[`~♠CORAL~♠]

-Age 17-

The cool breeze hits my skin as the evening sky thickens on dark clouds, leaves rustle around us and my hair dances to the conduct. I hold my dress by the hem and wait for the gust to pass.

“I–I really like you, Coral… won't you reconsider? I won't do anything to hurt you, I promise.” Jason probes, professing his feelings for me once more.

“Jason… I like you too, but… not in that way.” I say, tucking a stray strand of my fiery red hair from my face.

Jason wears a crestfallen face that pulls at the guilt at my chest, plaguing me once more. He was a sweet boy and a year older than I am. I wanted to give him a chance but I couldn't.

“We're only a year away from getting mated. It's not going to be possible—”

I start to tell him but he doesn't listen, cutting me off halfway. “You don't know if that's going to happen!” Jason argues. “And even so, I don't care about that, you're the only one I want right now.”

His words made me smile, bringing a certain warmth to my heart but a dull ache still lingered on. “Right now,” I recite his last words. “Until you find your mate and lose all interest in me.”

Jason tries to speak but I put out a hand to stop him. “And if I'm still unmated when you find yours, what would happen to me then?”

Jason advances towards me and I step back, my back hits the bark of the tree behind me. “Coral…”

“I'll be left hurt and heartbroken,” I admit. “I don't want that, besides, it takes a lot of guts to reject one's mate. You say you don't care about that now—”

“I don't.”

I shake my head. “What if you do? Can you truly say that? A mate is your forever, you can't simply throw that away, you'll always feel the emptiness of rejection even if you have someone… as long as they aren't your mate and besides, even if we don't get mated immediately, I–I can't exactly say the same when I find my mate.” I muttered, turning my gaze away.

But I didn't need to look at Jason, I already knew the expression on his face right now and I'd be utterly compelled to give him a chance despite the odds.

The odds were too high. Growing up I've heard stories about unmated couples who get together with each other and soon after they're forced to break apart once they find their mates.

And they're always left the same way; heart broken and ruined. In extremely rare cases where one of the individual's love is stronger than the mate bound and the other former partner is not, it could drive the other to become a feral wolf.

A wolf obsessed with gaining what he or she’s lost and by all means necessary. They become irrational, crazed and don't mind who they hurt to get back the one they love the most… they become a nuisance, forever lost, consumed by rage, pain and regret.

I didn't want that, not for anyone. I wanted to be with my mate, my own forever, like father and mother.

They make the love of a mate bound look euphoric; they love, trust and cherish each other. I wanted to experience that as well but with my mate.

And that's why I couldn't be with Jason.

“I’m not going to give up.” Jason's voice picks up after another gust and I'm compelled to turn my head up at him.

I sigh, he's relentless. “Please don't say reckless things like this.”

“It’s not reckless,” He pauses. “Okay… maybe it's a little bit reckless but still…” He rephrased, moving in quickly before I could react, he grabs my hands into his tougher but smooth ones and pulls me to him.

Jason towers over me. His lean figure is still bigger in comparison to me. His reddish-brown hair brushes against his forehead as the breeze whooshes and he stares into me with determination filling his warm honey brown eyes.

“Coral… I—”

A musky scent that carried the tang of the forest trees filled my nostrils and I knew he was here.

“You’ll get away from her if you want to keep your pitiful life, cub.”

We both freeze upon hearing my eldest brother's stern voice, his hulking form looms behind Jason like the dark, angry cloud over us and Jason practically whimpers, stepping away from me as though he's been touched by hot water.

He turns around and faces my brother's stoic face but I know behind that exterior facade, he's raging, like he always does whenever a boy within or outside of the pack approaches me. The subtle twist in his brows always tells me so.

“A–Alpha Rae…gan. I–I wasn't doing anything with her… I was just—”

“Run along, now.” My brother, Raegan growls slowly, his tone laced with malice.

His snarl always sends a chill down my spine whenever he gets like this—when they all get like this.

Jason scurries away without a second thought. I turn to my brother once he's out of sight. “You didn't have to do that.”

My brother turns his attention to me, wearing a smirk on his face when he meets my scolding gaze. He approaches me silently and my eyes drift over his built shirtless torso. He must have just had his evening run, his golden brown skin is smeared with dirt and he smelled very much like the misty forest's earth and dry sweat.

“I know.” He drawls when he neared me.

I could still hear the malice in his voice. “You scared him away.”

“I did.” He encroaches into my space and I'm forced backwards till I'm pressed against the tree again.

