A werewolf's life is a constant battle, but a chance to meet your soulmate eases the trials for most. Trae is happy with the mate he's given, a cute and daring girl who meets all of his expectations, but his brother Leroy... not so much. He is sure...
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Deciding on a date with Mae was difficult. Her life was full of appointments, meetings, and projects, and on top of that, she had a big family who often required her attention. When we met, she was in town for an errand, but she didn't live here. In fact, she lived several hours away, so last-minute dates were out of the question.
After trying to come up with a solution for about half an hour, she decided to just ask her boss for an afternoon off. She then said goodbye so fast I didn't get a chance to ask her what kind of work she did. Again. I sighed as I stared at the phone, then turned to the window, pulling the curtains aside to look for my brother's car.
It was gone, of course. It had been for two hours now.
I shouldn't be complaining so much, I knew that. Mae had a busy life, but at least she was a woman. I had no trouble recalling the memory of meeting her, talking to her, kissing her. A date was something to look forward to, not something to dread. I couldn't imagine being in Leroy's situation. Honestly, I was worried for him. I didn't want to doubt Mother Nature when She seemed to have done such a good job choosing my soulmate, but this didn't make any sense.
Despite not being the most open person, my brother was fairly easy to read, especially when he was interested in someone. He made an effort in his own way, making sure to spend time with her, do things for her, treat her well. His appreciation was silent but obvious. I'd never—not even once—seen him show interest in a man . . . so what were the Mother's plans for him? Were he and his soulmate supposed to be friends? Or was there a part of Leroy that was, in fact, attracted to men? A part so small he didn't know it yet? I hoped that was the case, or that he could at least be happy without it. There was no point to this otherwise.
No one—no matter what or whom they believed in—could possibly understand their gods enough to understand their actions, and I was no exception. Leroy didn't even think She was real, let alone that everything was part of some bigger picture. Maybe that was too much to hope for anyway.
Leroy turned up eventually, his face impassive, his gait relaxed. When he walked in, I asked, "I take it your date went well?"
"Stop calling it a date."
"How did it go?"
"It went fine," he said as he returned his keys to the table. "It went really well, actually, all things considered. I told him I'm a werewolf and that we're soulmates."
He told him . . . ?
When I failed to give him a response, he chuckled.
"Lee, are you joking or have you completely lost your mind? Out of all people—"
"I know, but what did I have to lose? Sure, Shaun and I can be friends, but I can make friends with anyone. And think about it: he wouldn't be a good friend if he didn't accept me for who I am. Thankfully, he does. He's fine with it. Well, as fine as a straight guy can be with having a guy for a soulmate, but he was very interested in the werewolf part. He asked me so many questions. Every time I thought he was done, it just kept going. It was weird, but . . . good, I think."
