The Lycan's Mate

RACHEL'S POV

It was finally here.

Prom.

The night we'd all hyped up for months. And now that it was finally happening, it felt... fine, I guess.

For years, I'd pictured this night being perfect. Sparkling lights, slow dances, and more importantly, Ryan asking me to be his date. But as I stared at him across the room, laughing with Natasha and the rest of the popular girls, I just felt like vanishing under the table.

"Hmmm. Someone's jealous huh?" Sarah my best friend cut in, dragging me back to reality with a smirk.

"I'm not!" I replied quickly, getting all defensive. "Also since when did looking at somebody make you jealous?"

"Well," she continued, grinning as she cut me off, "If it'll prevent you from biting yourself, Natasha's with Dexter tonight. So technically... you still have a shot, tiger."

"Wait, really?" I sat up even straighter, eyes locking on Ryan just in time for him to glance right back at me.

"Oh my god, he's looking at me," I whispered, my heart launching itself into my throat.

"Go on, do something." Sarah nudged me, a bit too enthusiastic if you ask him. "Wave at him or wink!"

"What?" I turned to her like she'd lost her mind. "You do know the guy's supposed to make the first move, right?"

"Well tradition is for cowards," she replied. "This is your last chance hence you'd lose him forever woman. Burn your pride and wink, now."

"Okay, okay!" I replied, flustered and already sweating.

I tried. I really did. But my nerves had other plans.

Classic introverted Rachel.

I reached for my drink since I couldn't do it. I don't know what demon gave me this other crazy idea but I locked eyes with him, pretending to be all cool and casual while taking a sip from my glass. He seemed to notice very shortly, standing up and walking towards us.

"See? It's working!" Sarah whispered, patting my back like she was trying to break it, more excited than I was so I had no choice but to step on her foot just to shut her up before she jinxed my precious moment.

"Ow," she hissed.

While I turned back just in time to see Ryan stop right in front of me. I smiled, probably too wide, hoping my face wasn't doing something weird.

"You look great tonight, Rachel," he said, and just like that, my heart forgot how to beat.

"You look great too, handsome," I blurted. Too fast. Way too fast as his eyes widened in surprised. I immediately wanted to melt into the floor because that was the very definition of naive.

"Pull it together, Rachel." I said to myself only for Ryan to offer me his hand saying, "Would you be my prom queen tonight Rachel?"

Oh. My. God.

Ryan was asking me out? Like, for real?

I jumped up so fast I nearly tripped, but he caught me by the waist before I faceplanted.

Everyone turned. Staring. Whispering.

And I didn't care. Not even a little.

"Yes," I breathed out, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes?" Ryan echoed, his smile widening.

And I replied even louder this time. "Yes!" laughing nervously as I placed my hand in his. I couldn't believe this was happening. I mean, this was happening to me. Awkward, introverted Rachel being asked to dance by Ryan in front of the entire prom.

It felt like every cliché rolled into one and I couldn't believe it.

***

Ryan and I had known each other since freshman year, and I'd been head-over-heels for him since the moment he walked into our classroom. Tall, lean, athletic, with piercing blue eyes and messy black hair that always looked like it belonged in a shampoo commercial. Basically, a walking teenage dream.

I'd been lucky enough to be his seatmate for four years. Torture and blessing in one.

We'd been everything. Academic rivals, lunch buddies, partners in class projects, and occasional mortal enemies during group assignments. Everything you could think of except romantic stuff.

I'd dropped enough hints to fill a novel in the past, but Ryan? He was either completely clueless or really good at pretending not to notice.

Still, something about tonight felt different. And as he led me toward the dance floor, hand in hand, it felt like maybe, just maybe... the timing had finally caught up to us.

The attention from the crowd was instant. People turned. They whispered. Some even gasped. Probably because I wasn't exactly what you'd call prom queen material. I was more... the girl who read in the library and tripped over flat surfaces. But right now? I didn't care about a single pair of eyes.

Not when he was looking at me like that.

Or spinning me around suddenly.

"Whoa!" I yelped, quickly slapping a hand over my mouth as my heels nearly betrayed me. Ryan caught me again, smiling like this was all going exactly as planned.

The DJ, Nathan, must've sensed the moment because suddenly the speakers blasted everyone's favorite classic. Bonnie Tyler's *Holding Out for a Hero*-and the whole room exploded. Cheers, screams, dancing couples. Pure chaos in the best way.

Ryan and I were already in the middle of it, moving without rhythm or reason, just laughing and dancing and not giving a single damn. I didn't know what I was doing, still don't but he didn't either, and that made it perfect.

Forward, backward, spin, clap. It felt like a fairytale with bad choreography, and I loved every second.

When the chorus hit, Ryan scooped me up in his arms and lifted me just like they do in the movies-only this time, I wasn't watching. I was the girl in the air.

