Zeke

"Shut up, Sam!" we all shouted. The 'we' being Liam, Brenden, and myself. Sam huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. For the past hour, he's been complaining. Valerie is making us set things up for her birthday party. No one minded except Sam. "It's her sixteenth. She's meeting her mate today. Just do as she says" Liam demanded.

Sam sighed and continued to move the couch. Obviously, today is the day of Valerie's birthday party. In about eight hours, she turns sixteen and she'll be able to find her mate. Tonight is going to be very busy. Caleb and Piper are supposed to come over too. They wanted a hangout day with Nick and Caroline. Then they were going to sleep over and leave with Liam and Sam in the morning. Although they've been here two days already, Liam and Sam haven't met all of the pack. They plan on meeting everyone at the party tonight and try to see if they meet their mates.

Valerie came into the room and we all looked at her. "It looks good. Can one of you drive me to the mall? I forgot to pick up my dress" she asked.

Liam and Brenden shoved me forward. "Zeke will take you" Brenden blurted. I glared at the pair. They were also rooting for Valerie and I. "I have to do-" he paused. "Something" he said slowly.

Liam nodded his head. "I have to help him with that something" I narrowed my eyes at them, knowing they were lying.

Valerie just thought they were being secretive and she shrugged it off. "I have your keys. I'll wait in the car" she informed me, skipping out the house. Valerie has been extra happy lately. It's unlike her, but it's refreshing.

I was nudged by Liam. "Don't keep your mate waiting" he nodded towards the door. I scowled before pulling on my shoes and walking out the packhouse.

After hopping in the car, I drove away towards the mall. "You excited?" I asked, glancing at her for a split second.

"Yeah. Nervous about meeting my mate. I might not even meet him tonight" she told me. I nodded in understanding. "Just double-checking. But all the rooms on your floor are soundproof, right?" she asked.

Laughing, I nodded my head. "If you get pregnant, I'm kicking you off my floor" I joked. She shook her head in amusement. "How long do your parents plan on staying?"

They had agreed to go. But they probably weren't staying until midnight. Old people have bedtimes. "I'm not sure. They'll probably just be there for a couple hours" she said with a shrug. "What are you wearing tonight?" she wondered.

I looked down at my clothes. A plain shirt, dark jeans, some tennis shoes. "This" She made a face. "What's wrong with it?" I questioned.

She held her hands up in surrender. "Nothing. You might just want to shower. You kinda stink" she scrunched her face up.

I scoffed. "That's your fault. You're making us move all this furniture and crap" I reminded her.

Valerie grinned at me. "And I appreciate it very much" she said sincerely. I looked at her as I pulled into the mall parking lot. "What?"

Shaking my head, I found a parking space. "You're just nice lately. It's weird" I admitted. We got out my car and began to walk towards the mall entrance. "Which store did you order your dress from?" I asked, holding the door open for her.

"Bailey's Boutique" she chirped. My face scrunched up at the name. Valerie slapped my chest. "Don't be judgey" she scolded me. I rolled my eyes as she began leading me to the store. I followed her to the counter, where a worker was sitting looking quite bored. "Hi. I'm here to pick up my dress. My name's Valerie Peters" Valerie said in a sickly sweet voice.

I snickered, earning myself a glared. "Right. Ms. Peters. I'll get your dress" the worker stood up and disappeared into a backroom. I glanced around at all the dresses. None of them looked like Valerie's type. They were all bedazzled and brightly colored. "Would you like to try it on?" the worker asked as she held up the dress covered in a black zip up bag.

Valerie nodded her head before taking the dress and going into a stall. I continued looking at the dresses. I really couldn't picture Valerie liking any of these. There were a few black ones that she might like, but they were ball-gown type dresses. "Zeke. Can you tie this?" Valerie walked out of the stall and turned her back to me. I began tying up the strings. "You have to pull them. Like as tight as possible" she informed me.

Untying the knot I just made, I sighed and pulled the strings before making a bow. Valerie walked up to a mirror, admiring her dress. "What do you think?" she asked, looking at my reflection in the mirror.

