How the World Works

The Newcomer

  It had been a few days since I had went into town and had been kissed on the cheek by the cutest boy of all time. Every now and then he'd throw me a wink or tell me I looked pretty. It was cute and all, and I didn't think much of it, except for when I overheard a conversation going on in the office on the second floor, on the way to my room.
  "A female wolf? Do you think she's one of their mates?" It was the man from the lobby. "She quite possibly could be, so be on your lookout, if she gets rejected she could get hurt." I recognized the second voice as Mr. Wally, the owner of the inn. Mates? What did that mean? I decided I'd ask Josh in the morning, as I really just wanted to sleep at the moment.
  I walked to my room, scanning the key card before waking in and shifting, something I really liked about the inn was that we were free to shift at any moment. My small form was warmer and much better to sleep in than my human form. I jumped onto the bed, curled up, and fell asleep.
  The next morning I walked into the living room, looking for the familiar face I'd grown attached to over the last few weeks. I grinned as I saw him sitting on one of the couches, watching TV and eating cereal. "Josh!" I yelled. He looked up, smiling when he saw me. "Hey Ayala."
  We began talking right away, and I found myself forgetting what I needed to ask. "Oh right! I heard Lenny (yup, I named him Lenny) and Mr. Wally talking yesterday about a wolf, and I figured I'd ask you what they meant, since you're a wolf and all." He nodded. "Alright, what is it?"
  "They said a new wolf was coming, and that she might be one of your mates, but I don't know what a mate is." His eyes widened. "Oh, um, well, a mate is short for soulmate, most weres have one." I was confused. "How do you know they're your mate?" He smiles softly. "You feel sparks when you touch, and whenever you're around them you're happy and content and always utterly in love." I frowned. "Does that mean that we both have mates somewhere?" I was getting really interested in the topic of soulmates, except there was something bugging me. He hesitated, "...yes." A simple "oh" escaped my mouth. "Who chooses them?" He looked up for a moment before returning his gaze to me. "The Moon Goddess chooses our mates. She knows who's perfect for someone else."
  "The Moon Goddess?" I was confused. He smiled. "Yeah, she created all weres." I frowned, even more confused now. "But my mom and dad aren't weres?" It came out as a question. "One of them might have a bit of were-cat somewhere in their bloodline. Or, on rare occasions, the Moon Goddess will choose a few children to turn into weres. She chooses them while they're inside of the mother's belly. Those are called the Chosen Ones. They're very important to were communities." Wow, I thought. This was much more fascinating than school.
  All of the sudden we're shocked to find the front doors slam open and Mr. Wally walk through, someone trailing behind him. All I heard before I was pushed into the floor was "mate."