The awakening
"It's today," I said
excitedly as I threw the windows of my bedroom open.
Outside, the clouds in the east were
lightening a little with the faint tinge of dawn. It was more than an hour before I had to wake up, but I was
too excited to stay in bed much longer. I threw on some clothes, tied up my
sneakers, and headed out for my morning run. I felt a wave of sadness when I
looked at the woods surrounding my home and remembered that I couldn't run wild
and free the way my kind did.
"Focus, Kiara. Focus," I
muttered to myself again.
I shook off the sad mood and focused
on the significance of today as I ran down the deserted street.
Today, I turned eighteen.
Today, I would get to find out if
Jason was my mate.
Of course, he would be. We had been
dating for over a year now and we loved each other to distraction.
I couldn't think about Jason without
thinking about all the good times we had together. My steps slowed to a walk,
excitement, and anticipation making butterflies take wing in my belly. I kept
imagining how happy Jason and I would be after we'd accepted each other as
mates. We would get married, and then have kids eventually, maybe a few years
from now. I would always be there to welcome him when he got home and...
"...crazy freak."
The words brought me back to the
present. With a visible start of surprise, I realized from the position of the
sun in the sky that it had to be about two hours since I had left the house.
Two girls around my age were looking in my direction. The one that had spoken
saw me looking and whispered to the other.
I supposed I did look a little crazy with a goofy grin on my face and
the fact that I wasn't paying attention to where my feet were taking me. I had
just been about to step into a large puddle of muddy water. I turned to head
back the way I came, realizing for the first time that I had gathered quite an
audience. All along the street, people were staring, and whispering. A man was
even pointing at me while talking to someone even though he knew I could see
him.
I shrugged and kept on walking. I was
used to the insults and stares by now, so they didn't affect me much. Irina,
the freak; that was one of my kindest nicknames. Still, I schooled my
expression as I headed home, not wanting to give anyone more reasons to think
that I was off my rocker. My father and stepmother, Lora were in the dining
room having breakfast when I got in.
"Hi, dad. Hi Lora," I
greeted, doing my best to infuse warmth into my tone.
My dad glanced at me, grunted, and
resumed sipping his coffee. Lora didn't even bother looking at me. She just
gave a jerk of her head in response. I got my food from the kitchen and took a
place at the table. A slight squaring of his shoulders was all the indication
my father gave of my presence. When my dad was reading the newspapers, he began
to talk to Lora about some new business prospects.
"Dad, you know what day it
is?" I asked during a break in their conversation.
"It's not a public holiday,
surely," he said, giving me an impatient sidelong look.
"No. It's not. Seriously, Dad.
You can't remember?"
"What is she talking
about?" Lora demanded, not deigning to look at me. She never asked me
directly if she could help it.
"How should I know?" he
growled and promptly resumed his conversation with her.
I grabbed my plates and stomped off
to the kitchen, angry and hurt at their indifference. I didn't expect much from
Lora. She was so engrossed in Erin's, that she didn't have room for much else,
but how could my father forget? Turning eighteen was a big deal among my kind.
I took several deep, calming breaths as I did the dishes. Things would be
better soon. When I got married to Jason, I wouldn't have to live here with
them.
A knock sounded on the door of my
room that afternoon, while I was lounging on my bed.
"You have a letter," my
father said from the other side of the door.
Something hit the floor as he walked
away. I opened the door and picked up the formal-looking envelope. It was an
invitation from Jason stating that he was throwing a mating ceremony party at
the pack house.
"Oh, Jason," I sighed, love
and longing in my voice.
He knew as I did, that we were
destined to be mates. He was obviously throwing this party to claim me as his
in front of everyone. I immediately threw myself into preparations for the
party. It took me quite a while to decide on what to wear, and a longer time to
decide on a hairdo, but I was in time for the party that evening.
The pack house was lavishly
decorated. Everyone in my pack turning eighteen was there including those who
had already found mates and those who would find mates next year. They stood in
groups talking, laughing, and dancing, but glancing from time to time at the
large clock placed strategically on the most visible part of the wall. I
wandered around the large room, looking for Jason. Finally, I found him giving
instructions to a waiter.
"Jason," I called.
My words were drowned out by the
music. I pushed my way to him and hugged him around the middle.
"Oh, Jason. I'm so
excited," I said, smiling up at him.
He didn't return my smile. He merely
gave me an awkward pat on the back and stepped out of my embrace.
"Yeah. Me too," he said
tonelessly. "Listen, I er- have to go check on something."
He was walking away before he even
finished talking to me and I was left staring at him in confusion. That was
weird, really weird.
I shrugged it off and went in search
of something to drink. There was a lot of finger food to munch on, so I took a
lot of that as I swayed to the music in my corner while watching the dancing
couples. As midnight approached, the sense of anticipation and excitement
crackled like electricity in the air. Someone had thrown one of the windows
wide open so a beam of moonlight filtered into the room.
At ten minutes to midnight, the
dancing and merrymaking mostly stopped. Most couples stood in tense groups of
two. Again, I sought Jason out and went to stand by him. I touched his arm and
gave him a smile. He glanced at me, then away. His gaze was fixed on the open
window. The moonlight made him even more beautiful, outlining his dark, wavy
hair, high cheekbones, and green, deep-set eyes.
Five minutes to midnight. A minute to
midnight.
There was a hush in the room as the
full moon rose to its peak. I counted the seconds in my head. And then it was
midnight. There were whispers of 'mate' from all around me as people found the
ones they were destined to be with, but I had eyes only for the man at my side.
I felt an irresistible pull towards Jason. It was stronger than anything I had
ever felt before. By the trembling in his arms and shoulders, I knew he felt it
too.
"Mate," I cried.
I jumped about a foot in the air and ran
to launch myself into his arms, to feel his lips on mine. The next moment, I
found myself stumbling backward. It took me a second to realize that he had
pushed me away.
"Jason, we're-" I began.
"No," he snarled.
"Don't you dare say the word!"
I gaped at him. What was happening?
Why did Jason look so angry? What had I done?
"But..."
"I don't care if we're...
mates-" He spat it out like it was a swear word. "I won't be burdened
with you, Kiara." He drew himself to his full height, his green eyes
glinting angrily. "I, Jason, hereby reject you as my Luna."
"NO," I screamed. "You
can't! Why-"
"Why?" Jason's face
hardened. "You ask me why? How the hell do you expect me to have a Luna
who can't shift properly? No hard feelings, Kiara, but I can't have the blood
of my future kids tainted with yours, not when I have someone better, someone
more suited to me."
From among the crowd that had
gathered to watch came the sound of a familiar giggle. Jason stepped into the
crowd which easily parted for him. He emerged holding the hand of a tall,
willowy blonde- Erina!
He looked around the room before
raising their entwined hands and saying, "Erina will be my mate."
My shouts of denial were drowned in
the cheers and applause that erupted from everyone.
"Way to go, J," said a man
who had his arms around his mate as the crowd around us began to disperse.
"Some of us actually thought you'd actually end up with the freak."
Erina hid a grin. Jason shrugged and
everyone else close enough to hear, laughed.