Kali
The packs have this claim custom that every pack follows; it’s called the snatching. When a she-wolf reaches the age of 19, she gets her wolf, and she is able to recognize her mate. When her mate recognizes her, he is supposed to snatch her away and run with her to his home or room. Once he reaches his home, that female is his forever. No one has the right to steal her away from him. This custom is done to show everyone in the pack that this female has been accepted and taken by her mate and is now his to fully claim.
I am now 20 years old and I met my mate six months ago. He is the alpha’s son and the future alpha of the pack. He just got back from his alpha training. You could imagine the excitement I felt, only for it to die down after two days when he never whisked me away the way that I wanted him to. It’s been six months, and he has never snatched me away. If anything, it’s like he is avoiding me like the plague, because I have never seen him since then.
“No one will steal you away if you stay down every time you are beaten.” Sandra’s words sting, and I slightly flinch.
Does she know anything? Why does she sound like she is mocking me?
“Yeah, I get it, Sandra,”
I take my stance, and I am ready to face my opponent. It's Carla, she is a great fighter, and my skills are not as sharp as hers. In some way, she is a step ahead of me.
She takes her stance and is ready to face me for another round. A huge tall male comes running our way at super speed like a bulldozer. Before Carla can make any move, she is grabbed off the ground and tossed on his shoulder. She tries to fight back, but he is too strong for her. She screams while he keeps on running before the sound of her screams can’t be heard anymore. Just like that, she is claimed and his to mark.
I sigh, my heart filled with jealousy that I am sure I stink with it. I don’t know why my mate won't claim me. Does he think I am not enough for him simply because he is the alpha’s son and next in line, and I am an omega? But I do train hard; I am slowly becoming a great warrior too. I have always had the passion to be a great warrior.
“It seems my opponent has been snatched,” I gesture my hands in the direction she has been taken to.
“It seems so. If only the same could happen to you too,” Her comment stings once more, and I narrow my eyes into slits.
She is trying me; I know she is, but what the f**k is her problem? Her behavior has changed since some four months ago, and for some reason, I am the only one who she seems to throw nasty comments at.
Which brings me back to my question, what does she know?
“You can say the same for yourself. I mean, you are the head warrior and you don’t have any mate,” I smile at her.
Her eyes narrow, and I know I hit a nerve too. There is no way I will let her trample me like a doormat.
“You know what? Time out everyone; we will have this session later,” Sandra instructs, and I instantly sit back down.
My close friend Clara sits next to me. She is tiny compared to me but very cute with big doe-like hazel eyes.
“What do you think happens after the male snatches you and runs away with you to his home?” I have always been curious about this, but every time I ask Mom, she says I would know when I finally get snatched.
She shrugs, “Mum says I will know when I get snatched.”
I guess it will remain a mystery.
“Clara, is it normal by any chance for a male not to snatch his mate after he meets her?” I ask, feeling worried.
Six months is just too much, right? He should have claimed me by now.
“I don’t think it is. Every male will be desperate to claim his female. If I met my mate and he was taking too long to snatch me, I would have confronted him by now,” she says so casually, not knowing that is only giving me ideas.
She is right. I need to confront him. How much longer will he keep me waiting? If he doesn’t want me, he better tell me so.
———
“You better hurry up, Kali. The alpha has called for a pack meeting,” Mom tells me as she peeps through my door.
“What about Gabriel?” I ask about my brother.
I have two brothers, but one has been missing for four months now. Search parties were sent out to look for him, but they came back with nothing. We thought he just ran off somewhere, and he would be back after some days, but he has never come back. A month later, two pack members went missing one of them being the Beta’s niece, and it all became suspicious. Rumor is that rogues are the reason they went missing, but I knew Arthur better than anyone of us; he may be of omega blood, but he can’t lose to rogues. None of us have lost hope though; we believe we will find Arthur and the other pack members that have been missing.
“He is already at the pack house,” she answers.
