Cassie’s POV

I was sweating profusely and feeling my muscles burn at the gym. A strong atmosphere was produced by the sound of weights clanking and music booming in the background. With each rep, I pushed myself harder, wanting to meet my fitness goals.

As I looked about, I noticed that others were working just as hard as I was, all for the same reason: to get stronger, fitter, and healthier. Despite the physical hardship, I felt a sense of success and pride in myself for going to the gym and making the effort.

The gym where my best friend and I were exercising was large and well-equipped. It had a variety of workout equipment, including treadmills and elliptical, as well as weight machines and free weights.

Mirrors were used to line the walls, giving the space a bright and open atmosphere. The air was nice and fresh, with fans circulating the air and keeping us cool as we sweated. The music was upbeat and motivational, which contributed to the energized environment.

Other people were working out around us, but it wasn't too busy, and we still had plenty of room to maneuver. My best friend and I were encouraging each other through difficult sets and cheered each other on when we accomplished our goals. Overall, the gym was a terrific place for us to work out together, with all of the necessary equipment and encouragement.

I kicked the sandbag ahead of me out of frustration. My straight, brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and I was dressed in my typical workout attire. I was frustrated because of my upcoming birthday. Honestly, I was nervous and scared.

As one of the warriors in our pack, our nineteenth birthday was a big deal because we would become more sensitive to our surroundings. Aside from that, our nineteenth birthday would mark the beginning of looking for a mate.

While everyone was thrilled about finding their mates, I had the opposite reaction. I was terrified and nervous. I was scared of being rejected and there were several what ifs inside my head.

I was afraid of being mated with someone I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life with. While lost in thoughts, I was startled when someone tapped my shoulder. I jumped in fright and Kaiden laughed so hard that everyone else in the gym turned to stare at us.

"Jerk!" I snapped at him.

"You look so serious, Cassie. What’s wrong? If only you can see your face," he stated in the midst of making fun of me.

Kaiden has been my best friend since we were kids. He was the one of our Alpha, and Kaiden was the first in line to take over soon. Even when we were young, he was cute and handsome. Aside from having beautiful features, his physique was extremely impressive. To add, he was also talented and brilliant. In fact, I believe that the Moon Goddess has favored him since birth.

"Why are you gloomy? Are you still concerned about finding your soul mate? You are still young, Cassie. You shouldn’t make a big deal about it," he tried to console me, then he took me to the nearby bench outside the gym where we could have our protein shakes.

"I can’t help it, Kaiden," I said, and he sighed in response.

"Seriously, Cassie, you don’t have to worry about your future spouse. I won’t let him hurt you physically or emotionally. I will kick his ass for you and if you are mated to a human, well, we can both enjoy that human for our dinner. What do you think?"

"That’s disgusting to say, Kaiden! Do you think I can really eat a human being? Never!"

While we discussed mates, I wanted to be honest with Kaiden about how I truly felt. I didn’t want to be mated with anyone because of someone I cherished inside my heart. I have always loved him since I first saw him, and nothing’s going to change my love for him.

We were both kids at the time, and I recalled him offering his hands as I stumbled on the ground. Yes, I am in love with my best friend, childhood pal, adversary, and savior. To me, Kaiden was my everything!

"I have to go; there is still a pack meeting, and I must attend. Do you want me to accompany you home?" He offered, and I politely rejected it.

"No, I can manage."

When he left, all I could do was to watch him ride his bicycle. Clayland was a small rural town where we lived. With a population of only 20,000 people, about half of whom were werewolves.

In Clayland, the Mystic Forest was off-limits to humans and they believed it was holy. Unknown to them, werewolves like us inhabited the deepest part of the forest. It had become our home since I could remember.

Speaking of which, I realized I had to return home. It has becoming dark. Despite the fact that I could take care of myself, my family would be worried about me. As the only girl in our family, my brothers were overprotective of me.

I left town and went directly to the wilderness and once I got there, I shifted into my wolf form to move faster and more efficiently in the dark. Just like most warriors in our pack, my wolf form was covered in brown fur and has grayish eyes. I had no idea why but I was quite popular amongst the warriors my age, particularly those young warriors who wanted to make me their spouse.

"You are late," my father, who was reading the newspaper in the living room, complained as soon as I arrived home.

After my mother’s death three years ago, I became the incharge of my father and three obnoxious brothers. Speaking about my brothers, I frowned as soon as I noticed that they were not in the living room with my Dad.

"I am only five minutes left, Dad. By the way, where are they?" I inquired but Dad continued to read the papers.

With a contemporary house, we essentially lived in the heart of the forest. Some of our comrades went on to work as engineers, architects, and other professionals. As a result, this pack region functions similarly to a simple human community. We also have running water and power.

