Zeke

I woke up before Valerie. Her face was mere inches away from mine. I got up from the floor, letting her sleep. Yes, we still slept on the floor. She claimed she wanted one more night on the floorbeds and I was forced to wear sweatpants to sleep instead of my boxers. Being an incredibly kind mate, I complied.

After brushing my teeth and throwing on a shirt, I walked downstairs. Caroline spotted me as I walked into the kitchen. She ran up, looking at my neck. "Damn. Not marked" she muttered, going back to the counter to eat. "Where's Valerie?"

I went to the pantry, getting a pack of Poptarts before putting a couple in the toaster. "She's asleep. I didn't want to wake her" I stated. We were up until three- maybe four- a.m. Now, it was about eight. She'll probably be cranky whenever I wake her up. But I assume she'll be easier to deal with if she got more sleep.

"Hey! Did you have fun last night?!" Sam wrapped an arm around my shoulders and wiggled his eyebrows like a creep.

I shoved him off of me before grabbing my Poptarts from the toaster. "They didn't have fun. He's not marked. And I bet she isn't either" Caroline said with a pout.

Rolling my eyes, I began to eat. I should've expected this. They were obsessed with Valerie and I being mates. Now, they're obsessed with Valerie and I mating. A silence filled the kitchen, making it easy to hear people coming down the stairs. "W-"

I quickly hushed Sam, trying to listen to the conversation from the stairs. "I bet he's aggressive in bed" I cringed at a girl's comment. "That's probably where she got those bruises. That slut probably screwed him before she even knew they were mates. She's been living on his floor"

Three girls appeared in the kitchen doorway. They spotted us and froze, looking like deer in headlights. I narrowed my eyes, knowing that they were talking about Valerie and I. My fists clenched as I attempted to push down my wolf.

Something touching my hand, giving me sparks. I turned away from the girls, seeing that Valerie was standing by me. I didn't even notice her come down the stairs. She pried my hand open and placed something into my palm. "Deep breaths" she mumbled.

I turned away from the three girls and swallowed down the pill Valerie given me. From my peripheral vision, I saw Valerie take a step closer to the girls. "I'd tell you to go fuck yourself. But I'm pretty sure you'll be disappointed" Valerie said, feigning a pout.

Sam snickered as the two other girls looked away. Turning back around, I saw the main girl smirk at Valerie. "Practice makes perfect. Unfortunately, no one can reach your level of slut" the girl sneered.

I took a step forward, but Valerie shot me a look over her shoulder. "Now, I just feel bad for you" she said, giving the girl a look of innocence. "You're taking it out on me because you can't get any if you stood naked in a brothel" The girl looked taken back by Valerie's response. "Go back to your pimp, Mina"

The girl let out a groan of frustration before stomping off. "Carmen! Liz!" Hearing their names being shouted, the two girls followed after Mina. Could they get any more stereotypical?

"Bitch" Valerie muttered. I walked up to her, unclenching her fist like she did with mine. "Ashlyn gave me those pills. She told me to give them to you when you got angry. I didn't know if I was supposed to tell you. I didn't even know if I was supposed to have them. But she gave them to me. And you were just really angry right now. And I-"

I put a hand over her mouth, cutting off her explanation. "It's fine. I'm glad you have the pills. It makes things easier" I admitted. She slowly nodded her head and I moved my hand. A smiled formed on my face. "That was pretty impressive" I praised, referring to the talk with the girl. She laughed, shrugging her shoulders before walking over to the counter. She grabbed one of my Poptarts and began eating it. "I guess you can eat my food" I said with a dramatic sigh.

Sam came over and tried to take the half-eaten Poptart. I shoved him back. "How come I can't eat your food?" he asked with a pout.

Caroline shook her head in amusement. "There are more Poptarts in that pantry" she informed Sam. He thanked her before going into the cabinet for food. "I probably shouldn't be saying this. But I gotta hand it to you. Those were some good comebacks" Caroline told Valerie.

I nodded in agreement. "Mina is a bitch. It wouldn't be the first time she called me a slut" she stated. I couldn't help but feel extremely pissed at this Mina chick. "I can handle her" Valerie assured us. As if she sensed my anger, she grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers.

