- Everest -

Ash took me to the small park in the center of town and together we sat under the gazebo as I told him everything.

"Well who's the Were?" He asked of the guy our father was trying to marry me off to.

I shrugged, "don't know, nor does it matter...Ash, I think I've found my mate." I nearly whispered my admission, I was almost afraid that if I said it out loud I would find myself only dreaming and I would wake up from the magnificent dream that had started off as a nightmare.

But I didn't wake up, it was true, I had found my mate.

"You think?" He asked. "Everest, trust me, when you find him you will know for sure."

"Well my wolf was like super happy to see him, and I kept looking for him throughout the night."

"Really, Evie that's amazing!" He sounded excitedly. "You realize you're the first girl to find their mate?"

I nodded.

"So tell me about him?"

At this I sat back in a small defeat. "Well I only just met him, he was the bartender at Hilltop's, his name is Caleb."

"Caleb, is he a townie?"

At this I shook my head, "I don't think so, I've never seen him before."

He shook his head, "Sorry kid but I didn't really see him before...anyways" he said as he shook his head to clear his mind. "When are you going to tell dad?"

At this I sighed, "you know as well as I do that with our father you need solid evidence...this means I will need to make him my boyfriend first."

"He's human Evie." He pointed out sadly.

"I know this Ash." I said a little more pointedly than I should have.

He held his hands up in surrender. "I only mean, he's human, therefore he isn't going to know about us...furthermore, he won't know shit about mates, I hope you're prepared to put in a lot of work."

I looked up at my brother, "I know, and to be honest I don't know what I'm going to do Ash."

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders in a comforting fashion. "I know you don't want to hear it, but you're gonna have to figure it out Everest...unless you plan on telling dad you have a mate you better get a jump on things because your birthday is coming up...and I have a feeling dad won't hesitate to invite your new husband to be."

At this I growled and got up angrily.

"I don't want some random husband!"

"Look Evie, like it or not you have one, but unlike Brooke or Briar you have a mate, and I know first hand how magical having a mate is, I mean just simply being mates makes everything sort of, I don't know, it's easier...everything just sort of falls in place, like the universe wants you two to be together." He smiled. "I know it may seem super hard, but for Flora and me, things just worked. She knew I was her mate and I knew she was mine and we knew we were suppose to be one with each other."

"Really."

"Yes Eve, that's how mates work...same goes for a Rich and Laura, I mean look at those two...Rich so serious and stern like dad, and Laura is so sweet and outgoing, yet fate worked with them because they're as good as mates get, do you really think Laura would've been with Rich if they weren't mates...hell no, she hated him growing up, but that's the magic of mates."

I nodded, I had grown up listening to the exact same stories as Ash had, we saw the exact same examples when it came to love and mates.

"I don't have a plan, nor do I know what I'm suppose to do, but I think I'm going to have to stay near the town to get Caleb to notice me."

He nodded his agreement.

"I know time isn't on my side but i'd really appreciate it if you kept this to yourself Ash, last thing I need is for Brooke to find out."

He looked at me with a question sitting in the back of his mind.

"We both know how Brooke is, she isn't happy, and therefore she doesn't want anyone else happy."

He shook his head. "You think too little of our SISTER." He said with a slight chuckle.

"You said it before, I'm the first girl to find her mate out of us...she won't be happy that she didn't have the same luxury, even more so I wouldn't put it past her to try and do something to keep me from getting with my mate."

"What do you expect her to do Eve, seduce a man she's never met."

I thought of Brooke...so pretty on the outside just like Briar, only she was the vindictive one of the two. She always took things personally.

"Remember that time she took found out Bobby liked Laura so she back him into a wall and kissed him, her antics worked then, as a result it was Brooke who ended up have the first significant other out of all of us, instead of Laura."

He laughed at the old memory. "We were children."

I shook my head once more. "That's what I'm worried about, we were kids and she was already so mean...so yes I do think she very well could seduce a man she doesn't even know just so I won't get to be with my mate the same way she doesn't get to."

He looked at me and read the seriousness in my face.

"Fine I won't say anything."

"Thank you." I said softly, I knew if he said he wasn't going to say anything then he truly wouldn't, not even to Flora...then again I knew she wouldn't question him, they loved and trusted each other too much to think anything less than perfect was happening.

"So I know you said you need to stay close, so what're you gonna do to stay in town, dads hardly going to just let you love out and tarnish your food name right when you have a suitor on the line."

I shook my head, "I've thought about that and you're right, he won't let me just move away when he has so much to lose...but I think I have a plan now" I admitted as I looked around. "Our father will only let me off the land for one reason."

"And what, little sister would that be?" He asked with a smile.

I smiled as well, "he'll let me come to town if I'm a student at the university."

"Easier said than done Evie."

"How so?" I asked a little defensively.

"You've gotta be a damn near genius to get into a place like that, plus even smarts doesn't just cut it, sometimes you have to have connections."

"Or money." I said.

"You think dads gonna give away a ton of money jut so you can go to school?"

"If I sell him on it." I replied knowingly.

"And how are you going to do that Eve?"

"He wants me to be perfect for my suitor, pretty, elegant, polite...and I'm only too certain educated would up my value in the eyes of my suitors father."

He nodded, "you're smart, I'll give you that much kid."

This time I laughed, I was only a year and a half younger than him, (I'm the same age as the twins) so to hear him call me kid made me feel so much younger than him. I looked at him now, and perhaps it was the fact that he was married and mated that he actually did seem much much older than me.

"We should probably get you home before dad finds out you're gone."

"He doesn't know I left?" I asked.

"No" he said a little humored, "he actually wasn't home at all, I suspect he was out with his mate."

"It isn't fair."

"Life isn't fair Everest...we simply live the life we are given and learn to make the most of what we have." He sounded.

"Are you happy Ash?"

He nodded, "I'm happy ...I hated our life growing up, always wondering who my mother was, where she was, how come she didn't want me, how come none of them wanted any of us."

I turned and hugged him, I had the same thoughts on multiple occasions. But his new found happiness gave me hope and I would do anything to get my mate to notice me if only to gain that same happiness that Ash seemed to have gained from being with his mate.

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A/N:

As you know by now, Everest's father was a huge man-whore. This of course resulted in not only multiple children, but his children being close in age as well.

Rich Kirkshaw- 30

Ash Kirkshaw- 24

Brooke, Briar, & Everest Kirkshaw- 22 (Everest is about to turn 22)

Vale Kirkshaw-14

Now the only reason there is such a big age gap between Rich and Ash is because like I mentioned before, their father remained married and faithful to Rich's mom until the other alpha (Rich's grandpa) died.

After that Richard had a string of affairs with multiple woman, this resulted in The rest of the children.

And yes the twins are the same age as Everest, this is possible in part to the twins and Everest having different mothers but (unknowingly) sharing the same partner. The twins are four months older than Everest