03 Are we?

Becca

The show is about to end, and I reach for my phone to text Jason Juice. I gotta stop calling him that. Why does he hate his name?

I offered him tickets or even to get backstage, but he politely said he wasn’t into rock music and he was actually going to a club to see a DJ’s show. I pouted my lips at that, but we agreed to meet after I packed up things here.

We had a great time chatting through dinner, and I got used to his cocky sway of talking, his shining earpiece and the way he checked his phone quite often.

I get back to the hotel to drop off my work stuff and get my Eastpak springer to carry my phone, wallet, and key. I can easily swing it through my head in wolf form to keep it around my neck.

When he doesn’t reply, I look up the DJ and take an Uber to get me to the club. The enormity of my mistake washes over me the moment I exit the car. I turn to get back and leave, but as the street is flooded with people leaving the club, someone takes the car right away.

I tentatively take a few steps, searching through the sea of people, when I spot Jason’s pick-up in the parking lot.

A group of girls in high heels walks past me, looking at me and laughing.

“She is lost,” one of them in a neon green bodycon dress looks me up and down with a scowl.

“Yeah, so lost,” the other one in a pink see-through top giggles.

They are not wrong, though. I don’t belong here. I’m still wearing the band’s T-shirt with the concert dates on the back as I always do on shows.

My confidence falters even more when I don’t see Jason in his car. Would it be weird if I’d waited by it? What other options do I have?

I check my phone again, but he hasn’t replied. I was so excited about our run. I haven’t had a chance to let my wolf out in a long time. And even that was alone.

Running with another werewolf is something I wanted to do for so long. It looked like he was excited, too. And most importantly, doesn’t he want to know if we are mates?

I strode closer to his car, just walking in circles around the parking lot, not knowing what to do with myself. If I’d known that he would be out in ten, I’d wait, but what if he stays in for hours, and I made an idiot out of myself?

Even though calling him or texting again seems desperate, I decide to do it because I can’t look more pathetic than I already am.

Just when I pull out my phone, a group of people arrives at his car, and three guys lean on it, chatting casually. Jason, being the tallest and bulkiest, stands out in the middle. They all wear party button-down shirts, and the other two guys’ styled hair shines from hair gel.

Girls surround them, giggling and twirling their hair. Their clothes and contoured make-up are just like everyone else’s here. Such a contrast to me that I realize this might not end well.

Fear that Jason won’t want me even if we are mates makes my heart stutter. I’m not his type. I’m the opposite of what his type is. My eyes dart from the blonde girl in front of him to his eyes as they roam her body, and all my hopes break into pieces. What if he chooses not to act on the mate bond? Or even reject me?

‘We don’t know if we are mates. Relax,’ Bliss urges, and I take a few calming breaths, turning away from them. ‘I know he is the first werewolf we’ve met, and he is yummy, no doubt, but do you feel anything special? An undeniable attraction or anything like that?’

I shake my arms out, gathering my thoughts. Panicking over something that is only a possibility is impolitic.

The urge to bolt and leave this situation surges, but at the same time, it’s so stupid. We agreed to meet, and I’m here, so why should I leave? No matter how the night ends, I need an answer to all these questions.

I take a few steps toward them, and when the blonde girl looks at me with disgust on her face, Jason’s gaze follows and meets mine. I wave at him awkwardly and say Hi, feeling so out of place.

The way he looks through my blue Martens boots, ripped black thighs, jean shorts, and a band t-shirt, I already know he prefers these girls’ outfits. “Hey,” he replies, a bit later than he should’ve, and pushes himself from the car.

I step closer to their group, and we awkwardly stare at each other for a moment before one of the girls breaks us from that, asking in disgust, “Do you know her?”

“Uh, yeah, this is Becca, everyone, she is my… ummm….”

“Cousin,” I help him out quickly.

“Yeah,” he nods thankfully. “I agreed to take her home, actually, so I’m out for today,” Jason gestures to his friends and moves towards me, and we step away to get out of earshot.

The hate in the blonde girl's eyes startles me, clearly not believing the lie we just told.

