Not My Destined Mate
Katy
It isn’t long before we arrive at our first class. English is my favourite lesson with my favourite teacher Miss Graham.
As we walk into class, I say a quiet “Good Morning” to Miss Graham and receive a warm smile in return.
Lily and I get settled at our desks and pull our copies of “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen out of our bags. I am enjoying the book, but it seems strange to me as a werewolf. When we are over eighteen, we fall in love the first time we look into our mate’s eyes’ we don’t even need to touch each other we know immediately that we are fated to be together. This is the mate bond that all unmated werewolves dream of and long for.
In contrast to the heroine in this book who doesn’t even like her mate for the first half of the book. This would be impossible for us. Miss Graham though is a firm believer in us reading books about humans and other supernatural beings.
Humans are not welcome in our pack, and all contact with them is discouraged by the Alpha, so few of us have met a human in real life or visited one of their towns. Miss Graham however thinks it is important that we understand human culture even if we do not engage with it.
Once everyone has taken their seats Miss Graham stands and says to us all, “good morning class, please turn to page 100 of your book and continue reading where we left off last week.”
I open my book and begin reading but not for long, I am soon interrupted by the familiar voice of Jordan the Alpha’s son whispering
“Lily, Lily, I had a great time at the ball last night, but it would have been better if you had agreed to dance with me”
I know that Lily hears him, just as I do, but she doesn’t respond and continues to try and read her book.
After a minute Jordan starts again. Louder this time not bothering that he will be heard by the rest of the class. “Lily, Lily you know we are meant to be together. We will be mates. You are the current beta’s daughter, and I will be the next beta when my brother becomes Alpha. You will be mine.”
Lily turns round angrily and glares at Jordan. “I am not your mate, and we will never be together. We have NOTHING in common with each other.”
“That is only because you refuse to accept your destiny” he says angrily. “You are a beta and should be spending your time with other high ranking wolves like me, but instead you spend your time slumming it with worthless Omegas, like Katy.”
I glare at Jordan; I find it hard to believe we were ever friends. I have to dig my nails into my hands to stop myself from telling him exactly who is worthless. This would be a big mistake Omegas have to submit to all higher-ranking wolves in the pack, I would get in big trouble if I tried to answer back or defend myself. It is hard though because I don’t seem to have inherited the submissive Omega gene. Fortunately, I have no need as my best friend jumps in and does what she does best.
“I am not slumming it” Lily shouts back angrily at Jordan. Forgetting all pretence that she is reading her book. “Katy is not worthless. If I was going to slum it, I would be spending my time with a stupid, useless Alpha’s boy like you!”
Suddenly I feel a presence behind me, Miss Graham is no longer sitting at her desk, she is standing right there glaring at Jordan and Lily.
“I am sure that your conversation is very interesting, but I cannot see it’s relevance to Pride and Prejudice, the book you should be reading” she says icily. “Please return to reading the book or you will both be in detention with me after school.”
“What is the point in reading this book.” Jordan says dismissively. “It is not like it has any relevance to werewolves. It is just a story about weak humans who lived years ago. It is a waste of time reading about inferior species. Even a book about Omegas would be better than this.” He says giving me a cruel smile.
“The level of your ignorance never fails to astonish me” Miss Graham tells Jordan calmly. “Great literature is not restricted to books written by werewolves. Widening your knowledge to study other species and their culture is never a waste. I think Jordan, we will explore this subject further in your detention after school today. Be back here at 3:30pm.”
I turn back to reading my book and the rest of the lesson passes without further incident. For once I am glad when the class ends, and I can go to my next class, history. Jordan doesn’t take history and I am relieved to get away from him. It is hard to believe someone like him was once a friend. Now he spends his time putting down lesser wolves and revelling in his position as the Alpha’s son.
………
After history I meet up with Lily and we head to the cafeteria for lunch. Lily is quiet and not her usual bubbly self. I put this down to her run in with Jordan. He has been chasing after her for the last two years, even though she has been very clear that she doesn’t like him. Unfortunately, instead of taking the hint, he seems to be getting worse. I know that this is one of the reasons she is so keen to visit other packs in search of a mate.