And for the first time, it felt like the story might actually be about me.

The crowd erupted around us. One by one, other couples following Ryan's lead, lifting their dates with wide smiles and laughter. Even the prom king and queen mimicked us, and for the first time all night, I felt like I was part of the main event, right there in the middle of it all, instead of watching from the sidelines.

It was way beyond anything I'd imagined.

"Rachel?" Ryan's voice cut through the music, soft and uncertain.

"Ryan?" I replied, smiling up at him with a slight tilt of my head.

He looked nervous now, the easy confidence gone from his face.

"I've..." he began, then paused.

*Please don't tell me he's backing out now. Did I embarrass myself that much?*

"Is everything alright?" I asked, forcing my smile to stay.

He nodded slowly, then took a deep breath.

"Alright, will you be my girlfriend, Rachel?"

Wait.

Did I just hear that right? Did Ryan the hair Patterson just ask me out? Was this a dream? Because it's starting to feel like the kind where everything goes your way only to wake up and realize it's a damn dream.

"You can think on it," he added, probably confused by my stunned silence.

"Yes!" I practically shouted almost bursting in excitement. "I'll be your girlfriend, Ryan!"

He didn't hesitate, leaning in and kissing me on the lips. Soft, sweet, and just long enough to make my knees wobble. Gasps and whispers swept through the room like wildfire. I heard them, but I didn't care. I just held him tighter until he gently pulled away.

And then, of course, Nathan the DJ couldn't help himself.

"Well, would you look at that," his voice rang out through the mic, followed by laughter. "Proof that opposites really do attract huh?"

"The king of the hallway and the queen of quietly avoiding eye contact! Make some noise for this unexpected power couple!"

The applause came fast, clapping, whooping, a few cheers. I caught Sarah in the corner of my eye, practically beaming like a proud mom.

Ryan seemed distracted for some reason before finally turning to me and saying, "I'll be back Rachel."

"What?" I whispered, before he suddenly brushed a thumb over my hand, stepping away.

Today must've been my lucky day.

"I told you my advice always works," Sarah said suddenly, sneaking up behind me like a ghost.

"Jesus, Sarah? don't scare me like that!"

"Well let's call it payment for my genius advice. I told you, Sometimes, you've gotta mark your territory to let everyone know what's yours."

Honestly? She wasn't wrong. She rarely was, even when she was. We headed back to our table together, neither of us was prom queen material on the dance floor anyway and I was more than happy to sit and savor the high.

"What about Logan?" I asked, glancing around.

She pointed toward the entrance. Logan was there with Ryan. They were talking to someone in the shadows. Arguing, maybe? The flickering lights, made it hard to make out faces, but something about their conversation felt...off.

I leaned in to listen. Perks of being a werewolf-we hear things we shouldn't. You've probably heard this kind of story before.

One of the guys with them turned toward me as if he knew I was listening, whispering something to Ryan.

"Ears are listening. Let's head out."

I relaxed a little. He sounded like a friend. Maybe just a private conversation.

Turning back to Sarah, I couldn't help but reveal the good news.

"You know Ryan asked me out," I started, only to hear a thud. Someone had punched someone outside. Very Hard.

"Relax, Gabriel man, we still have the money!" a voice hissed.

My stomach dropped. I couldn't tell if it was Ryan or Logan, but either way, something was definitely wrong.

"They're in trouble," I whispered to Sarah, standing up instinctively.

"What?" Sarah turned toward me.

But before I could answer, a gunshot echoed through the building.

The music had just changed, not loud enough to drown it out so it was loud enough to halt everyone.

I didn't wait or start asking questions. I bolted outside.

Sarah called after me, her voice sharp with fear, but I didn't stop. My heels clicked against the floor, echoing as I threw the doors open and ran outside.

I knew I was vulnerable to silver, but I was still a werewolf and I wasn't about to let someone I cared about bleed alone.

However I was too late.

A black jeep sped off into the night, tires screeching immediately the cold breeze touched my face.

On the ground, layed Ryan, sprawled across the pavement, blood soaking into his shirt. Logan knelt beside him, pressing down on the wound with trembling hands.

"No, no, no-Ryan!" I screamed, rushing to his side.

I dropped to my knees, pulling Ryan into my arms, trying to cover the wound with my hands. My heart was racing. My mind spinning. People were gathering behind us, stepping out slowly, murmuring and gasping but I couldn't hear them anymore.

"Someone call an ambulance!" I screamed. "Please! Call the ambulance!"

I just held him. Held him like if I tried hard enough, I could hold him here.

Keep him from slipping away.

RACHEL'S POV

They got there in under thirty minutes, but it felt like a whole day had passed.

Ryan didn't make it.

He was gone.

And I couldn't believe it.

If only he'd just stayed with me.

