I shouldn’t care so much about what happens to them. They have been hot and cold with me my whole life. Mostly cold and dismissive. But when we were friends they got under my skin and made me care and I don’t know how to turn that off. I can’t knowingly let anything bad happen to them.
The three of us throw a couple of half-assed ideas around, but don’t really get anywhere, so we decide to sleep on it and think fresh in the morning. Maybe talking to Oliver and Sam will help too. They might even have an idea of where this stupid anchor thing could be.
As expected I barely slept, but what I didn’t expect was Jena sleeping like a rock. Even with the thought of Mike coming for her, she didn’t move a muscle once she was out. I had to shake her awake for patrols.
Something is different today. The air is different, not thick and heavy like something bad is going to happen, but also not light and fluffy like something wonderful is happening. Just a change, a shift in the atmosphere.
We both get ready for patrol. I strap on all of my gear, my boots with blades, thigh holsters with all my emergency healing supplies, my back holster with two knives, wrist guards with small throwing knives and my jacket with four extra blades. No werewolf should be carrying as many weapons as I do, but something about them makes me feel safe and confident. Elena said trust my instincts so I’m going with it. “You’re going to wear that to training and stick out like a sore thumb.” Lil laughs at me.
“Nah, I’ll look like a warrior who is incharge of the stupid trials. No one else wants to, because we all know it’s stupid and a massive distraction we don’t need.”
We eat quickly and head out to do our shift. When we get to the patrol HQ to check in, that’s when I notice it. The honey smell that has always brought me comfort is strong and demanding. Like someone turned on a burner and cranked up the dial on the fragrance.
I turn and see my friend. How could I have forgotten? It’s his birthday, he’s eighteen today.
“Oliver! Oh wow! Look at you!”
He’s just standing there in all his man glory. His already rugged features are sharper somehow. His eyes brighter. Tattoos sharper and on full display in his cut off t-shirt. I think he might be bigger than even just yesterday. He has this glow around him. It’s like an orange tint I have never noticed before.
“Hey, Bitty.” He breathes out and then smiles that devastating smile.
“Happy Birthday, big guy.” I walk over and give him a big hug. He wraps me up and I melt into him. He buries his nose in my hair and we just stand there.
“Okay, okay, okay. Stop groping my sister. F*ck, Shorty. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to handle you finding your mate.”
I laugh and let go of Oliver, he doesn’t release me right away though. He reaches up and touches my cheek with the back of his knuckles. The gesture is very intimate and I am all of a sudden very uncomfortable being this close to him. So I take a full step back and breathe deep again.
“I had to try.” He says roughly, still smiling, not looking ashamed at all about touching me like that.
“Wait, what?”
“Don’t be dense, we all see how you two are together. It’s natural to think you might be mates.” Jena shoves me in the shoulder.
“But, I’m not eighteen, I won’t know anything until then.” Why do I sound panicky? I would be lucky to be mated to Oliver.
“Okay, I even think it’s a possibility.” Mateo huffs out. “And let’s be honest, there is nothing normal about you. Never has been, so you being able to sense your mate early is absolutely in the realm of possibilities. But, man, seriously, keep your hands to yourself in front of me.” They both laugh.
“That’s not funny.” I grumble and walk past all three of them who think this is a joke.
“Stop by later, we are going to grill out. Apparently there are traditions to try and live up to.” She says over her shoulder following me. When she catches up she asks. “What was that back there?” “What do you mean?”
“You let him hug you, hold you like he’s your boyfriend, but the minute he touched your face, you froze up like something was wrong.”
“I don’t know. Next to Sierra he’s probably the person who knows me the best, he is my best guy friend, always has been. I don’t know how I feel about the idea of being his mate. Whenever I thought about mates, I never pictured any of the guys for me.”
“With the amount of man candy you have just floating in your orbit, you’ve never thought about any of them as more?! You are crazy, and Mateo’s right, there is nothing normal about you.”
“I’m going to take that as a compliment, jerk.” We head to where we need to be and shift to begin our patrol.
As we run Jena and I both feel for the magic that is surrounding us. Then I realized, with the birthday and mate talk I was so distracted that I forgot to tell them what Elena said last night about the magic and the barriers. So I mindlink Mateo and Oliver and fill them in on everything she said and tell them to do the same. Mateo thinks I’m stupid and reminds me he is a wolf not a witch, but Oliver shuts him down quickly and tells him what to look for. That’s our other connection though, we are connected by magic or with magic. I think he might be overestimating our connections into something they aren’t. I just keep hearing Elena in my head ‘trust your instincts.’ My wolf and I agree, Oliver is ours, somehow, but I don’t know if ‘mate’ is it. I’ve never even had a boyfriend, so this is blind territory for me.
We finish our run and meet up with Lil, where Jena proceeds to exaggerate the entire interaction between Oliver and I and then she laughs at me like everyone else, who seems to think this is the most natural and obvious thing in the world and I’m an idiot for not seeing it.
“I told them to come over tonight so we can grill and celebrate. We need some normal downtime. Tell Sam too.” She points at both of us as she walks off.
We walk into the training grounds with smiles on our faces, but that lasts about two seconds when I look to the head of the training grounds and realize hell has frozen over. Alpha Lucas, Luna Ava, Cam, Kota, Kaley and Kevin are all standing there looking like a picture perfect family. My breath hitches and I feel like I am going to throw up just at the sight they present. And for a moment I think I am too late to save them.