We find a table in the corner far away from where Jordan normally sits in the cafeteria, hoping to have a quiet lunch.
Unfortunately, Jordan has other ideas. He finds where we are sitting and drops down into an empty seat at our table. Behind him is Daniel the Gamma’s youngest son. Daniel doesn’t join Jordan in taking a seat at our table and seems uncomfortable to be here. He wasn’t in our English class, but he is bound to have heard what happened. The whole school probably knows by now.
“Hi Lily, I thought I would join you for lunch so we can continue our conversation which was so rudely interrupted by my aunt during English class.” Jordan says smarmily.
“Just leave me alone Jordan we have nothing more to say” Lily tells him calmly. “I am fed up of you pretending that we are mates”
“Come on let’s leave” Daniel says to him quietly.
“No” Jordan replies “I don’t think I will. I have much more to say and you, Lily darling are going to listen to me. You need to show me the proper respect I am entitled to as your Alpha’s son.
I am eighteen in two weeks’ time, and then I will be able to identify who my mate is. I am sure it is you and soon I will be able to prove it. My dad is throwing me a big party to celebrate my birthday and mark my first shift into my wolf. You won’t be able to refuse me then.”
“I won’t be eighteen for another two months, I won’t know who my true mate is until then.” Lily protests angrily.
“It doesn’t matter if my mate is underage I will still know, and if you are proven to be my mate, I expect you to be much more friendly towards me.” With that he gets up and saunters off.
Daniel doesn’t follow he just stands there looking embarrassed. “Are you OK Lily” he asks gently.
“He isn’t my mate”, she says quietly.
“I know” he says “He is just full of it because he wants to be his brother’s beta and he thinks having you as his mate will help him get the role. The party isn’t really for him it is for his brother Alex. He is returning from his tour of the other packs. Anyway, he can’t force an underage wolf to be his mate” Daniel states, “both wolves need to feel the bond before they can be mated”.
“He could try….” Lily starts to say but Daniel butts in.
“If he tries, I will stop him. I swear I will Lily. I know we haven’t been close friend for a long time, but I still care for you. And you too Katy” he adds.
“Thank you” I say giving him a grateful smile. Lily doesn’t say anything. Daniel’s words don’t seem to have reassured her and she still looks worried.
“So” I say trying to change the subject “Alex is coming back? Has he found his mate – our new Luna?”
“He is coming back next week with my brother Euan. They have been travelling together both hoping to find their mate. Unfortunately, Alex hasn’t had any success and has decided to give up for now and come back to the pack to resume his Alpha training.
“I am sorry” I reply “the whole pack was hoping that he would find his soul mate and be able to move into his role as the next Alpha.
“We are all at the mercy of the moon goddess. She decides when it is the right time for us to meet our mates. Well, I better catch up with Jordan someone has to try and keep him out of trouble. If either of you need me, let me know I will be there to help you.” He says before walking off.
“Oh, Lily please don’t worry about Jordan he wouldn’t dare to try and force you into anything. Anyway, his brother will be back soon maybe he will be able to keep him in check. He has been away for two years. He must have matured” I say trying to comfort her.
“Or he could just encourage him”, Lily says despondently. “The Alex we knew before he left was even more spoiled and self-entitled than Jordan. Do you really think a two-year jaunt being courted by all the other packs in the hope that he will choose one of their females to be his Luna will have changed that?”
I sigh. I can’t disagree with her the Alex I remember was as bad if not worse than Jordan. He was tall and incredibly handsome with thick dark brown hair and smouldering dark brown eyes. Unfortunately, all that beauty had only masked a spoiled, entitled and sometimes cruel nature. I had spent most of my time trying to avoid being in his presence. His favourite past time being to bully any Omega who was unlucky enough to encounter him. No Alex coming back was unlikely to improve the situation for any of us. I only hoped it didn’t make things worse.