-Jaden-

"So... Nothing?"

I glared at my father for a short moment before turning my attention back to the people in the huge hall in front of me. "Tell me again why it's so damn important for me to be here?"

"Language!" my mother snapped at me, standing behind my shoulder. I just rolled my eyes.

"It's been over a year, and you still haven't found your mate," my father muttered, occasionally bowing his head in a greeting when someone passed us by. "We must use every opportunity we have to look for her."

I sighed. So, that was why I had been dragged to my mother's father's cousin's niece's wedding. Or whoever the hell the person was and whatever she had to do with me. It wasn't even the first time my parents had decided to bring me along. I had been in a dozen gathering in a dozen different state ever since I turned sixteen. Now I was way past my seventeenth birthday, and no mate.

"What's the hurry anyway?" I sighed.

"Don't you want to find your mate?" Mom asked with a shocked voice, like I had just informed I wanted to leave the pack.

"Not the first thing in my to-do list," I said bluntly.

"You're just saying that because you don't know how wonderful it is to have someone special by your side," Mom spoke, and without even looking at her, I knew she was smiling at my dad. Once again, I just rolled my eyes.

"The world is big, she can be anywhere," Dad continued. "I'd be damned if I died knowing I didn't do everything I could so my only child would find his mate."

"Maybe there's something more important for me to do," I spoke, trying to keep my annoyance out of my voice. "Maybe I could use my time better than mingling with these people."

"Well, if you want to talk about what's a good way for you to use your time, then maybe we could discuss you skipping classes, hmm?" Mom said softly – danger alert.

"What? Jaden!" Dad gasped and smacked me on the back of my head. "Again?!"

I cursed my mother, and glared at her. She had a smug smile on her face, and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"It was just one class," I muttered. It was a big, fat lie, but Dad usually believed everything I said.

Mom didn't. Sadly.

"Was it just one class though? I received an email from your teacher and I think there was something else you've done–"

"All right! All right! I'll go and mingle," I hissed behind gritted teeth, and stormed away before Mom could spill anymore secrets.

The thing is, Mom was born a werewolf. To her, school was merely a place where we learned to act like humans. Learning to read and to solve two plus two was a bonus. Grades didn't matter much to her because most of us would end up living in our own territories, away from humans. We didn't need to pass school to get jobs. My Dad, on the other hand, was turned into a werewolf in his twenties, so to him school was much more important.

I looked around in the hall, where the wedding guests were gathered to eat and dance. Wherever I went, people were giving me curious looks, and the girls kept making eye contact with me in hopes they would be my mate. I didn't feel anything, so I made my way to big doors that led out into the forest.

It was weird being in someone else's territory. All the strange smells made me uncomfortable. We were far from home, that was for sure, but this pack was friends with us so I didn't feel threatened. Still, it was odd.

I stepped out without being disturbed, and looked up at the dark sky. It was full moon, and the sky was clear. The yard bathed in the silver light. It sure was a nice day to have a wedding. If only the full moon hadn't fallen on Wednesday. I had school tomorrow, it was already nine in the evening, and it would take us three hours to get back home.

Then again, I had PE the next day, so I was going to skip the day anyway. It wasn't fun to play any kind of sports against humans. It was like stealing candy from a child who was asleep.

"Red, huh?" I turned around to see a girl of my age walking in my direction. She was wearing the tiniest, black miniskirt over dark-purple leggings, and a leather jacket with a fake-fur hood and sleeves over a simple top. Even looking at her made me feel cold in the snow. "Last week your hair was blue. My curls would fall off if I dyed them as often as you do," she added, tousling her long, blond hair.

"It's a wig," I said with a shrug, turning my back on her. That was a mistake. I felt her grabbing my hair and yanking it hard, and I had to take a step back to keep my balance. "I was joking, you moron!" I growled at her, slapping my hands on my poor scalp when she let go of me.

She just laughed. "Whoopsie..."

"Oi, oi, is that how you talk to girls? No wonder you don't have a mate yet..." I heard another voice coming from behind me, and turned to squint my eyes at a tall guy who joined us in the yard. At least he was wearing jeans, but he, too, only had a light, black jacket over a blue T-shirt. His head was shaved on the sides, and the middle part had grown too long to stand up on its own anymore. "You look ridiculous in a suit," he added, eyeing at my dark-gray attire.

"Why are you guys here?" I muttered angrily, rubbing my head.

"To make fun of you," they said at the same time. I bared my teeth and turned my back on both of them.

Best friends – what a joy to have them.

"When did you even get here?" I asked.

"Just now," Tilly spoke with her soft voice. "So, no mate yet?"

"Why is everyone so obsessed with me finding a mate?" I asked, facing them both. "Neither of you have found yours either!"

"Maybe we came here to see if we can find ours," Arch smirked. "Now that would be funny if we did and you wouldn't."

"Joke's on you – I'm not interested in finding one," I spoke truthfully.

"Oh, really? I didn't know that," Tilly gasped dramatically. Yes, she did. I kept ranting about it every time I was forced to come to these stupid gatherings.

"Why did you come here?" I asked again in frustration.

"To see if you had any luck," Arch said. "I'm assuming you didn't?"

"No, I did not, thank you very much," I hissed, crossing arms over my chest. "Still no mate, happy now?"

"Yes," Tilly said with a mischievous smile. "Because now we can rescue you!" she added and grabbed my hand.

"Rescue me?" I repeated, and followed her when she started walking.

"We couldn't possibly leave our ferocious leader in the middle of the enemy territory, right?" Arch grinned, following us while checking if there was anyone to see us.

"They are not our enemies," I chuckled.

"Now how were we supposed to know that?" Tilly giggled, and just a second later, I saw Arch's car in front of us.

I laughed, when we ran the last steps to the car, and sat down on the front seat while Tilly hurried to sit on the back. It didn't take long for Arch to go around the car and sit behind the wheel and start the engine.

I shook my head in amusement. Arch hit the gas pedal, and the car roamed furiously when it bolted down the driveway.

"Success!" Arch laughed.

"Not quite," Tilly said, but she was having fun as well. "The Alpha pair spotted us!"

I peered back at the big house and saw my parents standing at the door with unamused expressions on their faces.

"We are so dead," I muttered, but that wasn't anything new to us. "Whatever you do, do not stop the car!" I shouted, like we were in actual danger, and the two of them laughed harder.

"Drive, drive, drive!" Tilly hollered at the back seat, and Arch sped up. "I believe this is yours?"

I turned to look at her when she gave me a black bandana that had a picture of blue outlines of a moon in a wolf's mouth. Our emblem. The Blue Moon pack's emblem.

"Thanks," I smirked, and pulled the bandana over my head, securing my hair inside it, leaving only my long bangs out of it. "Much better. So, where are we going?"

"Anywhere you want, boss," Arch said.

"All right," I chuckled.

Annoying or not, this was the reason why these two were my best friends. And eventually they would be my Betas, when I would become the Alpha of the Blue Moon pack. There was no way in hell I would have it any other way.

To be honest, I didn't want a mate, since there was no room for a mate in our little trio. It was us three versus the world, and I wouldn't let even the Moon Goddess to ruin that for me.