"You brothers are in charge of scouting and guarding the territory. There is a rumor that the number of rouges nearby are increasing at an alarming rate," he stated. "Stop worrying about those assholes-- they can protect their own lives now," my father remarked, still unmoved in his seat.

"They are your sons, you know," I remarked wryly. He barely responded but a few seconds later, he spoke up.

"Your birthday is approaching. What is your plan? I'm planning a modest gathering with your brothers. Perhaps you can discover your mate –

I stopped him from saying more because I despised the thought of people being overjoyed for me to discover my mate. I wasn’t excited about it. I was terrified. I didn’t want to believe the stories going around, that once my mate was nearby, I could smell him.

"Dad, I do not wish to be mated just yet."

My father's face softened a little bit. Perhaps, he sensed my anxiety or he knew that I didn’t want to be mated with anyone else. When realization hit me, my eyes widened. Did he know that I like Kaiden ever since?

"No one can prevent it from happening. Everything will be okay after you've found your mate. Believe in the process, Cassie."

"I said I don’t want to be mated just yet," I said.

"Why not? Was it because of Kaiden?" he asked and I was too stunned to speak.

*****

Although I was terrified to be mated on my nineteenth birthday, I had been looking forward to the party. In fact, I had been planning every little detail of the party in my head. But when the night before the big day finally arrived, I couldn't seem to fall asleep. My mind was racing with excitement, and no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't seem to drift off.

The next morning, I woke up feeling groggy and tired. As I stumbled downstairs, my brothers were waiting for me, grinning from ear to ear.

"Look who finally decided to join us," my older brother Tom said, laughing.

I rubbed my bleary eyes and tried to muster up a smile, but my brothers could tell that I was tired.

"Did you stay up all night reading your birthday cards?" my younger brother Ben asked, giggling.

I felt a flush of embarrassment creep up my neck. I hadn't been able to sleep, and now my brothers were teasing me about it. As the day went on, their teasing only got worse. They would make jokes about my tired eyes or my slow movements, and I started to feel self-conscious and embarrassed.

But as the day wore on, something inside of me shifted. I realized that my brothers were just teasing me because they loved me. They weren't trying to hurt me or make me feel bad; they were just trying to make me laugh. With this realization, I started to relax and enjoy the party. I laughed at their jokes and even started teasing them back. And as the night wore on, I knew that my birthday had been a success.

"WOW, I thought that it is impossible for a werewolf to be a zombie." I heard my older brother, Tom, throwing a joke about my face.

Okay, I almost have no sleep, and even though we are nocturnal, werewolves need to have enough sleep.

"Jerk," I growled. I complained because it was too early for them to destroy my precious morning.

"Stop teasing our princess, it is her birthday now," Ben teased with his quirky smile.

"Shut up! Do you want me to cook my disgusting pumpkin fish soup for our breakfast?" I threatened them, enough for them to stay silent for a while I guess.

"Get down from that table, Marcus," I said to him. I am so done with these three idiots. I could feel my hair turning white for so many problems they gave me each day.

"Why so hot-headed little sis? It is your birthday!"

"I know it is my birthday, I have my copy of my birth certificate," I sarcastically spitted. "I will be in the kitchen, and don’t you dare try to disturb me in there," I warned them before heading to my workplace to prepare our breakfast.

As soon as I told them I would be in the kitchen to do the cooking, they just stared at me. In my mind, I could imagine three little puppies, wagging their tail, and patiently waiting for their food. Sometimes, they could be cute, especially when they were starving, but most of the time, they were annoying.

After preparing their meal and putting all the food that I cook, they just wiped it all and started to run outside. They did not even bother to put their plates on the sink! So irresponsible!

My brothers were very popular with their looks and physiques. Several girls were flocking to get them. However, even if they were not related to me, I wouldn’t fall for their charms! They have very complicated personalities.

I cleaned all those things that I can clean here inside the kitchen. I wanted to put aside all my thoughts on this day. Then, my pocket vibrated because of my phone. I opened it and I saw Kaiden’s message. He greeted me with a happy birthday with a heart emoji.

My heart fluttered and I could feel my face burning red. If he could just stop putting me in a friend zone, but then, he was Kaiden Clark, a future Alpha. He wouldn’t dare choose me as his mate, so I should stop dreaming of becoming his woman.

I was scared to confess my feelings towards him, and it is even harder to know that I might be mated to somebody else. I replied with thanks, and he said that he will come to tonight's party. It would just be a small celebration to be held in our backyard.

Silently, I wished to our Moon Goddess that she would spare me tonight for being a mate. I just hoped she would grant my prayers. I really hoped she would.

