"What?!" my eyes bugged out of my head hearing the words from Avery.

Soulmate?

She knows who her soul mate is?

It's me?

What?

"Yeah, it's true," she says softly, I almost see her blushing and then it hits me that she isn't lying. I don't say anything for a while and she lets me process this, by now we're back on the bed, sitting close to each other.

"Really? But why me? Did you choose or how?" I asked her confused. She couldn't possibly choose me. I mean, why would she? I'm a mess.

"I don't know, it's chosen for us. Though I won't be completely like 100% sure until you're 18. Which brings me to the next thing we need to talk about," she says and I looked at her confused again.

"Alpha isn't going to let us date till you're 18. It's kinda illegal and honestly, I can end up in jail if someone finds out. You're a minor. And so, we've got to...keep a distance till you're 18," she says her words getting heavier and I see how troubled she is by this.

"I'm sorry," I whisper and she shakes her head.

"It's not your fault. I guess I met you a little early. Mates normally meet when they're both 18 because that's when they're like fully matured and stuff and go into heat and can mate." she trails off, thinking but I see the sadness in her eyes again. She's holding things back.

"There's more," I stated and she merely nods, taking my hand in hers. She sighs and doesn't say anything for a while.

"In three months, I'll be starting my heat. Heat is like a mating period we go through where we get horny and just want to have mind-blowing sex with our soulmates for days," she says a small smile on her lips. I blushed and looked away. Oh my God. With me? Wait, me?

My mind raced with all the possibilities of even being that intimate with Avery. I know we've kissed, but she never suggested it, nor have I thought about it, yet.

"But, you're sixteen. So after I'm back from the academy, we can't do this anymore," she says referring to us and my heart dimmed. So we don't date? At all?

"I'll be in heat once a month, and during that time we can't see each other because, well, I wouldn't be able to control myself," she says her voice a little husky now. I looked up at her and her eyes were turning silver and it made my breath hitch. Why does this make her look even sexier?

"Control as in?" I mumbled still looking at her. She smirks, her eyes turning naughty and I see that glint in her eyes that I've never seen before. It made me hot all over. Fuck.

"As in, I'll want to-" she cut herself off as if she knows she shouldn't say it, but I knew what she was hinting at and I almost whimpered at that thought. I couldn't even comprehend it. Me? Are we talking about her doing me? I see her push that thought away and then she spoke again.

"Not to mention how possessive I'm going to get once my heat starts, especially since we're not mating, I'm sorry in advance love, but it's, it'll be bad," she says, her face softening. My heart warmed. I don't mind her being possessive, showing that she wants me and keeping me with her, that's all I want truthfully.

"It's okay," I say softly to her, looking into her beautiful eyes, my eyes trailing to the freckles on her face.

"Is this okay? There's nothing else we can do. It's going to have to be us, being friends till you're 18. No one can know we are a thing, well besides mum and dad and Jake and Alpha. No one. I know it's hard, it's going to be hard for me. I can't keep my hands off of you. I mean look at us now." she exclaims frustrated. I chuckled slightly seeing her all worked up.

"It'll be okay. As long as I can see you, and you're here, I'll be okay. Just don't leave again? Please." I say licking my lips and looking at her. She sighs apologetically and nods.

"I know, I'm sorry about that. I just couldn't take it when they told me I couldn't be with you, I just... I've waited my whole life for you." She apologizes and cups my cheek, rubbing it softly. I almost close my eyes at how soothing this is.

"So you're actually my soulmate?" I ask her again, still not believing it. Does that mean we're gonna be together? Forever?

"Yeah, I am." She smiles softly then continues.

"The first few times I saw you and then talked to you, it was all such a weird feeling for me. My wolf couldn't say for sure you were my mate because you're not 18. But then you kissed my cheek, and I felt sparks. We feel that you know, just like now when I'm touching you, I feel it, it's soft and low but it's there," she explains and my eyes grow in wonder and amazement.

"That's amazing. Will I, when I'm 18, feel it too?" I ask her and she shrugs.

"I'm not sure Sam, no one has ever had a human mate here. And well you're a girl too, something I never expected. So we shall see." Avery mumbles and I nod still processing all this. Wait hold up. She never expected?

"Wait so you're not gay?" I asked confused and she shook her head, shrugging and I frowned but then she chose to explain.

"I mean, I've never kissed a girl, or ever thought of girls that way, I always thought I was going to get a male mate, and then I saw you, and it just happened, you're who I'm meant to be with. So I'm not gay, not straight anymore technically, I just feel everything for you, just you," she says, God, her voice is angelic when she talks. I blush at her words as I listen and look into her eyes. She's not lying. She's actually telling the truth. She feels just for me. Holy hell, I'm not believing this, I got to be dreaming. But I needed to know more.

"Is it a problem if I'm not a male? To your pack or something?" I enquire again.

