I processed her words slowly.
Lily and I had never talked about the “mate” thing much. As a werewolf, we both knew she had one her and Sebastian both. I had heard fantasizing with friends about who her mate would be over the years, but she’d never confided in me personally about it.
“Are you nervous about it? The idea that you might meet your mate this weekend?”
I asked.
“I don’t know,” Lily said, “It just seems very soon, that’s all.”
“Yeah, it does,” I confessed, “It’s okay if you aren’t ready yet, that would be normal. I mean, we’re not even out of high school yet.”
Instead of comforting her, my words seemed to set Lily off.
“I never said I wasn’t ready,” she snapped, “I just said it seemed soon. I know when
I’m ready to do things. I’m already eighteen years old, and I’ve got Alpha blood running through my veins. Whoever I’m destined with, I’m more than ready for them.” She was scowling now, and I heard the steering wheel crack under the pressure of her fingers.
I didn’t say you weren’t ready yet, Lil,” I replied, “I just said it would be okay if you weren’t ready, that’s all.”
Lily rolled her eyes, but I could see her grip on the wheel loosen up. “Whatever,” she snapped, “I’m not sure why I was even talking to you about this, it’s not like you’ve got to worry about this. You’re human, you’ll never have a mate.”
So much for a little sisterly bonding.
Although her words had clearly been intended as an insult, I only felt relief. She was right. I was human, and that met my life would never have to change just because I made eye contact with a stranger.
Before I could drum up some sort of response that wouldn’t antagonize her further, Lily was already pulling into school. She parked in the same front spot she always did – perks of being the Alpha’s daughters.
Lily stormed off to find her friends almost immediately, but I took my time getting. out of the Jeep. It was nearly class time, and there was a constant stream of students swarming into the large, brick building.
This was one of my least favorite things about school: the noise. I might not have had sensitive supernatural hearing, but it still felt like my ears were getting assaulted. All around me, there was just constant activity.
There was some guy who had gone shirtless in the parking lot, and his friends were egging him on to shift into his wolf form. Just a few feet away, some mated couple. was in the midst of a screaming match. I had no idea what they were saying, but the girl was pointing fingers and the guy had his teeth bared at her.
Beside them, there was another mated couple aggressively making out.
Going to a school full of werewolves was sensory overload.
Take a deep breath, Clark.
Just as I did every school morning, I took several deep breaths before I felt calm enough to exit the car and join the swarm.
Nob*dy paid me a second glance, but I didn’t mind.
It was time to head to my first class of the day: warrior training.
*”Skill and confidence are an unconquered army.”
George Herbert*
“Keep running! I want twenty more laps before class is over!”
You’d think that if being human could ever work in my favor, it would probably get me out of warrior training – the mandatory class that trained young werewolves in combat and fighting.
But you would be wrong.
Despite the fact that I could not turn into a werewolf (nor would I ever be a pack warrior), I still had to take warrior training with everyone else. I had tried to talk my dad into letting me skip the class more times than I could count, but he was resolute. He thought it would be a good way for me to feel included, to feel “strong like a wolf.”
Unfortunately, it often made me feel the opposite.
For a werewolf, running twenty laps around the big, open field we practiced in was no biggie. For a human who wouldn’t call herself an athlete, it was hell. My classmates continued to pass me on the track, laughing and talking like it was no more than a leisurely jog.
My legs burned and every breath felt like a lead weight in my lungs. I was more than two laps behind everyone else, but fortunately, I wasn’t alone.
Right beside me, my closest friend, Kara, kept pace with me. Unlike me, she wasn’t gasping for oxygen. Had she not been deliberately running at my speed, she probably would’ve been two laps ahead like every other wolf.
“I cannot believe you get to meet the Alpha King,” she said, playfully glaring at me. Her curls bounced as she ran, and there wasn’t a single drop of sweat on her dark skin. We’d been friends since freshman year, and she was one of the few people who didn’t avoid me.
“Well, who knows if I’m actually going to be face-to-face with the guy,” I replied, gasping for air, “It’s just some diplomatic meeting.”
“Yeah, but it’s a diplomatic meeting with some of the most powerful Alphas in the world.”
“Oh, I’m aware,” I laughed breathlessly, “I’m not sure that’s a good thing though. A bunch of Alphas in the same room? The whole thing is going to turn into some big dick-measuring contest.”
“Probably,” Kara laughed, “I’m still jealous. I wonder if you’ll get to meet Prince Griffin. I hear he’s super hot.”
“Oh, yeah? My dad thinks this meeting is a cover so that the prince can look for his mate,” I told her, and Kara’s eyes widened. (@
“Really? Ugh, now I’m super jealous. Imagine the lucky girl that gets to be his mate.”
Kara continued to gush, but I stopped in my tracks.
“Wait, Griffin?”
Images of an olive-skinned arm with a large griffin tattoo flashed through my mind.
Don’t freak yourself out, Clark. It’s just a coincidence.
Kara stopped as soon as she realized I was no longer running. “You okay?”
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