Trevor

[Chapter 9] — Trevor

Today is my birthday. I've been walking around the school hoping to smell that wonderful smell of my mate and, so far, nothing. I never even considered that my mate may not be from our pack. I think I have been in contact with almost every she-wolf under 25 in our pack. Shana ended up not being my fated mate After All, but we plan to still hang out tonight; especially since I have not found my fated mate amongst our pack.

"I told you she was not our mate, but do you listen? No, you don't. Instead of planning a date with a random she-wolf, you should look for our mate. Why did I get a human like you!" Convel says in a huff.

"Look Convel, I know you want our mate. I want her too, but she may not be in our pack. We may not find her right away or she may not be the right one to be Luna, so I will keep dating Shana until I or she finds our mate."

I hope Convel will see things my way soon and stop fighting with me. Why can't he understand that I just want to do what's right for the pack. Every werewolf wants his or her fated mate. I am no different. I just have more responsibility than other wolves since I will be the alpha. My mate will also be the Luna of our pack. I can't just settle for anyone just because she was chosen for me.

"I will never give up on our mate. We will see her soon. I can feel it and you better not mess it up."

"Chill Con, we haven't found her yet. It will be ok". The boys walk up and I'm glad. I was done with the conversation between me and my wolf. He will just have to live with whatever decision I make. Convel rolls his eyes and turns his back to me. I guess that means he is ignoring me in my own mind. I just shake my head.

I make it to lunch with nothing crazy happening. I know everyone at school is watching me to see if I found my mate, so it's no surprise that the guys ask me about it as soon as I make it to our table.

"Hi, Trev. Happy Birthday. How is your day going so far?" Nathan asks.

"It's good so far."

"Any happenings with the mate finding?" Ben asked.

"Nothing so far."

"Don't worry, maybe she will be at the fireworks tonight," Sam says. "Any plans for after the fireworks? I know we have the big party on Saturday for all 10 of us, but if you want to do something tonight, we are all game."

"No, that's ok. I have plans with Shana tonight."

All the guys look at me like I'm crazy. They've already guessed that Shana is not my mate.

"Trev, I saw you and her together this morning and you just said you have not noticed your mate yet, so why are you going on a date with her when you know she is not your mate?" Ben asked.

I can tell the others are wondering the same thing. I look at them and sigh. I know they don't understand why I'm dating someone when I'm this close to finding my mate. I just want to be prepared for anything.

"Well, I told you all, if my mate is a warrior, I'm going to reject her and choose Shana as my chosen mate."

Ben just shakes his head and walks away. Nathan, Sam, Drew and Eli all look at me with shock.

"You are serious about that?" Sam asked. "I really thought that you were just saying that. I mean, whoever the moon goddess chooses for you is going to be your perfect match. How can you say that you would reject the one person who was made just for you? Have you really thought this through? Have you spoken with your mom or your dad about this? Trevor, this is crazy. Do you even know the consequences of what you are planning to do?"

"Yes, Trev. Don't you know that your wolf becomes weaker without his mate? Are you really that mad at Seleste that you will throw away everything just to mate with someone completely opposite of her? Trevor, please think about this." Drew says.

"My mind is made up. I have to put my pack before myself. Besides, nothing will happen to me. My wolf will still get a mate, just one that I choose."

"Seriously, Trev, are you doing this for the pack or your hurt pride?" Nathan asked, "because from where I'm standing, Shana is not the best thing for the pack. Our true Luna, the one the moon goddess chose, will be the best thing for the pack. Shana is the best thing for your ego. She admires you. She looks up to you. You are a hero to her. She would never challenge you or make you a better person."

"That's just it, a Luna should not challenge her alpha," I say.

"Your mom challenges your dad all the time, Trev," Nathan says.

I can tell he is getting frustrated with this conversation and, frankly, so am I.

"My mom respects my dad; she would never undermine his position. She would never make him feel weak or look bad in front of the pack. My mom is the opposite of these warrior women in our age group."

"I can tell you have your mind made up, so I will just leave you with this thought. Our Luna is a warrior in her own right. When the alpha is overly hard on us or when he is out of control, she is the only one that can reason with him. Her touch is the only thing that can calm him down. That's why the moon goddess gives an alpha a strong Luna to keep the balance. Can you have that balance without your true mate? Who will be able to calm you down when your alpha wolf gets out of control? Will Shana be able to do that? And if not, what happens to our pack then?" Nathan says and walks off.

I guess that is something to think about, but if I have a chosen mate, we will have a bond once I mark her.

"I will never mark someone who is not my mate, so good luck with that idiot," Convel says in my head.