"I don't know. I hope not. But once Jake and I take over, we rule. If anyone has a problem they can leave because this isn't going to change and you aren't leaving, " she says, her eyes hard. In other words, she meant that she wasn't going to let me go as her hold tightened on my hand. I feel it spike something to the bottom of my spine, my blood rushing to my face. She was so protective of me. I could see it in the way she moved around me sometimes like she knew exactly what to do, and the way she stood with me, with her hand around me, or her eyes on guard. I knew it was because of that incident at my house. She doesn't talk about it and I don't too. But it changed how she was around me. And it was like a part of me knew that she would protect me. And I'd let her. She wanted to, no one had ever wanted to care for me and she was. Avery, my soulmate. That thought still makes me blush, and my heart flutters weirdly. Is this real? A dream? God.

"What you thinking of baby?" She asks, a smile on her lips as she watches me. I shake my head softly.

"Nothing," I say. It was nothing, just everything.

"You say it's nothing, but it isn't. I know that." I froze at her words and looked at her sheepishly.

"It's not important. Anyway, can we uhm, well, watch...a movie?" I ask her looking at her from under my eyelashes. She looked uncomfortable that I didn't answer the question but she nods.

"You're so adorable, you know that? But sure, come on. You choose." She says and gets up, passing the remote to me and turning her tv on. I snuggle into her once she crawled back to bed and she wrapped her arm around me.

"Hey Sam?" she asks suddenly just as the movie was going to start.

"You know I'll never touch you without asking you right?" she asks, nervous in fact and I nod confused. I trust her.

"And if you ever don't want me to do something, you need to tell me. I'll get carried away, so let me know okay?" she confirms with me, playing with my hair. I nod.

"I know, and I will. I trust you, Avery." I say truthfully. She smiles wide and kisses my cheek, and I sighed into her even more. I never wanted her to stop. I wanted her to love me. And be with me. And never let me go. Mate or not, I'm hers and I hope she's mine.

"Thank you," she mumbles softly just as the movie starts. I nod in her embrace, a small smile on my lips.

I was going to fall for her soon. I knew it. I could feel it.

The rest of the day passed with us finishing the movie and then we went with mum to get school supplies.

"Why don't you just join a school next year? Like the one, I went to?" Avery suggested as we sat in mum's car on the way back from some shopping.

"Yeah honey, is that okay? We'll catch you up with the rest of the syllabus this year and then you can join them and make some friends." Mum says and I nod, slightly anxious. I do want to go to school. Avery was going to be at college, and mum and dad were working, I don't want to be alone at home.

"Okay," I say and Avery smiles at me taking my hand. I blush under her gaze.

"Don't worry they will be nice and if they aren't, well you know what to do." She says and I smiled thankfully. I know what she means, tell her, and I will.

"Avery, we need to go to the packhouse later, Alpha wants to speak to us," Mum says after a while. I looked at them and Avery looks confused.

"Oh, okay. Sam's got to stay here?" she asks and mum nods reluctantly. Oh.

"Sorry sweetie, you know how things are. We can't let any slip up happen there." Avery squeezes my hand giving me reassurance and I nod.

"I know, it's okay." I smile. It bothered me a bit that this is how things are supposed to be. I and Avery are a secret. To them, she's still their Beta who's very much single and I didn't like that. Not at all. After that whole mate thing, we went down and sat with our parents and they explained to me further about the elders and the rules. It kinda annoyed me that I was young and this was the only reason I'm couldn't be with Avery to anyone else.

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(surprise haha!)

I waited for dad and Avery's family to come up to the meeting room as we were going to have a discussion about us going to the academy and starting our training and then how I and Avery are going to take over the pack.

I heard them walking up the stairs and I smiled nearing the door. I opened it just to see Avery walking up talking to dad. I've missed her. She finds my eyes and smiled widely and gave me a hug. My breath hitched.

"Hi Jakey," she beams, ruffling my hair making my heart all fuzzy. She looks so beautiful, God, she was wearing a new earring, a dagger one, and her hair in a bun instead of her normal braid, the green almost going out. She looks angelic.

"Hey, how are you?" I ask my arm still around her waist, then immediately letting go as I realized. I listen to her take animatedly, she seems so happy now from when I saw her 4 days ago.

(Conversation with Jake's wolf)

W-You know you have to stop this.

I flinched hearing my wolf growl in my head.

J- I know. I'm trying.

W-You're not, you're staring at her like she puts the stars in the sky. She has a mate.

J- I know goddammit. I know.

I grunted pushing him away from my thoughts. Dad came and we started the meeting. Throughout, I couldn't help keeping my eyes fixated on Avery, she's so beautiful. Why isn't she, my mate? Why must I fall for her? How do I not fall for her, even more, when we're going to be taking over the pack? She has a mate. Goddess, how I wish I was hers.

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