The Mate

Chapter 2: The Mate.

Present day, England.

“Ah, shut the fuck up.”, Aiden cursed at his alarm clock. The time was 8:16 and he ought to be at the campus by 9:00.

“Oh shit”, he runs to the bathroom almost tripping as he takes off his clothes.

His life was close to a mess, at twenty and a final year nursing student. He was often late, messy, tired and most of the time wore two mismatched socks under his scrub to school. Coffee was important to him, probably that's what keeps him alive.

He ran into the school hospital teaching building. He spots his best friend, Prince. The opposite of him, reserved and a genius. But they had something in common, the witty and sassy attitude..

“Hey, you are late, Aiden Rivers." said Prince.

“I overslept, man. You know I always do”

“I don't, you were assigned to patient 304. Have fun”, he tapped him on the shoulder before walking off.

Aiden had a tough time with the patient, a kid but was able to soothe her telling jokes.

He was taking notes when he heard dogs barking from blocks away but it seems so near. The noise of people breathing, heartbeat and movement flood his ears. He runs to the toilet, his hands over his ears.

He must have been taking too much coffee and that's taking a toll on him, he thought.

He literally had three already today. Prince do tell him that if he died, it's most likely from a coffee overdose.

It's late night already, time for Aiden to go home after hours of study.

There was a shortcut through the alley, he wanted to get home so fast. His head was pounding.

He texted Prince.

“Tomorrow is for our Ramen plans”

“Hey you right there”, it was a street thug with two others.

Aiden was freighted.

“Your phone and money now”, the other barked.

“Guys, I'm just a college student. I have nothing but student loan debts on me”

“He probably thinks we are joking”, the thug took a swing at him, cutting him with a knife. He was bleeding.

He didn't have time to react, when a swift movement exploded in the alley. It was actually a man in black clothes, tall about 6 '4, broad shoulders with arms like they spent all day at the gym.

This man launched at the thugs, beating them and tossing them like they were nothing.

They took off running in the opposite direction. This person's movement and strength was very much unhuman.

Aiden stares at this individual as they turn to him. He struggles to see the face properly but the light of the full moon wasn't bright enough till the light of street lights flicked on. His eyes were sharp, his jaws sharp like they could slice through metal, very pale and with flowy long hair.

“Thank you so much sir. You know these days these miscreants are taking over the streets”.

This person doesn't say a thing. Then his eyes glow faint gold. His face softens and whispers “Liora”.

Aiden looks around wondering who he was referring to..

“Liora?Who is Liora??. Are you ok, pale dude?”

“It's impossible”, he whispered again.

“Dude, thank you by the way.”, he immediately walked away, almost jogging.

He had seen enough shit for today. He gets to his apartment, shutting the door behind him.

He takes off his shirt but his cut is already healed.

“What the…”, he goes to the bathroom. He sees a crescent shaped birthmark glow faintly.

He looks at himself in the mirror.

“What's happening to me?”

Aldrich was out hunting, after being informed about rogue wolves causing chaos near the outskirts of the city.

He hardly goes on missions like this. He spends most times alone, cut off from modern society. Fiona forced him on this, she said "You'd die faster from lonely, there is a mission tonight and it's on you"

A particular blood scent hits him. Sweet and savory, exactly like his mate Liora. That was impossible - Liora is gone. It's probably a witch or an ancient werewolf trying to bait him.

“These wolves got tricks now, huh?”, he followed the scent.

“Hey, guys calm down. If you take my phone, how do I study for my finals? ”It was a human voice.

The blood scent was coming from a human-looking boy.

He moved closer and saw the boy was being attacked. He already had a cut on his arm.

With an inhumane speed, Aldrich moved to toss one of the street thugs like a rag doll. It was too easy beating them, they were just human.

He turned around to face this human. He has black curly hair, blue eyes, and freckles. The scent again, he wasn't mistaken, was Liora’s.

“Thanks man. Where do you learn to fight like that?”, he smiled as his eyes shimmered under the moonlight.

“Liora!”, Aldrich whispered.

“Lol what?. You probably mistaken me for someone else”

This human walked away. Looking at him weirdly, this was actually a human boy with the scent of his mate.

“Mate”, his beast spirit growled.

“Did the moon goddess give him a second chance mate to be a human boy?”, all of this doesn't make sense.

Rings…

It was his phone. A call from Fiona.

“Fiona, you won't believe what just happened right now. My mate is human and a boy.”

“I know, Aldrich. The scent, they know too and it wouldn't take long before they start coming after him. The scent they heard it too”

Aldrich's jaws tighten as he also clenches his hand.

“They mustn't touch him, I cannot lose my mate the second time”, ending the call.

He shifts to his beast form under the moon, leaping into the night howling.