Thomas Jacobs

'Striking blue eyes, medium brown tan and sandy blond hair, and sexy as ever' I confirm in the hall mirror as I exit the pack house. I know what you are wondering. 'How did this 23-year-old, blond hair, blue eyed, handsome, white devil become the Beta of one of the largest werewolf packs?'

If you remember your history, it will make since. Native Americans were mass murdered and forcibly removed from their homelands by white settlers. Even werewolf numbers dwindled. We aren't invincible. We went into survival mode and began procreating outside the pack. This is vile even now, but it was a vile time. Most werewolves' mates were dead, and unable to find a new reincarnation in the face of dwindling numbers. The smartest move was to mate with those with the most power, to improve the odds of survival. The trend continued for the next couple hundred years.

Now, of course, things are different. Nobody cares about skin color and most wolves have a mate within the same age range as them. This makes it easier to fulfill the obligation our ancestors agreed to thousands of years ago.

Every mated werewolf is expected to produce a werewolf child by the time they are 20.I was scared shitless of this fact at my first mating ball. It was the only upside of not finding my mate. After five years of waltzing alone relief turned to disappointment. Now I'd give my left nut to have my mate in my arms her belly swollen with our child.

I walk out the door and jump into my Lexus speeding down the road. Luckily, I have pack business to distract me.

I take on as much as I can to distract myself from this longing that just seems to grow stronger each day. My mom says I have become a bit of a workaholic, but what else do I have. I wasn't always. I used to distract myself in other ways especially after that first ball. It was a dark time. I bedded wolf after wolf even a few humans trying to fill a void. Bedding humans is taboo, but werewolves do it. The fact that it is taboo made it all the more thrilling in my young, confused mind. Luckily, I am past that.

I pull up to the large office building in downtown Seattle. The pack owns a couple small businesses around Seattle, but our biggest money maker is this office building. What I need to distract myself from today is the upcoming mating ball. At least this one is in Washington. It changes location each year. Last year it was in New York. It was a real slap in the face to fly cross country just to be disappointed again.

I walk into the building and am greeted by a few werewolves exiting. "Good morning, Beta Jacobs."

"Good morning." I reply making my way to the elevator.

This is an office building mostly occupied with werewolf entrepreneurs. I am on my way to see the newest resident. A company named "Fated Mate" run by the gorgeous Isabella. I had hoped she would be my mate. We went to high school together and dated off and on. She had gone off to college studying business and computer science while I spiraled. The company is a dating app. Clever I guess though the humans that patron it are none the wiser.

She's as gorgeous as ever, the years only adding to her curvaceous figure well accentuated by a skintight green dress. Her hazel eyes peer up at me as I enter, sparking with recognition when she sees me. The smile on her full lips is well worth the trip.

"Hello, Thomas." She greets familiarly, embracing me in a warm hug. Her generous bosom presseing against me is enough to get me excited, but my wolf barely reacts. She isn't our mate.

I spot another woman coming out of the back office. I can't help but get my hopes up when I scent her unfamiliar wolf. I stare at her and wait for my wolf to perk up and claim her. Instead, I recognize her from the ball last year. If I remember correctly, she found her mate that night.

Isabella found her mate at our first mating ball. Having to witness it pushed me over the edge. They threw themselves at each other right there in the ball room. Sure, it was a kiss and a common reaction, but they might as well have been fucking sense everyone knows that is what happens next. My only solace is I was there first having deflowered her our sophomore year and many times after. We were in love. She was just as devastated as I was the night she turned 18 and we learned we were not mates. I mean look at me and I'm a beta. We would be high school sweethearts if we were humans. Married with a baby on the way.

"Hi, Beta Jacobs." The woman greets, a flirtatious smile on her pink lips. She casts down her amber eyes shyly and tucks her brown hair behind her ear. Maybe she isn't mated? Doesn't matter. I don't date. Say we fall in love. The moment her mate shows up she'll bale on me. It isn't her fault. Our wolves decide who we are with. You would think it would simplify things. You would think.

"Hi." I return, shooting her a charming smile. Good to be friendly regardless and if it makes Isabella jealous all the better.

"What brings you by Beta Jacobs?" Isabella asks, switching to my formal title. Maybe she is bothered.

"Thought I would come by and make sure everything is in working order. I manage the building you know." I reply.

"You didn't have to come all this way. Everything is great." She smiles at me slyly. "Even the phones." She says knowingly. So, I wanted to see her. It is my job.

"Well, I have other business in the area. Easier to come by in person since I'm already here." I reply. "How's business? Finding lots of humans mates?" I ask in a teasing tone.

She smiles at me wickedly. "Why are you looking to sign up?" She asks. The other woman gasps, listening in on our conversation, hearing Isabella's cruel border line obscene remark.

"Oh, how I miss the days I could silence your snotty attitude with a kiss." I reply.

"I'm mated." She reminds, feigning seriousness.

"And isn't that sad for you." I lie. "What about you?" I ask the other woman who's gone a little red at our conversation.

"Me?" She questions, auburn eyes wide. "I'm no. I'm not mated." She answers.

"Good, I'll take you out tonight." I assert. Somehow the woman's eyes go wider. She looks at her boss. "Don't worry Isabella doesn't care. She's mated." I say the last part as if it's a joke. I glance at Isabelle and she glares back.

"I don't care." Isabella replies, fixing her face.

"Here's my number." I give amber eyes my card.