Honestly, it felt different, but it felt right. I wasn't used to holding someone's hand. But it felt like hers just belonged there. I could feel the sparks erupting on my hand and moving all the way up my arm. "These sparks are weird" I couldn't help but mumble.

Surprisingly, Valerie nodded in agreement. "It's tingly" she pointed out.

"You guys would be the ones to say some crap like that" I looked to the doorway, seeing Caleb and Piper coming into the kitchen. "Trust me. You would miss them if you stopped feeling them" Caleb informed us.

Piper frowned before grabbing his hand and dragging him towards the counter. "Congratulations by the way. I didn't really see you guys yesterday" Valerie told them. They thanked her. "How far along are you?" she wondered.

"Almost two weeks" Piper answered, rubbing her stomach. "Can you get me a Poptart?" she asked, gazing up at Caleb.

He nodded. "Anything for my Poptart"

Valerie looked at me with a curious expression. "Poptart is her nickname" I informed her. She nodded, leaning against the counter. Piper asked if Valerie and I had nicknames for each other. Smirking, we both nodded. "I call her Sassy Pants" I declared.

"I call him Jerk"

Piper rolled her eyes at us as everyone let out a laugh. "I was about to say that I felt sorry you had this guy as a mate. But you guys are a perfect match" my sister told Valerie.

I scoffed and motioned down at my body. "Please. Anyone would be glad to have this as a mate" I pointed out. Piper fake gagged as Sam scrunched up his face. "You're just jealous of my abs" I decided.

Valerie nodded her head. "I probably shouldn't say this in front of your sister. But you do have some nice abs" she commented.

Piper shuddered, but grinned at Valerie. "So, you've seen my brother shirtless" she stated, wiggling her eyebrows just like Sam had. I shook my head at her. "What? Am I embarrassing you, Bubba?" Piper said in a teasing tone.

She did this on purpose. I narrowed my eyes at her, but Valerie let out a small laugh. "Bubba?" she repeated, amused. Dropping her hand, I turned my glare to her, but she just laughed at me. "How cute" Valerie teased. I pinched her side, making her squeak.

"Have you told your parents yet?" Caleb wondered, wrapping an arm around Piper. Valerie and I looked at each other. Her father won't be fond of the situation. "I have a feeling they don't like you" he guessed.

I half-shrugged and nodded my head. "Her mother loves me. Her father pretty much hates me" I informed him. I can imagine Stephanie being happy for us. Roger will be angry, but I know he'll eventually come around. He loves his daughters too much not to.

Valerie leaned a bit closer to me. She pretended to listen to the conversation. "Did you find anything out about my father?" she whispered.

I actually did. But I didn't tell anyone since it was nothing to worry about. Roger knew Theo. Apparently, he was the one who trained Theo. They were close. He was proud when Theo became Beta. Incredibly proud. Roger was in the group who was against my father and Terence. He knew this pack needed strong leaders. He wanted information on me to see if I was strong enough. There were rumors of people saying I would be a strong Beta. But I might be too dangerous. That's why he was cautious around me.

I had also talked to Collin. Roger never wanted someone to challenge me. His intentions were simply to get information. Collin just took things into his own hands by hurting Valerie. He apologized several times to me. But I told him it would take more than words to even think about having a normal conversation. He also knew about the people who wanted to challenge me. They were planning it since it had first been announced that I was the new Beta. Most wanted to challenge me because of fear. They were scared to have a Beta like me. However, it was now accepted. Maybe not liked by everyone. But they all accepted it.

Valerie poked my side, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Your father is fine. He's not a bad person. He's just protective of those he cares about" I whispered back. A small smile formed on her face.

"Oh! Did you like your birthday present?!" Piper questioned, looking at Valerie. My mate looked at me in confusion. "You didn't give it to her!" my sister screeched.

Scratching the back of my neck, I sheepishly smiled. Before I got yelled at, I pulled Valerie upstairs. "You got me another birthday present?" she asked as we walked up the stairs.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Another?" I repeated.

