Aubrey's Mate

One month after her last visit home, Aubrey was on a flight back to Fairbanks for the quarterly Full Moon Feast for werewolves. It would be taking place near Denali National Park, but she wanted to go home first and spend the day with her dad before the event that would be taking place later that evening. She wondered if her ex, Ryan, would bring his human girlfriend along, and what he’d tell her tonight when he and his entire family packed up to leave for the feast and had to leave her behind in the house. Aubrey still could not understand why Ryan would choose that woman over her.

Get over it, she told herself and reclined into her comfortable seat in the first-class cabin. She needed to stop thinking about her ex and his girlfriend and focus on herself and her life instead. Nevertheless, Aubrey couldn’t deny that she wanted to fall in love. She wanted to know what it felt like to be the center of someone’s universe, to be needed, adored, just the way Ryan—Stop it!

Aubrey sighed. Maybe she should consider dating a human too, since she didn’t seem to be having much luck with her fellow werewolves. She knew her father would give his blessing no matter who she chose to settle down with, but she also knew that he would be thrilled if she ended up with a werewolf from their clan.

The pilot’s voice boomed over the speaker, announcing that they had reached Fairbanks and would be landing in a few minutes. As usual, she felt a bit apprehensive about going to the Full Moon Feast. Aside from the event being a reunion and celebration of their werewolf heritage, the gathering was also an opportunity for the young singles among them to find a mate. And this celebration was supposed to be the night of her wedding to Ryan, but that was no longer to be.

Snap out of it! she told herself. You can’t keep feeling sorry for yourself like this. You are strong, confident, and successful. If those dumb Alphas can’t see that, then that is their problem, not yours.

Once the plane touched down, Aubrey blew out a breath. She had no intention of sticking around after tonight’s event. She would return to her base in Anchorage tomorrow by noon, because going back home in the morning wouldn’t be possible since the festivities usually lasted until dawn. Her taxi ride home was smooth and uneventful, and when she got home, her dad was waiting at the front door to welcome her in.

“My darling!” he exclaimed happily with open arms, inviting her for a hug.

“Hey, Daddy,” she said and hugged him. “It’s good to see you.”

“Oh darling, I’ve missed you so much,” Gary gushed.

“Don’t be dramatic, Daddy. I was here last month, and we talk on the phone every day.”

Gary laughed. “Well, pardon my good mood, Miss Grumpy. Come on in.”

Aubrey ignored his remark and followed him in with her small suitcase. She liked traveling light, and she only carried the most important items she needed with her whenever she traveled. She left her bag in the hall and strode to the bar to fix herself a drink. As soon as she entered the room, memories of her spontaneous escapade with Eric, Ryan’s cousin, in this same place came flooding back. A blush crept up her cheeks when she remembered all the naughty things they’d done to each other, and she felt a sweet tingle between her legs. Wouldn’t it be great to have another go with him tonight? she thought wistfully.

“I hope you’re hungry,” Gary said, walking over to the bar to join her. “René just finished making lunch.”

René was their French in-house chef who had worked with the Silvers for nearly five years. It was Aubrey who discovered him working at a restaurant in Anchorage where he had gained popularity with the locals for his unique and sumptuous delicacies. She’d run into him at a gym one day, and after a brief friendly conversation, she had propositioned him to come work for her family as their personal chef. To her delight, he’d accepted her offer without hesitation because, apparently, he was underpaid and unappreciated by his employer at the restaurant. The rest they say, had become history. The good-natured chef was now a bona fide member of the Silver family, although he wasn’t a werewolf.

“No, you go ahead and eat. I want to have a drink first,” she said and continued to fix herself a Bloody Mary.

“Are you ok?” Gary asked, concerned.

“Yeah, sure. I’m fine,” she replied, not looking at him. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Gary sighed. “I know you probably haven’t recovered from the heartbreak of having your betrothal to Ryan canceled unceremoniously, and that’s understandable. But becoming withdrawn and…unfriendly is not nice.”

Aubrey took a sip of her drink before responding. “I apologize if I seem unfriendly to you or withdrawn, but please, let’s be clear—I am not heartbroken and I am totally over Ryan. So, please, Daddy, stop bringing him up in our conversations.”

“Then why are you so angry? If you’re over him, you shouldn’t be so snappy and dismissive towards everyone around you. Even the ever-happy Eric turned sour after spending a few minutes with you last month.”

Aubrey raised an eyebrow. “I turned him sour? Is that what he told you?”

“No, he didn’t, but I noticed how his mood turned dark after you two returned from checking up on Aida’s goat the last time.”

