Demand

25

Brielle pov

My feet touch the cool morning mud. I'm standing in my favorite place on earth. Deep in the woods with the sunlight barley trickling through the tree cover. The water pours down from the falls into the clear water of the juniper spring. The pool of water is secluded from the rest of the world.

I'm standing there staring off into the water fall, the birds chirping, drowning out my thoughts.

I wade into the water finally, only up to my knees. The water is crisp like the morning air.

"Brielle. How did I know you would be here?" His low deep voice breaks through my silent moment.

I don't turn to look at him scared of how I may now see him.

"Conner. Why are you looking for me?" I ask him turned away still.

"You know why I am here" he states and I can feel him grinning the way he does.

Conner is 26, just last year he hit his 25th year and gained his wolf. He was deeply confused when throughout the year he had never been drawn to a mate. He felt drawn to home but not to a single person quiet yet. Which meant only one thing.... He was still awaiting his mate to become of age.

I know part of him hoped it was me. My brothers would hate the idea of it, but fate is fate.

Conner was the beta of our pack, Helix Moon. He was second in command to our brand new Alpha Luke. My brothers Camden and Blake, both older than me, were a party to the Alpha's close knit circle.

Conner was always around, and he was always nice to me. We became friends unbeknownst to my brothers. Conner and I would sneak out to this spot, we called it the summer falls.

I refused to turn around to look at him. I knew it would crush him if I were not his mate. I also knew it would crush me if I was.

He was beautiful in a childish way. He had messy blonde hair, tan skin, green eyes, and a smile that made you want to smile. His dimples made most girls melt. He was goofy in a way that made you want to love him.

That was just it. I wanted to love him. It would be easy to love him. I just never knew life to be that easy. If he was handed to me this way, I would not be satisfied waiting 25 years for it.

"Brielle" he whimpered behind me. He was getting closer. I could smell his skin. It smelled like oak and sweat.

"Conner please" I begged him

"I need to know. I've waited to know" he pleaded brushing my skin gently.

I knew in that moment it was not him. No spark. No burning desire for him. Even his smell would have given him away. He was denying himself the truth when he set foot into the woods.

I turned to him finally. He looked at me with wide hopefully eyes, my eyes were blank. I watched his dimples fade. He knew as I knew, we were not mates.

This time he turned from me.

"Conner I-" I didn't know what to say. "I really wished it could have been you. All these years I really did" I said to him touching his finger tips with mine.

He let his hand idol with mine for a moment before turning back to me.

"You have no idea" he hesitated "I wished for you every night since I turned 25 and found out there was even the slightest chance it could be you"

I kissed his cheek and he whimpered. I couldn't tell if it was a pained whimper or a pleasured whimper.

"Friends?" I asked him