Faze

Pt 2 Chapter 23: The Beginning

Part Two: What It Means To Be A Wolf

Chapter Twenty-Three

(Flashback)

Nathan used to be good. He had a heart of gold, some would say, and it showed the most whenever he was around Ruth. Of course, she noticed the way he would blush and fidget with his hands, or how his attention was always drawn to her more than the others. Nathan was a boy in love, but the feelings were not reciprocated.

His hands drew to fists at his side and Kester laid a hand on his shoulder, "You have to think, Nathan, lots of boys our age are going to like Ruth. She's the heir and beautiful. Don't be so jealous, you can't hate everyone for wanting the same thing as you."

"You're right," Nathan said, releasing his fists and looking at Kester with a thoughtful look. "It's my nature to be jealous but I guess I can control it."

He was right. A werewolf's nature was to be possessive and protective over their soulmate but Nathan was not soulmates with Ruth, and she knew that. She looked at her friends and smiled, then went back to talking to the brown-haired boy Nathan was quickly learning to hate. The boy was shorter than Ruth but only by a couple of inches. He had curly brown hair that had streaks of blond in the sunlight and his eyes were green; a pretty face, a small nose, and a shy smile.

He was handsome and that made Nathan worry, yet he hid his fear with anger.

Weeks later, the boy joined their trio. Ruth insisted that they needed to know more people before they inherited their packs from their parents. Ruth in Pack Rose, Nathan in the Riptide Pack, and Kester in the Nether Pack.

"He's not even alpha blood," Nathan squeezed his fist over the picnic table. Ruth and that boy were talking on the football field. "He's not fit to be their Luna, what a waste."

"You should be happy for them, Nathan," Kester said, blowing a strand of black hair from his eyes. His hair was long, reaching just under his eyes and he was too bothered to cut it. "What more do you want if he isn't good enough now?"

Nathan rolled his eyes, "It should be me. Then Ruth and I can combine our packs, become strong, and live the rest of our lives happily. That nobody is ruining my life and they aren't even soulmates!"

"Cliff is a good guy," said Nathan, taking a peek at his friends, any emotion hidden from his features. "Doesn't she look happy?"

"No, she's dying inside, just like me. This is painful," Nathan groaned, leaning back dramatically and holding the table so he wouldn't fall. "I can't stand the sight of him. His face makes me angry."

"His face?"

"Yes, his damn face!" He shouted and Ruth and Cliff looked at him from the field. "What?"

Ruth laughed and went back to talking with Cliff, and Nathan faced Kester with a blush, embarrassment, or not. Kester rolled his dull hazel eyes at his best friend.

It was like that for weeks. Ruth would invite Cliff over to hang out until she didn't have to invite him anymore and it became a routine. Nathan would complain and Kester would–half the time–ignore his rants about the new addition to their group. And when Kester became friends with Cliff, Nathan was outraged.

"How could you?" He yelled, arms wailing in the air. Kester leaned against the wall calmly, hands over his chest with a sigh. His foot tapped against the ground, waiting for Nathan to be done. "You know how much I hate him!"

Kester sighed and sat straighter, his back no longer against the cold wall of Nathan's bedroom. "Think Nathan."

"I am thinking!"