She just nods, taking the card, to stunned or meek to respond. She's cute but not really my type. Isabella and I have fire. It was always like this. That is why we were on and off. If we were human, I'd have her bent over her desk right now. Alas a mate bond is far more powerful than mere lust.

I leave the office satisfied with the impression I made on the two women. Time to go take care of the reason I'm in the area. It isn't really the area. About 5 blocks away, which is a distance in bustling downtown Seattle, is an ice cream shop owned by the Luna. She asked me to come help her with inventory and clean up once a week. It's not really in my job description but she is the Luna. The shop is near the university of Washington, so it gets plenty of foot traffic.

"Hello, Luna." I greet when I walk through the door.

"Hi, Thomas." She greets coming out of the back room. She is middle aged but stunning. Her black hair frames a heart shaped face only slightly wrinkled around the eyes and mouth from the years. All laugh lines as she is a kind good humored woman. "The delivery won't be here for a little while, but I would like to clean the shelves before it arrives." She informs.

I come around the counter, heading toward the back. "Of course." I agree, heading back to get to work.

"Actually dear. Would you man the front. I have a certain way I want to arrange things before the delivery." She requests.

I'd rather not. I hate dealing with the punks from the university. I hate dealing with humans in general. Maybe it's that they don't know I am Beta, so they don't show me respect especially not when I'm standing behind this counter. I don't know how Luna does it. "Okay." I agree, letting my distaste at the task show only a little.

"Thank you, Thomas." She says, heading to the back ignoring my frown.

The first punk arrives, and it's my future Alpha. What is he doing here? Shouldn't he be at his fancy university.

"Hello, Jasper." I greet, dropping the Alpha. He isn't Alpha yet technically. I suppose I am not beta yet technically either. Generally, a wolf finds there mate before taking on full responsibility of leading the pack. My dad saw how lost I was and slowly let me take over anyway. At this point I perform all the duties of beta for the Winter Moon Pack.

"I'll be your alpha soon. Might as well get comfortable saying it." He sneers. He's a twat.

"Alright, Alpha Jasper." I humor through gritted teeth, trying to smile, but I'm sure it looks like a snarl. 'He is just a kid.' I keep reminding myself. "What are you doing here?" I ask calming down a bit.

"Mom said she wanted me here." Jasper replies, running his grimy fingers on the glass of the ice cream display, leaving smudges. Why would Luna want this brat here? Oh yeah he is her son. "I'll take a mint chip." He orders. Really?

"Cones are over there." I say, making no move to make him an ice cream.

"Don't you wanna make it for your Alpha? Beta?" He asks with a grating whining tone in his voice.

"No." I reply simply, retrieving the window cleaner and wiping off his smudges with a paper towel. He pours over the cones in silence for once. I have been suggesting to Luna for weeks as subtly as I can that she hire some help. This punk is not what I had in mind.

"Hi, Jasper." Luna greets, coming out of the back room.

"Hey, mom." Jasper returns with a mouth full of ice cream. The two embrace, Luna pulling away to look at Jasper as if he is the sun and the stars. A mother's love is blind. Sure, he's attractive I guess. He's only a few inches shorter then my 6'1 with black hair like his mom and green eyes like his dad. It's an admittedly striking combination. If I were into guys maybe I could look past his terrible personality but probably not. My normally even-tempered wolf even seems agitated by the snot nose today. He is pacing and sniffing around strangely getting my hackles up even more.

I hadn't missed him and his sister Sahrah while they were gone on their Euro vacation all summer. I was glad to be rid of the brats. The two of them have always been mischievous pranksters. Hard for me to believe they'll ever be mature enough to take over this pack let alone any time soon.

"Come on boys. Delivery is here." Luna instructs, locking up the store.

I roll my eyes as Jasper peels off his shirt. It is about 60 degrees and with our strength unloading the shipment from the truck isn't much of a strain. I'd understand if there were an attractive female around to impress. At his age I took every opportunity to show off my rippling abbs to any she wolf with eyes to look. It's natural young werewolf male behavior but with just Luna, the truck driver and I here, he looks pretty ridiculous.

Jasper grins at me as he carries two boxes at once like a fool. The weight isn't the problem. With the boxes stacked like that he's likely to drop one.

"You shouldn't carry two." I chastise. I've grown up with this moron and feel more like his second mom then his Beta.

His grin turns to a petulant scowl. "Why. It isn't heavy." He whines.

"You're going to drop it." I say, reaching for the top box. He pulls them away from me childishly. The top box slips off the bottom one falling to the ground. Milk seeps out the corner of the box bringing a low growl from my throat. I'm usually more even tempered even patient, but dealing with this guy for the last 18 years has ground on my nerves leaving me raw and ready to snap.

I bend down to pick up the box. Jaspers hand lands on mine, apparently having abandoned the box he held to retrieve the one he dropped. Anger and annoyance melts to something completely unexpected with my wolf stiffening at the sensation. I pull my hand away as if he's burned me, although it's the last thing my wolf wants. My wolf growls, demanding my immediate action.

I'm inexplicably drawn to the kid that I've wanted to get rid of for the last 18 years. I look into his eyes and see he's experiencing the exact same thing as me.

He steps toward me and I step back. My wolf snarls at the hurt in his eyes, but I pay him no mind turning and running with my tail tucked between my knees.

This is wrong. Jasper can't be my mate. Why didn't my wolf recognize it until we touched? Same gender wolves are not mated. It doesn't make since reproduction wise. Lots of werewolves have been gay before but they were able to love and be attracted to their mate because their wolf was. I'm straight though. I've never been attracted to a man. Until now. My mate can't be a guy. 

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