Becoming part of the Griffin family (COMPLETED)

Oh, how I wished to be human, how free they were to determine and live their own lives. Instead, I had been born a werewolf, a Betas' daughter no less, my life was very far from free. Since I was young, I had to take part in pack meetings, training sessions and, worst of all, pack events. My only escape had been school. When I entered high school, I convinced my family to let me go to a nearby human school. St Maria’s had a fantastic reputation and was an all-girls school. I never did figure out which had persuaded my father. I even had a room on campus. My parents had intended for it to be for occasional use, but I spent most of my time there. It’s not that I don’t love my family. I love them dearly, but as I grew older I risked running into my mate, something I wanted to avoid at all costs. Werewolves have a mate determined for them before they are even born, they are ‘blessed’ by the moon goddess for this other person to be the other half of their soul. I have all respect for the moon goddess and her powers, but I couldn’t help but question this one. At this moment, there was a man walking around out there, my mate, who, if I met, would think I belonged with him, to him. I shuddered at the thought, how could I belong with someone I didn’t even know, and I promised myself long ago I would never belong to anyone. I'm a person not a possession. There was always the option of choosing your mate, but this was frowned upon for those under a certain age, since it would all crumble if one party met their true mate. It’s not all bad, most dream of meeting their mate, and it wasn’t hard to see why. My parents are true mates. They love each other dearly and compliment each other perfectly. My father would be lost without my mother and vice versa, but it was also this reliance on each other that scares me. My uncle lost his true mate, and although he has tried to find happiness over the years, nothing could compare. If it wasn’t for his children, my cousins, I don’t think he would have made it. I have two cousins, Larissa and Tobin. They are both older than me, in their mid twenties now, and have both also found their mates. I also have siblings; three brothers and two sisters. It goes Drake, Georgia, Jeremy, Hugh, Laura and then me. Drake and Georgia have already met their mates. Georgia moved to her mate's pack to be with him. Another thing that annoyed me was that the female was always the one moving if the two wolves were from different packs. Unfair. I miss her, I miss the three of us sisters together. At least when I am forced to attend pack events she will also be there. Since she was from a neighboring pack, she often attends formal events with her mate. Her mate, Peter, is a warrior and possessive as hell over her. Especially if unmated wolves are near her. I don’t understand how he can’t just trust in his mate. She is as obsessed with him as he is with her. There is no way she would even go near another. Despite his possessive ways, I actually like him, he has a great sense of humor and treats me like a little sister. I am looking forward to seeing them both at the upcoming ball, although I am not looking forward to the ball itself. The packs takes turns holding balls such as this, an opportunity for the packs to come together, strengthen alliances and for their unmated members to possibly find their ‘other half’. Thank goddess I only have to attend when it is our pack's turn. This will be my first as a true adult. I only turned eighteen last week. I have tried to get out of it but my parents are insistent, and I know I can’t avoid these things forever. I take the bus home from school, using the time to study. I am only a week away from finishing at St Maria's, exams are quickly finishing up. I'm spending a lot of time studying, but it will all be worth it when I get into Griffin. Even if the university was named after our pack, it still holds much more freedom than going back to live at home. Our pack isn’t as big as some, but it is strong. We are named Griffin pack after our strong fighting ability. We are all strong yet stealthy, just like Griffins. Our Alpha family also carried Griffin as their last name. I’m guessing one of their ancestors had changed it when the pack was named. Our Alpha Frank has been waiting for his son, Judah, to find his mate. He is twenty-five now, but I haven’t seen him since he was seventeen. The minute he turned eighteen, he went in search of his mate, while aiding other packs, strengthening alliances and f**king around, of course. Let’s just say it is not a noble quest because the stories of his ‘endeavours’ have made their way loudly back to our pack, mostly via visiting packs she-wolves. He did spend time in our pack too, of course, but with the limited time I spent there, our paths haven’t crossed. This was purposeful on my part. I avoided all high ranking wolves where I could. While I don't want a mate, I sure as hell don’t want a high-ranking wolf as my mate. They are more possessive, with more pack duties and, by extension, less freedom. When the bus stops outside the pack gates, I get out and start walking towards home. I don’t know if you would even call it home, since we live in the packhouse. All the higher members of the pack live here and when my father retires his position will then move to my brother, Drake. It is well known and Judah has confirmed it in front of the pack at one of last year's meetings. Sarah, Drake’s mate, is going to make an excellent Beta. She is firm yet kind and is so organized. I swear she would know what she will be doing this day next year. I take my time walking home. Smelling the familiar fresh scent of the forest as I keep my nose buried in my chemistry book. I miss home. Maybe when I graduate I could return and build my own home here, secluded from the pack but still on the lands. Away from the formalities but close enough to see my family, especially my nieces and nephews, who I’m sure will start coming along over the next few years. I close my book and put it in my bag as I walk up the big steps and open the door. The hall is alive with wolves preparing for tonight’s festivities, but I avoided them, heading straight to visit my family.