5-Growing up Rivals.

“Alpha Temperance?” Jasper Justice meets her car at the front of his pack house.

“Yes,” Temperance shakes his hand.

“Welcome to Justice Pack. My wife and Luna, Mora,” Jasper introduces the lovely woman behind him.

“We are going to be friends,” Mora smiles at her.

While Temperance is learning, building an Alliance, Sebastian is getting a different kind of training.

“Seb, you are a handsome boy, just like your dad. I think you should be exploring your abilities with females,” Abner tells him.

“I’m 13, what females are going to be interested in me?” Sebastian asks.

Cole- I don’t like this guy.

“Oh, come now, you should have a girlfriend. Kimberley Anderson seems very interested in you,” Abner tell him.

“Kim is like Temperance’s best friend. She isn’t going to be interested in me,” Sebastian shakes his head.

“Every girl will be interested once they know you are the next Alpha,” Abner tells him.

“How am I the next Alpha? Temperance can still beat me,” Sebastian says.

“But Temperance is not here. She is off doing whatever. You can gain the warrior support. With the warriors on your side, you can do anything,” Abner tells him. “Now that you have your wolf you should train with the warriors. Make sure to let them teach you. Act like the little brother they don’t have or didn’t know they wanted. You can take over this pack before Temperance even turns 16. Then, when it’s time to crown a new Alpha, the warriors will be on your side. Just one thing.”

“What is it?” Sebastian asks with large eyes.

“If Temperance is your mate, you have to reject her. Temperance Biczi is not your mate. Say it,” Abner tells him.

“Temperance Biczi is not my mate.” Sebastian nods.

“Good Lad,” Abner smiles.

While Temperance is charming Alphas, including Young Alpha Milo Reynolds, Sebastian is training with her warriors.

“Welcome to Reynolds Pack,” Lucius Reynolds meets Temperance at his border. “Are any of your companions human or mated to humans?”

“No, I know the rules, Alpha,” Temperance tells him.

“Thank you,” Lucius lets her into the pack. “My brother, Milo.”

Milo is tall, with long blonde curly hair, a strong square jaw and at 16, looks like a man.

“Hello,” Milo holds out his hand and Temperance can’t help the smile that spreads across her face. “You are very beautiful,” Milo says, staring at her.

“Brother,” Lucius calls him from the trance of staring at Temperance.

Temperance giggles as Milo blushes.

“We have dinner prepared for you,” Milo tells her. “So do you have a boyfriend?”

“Yeah, his name is Kent. He is a warrior,” Temperance tells him.

“Lucky guy. I was worried your Beta would be your boyfriend,” Milo tells her as he opens the door to the car for her.

“Sebastian?” Temperance laughs. “Sebastian is my stepbrother and I hate him more than anything. He is such an Asshole. He convinced MY Dad to let him join the Alpha classes I take in school.”

“How did he do that?” Lucius asks narrowing his eyes at Temperance. “Alpha Zachary isn’t easy to convince of anything.”

“I think the council had something to do with it,” Temperance rolls her eyes. “Elder Abner has always been a pain in the ass.”

Both Lucius and Milo laugh at her cussing.

After the summer ends, Temperance returns home.

“Welcome back,” Kent meets her car and hugs her.

“Tempe, can we talk?” Kim asks her as they hug.

The girls walk off.

“How was your summer?” Temperance asks her.

“Sebastian in my boyfriend,” Kim blurts out quickly.

“The guy trying to take my Alpha title. The one who hates me, your best friend. You made him your boyfriend?” Temperance asks.

Kim looks around, “He has a good chance of being Alpha.”

Temperance’s anger flares. “Sebastian Timberman has as much chance of being Alpha as I have of busting into flames. You are not my friend!”