Her dress really fitted her. It was a short black dress with the top part looking like a corset. "It looks great" I answered honestly. I didn't see anything like that in the store. Valerie smiled and I undid the strings before she went back into the stall to change.

"What's the occasion?" the worker asked me.

I turned to her. "It's her birthday"

She nodded. "That is a gorgeous dress. She custom made it" the worker informed me. No wonder it wasn't like the others.

That explains a lot. "How much was it?" I wondered.

She dug through the bottom of the counter before reading a receipt. "Half of it has been paid off. Just sixty bucks more" she said. Valerie is spending a lot of money on this party. I know she paid for the decorations and food by herself. I pulled out my wallet, retrieving a fifty and a twenty.

"Don't tell her I paid for it. Say it was discounted or something" I told the worker. She nodded, taking the money. "And keep the change"

A smile formed on her face as she nodded in understanding. Valerie came out of the stall, holding her dress. "How much more do I have to pay?" Valerie asked, walking up to the counter.

The worker furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head. "Nothing. It's all paid" she stated. Valerie shrugged before thanking the worker. "Have a good day! Happy birthday!" she chirped.

***

I sat down on the couch, sipping on my soda. Teenagers crowded the room, dancing and talking. I was people watching. I spotted Valerie in her black dress. She was laughing with her friends. Sam and Liam looked like they were in an intense conversation.

Being nosy, I got up from the couch and walked over. "Don't make a big deal out of it" Liam hissed.

"A big deal out of what?" I asked, standing next to them. They looked alarmed as they avoided my eyes. "What?" I urged.

Liam shook his head, knowing Sam was about to say something. "Piper's missing" he blurted. Liam shoved Sam.

My eyes widened. "Missing? How? I thought she was with Caleb" I rushed out. She and Caleb arrived an hour after I got back from the mall. They went somewhere with Nick and Caroline. I wasn't even aware of where they went.

Liam sighed, shooting a glare at Sam. "Apparently, she said that she was coming back here. But she never showed. She had another breakdown about her parenting skills" Liam explained. "Stay here. We'll find her" he promised.

Shaking my head, I sighed. There was half an hour before midnight. There are a couple places where she might be. "I'll get her" I decided. I walked over to Valerie. "I might not be here at midnight, so happy birthday" I whispered to her.

She turned to me and frowned. "Why not?" she asked.

"Family stuff. I'll be back in a couple hours. Tell me when you find your mate" I slipped out the door, into the cold night air. I walked down towards our pack cemetery. She might be visiting Mom. "Piper?" I called out.

I got no response. I couldn't even smell her scent. I took out my phone, seeing that it was five minutes until midnight. With a sigh, I went to a clearing where our father died. There was a figure sitting on a log. I sat down next to her. "You rubbed a plant on yourself again, huh?" I questioned.

Piper nodded, leaning against me. "I'm sorry. I just wanted an hour alone" she said quietly. "I'm not like him. I know that. He tried hurting us. He was a bad person. But anyone can turn bad if they're pushed hard enough"

I sighed, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. "It's gonna take a lot of pushing for you to be bad" I stated. "You can't just run off, Pipes. People were worried about you. You could've told them that you wanted to be alone; or at least told them you were safe" I chastised her.

"Why would you talk to people if you want to be alone?" she countered.

I shrugged. "You're talking to me" I pointed out. "Stop stressing out over the baby. You're going to be a great mother. Everyone knows it. But you won't accept it"

She pulled away from me and stared at a tree. "I just don't want to mess up"

"You won't" I said surely. "There's motherly instincts and crap" Piper laughed, her serious demeanor gone. "Come on. Caleb is probably going crazy" That's nothing that I haven't seen before. But Crazy Caleb isn't exactly nice. He's very aggressive.

I got up from the log. But Piper shot up, a crazy look in her eyes. "The party!" she exclaimed, pulling me back towards the packhouse. "It's past midnight!"

Chuckling, I forced her to slow down. "Are you Cinderella? Do you have a curfew?" I questioned.

She started dragging me, trying to make me go faster. "You gotta see if Valerie is your mate!" Piper whined. She moved behind me and began pushing me instead of pulling me. I purposefully leaned back, making her squeal. "Zeke!" she scolded me.