"Why do you have to fight me on this Con?"

"Simple, because I know you are going to ruin everything for us." Convel closes the link.

"Look guys, I really appreciate you concern, but I know what I am doing. Everything will work out. You all will see."

After that, our conversation was over. In the recent months, my relationship with the guys changed a little since I have been more vocal about female warriors. I know they think I am being unreasonable. I don't know how to convince them, but once our pack is bigger and better, they will see that I was right. No male wolf wants to be in a pack where the females are stronger than they are.

After lunch, my day seems to slow down. Everyone is either asking about my mate or parading in front of me to see if they were the lucky one. I swear even a few males paraded themselves in front of me. Sorry boys, I don't swing that way. I can wait for this day to be over so that I can go to the fireworks display my parents have planned for me tonight. Maybe my mate will be there.

The fireworks are scheduled to start at sunset. It's finally time. It seems like the entire pack is here tonight. The fireworks look amazing. It's been a long time since my parents had fireworks. With us living deep in the forest, I guess that makes sense. I'm glad that they decided to do this for me.

"Mom, dad, thank you so much. This has been a great birthday. You guys always make sure my day is special."

"That's because you are special," my mom says, giving me a hug. "So, do you have anything to tell your father and me? Do I have a new daughter yet?"

"Not yet, mom. But Convel seems to think that we will see her soon. I'm not sure if she is a pack member. If she is, she wasn't in school today and I have not felt the pull tonight. I look like everyone from the pack is out here tonight."

"I wouldn't worry about it, baby. We have families who are traveling right now. Most will be back for the big party. Your father and I talked about hosting a mating ball if you don't meet her. So, if you have not met her by the time of the big party, we'll plan to host the ball," my mom says excitedly.

'Ok, mom. I think the ball is a good idea. We have a lot of unmated wolves in our pack right now. So, let's have the ball even if I find my mate."

My dad looks at me with pride. "Now you are thinking like a future alpha. I'm proud of you,' my father says as he pats me on the back. "Now son. Go hang out with people your own age. I have plans for your mom and me" My dad leans over and kisses my mother as he finishes that sentence.

My mom actually blushes. It's so cute seeing them together. They are the perfect couple.

"That's how fated mates act, but you want to ruin that for us," Convel links.

"I never said I didn't want my fated mate. I only said that I will reject her if she was one of the warriors from our circle. Since none of them are our mate, we may be in the clear."

"If that's the case, why are you planning a date tonight with the one we know is NOT our mate."

"I'm keeping my options open, Con. I just want everything to be perfect for the pact."

"Trevor, you can fool everyone else, but I share your true thoughts, and I know better. This is not about the pack. This is all about your hurt pride. You are so mad at Seleste, you are going to drag the whole pack down, just so you can hurt her. Things will not go the way you think."

Convel and I continue talking as I walk to where all of my friends are hanging. I see Seleste is not with the group. She has not been around for the past couple of days. I guess she is staying away since it is my birthday. I don't know her reason, but I am glad she is not here right now.

"Happy birthday, Trevor," the girls say in unison.

"Thank you. I hope you all enjoyed the fireworks."

"They were awesome,' Mona says. "It's been a while since we have had fireworks on the pack land. I'm glad your parents did this. Did you see how excited the pups were?"

"Yes. My dad knows how to do things."

"Trev, we're heading to the diner to grab some food. Are you coming?" Talia asks.

Ben and the guys just walk off before I answer.

"No, Talia, I have other plans. You guys enjoy."

"Well Ok. Enjoy the rest of your night," Talia says. She and the other girls walk off and join the guys. Usually, I spend my birthday with them, but I had already told Shana that I would take her out. I have just enough time to go change and pick Shana up for our date. I'm glad my parents didn't ask about my plans. It would have been hard to explain why I was going on a date when I have not found my mate. My parents strongly believe in the mate bond. I have to handle this delicately. If my dad knew my thoughts and plans, he would never make me alpha.

At 9:00 sharp, I arrive at Shana's house to pick her up. It's a good thing her family does not live in the packhouse. They live in a private home at the edge of our territory, so not many people will see me picking her up. Not that I am hiding it, I just don't want everyone to know just in case I find my mate acceptable.

"Wow, do you hear yourself right now, Trevor? I'm beginning to think that you don't deserve our mate. You are treating Shana like a standby. That's not fair to her."

"Why would you say that, Convel? I'm not doing anything wrong."

"If you can't see the issue with what you are doing, I can't explain it to you. All I can say is that I thought you were better than this." Convel ends the conversation just as Shana comes to the door.