“Sorry,” I tell him, locking my fingers in front of me. “I didn’t mean to intrude. Coming here was stupid of me. I was just excited about the run.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he waves, but his hardened face tells me he isn’t happy I disturbed his fun.

“I’ll just take a cab back to the Hotel, and you can return to your friends.”

“No, no, I’m sorry,” his hand reaches out to clasp mine. “I lost track of time. I didn’t know you’d finish this early,” he replies, and it seems genuine, or maybe I just want it to be. “I was only surprised that you showed up. And don’t mind my friends. They are not used to strangers. We hang out together every Saturday. I’ve known them since grade school.”

“Oh, that’s nice,” I reply honestly, searching his face in case it is in contrast to his words, but it isn’t.

As he says goodbye to them, I try to be as little as possible, hide behind him, and get into the car quickly. He must be the leader of their social group, the way they accept his words.

Along the 30-minute drive, the awkwardness of the situation ebbs, and by the time we get there, the air is filled with laughter as I tell a story about my siblings and me wanting to run with actual wolves one time.

I’m holding my stomach as it hurts, recalling the way my brother thought shifting back to human form would make the wolves less angry, and we had to defend him and run away with our tales between our legs.

“It was not funny back then,” I wipe my eyes.

“I bet it wasn’t,” he replies as his roar of laughter echoes through the car.

No matter how different we are as humans, we are the only ones left of our species, and that connection can’t be denied.

“Do you want to leave your clothes in the truck or carry a backpack?” Jason asks, picking up his backpack.

“Oh shit, I should’ve brought one,” I say, looking down at myself.

“It’s ok. I can carry yours too. Well, not those boots,” he points at my blue Martens with a cheeky smile.

“Deal,” my stomach flutters as we laugh and walk into the woods.

“No one comes here, especially not at 3 a.m. I think we can shift here,” Jason nods around us.

“Great,” I reply and go behind a tree to remove my clothes, but turn back quickly. "Her name is Bliss," I blurt out.

"Mine is Makya," he replies. "See you in a minute Bliss," and as he winks, my heart flutters.

No one cared about nudity in the pack back then. We all got naked and shifted in a clearing, but now I’d feel weird getting naked in front of him.

If he thinks about the mate bond, he doesn’t show it, and I’m too anxious to mention it again, but my heart rate quickens with each piece of clothing I take off. We will be in wolf form in a few seconds, and the possibility of him being my mate is both exciting and frightening.

We don’t know each other, but that shouldn’t be scary. We live far from each other, which could be challenging but manageable. The apparent contrast between our taste in music and clothes shouldn’t be an issue. Right?

I’m attracted to him, but was it special, like Bliss mentioned? I kind of think it wasn’t.

I sling my Eastpak over one shoulder and shift into my wolf form. My jaw, belly, and legs are white, with the top of my head and back changing into grey.

With my clothes in my jaw, I walk back out from the tree where Jason waits still in human form.

His face brightens with a smile I haven’t seen before. No cocky smirk, just genuine happiness. He crouches down to me, reaching out to touch my fur, and I tentatively step closer.

Jason’s touch is slow as he places his hand on the top of my head, resting it there with a featherlight touch.

“Hey there,” he greets my wolf, and she silently barks back in reply.

This moment is so special I hold my breath observing his reaction. My skin heats as he laces his fingers through Bliss’s fur, caressing her neck and jaw.

“So beautiful,” he mumbles, enthralled.

My heart skips a beat as a purr shivers over me. Bliss likes him. His touch, his closeness. Her snout jumps forward, pushing at his neck, licking him.

Jason falls to the ground with a laugh, hugging Bliss closer with his arm around her neck. “Okay, okay. Let me shift, and you two can play,” he says, but I have a feeling he says it to his own wolf.

Bliss steps back, and he takes off his shirt, quickly opening it. He doesn’t even have buttons on it, only snaps, revealing his sculpted chest and six-pack in a heartbeat. Under the shadows of the trees, his lean muscles are blurred but very clear at the same time. I exhale slowly, and the anticipation rises within me. In a few moments, we’ll know if we are destined to be together.

And if not?

That should mean there are others out there, right?