I laughed before walking normally. "Valerie is still gonna be there if we get there a bit later. If I'm her mate, then she'll still be looking" I pointed out.

Piper clicked her tongue, but stopped pushing me. "Do you want Valerie to be your mate?" she asked hesitantly. I didn't really think about that before. I just thought about the possibility of it happening.

Valerie is annoying at times. But she can also be nice, today proved that. She's naturally sassy, something that is irritating as well as funny. She would be a good mate. That's for sure. I just don't know if I would be a good mate for her- or anyone for that matter. "I wouldn't mind if she was my mate" I answered slowly as we got to the backyard of the packhouse.

I pulled out my phone. 12:27 a.m. Piper gave me an encouraging smile before we walked into the packhouse. "Let's go find Valerie!" she chirped, pulling me deeper into the house. I chuckled and scanned the crowd. Piper led us to the stairs, claiming that we'll get a better view so it would be easier to find her. "There!"

I followed Piper's line of sight and spotted Valerie. She was going into the kitchen. "Go upstairs. You have to talk to Caleb" I demanded. She pouted, but complied. I began walking to the kitchen, but I was sandwiched between two idiots. "Get off" I groaned.

Sam pulled me closer. "We're not Valerie's mate" he said with a frown.

Liam rolled his eyes. "We're still trying to meet everyone, though. So maybe we'll find our mates" he pointed out. I nodded my head in agreement, making Sam smile again. "We saw you and Piper" Liam informed me.

"Guys. I'd love to stay and chat. But there are about ten people who would rip my head off if I don't find out if Valerie is my mate" I sated.

They chuckled. "Let's go then!" They began steering us to the kitchen. "Oh! Caroline! Come with us! Zeke is gonna see Valerie for the first time, since she's turned sixteen!" Sam exclaimed, letting go of me so he could wrap his arm around her.

Nick glared at Sam, but didn't say anything as they followed me to the kitchen. "Valerie! Happy birthday!" Nick purposefully bumped into me as he went to give Valerie a hug. "Any luck finding your mate?" he wondered.

Caroline slapped him away from her. "Stop being a dick" she scolded her mate.

We chuckled as Nick narrowed his eyes at us. Sam moved out of my way and I looked at Valerie. We locked eyes. And as girly and embarrassing as it might sound, it was like time slowed down. My heart was pounding in my chest, but I wasn't even breathing.

"I knew it!" Caroline's voice snapped us out of our trance. Valerie even blushed as she looked away. Caroline cursed at herself. "I screwed up the moment. Sorry" she apologized.

Shaking my head in amusement, I took a couple steps closer to Valerie. "Happy birthday" I muttered. She looked up at me. I couldn't make myself look away from her eyes. It was like I was Sam spotting a cake.

I heard a groan. "Just kiss already!" Sam exclaimed. Valerie blushed harder. "Aw. She's cute when she blushes" Sam cooed.

Valerie turned to glare at him. "Am I hideous when I'm not blushing?" she questioned. I didn't listen to Sam's response. Honestly, I was staring at Valerie's face. I was realizing things I never even realized. Her skin looked so soft. Her lips looked so plush and kissable.

Unable to refrain, I cradled her face in my hands before pressing my lips to hers. She was surprised for a moment before she eased into the kiss. She was actually the one to deepen the kiss. Her hands went up to wrap around my neck and pull my head down.

After a few minutes, we pulled away. She was panting for air. Valerie wasn't good at holding her breath. "You're not a very good swimmer, are you?" I inquired. She shook her head, leaning into my side. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and turned to look at Sam and Liam. "You guys don't have to sleep in the same bed tonight" I stated.

Sam cocked his head in confusion. "Why not?" he asked. Liam rolled his eyes at Sam's oblivious nature.

"Valerie doesn't need her own room anymore"  

_______________

"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference"

-Winston Churchill

This was planned since I first wrote about Ashlyn. I was grinning at every comment that begged for me to make Valerie Zeke's mate. I'm glad you guys ship them too.

Kayyyzzz Byeeezzz

~A.J.