UNDER THE MOONLIGHT

PROLOGUE. Carlos and Shaila

Carlos - 18 years old

CARLOS.

"Did you say you made this?" I asked Shaila, holding the cinnamon bun in my hand. It was my second piece, and though I already knew she didn’t bake it, I still asked. I was giving her another chance, to tell the truth.

She nodded her head, her eyes beaming as she looked at me with her hands clasped behind her. "Did you like it? Or should I add or remove something?"

There was a bakery near their house that baked these buns, and I’ve been buying them there since... forever? So I knew where these came from the moment she showed me these. I initially thought I should tell her about it, but I changed my mind. Suddenly, I didn’t have the heart to hurt her 12-year-old’s heart.

Which I found strange. I was so used to being frank with her, crushing her confidence on certain occasions, but not today. Maybe tomorrow again.

I shrugged my shoulders before I answered her question. "Yes, they taste really good. Just perfect. Thank you." 

"So, did you find your mate?" She asked almost immediately after I replied.

I almost choked on the pastry I was munching with her question as if she knew anything about mates.

My birthday was yesterday. I turned 18, and for shifters like me, it was the moment we were all waiting for when we could finally scent our mate. But I wasn’t sure if I was one of them.

I was happy just to be playing around, one female after another. Why settle for one when you could have a taste of many?

"No. I didn’t." I winked at her as I took another bun from the plastic pouch she gave me earlier and took a bite.

She breathed relief, and I knew what it meant, but I just ignored it. "Maybe your mate is still not 18."

"Maybe." It didn’t slip my eyes the way her eyes sparkled the moment I agreed to her words.

Shaila was only twelve, but I knew she had been crushing on me since, I fucking had no idea when. Probably when she first saw me.

To be honest, I didn’t care. I was used to the attention given by the opposite sex.

I’m the Gamma’s son, soon to be the Gamma of the Pack, if and if only — Caspian, the future Alpha of the Blue Meadows Pack, would choose me to be his Gamma. which I was certainly sure he would because I was hell-bent on proving that I was fit for the position.

I knew I played around with females, but they only came second to my training and workouts. I’m a warrior, first and foremost. It was my goal in life to be a Gamma like my father.

"...or maybe I don’t have a mate," I added, smiling at her as her face dropped before it warped into a scowl.

"You have a mate. You just need to wait for her."

"Yeah, whatever." I chuckled.

"Hmmm… but will you let me know if you find your mate?" She asked. She bit her bottom lip as she waited patiently for my answer while I finished the one I was eating first.

"Why?" Oh, that was a stupid question. Of course, this little girl would want to know when her heart would be broken.

"Hmmm... Because I keep track of who finds their mates or not." Smart answer. But I’m not buying it. 

"Really, you keep track of everyone?"

"Yes." She answered proudly.

 "So tell me who’s mated with Gerald? He found his mate recently." I asked, chewing the last piece of the pastry she gave me. Gerald was her brother’s best friend.

"Hmmm… I don’t know."

"And Theresa? She got mated a month ago. She’s your neighbor."

She swallowed as her eyes watered. "I want to go home now."

"Okay. Thanks for the pastries." I told her nonchalantly and I knew I had broken her heart again.

But I had no idea how she would get the hint that whatever she felt for me wasn’t meant to be. I knew it was just a childhood crush, but it had been going on for years. There were other boys her age who wanted her attention, and yet she followed me around like a lovesick pup.

Damn, I hope there was an easier way to tell her to not waste her time on me, but then, I was enjoying the food she would give me from time to time. So maybe I will just let her do what she wants.

I was pretty sure, soon, she would find someone else more interesting than me.

I watched as her little frame walked away, her head hanging low and her shoulders sagging. The sight of her crushed my heart. Maybe I should stay away from her and forget about the pastries.

Sweet little Shaila doesn’t deserve to be broken by someone like me.