Mateless and Home Bound

Bonus Chapter: Pumpkins

He woke up that morning happier than most. It had been two years since Dad had gotten hurt by the hunters. He still had nightmares about that every once in a while. It was scary to watch. Not just him getting hurt, but watching him almost die, and do so the slowest way possible. Victor hated remembering it, even though his mind loved to force him to.

Today wouldn't be a day that he would be thinking about any of that, though. He had convinced them to call him out of school for that day just so he could celebrate his birthday with everyone. Sage was already planning something huge for it, he was sure. But he was the most excited about the fact that it was his birthday for a whole other reason.

He never thought he'd be one to find his mate. He hadn't really been the type of person to have luck in that department. Or any department, for that matter. It wasn't something that he thought he was going to really have. He was happy that he just had a family that loved him. Sure, it was an adopted one, but he loved them all. Especially when he realized that he could have lost one of them. Dad was still the bubbliest person. The one that always had a smile and shared it with everyone he could. Him and Pop weren't as busy as they used to be. They let Reggie and Eric take a few more responsibilities so that they could have time to spend with Victor and the rest of the kids.

He hadn't thought that he was going to be finding his mate on his eighteenth birthday. A lot of werewolves do, but he didn't think it was going to be him. He didn't start to think that until a year ago, when he was just seventeen.

When he met him.

And now he was racing down the halls in his pajamas, because, yes, he still wore pajamas. He didn't know if he would be there again, but he had to try. He wanted to see if his hunch was really correct. If he could just catch a glimpse of him, he would be happy. At least he would know if he was his mate or not.

It was spring time, and the leaves on the trees were blooming, showing the most beautiful colors. Victor was glad that he didn't have allergies, because then he would hate this season even more so. He wasn't so much of a color person, not unless that color was black. Sage was more of the person who liked spring. Victor's favorite season was winter.

Down the stairs, he sped past the tons of people getting ready for the day. They were all headed towards the kitchen, while he was headed towards the door outback. He hoped that most didn't see him, because he wasn't going to hear them if they tried to greet him. He was sure that he was going to be getting a lot of happy birthday wishes.

He only wanted one person to tell him that, though. The one person that he was so sure about last year. It wasn't the guy that he was seeing because of Sage pushing him into it. It was a different one. It was someone who had just came into his life one day, randomly. One that had stayed in his memory for a whole year, overcoming his thoughts and daydreams.

He rushed outside, past the playground where the kids were playing at. He ran to a spot far away from everyone. It was on the outskirts of the back yard, where he liked to hang out last year. There was a brown dirt patch where nothing liked to grow, and a spot where some soft soil was, where grass was growing over it. Everything blew gently in the breeze. It had everything he remembered.

Everything except for the man that he was hoping to see.

Victor sighed. Of course, he wasn't going to be able to see him. He hadn't been able to see him for a whole year. He knew that he was in the pack, and he knew his name. But, for some reason, whenever he wanted to see him again to talk to him, he could never find him. He didn't know why. Maybe it was something that he did. He just hoped that he would be able to see him at least one more time. Just to be sure, at least.

If he were ever that lucky.

He could still remember it like it was yesterday, though. It was right when the seasons were changing. The end of Fall and the beginning of winter. Right before the snow came, where the trees were all barren. There was one right in the spot of grass. It was old and swayed with the wind.