"Hey." One of the paramedics gently pulled me from the pavement, guiding me aside so they could take Ryan. I barely noticed her touch. Everything had been perfect just minutes ago, his laugh, his hand in mine. Then the shot and silence.

She led me to the back of a nearby vehicle, where another paramedic began shining lights in my eyes, checking my pulse, asking questions I couldn't answer.

It had started snowing again so the first paramedic took off her jacket and draped it over my shoulders. Around us, the students stood frozen, like the cold had locked them in place. The Willowvale Police Department officers were scattered among them, asking questions. Taking notes.

I watched the crowd through a blur of cold and grief until something sharp cut through the fog.

That voice.

> "Relax, Gabriel, man. We still have the money!"

It came back to me like lightning.

Logan. He was standing just a few feet away, being questioned so I stood up on impulse. I needed answers.

"Hey! We're not done with you!" the paramedic called after me but I didn't answer. I just kept walking, needing-desperate-to hear more.

The female officer with Logan turned just as I reached them. She offered me a short, sympathetic nod, clearly about to wrap things up.

"Gabriel!" I blurted quickly as she was about to walk away. "The shooter's name is Gabriel."

She paused mid-step, turning to Logan. "I thought he didn't have a sister?"

"I'm his girlfriend," I said quickly.

"What? Since when?" She turned back to me.

"Today," I replied, my voice steady.

A slow silence passed between us before she raised a brow. "So you know about the gambling money?"

"What?" I frowned. That caught me off guard.

"I think we've got all the information we need, miss. We'll get your boyfriend's killer. That's a promise."

And just like that, she turned away.

I stood there, stunned. She didn't believe me. None of them did.

I sat back down near the fountain, not far from Logan while he avoided my eyes.

"Those guys," I asked, keeping my voice low. "The ones who did this... do you know them?"

Before he could answer, the officer called back to him. "Let's go, Logan."

He glanced at me, guilt flickering across his face. "I'm sorry," he whispered, before walking off with her.

And just like that, I was left out in the cold. Was this going to be one of those cases where the people who needed answers the most were the last to get them?

"So you were here all along and didn't hear me calling your name?"

Sarah's voice startled me.

I turned to her. One look at my face, and all the color drained from hers.

"Who got shot?" she asked, her voice suddenly small.

I swallowed, trying to speak. My throat tightened.

"R... Ryan."

I couldn't hold it in anymore. The tears came freely as Sarah sat beside me, pulling me into a quiet hug.

"Hush," she whispered gently, her hand brushing over my back as I cried into her shoulder.

We never heard anything else about the shooter. No name. No motive. No arrests.

Nothing.

Logan and his family packed up and left town not long after. Just like that, gone. Sarah was crushed. He didn't even say goodbye. Being human, he wasn't bound to any pack rules or territory lines which made tracking him down was nearly impossible. It was like he vanished into thin air, as if he'd never existed.

And Ryan's family? They wouldn't speak to me. Wouldn't answer my calls. One time, I even showed up at their doorstep hoping for answers only to be threatened with the cops for violating the restraining order they'd filed against me. I don't know if they were grieving or hiding something. Maybe both.

I should have just let it go.

Held onto the good memories from high school. The times he finally worked up the courage to flirt with me, or those playful fights we had when I refused to do his homework.

But I couldn't.

Life didn't just pick up where it left off. Not for me. Everyone else seemed to move on. Classes. Exams. Graduations. I was stuck in that moment-frozen like the snow that had fallen the night he died.

I made a vow at his funeral, that no matter how long it took, I would find Gabriel. The real one. And I would bring him to justice.

My dad always wanted me to study law. Said it was the best way to serve our community especially with how often our kind got blamed for things. He had this dream that I'd become a judge one day. I didn't fight him on it. Not at first.

But after what happened with Ryan... my path shifted. I couldn't sit behind a bench or desk waiting for justice. I needed to be the one out there chasing it.

And almost five years later, I became a cop. A detective, actually-much to my parents' disapproval. They still hoped I'd come around.

But I had a mission. And that mission had a name.

Gabriel.

Most of the Gabriels I'd helped arrest over the years weren't him. I always knew. Something in me, something in my wolf could feel the difference.

The real one was still out there. Somewhere.

And I wasn't done.

RACHEL'S POV

The sudden whoop of a police siren pulled me back to reality, signaling me to stop.

Damn. I'd been narrating in my head and completely missed that the traffic light had turned green. Today was my brother's birthday, and as much as I loved being away from home and the family lectures, it was my brother's birthday so I guess I had to be there for him.

"Good afternoon," I greeted the officer even before he reached my window.

"Rachel?" he said, probably Mr. Clark. The guy whose wife was divorcing him.

"Hey," I replied, forcing a smile I didn't mean.

"Defaulting on the law on your day off, huh?" he teased. "You good? You know the light changed like thirty seconds ago."

