Two

Inside the pantry, behind the bags of cereals, I hid by myself and began to eat my snacks. Grabbing my favorite banana juice, I silently opened the silver packaging so as to make no noise. The taste of the snacks alongside the juice was like tasting heaven it self. I took bite after bite until nothing was left but crumps.

"Hey, big rat, how are you?"

I was caught out. My eyes widened in surprise, I looked up only to meet mother's gaze as she walked over me. My dad and little brothers were right behind her. She held back a laugh at gazing at my shocked face. My father's eyebrows cane together with disgust as he had caught me red handed. Well, you have been caught red handed, mother said as she held me into her strong arms and hugged me tightly. She placed her head on my shoulder, and I wrapped my arms around hers. My mother was a bit taller than I was, with long brown curly hair that flowed down her waist. The most beautiful dark chocolate skin and blue eyes you would ever see. See smelled of Jasmine, and you could see her unilateral dimple whenever she smiles. As I was still hugging her, my father took the juice from my hand. You know the sugar alone could kill you, he stated.

" For crying out loud dad, am 20 years old already, so you can't control what I eat. It's my body, so I will eat what do ever I feel like eating", I said to father.

He let out a chuckle, shaking his head with fake disappointment. He was very different from both my mother and me. He was fair skinned with shaggy blonde hair and dark chocolate eyes.

"Your dad said you were the first to finish the miles today", mother said with a smile as she squeezed me one more time before letting me go.

"Yea", I said shrugging my shoulder.

I spied at the timer of the oven, and my stomach's was still making growling noises.

"It's okay sis, maybe next time you will finish in five seconds, a tiny little voice spoke from behind my mother.

Don't start Collins, I slammed at my younger brother who stood behind mother trying to make a joke of me.

"Don't let him get to you sis, his extremely annoying today, he has even annoyed me as well", my other younger brother Clinton stated.

My older sister was studying abroad. She was just my complete opposite. Collins was an extreme extrovert, and was my dad's favorite. He is the most youngest of us all, just a ten years old boy. While Clinton, a fifteen years old boy, was mother's favorite, But an introvert with light brown eyes.

The oven timer began ringing loudly, pulling my attention away from my thoughts. I went towards it and turned it off, before taking out the pizza with a hand mitt, and placed it on the counter.

"Sweet pizza", Colllins said as he reached out and dragged one cut slice of it.

I gave him an annoying look, and I felt like giving him a knock on his head.

"Clinton dear, do you want some, I asked my brother politely.

"Yes please", he said giving me a wide tooth smile that looks just like my dad's.

As I was about taking another bite of the pizza I took to eat, my wolf began to screech. I groaned, squinting my eyes in pain. She let out yet another howl, and I grabbed my temples, while the pizza slice fell off my hand and landed to the floor.

"Esme, are you alright?", mother asked with her looks filled with concern.

But I was unable to respond. The howl went on for a while, and when I called out to her asking what was going on, again I got no response.

"Are you okay?",

This time it was my dad asking.

"Am alright dad, it's just my wolf Alaric. She keeps yipping and howling at weird times, and I don't know why", I huffed in pain, still holding my temple.

She had finally stopped, but I felt her restlessness. My parents exchanged glance, but didn't even look worried after I had told them of my worry. "Alaric for the last time what is going on", I asked again.

"Mate is near", she replied.

My eyes went wide in shock, and I could feel my heart pounding violently in my chest.

"Mate is near?", I repeated after her.

Finally, after all this years, I was finally going to meet my mate. The time was finally here. I had always sat down and watched everyone around me for sixteen years now, finding their mate. Most of my friends had already found their mate when we were in school, and I was one of the few wolves left mateless. Usually one would meet their mate between the ages of 16-20, typically a year or two after your first shift, where there body is fully matured, and can adapt to shifting. But on a second thought, the sudden appearance of my mate means that he has been the pack all this while, and I had no knowledge of who he was.

"But who could this be?", I asked myself.

Hearing this finally took my worries away. The most scary part of all this is that wolves at times take time to mature. They could spend 30- 40 years without a mate. Most times some do not have mates at all, although it is highly uncommon. I believed that everyone deserves a mate, at least someone they can love and share their ideas with. I had always waited anxiously, hoping, anticipating, looking up to the stars and wishing that a day like this would come.

"Are you sure about this Alaric?", I asked in excitement.

"Of course, why would I say it if it wasn't true", she snarled back.

A smile crept on to my face in anticipation. I was finally going to meet my mate.

"What's going on, why is your face like that", came the voice of my little brother Collins, and yet again interrupting by thoughts.