The Unexpected Mate

“Ashley, what do you want? I’ll give you five minutes and then I’m walking away,” I said in a controlled tone as I stood outside my work. I worked at the main hospital here that treated different nonhuman species. Mainly werewolves as the population around here had a good number. However, there were other beings too. Vampires and fae being the other top human-like creatures.

With anatomies and physiologies that were different from humans, we had to have special treatments. So this hospital was set up for that, I was a healer. A born gifted healer of energy. So this came naturally for me to be here. My sister on the other hand was not gifted like I was. Not all wolves were, some were just physically stronger with the ability to become a wolf. Being a supernatural creature did not always follow the same exact rules.

“I’m here to talk about Nate. I want you to understand that he and I will be mates. He needs a strong female at his side. Not some omega, that really just a bed warmer. Can add no value to a pack. I came to warn you if you think you are going to come sobbing back to him. Think you are going to offer up yourself when you finally hit your cycle, I will make you regret the day you were born. I will be Luna of this pack. He was never going to take you as his mate. You haven’t even hit your cycle yet and you are how old?”

I just stared at my sister. I was over trying to be anything remotely close to family. Yesterday I caught her in bed with the male I thought was going to be my mate. He’d picked me, need I remind her. Though my eyes were open now, it was all because I was an omega. Omegas were well known for producing powerful offspring. A lot of times they were mated against their will. Especially when a she-wolf’s cycle came.

That was the only time you could mate with another and have the bond. Unless of course, you found what was called your true mate. That was exceedingly rare. The fairy tale of our kind, to look at one and see your other half. There just weren’t enough of us, and a lot of wolves were against mating humans. So…

Otherwise, to mate you had to conceive with your partner. Once you conceived and mated you would not be able to see another as your mate unless they died. It was the way of my people. Nowadays most did not wait for their fabled fated mate. You just got mated like humans got married. Except it was forever for us until death. Not through paper.

“Have him. I don’t care. If that was what you were here wasting my time with, I don’t care. You deserve each other. You’ve always been jealous of me Ashley. You drove this wedge and I’m sick of dealing with it. Go be Luna. I. Do. Not. Care,” I told her. We were done, I didn’t want to see her again. I was thinking about seeing if one of the smaller packs might be willing to allow me to integrate into their hierarchy. Shouldn’t be too hard, I was an omega, a healer. My type was easily accepted and wanted, so I was sure I could. Especially with the healing ability.

I heard that the pack north of here was kind to those like me. The ones that the rest always looked at as weak. Our physical wolf might be smaller, weaker in a sense but they all liked to forget that omega had been termed that due to our temperament. Not our status or weakness. Assholes, how things changed. Wolves sure had become narcissistic lately, or maybe it was just this pack. I felt like I could put money on it though.

“Don’t you turn your back on me! I know you tried calling him. Asking him to take you back.” I stopped and turned to face my sister. She had darker brown colored hair, mine was a pale gold that was nearly white. Our eyes were both a silver color. I was also just a little shorter, just a little thinner than her. Otherwise, we looked a lot alike.

“I returned his call this morning to tell him I got my stuff. To not talk to me again. I don’t care if he is now alpha. I will not be treated like this by my mate, or my sister. Go mate him, Ashley, and spread your legs. You’ve always been good at it. I don’t want trash that’s been inside of you.” Ashley looked stunned that I stood up for myself and went inside. I was already around the front station to go back when she came storming in to clearly stop me and have a word.

“Don’t let her back. I don’t want to talk to her anymore,” I told the front desk. The thing was, back home on pack lands I wasn’t respected like I was at the hospital. They looked down on me in the pack because of my family. Also now found out that the male I was going to mate with was also a cause for it. They wouldn’t have listened if I was on pack lands. They would have let Ashley follow me or even attack me.

I hated the pack I was born to. They were archaic and getting worse. I wanted out. If that meant running, then so be it. Here at the hospital that was in a kind of neutral zone, there were more than just wolves here. They respected my skill, my ability, and me as a person. It was nice. Wish I could live here.

“You got it Layla. Say no more.” I felt a small smile with the one working the desk as the door closed behind me and I heard my sister stop. Here at the hospital, my skills were very much seen. My value was high, and it felt wonderful to be recognized.

I worked my ass off to get my position here. I schooled extensively and I did so much following nurses and doctors to learn more than just werewolves. I wanted to be someone that helped all others, not just one type. That was quickly seen, and I was starting to make a name for myself here. I was worried now. Nate could make it hard for me if he wanted to. Ruin all that I worked for if he wanted to be a real asshole.

The hospital was one that was small. It had been renovated as it used to be one that was for humans a long time ago before the wars. However, it was perfect for the needs we had. Werewolves had started it. Then others started to come to it, from what I knew there was an agreement among races for the use of hospitals like this one. They were to be considered neutral, no matter who originally started them. Surrounding territories of different species close would help protect it. Though the main governing body was the one that started it. It was a complicated truce agreement. So far most were respecting it from what I knew.

However, there were issues here and there. Nate as the alpha had control of this hospital in a sense. He did impose some unfair regulations on it if you would. Guess if he wanted to get vindictive with me, he could cost me my job. Just like he sometimes made it hard for other species to use the hospital.

I hoped he wouldn’t bother me here. I was so glad I caught him and Ashley. For weeks I had been suspecting Nate of cheating on me. I just didn’t know who. It was always strange to me that he would come over or show up and have no scent to him. He was clean, but there was this off scent like he’d used something. That made me suspicious. Enough that I had started taking a suppressant for my cycle. I had not cycled yet to mate, I should have but I didn’t want to. I wanted to make sure it was right.

So glad I followed my intuition for that. Omegas tended to have their cycles later than other females. We were a long-lived species. Me starting my cycles at thirty was not unheard of. Still very young for many werewolf standards. Though I didn’t think thirty was that old for a human either. Whatever I guess.

Either way though, I could tell that the suppressant might not work well for my next cycle. I was already feeling it. I had taken some of the herbs that worked for us. Still, I had a feeling my body was burning it off faster. My animal wanted to mate, and that was why others looked at werewolves like they did. Promiscuous creatures that just wanted sex.

Shut up humans, you were all horny as hell too. Now try it with a heat cycle, it wasn’t fun. You couldn’t help yourself sometimes.

I just tried to push this to the back of my mind to work. Most patients didn’t stay long. Supernaturals like me tended to heal very fast. Not all but most, and it depended on ability like I said. So it was nice to have a high success rate. However, there were still critical cases, with special sicknesses that attacked our kinds.

Those were the ones I was going to work with today. Help them heal with my ability. So that was what I focused on and tried to push my personal issues to the back of my mind. Little didn’t I realize how much my world was about to change. The issues I was dealing with were just the tip of the iceberg.