Otherwise, no, I didn’t want to think about it. So I dismissed any negative thoughts inside my head and walked toward the window. I adjusted the drapes to peek outside and as expected, several guests have arrived.

I could see through my windows that our backyard has been flooded by our neighbors. Even the Alpha and our Luna attended our supposed to be small gathering. I was a bit nervous because it was nerve-wracking for me to wear something that I was not used to wearing.

Because it’s my birthday, I didn’t want to disappoint my father. Therefore, I decided to wear a beautiful white dress that my Daddy had bought just for the occasion. It was a simple yet elegant dress, made of flowing white fabric that swayed gently as I walked.

The dress had a fitted bodice that hugged my curves in all the right places and a flowing skirt that fell just above my knees. The fabric was soft and lightweight, making me feel like I was walking on air.

The neckline was a modest V-shape but still showed off my collarbones and a hint of cleavage. The sleeves were short and puffy, adding a touch of romance and whimsy to the dress. The entire dress was adorned with delicate lace detailing, which gave it a vintage feel. The lace trailed down the bodice and the skirt in a beautiful, intricate pattern that caught the eye and drew attention to the dress.

I paired the dress with some simple nude heels and some dainty gold jewelry, which complemented the dress perfectly. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I felt confident and beautiful, ready to take on the day and celebrate another year of life.

Overall, the white dress was the perfect choice for my 19th birthday. It was elegant, feminine, and just the right amount of dressy without being too over the top. I felt like a princess in it, and it made my birthday feel even more special even if I dreaded celebrating it because of the mating process.

"Hey, sis, they are all waiting for you, stop hiding in there," Tom bashed.

"Fine," I told him.

With a thumping heart, heavy breath, and sweaty nose, I came down the stairs and went straight to our backyard. My brother could be the best jerk anyone could meet, but they were still the best when it comes to giving an effort. They decorated the backyard so that it looks so fancy with the lights hanging like a vine, and tables with linen tablecloth. Everything looked fabulous and on theme.

"Happy birthday to you, Cassie, you look wonderful as always." The Alpha of our pack, Kaiden's father, greeted me.

I slightly bowed my head. "Thank you for the greeting alpha, I wish you enjoy this night"

"Oh, it is a feast!"

Many other pack members greeted me. But my eyes remain searching for him. Kaiden, where was he? Then, I saw him! As I watched him standing near the big oak tree, I felt a rush of excitement all over me.

All I wanted was to spend my night with him; chatting, drinking alcohol, and laughing. I was so excited to run to him and to ask him if we could talk somewhere, just the two of us.

However, my smile immediately faded when I saw that he was talking to somebody else. I furrowed my eyes to adjust into the darkness, and then I recognized the woman he was talking with.

It was Sheena, the most beautiful girl in our school. As I observed both of them, I saw that Sheena looked so pretty in her dress. The two of them looked good together, and I realized that I was out of the picture.

My heart clenched and I could feel my eyes getting wet from the tears welling up inside. I tried my best to hold them until I could run back to my room. My birthday celebration turned out to be awful! I laughed while crying because I was so pathetic. How did I even think that he could be with someone like me?

Inside my room, I forced myself to sleep, to escape from the reality outside our home. However, while I was slowly drowning in sleep, I smelled a very intoxicating fragrance nearby. I could smell the familiar lemon and mint flavor. It relaxed my heart and it brought peace to my stormy mind. Maybe, it wasn’t that bad to find my mate. Then, I would get over my feelings for Kaiden Clark!

Hoping to catch a glimpse of my fated mate, I rolled over from my bed, and walked toward the door. I followed the scent until I saw the back of my mate. Like me, he looked like he was trying to catch his breath. I gradually walked in his direction and shock was an understatement of how I learned that my mate was none other than…Kaiden Clark!

"Kaiden?" I asked, and then I noticed that his eyes were glowing blue.

He suddenly pulled me into a warm, breathier, and passionate kiss. It intoxicated me in a very good way. He was whispering and growling words.

"Mate, mine..." he mumbled incoherently.

If this was just a dream, I never wanted to wake up again. It was too good to be true and I wanted it to happen in reality! Once again, I closed my eyes because I was afraid to wake up and find out that it was just a dream.

However, when I opened my eyes again, I saw him. I had always heard about the concept of soul mates, but I never believed that I would find mine. When our eyes met, I felt an instant connection, like a spark of electricity coursing through my veins.

"I know this may sound crazy," he said, "but you are my mate, Cassie."

My heart skipped a beat as I looked back at him, feeling the same connection and electricity that I had felt the first time we met.

"Mate," I said, and acknowledged the fact that we were fated.