Fear and trouble.

    Chapter Two.

    

    The clinical tent came into view the moment I stepped up. The dim light oozing through the door and windows causes me to sigh. Another long night learning some healing tricks as my mom would put it.

    

    Heaving another sigh, I walked over to the door and stepped in. The room as always was filled with the women, mostly the young ones. Just like me.

    Most of them stood afar, tending to one or two things. There hasn't been pack fights lately, for the past five months precisely and that gave me great relief. I could sneak out with Sabrina now and skate through the woods until we got tired.

    

    I sight my mom seated before the table, a wet cloth in her hand as she looked into another woman's arm extended across the table to her.

    

    She looks up to see me before looking back at the woman's hand and quickly dabbing the wet cloth over it before sending her off. I slowly walked to her, sitting on the now empty chair across from her.

    

    " Hey, Mom " I called tiredly.

    

    " Is everything alright, Rose? " She asked, concern in her voice.

    

    " I'm great Mom. I'm just tired. Just left Larkin's place "

    

    She chuckles lightly and replied, " when are you gonna stop going there, Rose? You're not a baby anymore "

    

    " I know right? Not that I've ever liked any of her stories even when I was little. I just go there to watch the kids " I tried to smile but couldn't for some reasons unknown to me. I slowly looked down, feeling her eyes watching me.

    

    She watches me for a while before reaching a palm over my cheek and bringing my face to her and saying " I know what troubles you, my dear. "

    

    I knew instantly what she was implying.

    

    " You're going to turn eighteen in the next two weeks and you haven't found your mate yet "

    

    I looked down, tired of the same talk everyday and at the same time felt like I needed to talk about it. Werewolves usually find their mates starting from the age of sixteen so the river goddess could bless them with offsprings in order to continue the werewolf bloodlines. You know the story........

    

    But I'm gonna be eighteen soon and still haven't found a single man in this pack nor the neighbouring packs who has a connection with me, who is my mate. The feeling makes me sick all the time. It kept me up all night. Wondering. What if my mate was dead? I've heard stories of men and women who lived the rest of their lives without a mate because their said mates already died before they could meet them. That's such a horrible thing. I couldn't imagine living the rest of my life without my own mate. I wanted to feel that pulse, feel that energy between us when we finally meet. I wanted to feel and understand that strange feelings the other mated werewolves talk about. I wanted to love and feel just as loved.

    

    But as my eighteenth birthday drew closer, I started to feel a great fear inside me. And the 'what if' questions never stopped coming. What if my mate has died from a terrible fever or bite from a war front, what if he still lives but doesn't care enough to find me? What if I'm rejected once we finally meet, enough reason why he's taking so long to find me?

    

    My mom's hand crawling over my shoulder brings me back from my agonizing thoughts. I looked from her sympathetic eyes to my interlocked fingers and chuckled dryly.

    

    " Stop making me feel alot worse, mom, " I said jokingly " I'm sure he's somewhere, thinking about me too and one day he's gonna come looking for me and he's gonna sweep me off my feet like the other males do around here "

    

    Her lips extends into a long smile before she replied, " that's what I like to hear "

    

    " I just really feel sad when........ . . . Carl and his stupid friends make fun of me "

    

    " Don't let them bother you, Rose...."

    

    " I can't help it, " I cut her off " I feel really... I feel like I deserve everything they do to me, mom. All they say to me."

    

    " Why would you say that, baby? "

    

    " Cause I don't belong here, mom. I wanna learn to fight too and go to wa...."

    

    " Stop " she leans back from me and sighed deeply " here you go again, Rose. This is your home, Rose. It's where you belong "

    

    " Why can't I fight too? Jeffrey talks to me the way he wants because he thinks I'm too weak to fight him "

    

    " Well are you? That's the question you should be asking yourself "

    

    I shrugged and replied " I guess I'll never know "

    

    " Listen to me Emilia Rose, this is your home and you belong here. No one can take that away from you. You still have a lot to learn my dear and it starts here, In this room just like the other women and you are going to do a great job. Your mate is gonna find you soon and he's going to love you so much and protect you. And you can give him beautiful sons and daughters "

    

    I watched her talk, astonished. I didn't know what to say. Telling her what's on my mind was pointless anyway. I should pray to the goddess to bring my mate to me soon. 

    

    " I wanna go home mom " I told her, attempting to stand up from the seat.

    

    " Alright, love. I'll see you later then "

    

    I nodded before dashing out of the house, sighing in relief the moment I saw somebody walking up towards the tent.