"And guess what? I'm having more fun, and now that we're done, I'm gonna show you tonight. I'm alright, I'm just fine, and you're a tool so, so what?"
~P!nk, 'So What'

~~~

*Can's POV*

| Present day |

Walking down the halls of my high school, I'm greeted by several smiling faces and waves. I would smile back, but dad always scolds me for doing things like that while I have food in my mouth.

And I'll be damned if I give up my snacks just to say hello to my classmates.

An arm slings around my shoulders, nearly knocking the bag of chips out of my hand. I glare at my cousin, who grins at me in return.

"You look constipated when you make that face," Ae teases, flicking my forehead.

"You almost made me drop my chips," I whine, making Ae laugh. Everyone here knows that I take my snacks very seriously, and messing with my food would mean starting a war with me.

"You should probably lay off the snacks anyway," our friend, Pond, appears at my side, flinging his arm casually over Ae's shoulder. "Alphas gotta stay fit, you know?"

I roll my eyes and keep walking as Pond rattles on about how Alphas need to stay in top shape. Yeah, as if he's one to talk. The only kind of exercise he gets is the one that requires his hand, lotion, and a magazine.

Our peers wave and smile at us as we walk by; Pond never once stopping to take a breath as he talks Ae's ear off. I'm relieved that we no longer have to worry about humans overhearing us talking about the paranormal. A few years ago, Tin's dad, Champ, proposed starting up a school for wolves, witches, and fledgling vampires. It's not always easy to get along, but it sure is a lot fucking easier than being careful of what we say all day.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

My eyes narrow at the sight of Tin leaning against his locker, talking to an Omega from Ae's pack. His soft brown hair is brushed away from his face, showing off this cold expression framed by the sharp definitions of his face. Tin's dark golden eyes flicker to mine, flashing purple with what I assume is annoyance. I used to be fascinated by his purple eyes whenever he would access his magic, but now it only reminds me of that day four years ago.

Goddess, I hate him so fucking much.

"Just ignore him," Ae whispers to me as we walk by.

"I wish I could, but his existence pisses me off," I grumble, glancing up to see my cousin not even paying attention to me. His neck is craned as he stares back at the pair. "Ae?"

"Huh?" He snaps his attention back to me, a blush dusting his cheeks. "Uh... sorry. Got distracted."

"Clearly," I chuckle. This isn't the first time I've caught Ae staring at the Omega, Pete. Their parents are best friends, so they were practically raised together ever since Beta Tum and his mate Tar adopted Pete. Ae, Pete, Pond, Tin, and I used to be a really close group of friends. Our parents were close when they were our age, so they've forced us to hang out as long as I can remember.

Ever since Tin and I... went separate ways, our group has kind of splintered. Pete tried to help Tin with whatever shit made him super pissy, and the two have been close ever since. Leaving me, Ae, and Pond to form a small group of future Alphas.

It's not exactly fair, though, considering I'm a year younger than the rest of them. The four of them are all seniors in high school, while I'm still a junior.

My dad said that when they adopted me, my birth certificate was nowhere to be found. Meaning they had no clue when my real birthday is, or how old I was when they adopted me. They had the pack doctor check me out, and judging by my size and cognitive development at that time, he said I was most likely 1-year-old. My parents decided to go with that, and chose my adoption date as the day we would celebrate my birthday.

That puts me a year behind the rest of my friends, which really sucks. They'll all graduate before I do, leaving me behind to fend for myself for my senior year. It causes me more stress than a 16-year-old should have to deal with.

"Are you guys going on Saturday?" Pond inquires, making me groan dramatically.

"Don't remind me," I plead, throwing my head back. Fucking Saturday. It's Tin's 18th birthday, and my parents are forcing me to attend his party. I've been able to avoid it the past four birthdays, but the 18th birthday is a big deal for wolves. It's when we fully grow into our connection to our wolves, and we're able to find our mate.

I feel bad for whoever gets mated to that bastard.

"We'll have your back," Pond assures me with a grin. "Besides, we can think of this as a practice run for my 18th birthday. Whatever Tin has at his party, we can make sure mine has more and is awesomer."

"Awesomer isn't a word," Ae points out, making Pond pout. "And you just want to go to Tin's party so you can hit on the girls in their pack."

Pond's pout instantly twists into a smirk. "It's not my fault none of the girls in my pack will give me any love."

"Yes it is," my cousin argues. "Any wolf can hear you watching porn at full volume from miles away."

"They're just scared that I'm a sex expert."

"I think you have to actually have sex to even be considered an expert."

"Hey!" Pond pouts for the fiftieth time today. "And to think I was going to help you talk to Pete at the party."

Ae's cheeks flush bright red. "W-What? Why do you think I would want that? I-I don't..." he trails off, mumbling from embarrassment. Pond and I exchange a knowing glance as we walk into our next class.

~~~

Some background so you guys know their ages (along with Can's unique birthday situation)

What do you guys think so far??

Next time will be Tin's point of view

I had a poll on Patreon to make some decisions about the side couple. Some of you may be extremely pleased, and others may be... surprised? Lmao (no spoilers or mama Gumbie will smack you 😌)

Until next time!
-Gumbie