"I'm good, Clark, I was just-"

"Rex, my name is Rex, Rachel. How many times-"

"Oh! Sorry. I always-"

"It's okay. You better get going so you don't miss the little guy's party."

I sped up before he finished his sentence, though I waved like I'd heard everything. I hadn't grown up with that friendly, chatty personality I used to have. Past trauma, I guess.

But back to the point. Wolfhaven was still the same. It's not like I'd been gone for eternity-just six months since I last dropped by but nothing had really changed. Well, except the paint was looking a little older now.

"Rachel?" Sarah, my childhood friend, greeted me.

"Hey," I responded. "Long time no see."

We embraced briefly before I noticed her belly.

"Don't tell me it's what I'm thinking."

"Yeah, it is," she said with a laugh. It was crazy that everyone had moved on except me.

"Come on," she added as we both went inside to catch up on old times, while I scanned the room for that little troublemaker.

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to you!"

I couldn't stop smiling as we all chanted the familiar birthday song. Yeah, we werewolves had adapted too, singing it at our birthday parties like everyone else.

"Look who decided to show up," my mom whispered, tickling me a little. We hugged tightly, her embrace nearly squeezing the life out of me. I could tell she really missed me, and I couldn't help but ask how she'd been.

"We're doing great, Rachel. I mean, look at your brother. What six months can do?"

"Yeah," I said, glancing at Theo. "He'll probably outgrow Dad soon."

Before I could finish the thought, the inevitable interruption came.

"What are you doing over there, Rachel?" my dad called from the head table. "Come here-the both of you!"

The rest of the event played out like a normal birthday. Theo, my brother, seemed to be avoiding me a little, sticking with his new friends. Meanwhile, Sarah and I caught up on old times. Everything felt perfect until I got a call from my boss.

"Hey, boss," I said, clearing my throat. Why was he bothering me now? This was supposed to be my day off.

"Rachel!" His voice was frantic, his heartbeat quick, like he was running or being chased. "I'm sorry to drag you into this again. I know it's your day off, but we're after a suspect-Gabriel. There's been a murder at Ocean Beach. A student. This is big. He's headed toward the golf course and I think that's near your family's mansion, right?"

"What do you want me to do, Dave?" I asked, standing up.

"I don't know-wolf out and stop his vehicle. He'll be driving past your family mansion in less than thirty minutes."

"I can't wolf out on command, Dave. I told you, I'm a werewolf, not a Lycan. And the latter doesn't exist, alright?"

"Rachel?" my mom called, her voice laced with concern. "What's wrong?"

"I'll be back, Mom."

"But you just arrived," Theo interrupted.

"Yeah, you should stay at least a day for your brother."

"Mom, Jesus! I'm not going far. I'll be back."

"Like last time," my dad added, his voice heavy with disappointment, just as I turned to leave, furious. I wasn't ready to have that conversation again. Not now. Not about quitting my job-though, honestly, I was beginning to consider it.

"Dave? You still with me?"

"Rachel, it's a 2021 Honda Accord, dark blue. Plate number ABC-D12-"

I didn't hear the rest as outside our gated driveway, a dark blue vehicle sped past, making my pulse quicken.

"Jesus! I see it, Dave," I said, hanging up the call as I sprinted toward the nearest vehicle. The door was locked and without thinking, I punched through the window, unlocking it. Please be him. It had to be him. The vehicle's alarm blared suddenly, doing it's job. I could hear voices shouting, a woman screaming that it was her car, and above all, my dad's strict voice calling my name.

"Open the gates, Albert!" I shouted at our gatekeeper, but my dad's voice cut through, ordering him not to.

"That's an order!" he barked, but Albert hesitated before slowly opening the gates.

I didn't wait. I floored the gas, tearing through the gates into the street but the blue vehicle was gone. I couldn't have lost him. Not again!

I slammed the accelerator, the speedometer needle shooting up. I wasn't about to let that bastard slip through my fingers this time.

Dave didn't make it any easier for me, calling over and over, no matter how many times I ended the call. Eventually, I had no choice but to pick up before I lost my sanity.

"Hey, Dave," I whispered through gritted teeth, but he was already asking if I'd seen the vehicle.

"Jesus, yes, Dave. I'm after him right now. Could you not bother me for once?"

"Rachel, be careful! He's already-"

I ended the call before he could finish, barreling through another traffic light while a queue of cars waited. I nearly collided with a bus on the opposite lane, but somehow, by sheer luck, I managed to avoid it. Very lucky indeed-because I finally spotted the blue vehicle just ahead, waiting in line with a queue of cars.

Relief surged through me as I slipped into the lane right behind them, trying to act like I wasn't tailing them. There were four people in the car-two in the front, two in the back. I must have stared too long, because suddenly, they surged forward, smashing into a nearby vehicle's window. On instinct, I did the same, ramming into another car in the process.

This might be my craziest day ever.