I simply nod and brush my messy red hair into a simple bun. It’s not like I have to look good for the future alpha, he doesn’t want me anyway.
My bright green eyes stare back at me through the mirror. The lady standing in front of it has changed so much in these past six months. My once chubby body has lost most of the fat in most places. I am now slender, yet curvy.
At first, I thought my mate Alpha Asher Scott didn’t want me because I was some weak omega, so I took on some training in the pack to work on my strength. But even after that, he has never whisked me away like I expected him to.
“Kali!” Dad calls this time, startling me out of my thoughts.
I grab some runners to pair up with the crop top and jeans I am wearing.
The meeting is at the pack house, so we all head there. My pack is Autumn pack, and it’s known for being a powerful pack.
Mom stands by my side, and I spot my brother somewhere in the crowd. Gabriel sees me and gives me a smile before his focus falls on the podium.
I can feel his eyes before I even see him. I turn to look at him. He is standing at the podium next to his father, and his intense gaze is on me. I can’t read his expression from far, so I can’t decipher what he is feeling towards me. His eyes burn a trail on my skin, and I shift uncomfortably.
“As we all know, my son came back from his alpha training six months ago. And very soon, I will step down from this position to give him that chance to lead. He is more than ready, and as soon as he claims his mate, he will take over my position. I hope everyone in the pack will be great members to him as you have been to me,” my mate's father, Alpha Joseph, speaks up, his voice booming in the hall and silencing us all.
We all knew very soon he would take over the pack, and now that he has said that he needs to claim his mate to become alpha I am very sure he will whisk me away.
A mate is everything to us wolves. Maybe then my wolf will speak to me. She is present in mind, just never talks to me. She says the only thing she wants is her mate. She is such a b***h, if you ask me.
More announcements are made, but my mind, like every other time, zones out, and I begin to imagine how my mate will claim me this very instant, in front of all these pack members. My heart swells with joy that I nearly jump up and down with excitement. I can’t wait to mock Sandra tomorrow when it finally happens.
My mate finally makes his move when the meeting is over, and I just wait for him to run my way, only he doesn’t. Instead, he leaves the hall and heads out into the hallway.
Clara’s words ring inside my mind. I should confront him. It’s now or never. Gathering my courage, I make my way the way that he left. He is nowhere to be seen, so I pick up his delectable woody scent that I always drown in and follow it. It leads me outside the pack house to a part that no one really visits.
My sharp ears pick up the sound of maons, and I become even more curious.
“Are you going to claim her?” I know that voice, but I can’t see their faces yet. Who could she be talking to?
Another grunt before I hear an answer, “I guess I have no choice, but to do so.” His answer is more cocky.
By now, I am tiptoeing as quietly as possible.
I finally see them, and my hand flies to my mouth to hold in my shocked voice. My eyes are wider than a saucer.
“Will you still be f*****g me this good when she is finally your mate? What will we do to keep this secret?” Sandra asks.
My mate, Alpha Asher, slams Sandra’s face against the wall before he pushes his d**k far into her, Sandra moans in pleasure.
“You know I am addicted to you. I will warn her, she will die if she ever finds out and tells anyone about us. You know they will take away my position if they find out,” Alpha Asher replies, his voice heavy with lust as he spanks Sandra’s ass, the sound resonating in the garden.
The werewolf council will surely take the titles from them.
“ Did you manage to kill those who saw us together last time?” Sandra asks arching her ass more to Asher.
“ Yes, it was so easy. I got rid of them and hid the evidence. Now everyone believes they went missing.” Asher laughs as if it’s very funny.
“I wish your mate could also die before you claim her. I can make it look like it’s natural.”
“Play nice now, my sexy Lover. She is only part of the game. Once I snatch her away, we will be in the positions we have been waiting for…” Asher pauses his next sentence, he sniffs the air, and he slowly turns his head.
My feet are quicker than my wildly beating heart. I run away from there as fast as my feet can take me.
The only thing on my mind is that my mate has a secret relationship with his step sister