Smiling, she nodded her head as we walked into my bedroom. "I know you paid off the other half of my dress. Werewolf hearing" she reminded me. Turning around, she wrapped her arms around my waist. "Thanks by the way"

I nodded, kissing the top of her head. "Come on" I pulled her into the room before going to my dufflebag. Inside, I pulled out the small cardboard box and handed it to Valerie. She took it, hesitantly looking up at me. I smiled, urging her to open it. She opened the box, pulling out the velvety jewelry box.

Slowly, she flipped it open and grazed her fingers over the soft gold. "It's real gold" she muttered. I nodded before taking it from her hands. I moved her hair over her shoulder so I could clasp the necklace without it getting stuck in her hair. Turning back to face me, she smiled as she fidgeted with the necklace that laid between her collarbones. "It's beautiful. Thank you" she said softly. She went up on her tippy toes, pressing her lips to mine.

I didn't let the kiss go on for too long. I knew how she was horrible at holding her breath. After pulling away, she took a deep breath and sighed. "After your sister and them leave, do you want to come to my parents' house?" she asked, looking up at me with her hands resting at the back of my neck.

Nodding in agreement, I pecked her lips and we walked out of the bedroom. "You guys were gone for a while" Sam wiggled his eyebrows at us again. Piper slapped his arm. "What? I'm just being a wingman. Although, I would be a much better mate" he stated, puffing out his chest.

I shook my head in amusement. "We're leaving in twenty minutes" Caleb informed me. I nodded, sitting at the kitchen island. "Have any of you seen Liam?" he wondered.

My eyebrows furrowed as I realized he was the only one missing. "I'll go check" I offered. I went back upstairs, even though I was just up there. He's probably still sleeping. Going to the room Liam slept in, I opened the door.

I heard a shriek. Looking in the room, there was a girl, holding the covers over her body. Liam burst into the room from the bathroom. It was obvious he was just in the shower. We all just stared at each other. "Is she your mate?" I questioned.

The girl smiled at Liam as he nodded in confirmation. "I would high-five you or something. But you're kinda naked" I pointed out.

"Yeah. Sharon is too. So do you mind...?" he trailed off.

I gave them a sheepish smile before backing out of the room. When I door was half-way closed, I peeked inside again. "Congratulations by the way" I moved my head just in time for a shoe to hit the door. "I'm gonna tell everyone!" I informed them. Going downstairs, everyone was waiting for me to say something. I patted Sam's shoulder. "Sorry, man. You're the only single one"

Piper squealed and smiles formed on everyone's faces- well, everyone except Sam. "No. Liam's single too" he huffed. Caleb slapped the back of his head before explaining. "Oh" he muttered. "Brenden's single!" Sam exclaimed.

Just as he said that, Brenden walked in with a girl on his arm. "I heard my name. By the way, this is my mate, Erika" he introduced us. The girl slightly moved behind Brenden and gave us a small smile. She was shy.

Sam groaned, glaring at Brenden. "I hate you" he stated with a frown on his face. Brenden looked confused, so we explained how Sam is just jealous. "This isn't fair! I want one of those!" he motioned to Erika, Valerie, Piper, and Caroline.

The girls- except Erika- glared at him. "We're called mates! Maybe you're just too rude to find one" Valerie snapped. He huffed in response. "You didn't find her at the party?" she asked in a nicer tone.

Sam shook his head. "It's kinda hard when there are so many people. You just have to make contact with everyone. It's not an easy task" he mumbled.

"I know a couple girls who didn't go to the party" We turned to the soft voice and Erika moved closer to Brenden. He pressed a kiss to her head and she relaxed. "I can call them over" she offered.

Sam grinned. "I love your mate, Brenden" he said. Not knowing boundaries, Sam wrapped his arms around Erika. She shrieked in surprise and didn't hug him back. "Apparently, my feelings are one-sided" Sam wiped away an imaginary tear.

Brenden snatched his mate away from Sam. "Someone find his mate so he'll keep his hands off mine!" he groaned. We all laughed. Erika's eyes glazed over, telling us that she was mind-linking. She smiled at us once she was done.

"They're on their way"

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"To read without reflecting is like eating without digesting"

-Edmund Burke

Hey guys! I need a couple name for Zeke and Valerie, just cause. I've read Zalerie, Valeke, and Zelarie. I can't tell which one I like the best. Comment more ship/couple names!!

Kayyzzz Byeeezzz

~A.J.