Forbidden Fruit

Chapter 2: Routines & Meetings

Alex's POV

I sigh as I get out of bed, the early morning sun pouring through the propped open curtains, shooting straight for my eyes.

I rub them, trying to wake myself up as I force myself out of bed and make my way towards the bathroom. I turn the shower on before going to pee, steeping into the slowly rising temperature as my brain finally starts moving.

Not that there's anything in particular for me to care about.

It's just another insignificant beginning to another insignificant day, a long line of them already trailing behind me.

It only takes me thirty minutes for me to shower, dress and grab an apple from the kitchen before leaving my house. I finish the small snack in moments before tossing it in the trees, leaving it for some scavengers to find. Wearing only shorts and a thin tee, my body is nice and light as I start to push my still groggy body into a jog, wanting to wake up and warm up my body.

Though I try to keep myself busy and find ways to constantly make myself useful, there's still moments like these where I find my brain running away from me and reminding me of the thoughts I try my best to keep locked up.

My jog shifts into a maintainable run, my arms pumping as my legs carry me through the air, feeling the freeing wind in my hair as I make my way to the beach posts. Even still, I can't ignore the panging ache that settles in my chest.

I just turned twenty-two a few months ago, and still I haven't been able to find my Soulmate. There are some wolves that don't find their Mates until they're in their thirties, so I know there's nothing wrong with me. I know there's not. But that doesn't stop the pain that echos in my chest when I fall asleep with empty arms.

'Just be patient, Alex. We can't force these things, all you're doing is depressing yourself.' Tobias, my werewolf, warns me mentally with a roll of his eyes, clearly annoyed with repeating himself, but so am I.

I know I have someone out there, somewhere, waiting for me, but right now, I'm all alone.

And I have been for over five years now.

After my parents passed and my sister couldn't stand the thought of staying here in Vollmond, or Kaulike for the matter, for a second longer, it was just me.

After accepting my Coming of Power right after turning eighteen, and becoming Beta before I even got the chance to meet my love and have time with them, the feelings only worsened.

I still have James, the Alpha of our pack, Autumn Falls, and my best friend for over fifteen years, and, of course, the rest of the team that James and I worked so hard to put together. But having them isn't the same as finding my Soulmate. Finding that one perfect person that Celeste herself chose for you to spend the rest of your days with, experience the world with, grow a family with.

Two years ago it wasn't so bad being alone, because I wasn't the only one.

James and I were in the same boat for a while, bonding over the anxiety and fear that came with not having a Mate. That aching pitfall feeling of not being accepted. Not being wanted or loved.

It's a terrifying possibility to face and as more and more time goes on, I find myself expecting it more and more.

This time Tobias is quiet, his own anxieties and fears clear as day to me. As much as he tries to laugh it off and make fun of me for my worries, I know he feels it too. The loneliness. The fear.

I sigh to myself as I see the sandy shores of White Fang Beach finally start to appear on the horizon. Pushing the unwelcome and debilitating thoughts away, I force a smile onto my face as I finally leave the thinning thicket of trees and step out into the open air. A couple hundred feet down the edge of forrest lies the first watch tower, another rising from the ground every twenty yards. To the left of me I can see a vast open waters, the Wedlyn Sea twinkling softly in the early morning light.