sorrow in my chest grew, "I miss her."
"I do too but remember, she's always here with us in our memories and our hearts." His hand fell away to point at my chest.
I remembered the day of my mother's death like it was yesterday. When I was twelve years old and Carter was nine, our mother and the Luna of our pack had left into the woods to go on a run or some sort of activity. I remembered I was sitting at the table building something out of legos while Carter was stealing the pieces that I needed which had caused us to fight. My dad was trying to break us apart when he suddenly got a panicked look on his face, his eyes fogging over as he was getting a mind link from someone in the pack. Then he rushed out the back door and shifted into his wolf, leaving my brother and I confused as we watched him run into the woods. Carter and I stood there at the back door, holding each other's hands as we had hoped nothing bad had happened. But that dream was shattered when the most bone chilling and painful howl rang out from the woods. My mother had been mauled to death by a trespassing rouge.
The entire pack died that day with her, knowing how much of a kind Luna she was to everyone. Dad got hit the worst though because he was the one who had lost his mate. I remembered he had locked himself in his room for days, not eating or drinking, and keeping anything of my mom's belongings close to him as her slept. Loosing a mate to a werewolf was like loosing your other half, my dad was on the brink of dying from a broken heart until I came into his room one night to sleep with him due to me being scared of the dark. He realized he had to still take care of me and Carter so he found the strength to get back on his feet and continue running the pack. We all slowly healed from that day and grew stronger together. We lost a few wolves along the way who eventually became rouges but I hoped that the same would not happened to Carter because he changed since that day.
"Okay, enough sadness." Dad smiled and patted my cheeks, bringing the mood back up again, "Just remember, cherish every moment with your mate."
I nodded, "I will."
He ruffled my hair one last time and went to the the door to leave. When he opened it, just before he was about to leave, he looked back at me with a wide smile.
"Take your time with her. I can't wait to meet your mate."
⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️
Here is the first question: What is your favorite mythical creature or creatures?
I know that this book is about werewolves but they aren't really my favorite mythical creature in the entire world. I absolutely love reading about legends and mythology because they are so interesting but personally if I had to pick a favorite it would be either fairies or mermaids. That's only because I was gifted a book about how to find fairies as a kid and it tells you more about what they actually are rather then the fairies you see in Peter Pan. I also like mermaids just because they are creatures that swim around in the depths of the terrifying oceans, I think my liking came from H20: Just Add Water which is a t.v show about three girls gaining the ability to transform into mermaids.