My Teacher, My Mate

5. Mates

Lucian

My mate just jumped out of a moving car to get away from me. The one person I'm supposed to protect and love with all I have I couldn't keep in a moving vehicle that had child locks as a feature.

I parked closer to the general pack house area and went to the shed to strip before letting Noir out. He was clawing to get out and follow our mate.

'We must protect her.'

'Yeah, yeah. Don't worry, we will. Now and later tonight.'

'That means you'll be able to mark her! Claim her! Our mate will know about us!'

I took off running, searching for her scent. I could tell she was slightly aroused in the car and it drove us crazy, but it also heightened her scent so she was easy to track.

My mate looked happy while she was rolling in the grass, jumping into the small streams, and just running wild. She was a sight to see with her white fur. My wolf was all black and almost twice her size but even still she looked like she could put up a good fight. It made me proud. I watched her make her way back to her backpack, staying low and out of sight. Do I watch her shift and get dressed?

My wolf says yes but my conscious says that I'm still her teacher. The drive to protect her overrides being an unmated wolf seeing his mate for the first time as a wolf. It's hard, in more ways than one, to not check out my mate but I keep reminding Noir that we will see her soon.

At 10:30 a group of girls come out screaming trying to put a tiara on Tessa who looked gorgeous. Her hair is up in a high ponytail that tempts me with ideas of how I could use it. She's in stilettos and a tight, way too short, white dress with lace, making it even more revealing.

'Our mate can't go out like that!'

'Calm down, Noir, it's almost midnight.'

'And you wanted to wait until the end of the year.' Noir huffs and wants out.

'I'm her teacher. It's illegal! f*******n. Not allowed. And she needs to be taught a lesson on what clothes she can and cannot wear to a club as the lone wolf. All of those people are paired off. Who the hell is going to protect her?'

'We are.'

Fuck yeah we are.

Tessa's POV

This dress is ridiculous. It's way too tight and short and looks like part of a wedding dress has gone missing. It has a deep cut in the back and a similar V, not as deep, in the front with thick straps. The straps will come in handy. Being busy does have drawbacks; like back pain and needing to wear a sports b*a to any event that will end up in me moving my body around.

I thought it was just a girls night but no male wolf in his right mind would allow their mate to go off to a shapeshifter club looking like a s*x kitten.

And to top it all off, Luke and Lily are here.

This is why I wanted to go to the club alone. Solo. Without my basically married friends. Luke is in the group of pack friends I have and although I protested, he showed up with his mate.

"Ride with us babe. It would be good for you and Lil to bond." Luke's 'babe' comment didn't just throw me off but Lily as well. She is shy and docile. I'd have my mates balls in a vice grip if they just did that to me.

"I'm good." I tried to grab a spot in the other car going but it started to drive off. FML.

"So you do need a ride." Luke sounded so chipper it was off putting. When he opened the door for me he put his hand low on my back and spoke close to my ear. "Guess we will be spending your 18th birthday together after all."

I tried to shrug him off as I sat in the backseat of his Toyota sedan. I know he wanted a truck but my guess is that a truck isn't practical for a family.

Our plans before he turned 18 consisted of the same college where we were going to buy lots of condoms and have our own place. We had decided together to hold off on having children but they would be in the picture someday. I had heard they were having a hard time getting pregnant. It's not information I went looking for but the four door sedan, the silent omega wife, and having fertility issues has to be bothering him.

I know Luke and he's a macho man. He could fool people into thinking he was higher ranked because he just had that way about him. Part of that confidence was bought, like his Gucci chain and clothing or his perfectly quaffed hair. I know for a fact he was dead set on adding a jacked up Ford F150 as soon as he could afford it.

Now he wasn't going to college, had a practical car, and a wife that doesn't share his thrill of adventure. Or humor. I have yet to see Lily laugh. She smiles but doesn't laugh at Luke's crude jokes or likes funny movies; she likes foreign films with subtitles. Luke doesn't read for pleasure. It's no wonder we didn't all cross paths in school.