She chuckled. “He didn’t even let me go with him,” she muttered and took another sip of her drink.

“Look, if you don’t feel up to attending the feast tonight, you can stay back and I’m sure everyone would understand. Today would have been the mating ceremony for you and—"

“Don’t say his name,” she stopped him. “And I’m not staying in this house all by myself tonight. I will go to the Full Moon Feast. That’s why I’m here, so stop trying to talk me out of going.”

“I’m not trying to talk you out of anything other than being a little bit nicer to everyone, including me.”

Aubrey’s annoyance melted. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I didn’t mean to be so bitchy. It’s just that, if I’m being honest, I haven’t been in a good mood since that day when the Browns came here, and our betrothal was canceled. I was hurt and disappointed, but I never took the time to process my feelings and move on from them properly. I just kept suppressing them, thinking that if I didn’t talk or think about what happened, it would fade away from my memory eventually.”

“My dear, I feel as if I let you down,” Gary said sadly.

“No, Daddy, you didn’t. You did everything right. I guess I just need some time to sort through my feelings and get back on track mentally.”

“And that’s why I think you should sit out this quarter’s feast. It’s too soon for you to jump back into the fray.”

“Don’t worry, Daddy. I’ll be fine. Besides, I can’t let you make that long trek on your own like a homeless stray. Going to the feast together is a tradition that we can’t afford to miss out on.”

“Well then, if you insist,” Gary said with a pleased smile.

“As a matter of fact, I do,” Aubrey replied. “Go on and have your lunch, and then we can prepare for tonight.”

By 10 p.m. that night, two giant silver wolves leapt from the back porch of Gary’s massive house, trotting west on their way to the Full Moon Feast near Denali Mountain. The night air was frigid, but the wolves were used to the cold, and they continued their run at a steady pace into the woods that led to their destination. Ahead of them other wolf families moved together in packs with the Alpha males taking the lead. Five wolf pack families made up the clan that Gary led. He was the Chief of the clan, and his position was similar to that of a president.

As they continued their journey further into the woods, the wolves picked up speed, their excitement palpable. There were the White, Black, and Golden packs, but the Browns were nowhere in sight. By werewolf law, it was a treasonable offence for a pack to exclude themselves from the feast without prior notice to the Chief of the clan. It was unlike the Browns not to show up, but the Chief was sure that there must be a good explanation.

The moon shone brightly in the night sky, illuminating the woods with silver light, and giving the running wolves an ethereal adrenaline boost as they continued toward their meeting point. When Aubrey and her dad finally reached the deep woods near Denali Mountain, they were surprised to see that the Browns were already there. As if being punctual wasn’t enough, the family patriarch, Antoine Brown, stood over freshly killed meat to let the other members of the clan know that they’d handled the refreshments for the night.

“Chief, Aubrey, my fellow werewolves, welcome to this quarter’s Full Moon Feast,” Antoine greeted everyone majestically. Behind him stood his entire family, including his wife, Rhonda; his younger brother, Andrew; his sister-in-law, Bianca; his sons, Ryan and Reese; his nephew, Eric; and his niece, Erin.

“Thank you, Antoine,” Gary replied, pleased. He took his spot on a boulder in front of a small river that ran across the clearing behind them. The muted sound of running water created mellow background noise that blended perfectly with the overall mood in the woods. “I am impressed by the way you and your family coordinate with each other during the feasts. I may be bold to say that the next chief of this clan might come from your family, except if anyone here objects.”

Aubrey scoffed. Darren White of the White Pack gave a low growl of disapproval and L’atoya Black, the matriarch of the Black Pack, appeared to roll her eyes.

“Thank you for saying that, Chief, but my family and I didn’t do this for the sake of politics. It was simply our way of showing appreciation for the grace you showed us recently.”

The last part of his brief speech caught everyone’s attention except Aubrey. She knew Antoine was referring to how her father didn’t make a fuss after Ryan announced that he didn’t want to marry her. It pained her to remember that tonight would have been their official mating ceremony. I shouldn’t have come here, she thought in a moment of discomfort.

“Oh, yes. About that…clan, please gather around. I have an announcement to make,” Gary declared.

The werewolf families immediately assembled themselves in front of the boulder where Gary sat facing them.

“You all know that tonight was supposed to be the mating ceremony for my daughter, Aubrey, and Antoine’s first son, Ryan. However, that will no longer be happening.”

There was a smattering of confused murmurs amongst the werewolves. All eyes turned to Aubrey, who stood proudly beside her father, ignoring the curious stares from everyone, while Ryan remained beside his father, looking straight ahead as if the situation had nothing to do with him.

