Chapter 7

Colleen woke up to sun rays penetrated through her curtains, dimly illuminated in her bedroom while birds happily chirped outside. It was a surreal feeling, as she hadn't heard that sound for a very long time. As she rose quietly from her bed, Colleen remembered that it's her eighteenth birthday today, and as that thought crossed her mind, she saw the white birds fly away. Despite countless uncertainties in her life, Colleen was still happy as her expected day had already arrived. For a month, she had exerted too much effort on training while she waited for her birthday and thought about her mate and the fate of her pack. Colleen had decided that she'll do this no matter what; even if her mate was an Alpha or a low-ranking member of her pack, it doesn't matter. As long as she's an Alpha, Colleen isn't concerned about her mate's status in life. Even though her training had been rough, Colleen was still keeping a positive approach, thinking that everything will be okay. She's been training without a break for her mate, which she'll hopefully meet today, on her fateful eighteenth birthday. After some time of thinking, she wore her skinny white jeans and a floral top. She quickly tied up her hair as she walked out of her bedroom with a bright smile on her face. Colleen greeted her mother while sipping a cup of coffee that she brewed. She saw her father, who's a bit busy reading a newspaper. As all of their gazes met her, Colleen saw the surprised reaction in their faces, which never lasted for long, as they proceeded to smile and greet her. "Happy birthday!" they all said at the same time with cheerfulness. Colleen thanked all of them as she ate her breakfast as fast as possible. On that day, Melissa won't be waiting for Colleen as she decided to be the one to wait for her to arrive. She decided to set a timer to know how long Melissa will take, and as she saw her approaching, Colleen saw the timer running for three minutes, which made her feel a bit disappointed. "Hey, it's your birthday," Melissa yelled. "Why is your face like that?" She continued to ask with confusion on her face. "I hate you," Colleen responded with pouty lips as she crossed her arms on her chest. She also stamped her feet on the ground like a child who was having a tantrum. "Why? What did I do wrong? Why did you suddenly hate me?" Melissa asked one after another while giggling, looking at Colleen's cute gesture. "How did you get here so quickly?" Colleen responded while hooking her arms around Melissa's forearm and leaning her head on her shoulder. "Are you not excited that you're going to meet your mate today?" Melissa asked as they continued to walk. "Of course I am!" Colleen replied with affirmation. "I'm just hoping that he's a powerful man, at least an Alpha." She smiles, imagining a man who can help her protect her pack; despite being a capable werewolf, she can still be the Luna of her pack and her mate's pack as well. "But what if he's a lower rank, as a beta or omega?" Melissa uttered. "It doesn't matter as long as he can help me protect our pack. Anyway, I've already begun my training to become a strong Luna for my mate." Colleen giggled as Melissa did the same. "But..." Melissa mumbled and looked at her. "But what?" Colleen replied, looking back at her. "But what if he's of a different species?" Melissa responded with a curious question. "You mean if he's a vampire or human? It still doesn't matter." Colleen said while giggling. As soon as they entered the school premises, she suddenly felt her heart pounding so fast, making her uncomfortable. They passed through many students on their way to the classroom; some were sitting on a bench, playing on the grass, or taking shade under a tree. Before arriving at their classroom, Colleen's nose was struck by a pleasant scent of lemon with a hint of mint, which immediately gravitated her towards the source. Colleen became restless. Her wolf started howling inside. MATE. She could sense him. She wanted to see him. She wanted to walk towards the source of the scent and get close to its owner. She held Melissa's hand as they stopped walking. "What's wrong? Did you sense him?" Melissa inquired. Colleen nodded immediately, but she still felt a bit weird. She knows that she can move, but she feels like her feet are firmly planted in the ground. Colleen has mixed emotions, being ecstatic about having the chance to meet him finally but still terrified and concerned by the fact that she can be rejected. Even if she was a daughter of a dependable Alpha of a silver-blue pack, Colleen was worried about him coming from a different species. What if the moon goddess reincarnates her mate to be a vampire or, the worst, a human? Vampires and werewolves do not get along well, so if her mate was one of them; they might have to conquer their enemies who will be against their relationship to protect and fight for their bond or, better, to have their way. If it's a human, how can he assist her in protecting her pack? Thinking about the latter makes Colleen's heart sunk. "Come on," Melissa's voice dragged her out of her deep thoughts. "Let's follow that scent." Colleen knows that the source of that lingering scent is from the canteen. Cale, her wolf, is starting to become restless as they head towards the location. "He's there; our mate is there." "Now ease up a bit," Colleen told her inner wolf. "Go greet him quickly," Cale responded. They went inside the canteen. As Colleen's eyes were searching for the owner of the scent, she noticed that there weren't many customers. Suddenly, her gaze stuck on a student sitting in the corner.