Fated Mates (boy x boy)

Chapter 1

Being seventeen and in high school is hard enough, but dealing with the harassment and abuse from my classmates is horrible. To make matters worse, I'm also a werewolf that has to deal with the same torture from within my pack. They see me as the weakest member since none of them have ever seen me shift. Josh Quibideaux, the future alpha of the Cajun Red pack thought that my wolf abandoned and made me weak, a liability.

What they didn't realize was that I could shift, I chose not to. A werewolf will typically shift for the first time at sixteen, but there are exceptions. The first time is always the most painful, but there's no conscious thought to it. After that we can shift at will. This means, I could go days without shifting, and I could choose the when and where it would be done. I would be seen as a piece of property if anyone knew that I was a white wolf. Dad would use it as a power play and who knows how Alpha Quibideaux would respond. He's as bad as his son, a power-hungry bully.

Why didn't my parents say or do anything? The pack kids had made my life miserable. Well, it was simple: they agreed with the rest of the pack. A werewolf that didn't shift was considered an embarrassment, a black mark on the family's reputation. Thankfully, my parents were hardly ever home because they often traveled for work, so I would wait until they left before shifting.

Unfortunately, school would be over in about a month and unless I moved away, someone would see my wolf form. That was why I called my cousin, Connor. Whenever I had a problem, he would do everything in his power to fix it, or at least make it better. I missed camping and hiking together, and no one messed with me when he was around. That is until he met his mate Lisa, and moved to Texas to join the Lonestar pack.

Plus he was best friends with the Alpha's son Jackson, and that meant there was already someone in the pack who knew me, and could speak on my behalf. Connor, being three years older, worked in my favor.

Jackson knew I was important to Connor, and he could not believe what my pack and parents had put me through over the last two years. Connor had filled him in on everything. My cousin wished that my parents would take more of an interest. He couldn't understand why I wouldn't shift in front of them in order to get them off my back. I had my reasons. Still, he had tried for the last eighteen months to get me to leave my pack and join him.

He was furious when he learned what Josh and the rest of the pack were doing. He was scared that one day, one of them would go too far and seriously hurt me. I think what pissed him off more was that my parents not only stood by while I was tormented, but also contributed to it.

Time slowed down, waiting on someone to pick up the other end of a phone line. I walked in circles in the forest as I waited for Connor to answer his phone; I wore a trail into the forest floor as I waited for him to answer.

"Hey Jay. What's up?"

"Hey, Con," I stopped in my tracks. "How are y'all doing?" I glanced around as I spoke. I didn't want anyone to interrupt my conversation with him. I walked over to a fallen tree and sat down. This was where I came to think and be by myself. "You sure that your Alpha will let me come and stay there?" I asked rubbing my hand over my face.

"Of course I am Jay," he said. "Alpha Michael will gladly give you safe haven. It's a pack's duty to protect as many wolves as possible."

His voice became distant as he yelled something away from the phone. I assumed he spoke to Jackson, but I couldn't be sure. Jackson had been Connor's best friend since he moved there two years ago after meeting Lisa at a regional convention.

A wolf pack was like a large extended family with the Alpha and Luna as the parental figures. They were the ones who handed out punishments. They were the ones to make the important decisions to help the pack members succeed in life. I used to think my Alpha and Luna were this awesome couple who always put the pack's needs first. It wasn't until the verbal and physical abuse started that I realized I was wrong. As it turned out, they didn't care as long as their son's position wasn't threatened and he was happy.

"When you coming?" he returned to our conversation. "Jackson said his parents are gonna be at the Alpha conference, but don't worry, he'll remind them that you haven't informed your Alpha of your plans so that they don't accidentally let something slip."

According to Connor, Jackson had set it up so that I could stay with him and Lisa until I was comfortable enough to move into the pack house. The pack house was where most adults and unmated wolves lived.

"As soon as school's out, I'm heading that way," I said. "I haven't decided if I'm going to stay for graduation or leave the last day of school."

A twig snapped. I looked around to see who was there. It was stupid not to pay better attention to my surroundings. Some werewolf I was to get snuck up on.

"Bye Con. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye Jay. Be safe."

"Hey stupid," Mary yelled. "Who you on the phone with? Your boyfriend?"

Man, does she have a voice that can grate on anybody's last nerve. I hoped she didn't hear my last statement; she would definitely tell Josh in order to make my life miserable. She had no trouble with sleeping her way into power and had her eye on Josh, even though he was not her mate.

I walked away because responding to her would make things worse. Unfortunately, Josh stepped out from behind a tree as I turned to leave.

"Nah, no one would be as dumb or desperate enough to date him," he sneered. "His mate will probably reject him that is if he has one."

My heart dropped to my stomach and I could feel my face fall. I always told myself that his taunts and cruel words didn't mean anything, that he was saying those words to hurt me.

I knew deep down how much it meant to have a mate. Someone that I could depend on, protect and love at all costs. I would cherish every moment with them and love them no matter their faults.

Those words cut right through the heart and pierced my soul. The thought of being an embarrassment and denied by my mate was my biggest fear. If that happened it would simply break me.

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