“Please, let us be calm,” Gary urged his clan members. “Hear me out. We canceled the betrothal because we realized that there had been some miscommunication on both sides from the beginning. Once that was rectified, it was clear that the two were not meant to be together. So, instead, tonight will be for our customary celebrations, bonding, and getting up to speed with what we have all been up to since our last gathering. Byron Golden, do you have any news for us today?”

The head of the Golden Pack stepped forward to give the clan an update of all the progress made within the clan and upcoming events and festivities planned for their human lives. Byron’s position was similar to that of a press secretary, and all the werewolves went to him with information that they believed rest of the clan should know. His report lasted nearly an hour, and everyone gradually became restless and tired of his incessant droning.

Noticing the growing unrest, Gary cut into the secretary’s address. “Ok, Byron. Maybe you should leave the rest of the report until our next meeting. This gathering is turning into a sleep fest.”

Everyone chuckled and Byron appeared to blush under his golden fur. “Of course, Chief,” he said and re-joined his pack.

“Thank you,” Gary said. “Now to declare the feast open, we shall begin with our seven howls to the moon, the source of our strength, and seven howls in honor of Vak Smallchief, our creator and first werewolf ancestor.”

The werewolves formed a semi-circle around Gary and began their first seven howls in unison. It was a symphony of high-pitched werewolf voices that sounded eerie in the otherwise silent night. The second round of howling began a few seconds after the first, and when it was over, Gary declared the feast open. Everyone immediately began to mingle. Some who were already starved from waiting for Byron’s lengthy speech to end, made their way to the fresh meat laid out beside the Chief’s boulder. Gary had already taken the customary first bite before the hungry werewolves went in for their share.

The Feast was the biggest event in the werewolf clan, and it was a combination of eating, networking, and partying—werewolf style. Aubrey wasn’t in the mood for any of that, so instead, she strolled to the river for a few minutes of peace and quiet. As she observed the slowly moving water, she caught her reflection in the river, and it made her heart squeeze. She looked so much like her mother, and that was one of the reasons she preferred to remain in her human form. The reminder of her mother’s constant absence was too painful for her to bear.

“A penny for your thoughts,” a male voice spoke from behind her.

“Leave me alone, Ryan. I’m trying to have a moment to myself here,” she said without looking at him.

“Yeah, I can see that,” he said, coming to stand beside her. “I won’t take much of your time. I just wanted to apologize for…everything.”

She turned to look at him and she saw the genuineness of his apology in his beautiful brown eyes. The same eyes that she’d once yearned to see his love for her reflected in. She had thought that Ryan was the werewolf that would save her from her lonely life, but she’d been mistaken. He had gone and fallen in love with a human who lived thousands of miles away from him in Africa.

“It’s ok, Ryan. What is done is done. Let’s move on, ok?”

“Ok. Thank you for being so understanding. I appreciate that.”

“Sure,” she said and returned her attention to the flowing river. It was her way of politely dismissing him.

Ryan got the message loud and clear. “Alright then. See you around.”

He turned around and left, leaving her alone with her thoughts and the shiny river. Aubrey lowered herself to a sitting position, gazing into the distance. She could hear the distant noise of the Feast going on behind her, but she wasn’t eager to return and join in just yet. After a while, the monotonous sound of the river began to lull her to sleep and as her eyes began to close, she thought she heard rustling behind her. She thought it was Ryan coming back to meet her, so she stood up and turned around, ready to ask him why he was disrupting her quiet time again, but there was nobody there. Weird, she thought. I could have sworn I heard the crunch of dry leaves under paws.

When she turned around with the intention of returning to her spot by the riverbank, something caught her attention. It was a scent—a strange, yet familiar smell that she couldn’t quite describe. It smelled like something she had heard about before…it smelled like a…mate!

Wait, what? She had a mate, and her mate was here? How was that even possible? How come she’d never smelled him before? Where was he? Who was he?

With those questions running around in her head like dogs chasing their tails, Aubrey put her nose to the ground and began to follow the new scent. It took her farther into the woods and away from the feast, but she didn’t care. For the first time in her adult werewolf life, she’d smelled her mate and she must find him tonight at all costs. She, who had thought that she was doomed to a life of no love and no partner, had finally found her mate. Or rather, smelled him. As the smell became stronger, Aubrey raised her head, and to her elation, she saw a male werewolf ahead of her. He was partially in the dark and he sat alone beside a huge tree with his back to her. Without a moment’s hesitation, she broke into a happy run towards her destined life partner.

I’ve found my mate, she sang happily in her mind. I finally found him!