“Why? You're always doing this, the three of you always disrupt each moment I have with a guy.” I scold with a pout. I appreciate the brotherly gesture but their protectiveness was bordering on annoying.

Raegan plants his right hand on the tree, above my head, he grabs my chin and closes in on me.

“That’s because he wants— I’m simply protecting you.”

I cock my eyebrow at him. “I don’t need protecting anymore, I'm seventeen now, not a little girl.”

Raegan chuckles, a deep rumble leaving his chest. “You’re still my little girl.”

I scoff and roll my eyes at him, “Whatever floats your boat.” I say, slipping out from underneath his cage. “I think it's high time you left the pack.”

He turns around, his brow raised as he stares down at me, amused. “Why would I want to do that?”

“Well, to go find your forever person, obviously.” I tell him, folding my arms underneath my breast, the action jeers it up and my brother's eyes leeches on it for a slight moment.

He laughs, “I don't need to do that.” And I frown at him.

It was a common act for werewolves who remained unmated in their packs for a long time to go on a journey to search for their other half. Raegan and my other brothers, Damian and Rune, though they've taken leadership of the pack and we're doing wonderfully, were still unmated.

It was not a hidden fact but it was also a major concern of everyone in the pack. The Elder council said the power structure was unbalanced because the pack needed a Luna.

Even though mother still filled that position but father had already stepped down. And with the new leadership, a new Luna was essential. It wasn't just a rule, it was tradition and the pack elders never failed to bring it up at every meeting.

“Why not?”

“Because she's here.” He comments coolly.

My frown deepens, “You’re not making any sense. If she's here, why hasn't any one of you seen or felt each other?” I asked, then my thought hits me instantly and I gasps, “Wait!” shooting my hands out to stop him from speaking.

“You must have, since you know… who is she?” I burst out excitedly.

Raegan laughs at my outburst. I pout, hitting him at the side of his torso, it doesn't do anything to him though.

“Don’t tease me!” I whine. “You’re so mean sometimes.”

“I’m mean sometimes, huh?” He repeats, closing the space between us a bit, enough for him to reach for my red hair, he tucks it behind my ear.

“And when I'm not?” His voice deepens on his question. It sends flashes of heat over my body and I step away from him.

“You’re overbearing. Now stop teasing me and tell me.”

“Well, you’ll know soon enough.” He states and I thought I saw a nervous look in his eyes. I was probably imagining it, it wasn’t like Raegan to be nervous about anything. He was who I wanted to be like when I get older; strong and outgoing.

“Why not now?”

“Because I don't want her to be frayed.” My brother states. “And she doesn't know because she's not of age yet.”

I stand at akimbo, tilting my head a little to catch his ice blue eyes. “Have you tried talking to her?”

Raegan chuckles, dipping his hands into his pockets, his bare chest flexes and the air carries his comforting earthy scent.

“Of course, I talk to her all the time, moonbeam.” He says, calling me by my nickname and pinches my cheek. “You’re awfully interested in her.”

“Of course! This is the biggest news ever. The elder council keeps fussing about you.”

“The Elders are fussing about Damian and Rune as well.”

“Yes but, you’re our pack leader.”

“True, but we run the pack together.”

The sky rumbles above us and the wind picks up, Raegan pulls me in, shielding me from the current.

“It’s going to rain soon, let's head back home.” I nod and he starts to strip.

“Wh-What are you doing?!” I flush, covering my face with my hands and I hear my brother laugh.

“It’d be faster this way, hop on.” He growls and when I open my eyes again, he's shifted into his wolf, his white fur potent against the dark, stormy evening.

“I’m not a little girl anymore, you know.” I mutter and he responds by nudging me with his nose.

Raegan’s wolf form is massive and beautiful. His fur is smooth and silky, as a little girl I used to fall asleep on him a lot. I’d tell him to shift and he'd give me a wolf ride on his back all the time. But I was no longer that little girl anymore. Raegan doesn't just get it or he doesn't want to.

As a Lycan he was the biggest wolf in the pack aside from father who’s also a Lycan and Damien who’s Alpha wolf.

He sniffs the air before his icy blue gaze turns to me, letting me know that it wouldn't be long until the sky falls. I roll my eyes, letting out a defeated sigh, picking up his pant and Raegan crouches on his hinges so I could climb with ease. His furs are so soft and warm against my legs and fingers as I hold onto him.

He glances back at me and I give him a nod and he moves, leaping through the path and it doesn't take long before we reach the house.

Thunder roars and lightning crackles and the sky falls open onto everything below it.