Temperance storms away. She has work to do and plans to do whatever she has to do to win!

~~~~~

The Day before Temperance and Sebastian turn 16….

“Kent,” Temperance giggles as he boxes her in against her locker.

“I just need one more kiss and I will go to class,” Kent leans in and pulls her by her hips to have her body flush with his.

“Okay, there is your kiss,” Temperance smiles at him.

“You two are disgusting,” Sebastian comments as he walks by, his hand in Kim’s back pocket.

“At least I would never think to disrespect my woman with a hand on her ass in public. Sacred her ass is going to run away?” Kent yells back.

Temperance giggles. “Kim likes it when he grabs her ass.”

“Oh, yeah?” Kent bites his lips and lifts Temperance up so her legs are around his waist, her back is against the lockers, and they are eye to eye. He holds her by her thighs. “You like this, don’t you?”

“No,” Temperance teases, putting her arms around his neck. “I love it.”

He smiles, leaning in for another passionate kiss.

The late bell rings, pulling them out of their haze.

“Tonight, at midnight, in the courtyard, I will claim you as my mate,” Kent tells her as they part to go make excuses for being late.

“So, Kim is coming to the courtyard tonight,” Sebastian tells Temperance as they sit in their Alpha class.

“Kent is too,” Temperance tells him.

“Great, so he will most likely be my Beta?” Sebastian asks.

“More like your Alpha,” Temperance meets his smirk.

Meanwhile in a closet, Kent is kissing Kim as if he is dying and she is the last source of oxygen on planet earth.

“Do you think they suspect yet?” Kim asks as she pulls him closer, and he kisses down her neck.

“No, and tonight, we all put on a great performance and we both get who we want,” Kent grinds into her.

“We should have mated sex at least once before we reject each other,” Kim offers. “After school, Tempe and Seb have that special training. You and me can do the deed, shower and meet them after.”

“Then, we formally reject each other. We do it now before we are 18 so it hurts less and we both get a second chance,” Kent confirms the plan.

“Hopefully, Tempe and Seb,” Kim nods, before they go back to kissing all over again.

After school, Kim and Kent are alone in her house.

“Oh, the sparks,” Kim moans from all fours as Kent pounds into her from behind.

“Fuck, this feels amazing,” Kent flips his head to get the long blonde hair out of his face as he continues to fuck Kim.

“Yeah, yeah,” Kim screeches as she climaxes again.

“Oh, fuck, yeah,” Kent comes undone again too.

They both fall on their back on the bed.

“That was what, six?” Kent smirks.

“I’m pretty sure the sparks are what is doing it,” Kim smirks back.

Kim is panting as she looks at the clock.

“Shit, Seb is going to be here in 10 minutes,” Kim and Kent scramble off the bed. Both running for the shower, only to have their hormones take over again.

After their shower, they don’t have much time.

“Okay, who is doing this?” Kim asks, breathing deeply.

“I, Kent Johnston, reject you, Kimberley Anderson, as my mate,” Kent says, without any emotion in his voice.

Both fall to their knees in immense pain.

“I, Kimberley Anderson, accept the rejection of Kent Johnston,” Kim groans out.

The pain lessens only enough for them to stand.

“I didn’t think that would hurt as much as it did,” Kent says, standing rubbing his chest.

Kim starts crying. Kent’s heart and wolf call to her, but he backs away as she cries.

Kim curls into a ball on the floor to cry as her wolf whimpers.

Thankfully, Sebastian was stuck in a meeting with Janice and Zachary in the Alpha Office.

“There is no guarantee that you will meet your mates tonight,” Janice tells them. “The ceremony tonight is just a formality. If your mates are in the pack, then there will be witnesses to your discovery.”

“Kent is my mate, we could have the ceremony in the foyer,” Temperance rolls her eyes.

“Kim is mine, done and done,” Sebastian shrugs.

“Fine, fine, fine,” Janice tells them. “See you in 2 hours.”

Sebastian and Temperance leave the office to go meet their partners.

“Hey, you look like you got punched in the gut,” Temperance says, seeing Kent on his bed.

“I’m fine, nothing a kiss from you wouldn't cure,” Kent tries to smile, but the sting of rejection is still radiating through him.

Temperance and Kent start making out and holding each other.

“After we know we are mates, we can, you know, do it,” Temperance bites her lip.

“Really?” Kent’s eyes sparkle.

“Oh yeah,” Temperance smiles and they start kissing again.

Sebastian arrives at Kim’s house to find her in a corner of her room, the windows open, and bed perfectly made. She is crouched down, crying.

“Baby, baby, come here,” Sebastian pulls her up and sits with her on the bed.

“I’m sorry, I’ll be okay,” Kim cries for hours, while Sebastian holds her.

11:59pm

The pack has gathered in the courtyard for their Beta and Alpha to turn 16 and recognize their mates.

“Ready?” Temperance asks Sebastian.

“As, I guess, I can be. Kim was really upset today for some reason,” Sebastian tells Temperance.

“So was Kent,” Temperance and Sebastian lock eyes again.

“No way, right?” Sebastian asks her as the truth floods them.

“They rejected each other,” Temperance mumbles.

“For us,” Sebastian says.

“I want my fated me,” Temperance tells him.

“Yeah, I want mine too,” Sebastian agrees.

Both are now sad that their first choices are not their fated mates. They can’t be if they are already each other's.

Cam- Ready to meet our mate?

Temperance- So, he is here?

Cam- Yep!

“Cam says my mate is here,” Temperance smiles at Sebastian.

“Cole says the same thing,” Sebastian smiles at Temperance.

The clock rings midnight, and the pack gasps as both, Temperance and Sebastian, say “MATE.”