NO WOLF, NO MATE

Zara's pov

It was the night before my birthday, or shall I say our birthday. At this point, everything was already set. The party planner had already come in earlier in the day to put everything in order. She is so nice to me that she refused to let me help her out with anything, so I just had to focus on the kitchen. Her name is Linda, and she's just a sweet soul.

“What's all this about?” Jaxon asked as he walked towards me, pointing at my outfit and hair.

“It's weird seeing you like this,” Jaxen added.

“Well, if you must know, since you've all forgotten, my birthday is also tomorrow. I'm just trying out how I wanna look,” I said as I tried to avoid eye contact with them.

“That explains the nice perfume I smelled on you because I didn't perceive that when I arrived,” Jaxin said with a smile on his face. It was then that I realized that the person who caught me sneaking into the house at night was Jaxin.

"You have a boyfriend, don't you?" Jaxen's voice was laced with anger. I was taken aback by his question. Why did he care about my love life, especially after he had humiliated me over a leftover meal?

"Why does it matter to you?" I asked, still avoiding eye contact. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing me hurt.

"Just tell us the truth, Zara.” Jaxin said softly, “Have you figured out who your mate is? You seem to be preparing yourself for someone special."

My frustration boiled over. "No!" I exclaimed, feeling my face heat up. Why were they pushing me like this?

Jaxen's expression was calm, but his eyes seemed to know something. "You'll know by tomorrow," he said, his voice low and husky. "Your inner wolf will tell you who your mate is.”

“I don't want a mate.” I lied because I do not want them to know exactly what my plan is.

“But why?” Jaxen asked like I was not making sense while saying I do not want a mate. It is everyone's dream to want one because it completes them, no matter what. I know that the triplets are so eager to find their real mate.

“Because he'd just be mean to me like everyone else. I seriously do not want to face that from him.” I lied again.

“You must be joking,” Jaxon said.

“No, I'm not,” I answered almost immediately.

"No self-respecting werewolf would ever treat his mate like that," Jaxon said, shaking his head in disgust.

Just then, Jaxen's eyes locked onto me, and a sly smile spread across his face. "Looks like someone got dressed up just for us," he said, his voice dripping with amusement. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, and the other two brothers couldn't help but crack a smile.

I felt a flush rise to my cheeks as I realized they were teasing me about my outfit. But there was something in Jaxen's gaze that made me feel like he was seeing right through me, like he knew exactly why I had dressed up.

These three rascals have a way of making me feel weak in front of them.

“Don't think highly of yourself because I didn't dress up for you three,” I said while trying to avoid the blush on my face.

“She's shy,” Jaxin said. “She doesn't want to admit it. Jaxin was just standing there smiling so sheepishly, and at this moment, I didn't know what else to say. They kept teasing me, and I know that teasing me just has a way of making them happy. I seriously wanted them to just go away. I was frustrated with my whole life because I knew that tomorrow I won't be able to get a single gift from anyone. By midnight, I would be shifting for the first time, and I don't know how it would be. Some say it's painful, while others don't really talk about it.

“Fine, I dressed up for you three,” I decided to play along with them so that they could let me be, but still, they didn't.

“Wow, you finally admitted it,” Jaxon said while approaching me. I couldn't help but keep moving backwards until my back hit the wall. He came closer to my ear and whispered, “You look beautiful.” My heart skipped a bit before he withdrew from me. At that point, I could feel the weakness in my body, and all I wanted to do was run to my room. I tried to make a run for it, but Jaxon grabbed my hands immediately.

“Did I say you could leave?” He asked, his nose brushing against my nose, as he bent towards me. I couldn't help but stare into his eyes. These three rascals seriously have a hold on me, and it's high time I start avoiding them because I can't control my emotions whenever I'm around them.

“Damn it,” I released myself from him and ran to my room. I could hear them laughing and murmuring to themselves while I was heading to my room. I closed the door behind me and tried to calm myself down. The whole attraction from the triplets was getting to me, and it's not right because they will have their mate by tomorrow, and I have to get rid of this feeling I have for them. After about thirty minutes, I decided to go over to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water to drink. At least it would be able to calm me down, and I would stop thinking about them.

On my way to the kitchen, I noticed that everywhere was calm, and I knew it was my opportunity to get the water. Before you know it, the whole light in the house tripped off, and I couldn't go back to my room to get a light. So I tiptoed to the kitchen, not wanting to make any sound, and suddenly I hit a wall, or I say a rock-solid bare chest. “Oh! No,” I murmured to myself. I tried to leave, but he held me back. I already knew it was Jaxin because of the same scent he had on him last night.

We were so close that I'm sure he could feel my nipple on his chest because of what I was wearing.

“Aren't I lucky to jam into you again?” He said, I could feel his breath on my neck.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, but before I could answer, I felt his hands on my lap, and it was finding their way up to my thigh.

“I…I…just..mhm came to get…mhmm..water.” I finally finished my sentence.

“Oh! I see. Well, I'm sorry on behalf of my brothers for making you feel bad tonight.” He said, at this point, his hands had stopped below my panties. I'm lucky I was putting on one.

“It's…it's fine,” I said, and I quickly got away from him and grabbed the bottle of water from the fridge before running out of the kitchen. I could feel my panties getting wet just from his touch. He had a way of getting to me.

“Do well to leave your room at 11:40 pm so you won't scatter the whole place while trying to transform.” I heard his voice from behind me before I closed the door.

I slipped out of the house at 11:30, my heart racing with anxiety. I was afraid of the pain that came with transformation. As I walked into the snowy night, I couldn't help but wish my parents were there to comfort me. They had left me too soon, and I missed them dearly.

I remembered how they would make every birthday and holiday so special. They were deeply in love, and their bond as mates had inspired me to hope for the same one day. But now, as I stood alone in the darkness, I wondered if I would ever experience that kind of love.

As midnight approached, I hesitated, not wanting to ruin my clothes. So I took a deep breath and removed them, standing naked and barefoot in the snow. My curls went down my back, covering me to my waist. I closed my eyes, waiting for the transformation to take hold.

But as the minutes ticked by, nothing happened.

I didn't feel the familiar stirrings of my inner wolf…

I didn't feel the pain or the rush of power...

There was only silence, which only meant one thing…