The drive is awkward as Luke has his hand on his mate but calls me babe like he used to a few more times. Lily finally growls at him.

"You go girl!" Whoops did I say that outloud? I guess the shots before we left were hitting me.

"Stay out of it, he's my mate."

I put my hands up with some attitude. I'm trying to support her and she's talking back to me. Luke is the enemy here, not me. I'm the birthday girl!

"It's her f*****g night, Lil! Way to be rude."

"Stop calling her babe."

"She's one of my oldest and closest friends. I can't talk to her anymore because..." Luke hits the steering wheel hard and stops himself from saying anything else about it.

Lily was glaring at him. If I had to guess, she doesn't want Luke and I talking about just as much as I do. Which is zero. It hurts to be near him and to remember I spent my youth thinking I'd be the luckiest girl in the world to get to grow up and grow old with her mate. But plans change.

We had stopped at a red light left before the turn into the parking lot for the club, Night Shift. I took the opportunity to roll out of the car. I heard him yelling my name but I would rather be hit by a car then stay in that one a moment longer.

The bouncer was a guy from the pack who knew me and let me in. I made my way to the bar and ordered a few drinks. Lots and lots of drinks.

"Hey birthday biotch! What took you so long, chica?"

"You try being in a car with your ex and his mate while he calls you 'babe' like old times. Thanks for that." I downed a shot and took the other and my drink in my hand heading for the dance floor alone.

I hadn't really hung out with anyone since Luke's birthday. The girls came over with Ben and Jerry's ice cream and would tell me how stupid the Moon Goddess must be to have ripped us apart. They even nagged on Lily until they became her friend. It wasn't even a week later when I saw them all going out to dinner together and instagramming their food.

So I didn't want them here now. f**k them. I downed the shot, took a huge gulp of my vodka tonic before making it to the dance floor.

The floor was lit up with flashing strobe lights and color changing stage lights. The DJ was in a booth that sat atop the dance floor, almost reaching the second floor which was a VIP area with bottle service and cushy seats that people have probably procreated on.

I was happy with my drink in my hand and rocking to the sensual beat. The base vibrated and went right to my core. It was like this music was made for dry humping. I still had a half hour until midnight and I wanted to dance shitfaced by myself. A few guys tried to stand behind me but I'd whip them with my ponytail and growl at them. I headed for the bathroom before it officially turned midnight so I could spruce up. I had hope, not much, but enough to want to not look like a hot mess if my mate was here.

Lily came out of the stall while I reapplied my lipstick. It looked like she had been crying and I couldn't help myself.

"You know Luke is just a d**k sometimes."

She stared at me in the mirror as she washed her hands and placed cold water on her now sour looking face. "He's not a d**k, he's my mate. And you're just some she-wolf s**t trying to get back with him! He's mine."

"Calm down. I don't want Luke." I mean I still missed him but she didn't need to know that. "I just know how he can be and..."

"And what?! You thought you would be my friend by saying you know my mate better than I do?"

"You know what, you're right. I'm sorry Lily. Don't worry, I'll find my own way home." I walked out of there with my head held high. I tried playing nice but I'm done. If I want to talk or hang out with Luke, I'm going to. She can suck it!

'You are talking about her sucking his dick.'

'You know that's not what I meant. Bitch.'

'Wow, real mature. By the way you're 18.'

I had been talking to my wolf and taking two more shots before going back out onto the dance floor when it hit me.

I'm going to be alone forever. All I smell is sweat, body odor, and axe cologne. I ditched my friends the only night they had shown any interest in hanging out with me, was mean to Lily, and my only friend here is her mate.

L O S E R

I had no more tears left to cry so I decided I'd dance it out and then go for a run and slip back into my room before dawn.

The DJ gave a few shot outs and I was surprised when he said my name and heard some people cheering. Get Your Freak on by Missy Elliott came on which was an older song but it was one of my favorites. If I had to bet money on it, Luke made this happen.

I knew every word and screamed it not caring about what anyone else thought of me.

A strong cedar and pine mix with some sort of spice hit my senses just before hands wrapped around my waist.

Mate?