When I woke up in the morning, I felt a familiar and strange throb in my heart, my soul became more complete, and my body felt more powerful.
I knew that it was the true awakening of my wolf.
Today was my eighteenth birthday, a significant day for a werewolf. Because from this day on, it marked the beginning of my adult life, I could start looking for my mate. I was very excited about this. I had been looking forward to meeting my mate.
I would be intimate with my partner, soul, and body together, leading a happy life in my imagination. I think it was time to let go of my one-sided infatuation and attachment to Robert. I should let go of the naivety of adolescence and act like an adult to start a new life.
I got out of bed and dressed up. My hair was black, but it wasn't smooth, and there were always little curls. I tried to iron them and straighten them, but that made it weirder. They didn't hang obediently behind my ears. Instead, they stood straight, making my head look like an isosceles trapezoid.
I wetted them again, pulled them back again, and began to work on my face. I applied eyeliner and eye shadow and drew my eyebrows. I brushed on foundation and blush, some bronzer and highlights on the bridge of my nose, and lipstick on my lips.
Oh no!
I looked at myself in the mirror and felt terrible.
My hair was straightened with the tong earlier, wetted again, and dried messily. My eyes looked like they were bulging after the eyeliner, to the point of horror, and my lips were thick with bright lipstick, which looked a little crooked. My cheekbones were protruding, and I looked very strange. I was very discordant, like a little alien monster.
I was frustrated, and I knew it was because I was too thin.
I was five-foot-five and weighed only eighty-five pounds. Werewolves were generally larger and more robust than ordinary people, but I was much thinner and weaker than ordinary people. I'm often ashamed of it, and my parents comforted me by saying that I was the best daughter they had ever had, and I thanked them for giving me confidence and encouragement at all times. But at this point, I couldn't help but feel sorry for myself when I looked at myself in the mirror.
I had removed some eyeliner and lipstick to make me look a little more normal.
I picked out a dress in which I would get my diploma from the school.
Today was my big day, after all. I felt a lot happier after I left the house. Although I hadn't received any blessings or gifts, I believed that everything would turn out well in the future.
Maybe I would meet my mate today.
With this in mind, I arrived at school with some joy. There were not many people at school. The students in the lower grades were already on holiday. Today, only the students about to graduate came to collect their diplomas. As I took a little too long to get ready, I missed the peak hour when the students from my batch swarmed to the school.
When I walked into the school gate, something felt abnormal. There was a sweet scent in the school that I had never smelled before. The smell was not strong, but it was persistent.
I felt the wolf in me getting excited. I realized something. It was my mate's scent!
I couldn't help but get excited. I didn't think I would be so lucky to meet my mate on my first day of adulthood. You know, some werewolves never meet their mates. They had to mark and spend the rest of their lives with someone else.
I tried to feel the air and follow it in a particular direction.
I walked down a corridor and around a corner, and I was sure the person was there.
I could already smell the sweetness getting stronger. It was more like nature and herbs. It was a werewolf that liked to be close to nature. It was green, and the citrusy scent of lemon mixed with the fragrance of evening jade and ylang-ylang. It was gentle. It didn't hit my brain as hard as I thought, but it was a wonderful experience.
I greedily sucked on the air. I couldn't wait to walk around the corner and see someone I had been missing but hadn't expected.
It was Robert!
My mate was Robert!
My heart was instantly overwhelmed with ecstasy. I wished I could shift into a wolf and howl regarding the Moon Goddess under the moonlight. I was thankful to the Moon Goddess and the arrangement of fate that allowed Robert and I to become mates. This was something that I had always dreamed of!
The excitement went to my head. I didn't even notice Robert's extremely embarrassed expression.
"Mate!"
I couldn't wait to walk up to him. I grabbed Robert's hand and looked at him happily.
"Don't touch me!" Robert instantly slapped my hand away. He looked at me gloomily as if he had been touched by something dirty.
I was stunned. My burning heart felt as if it had been extinguished by a basin of cold water as it quickly cooled down.