James' POV

My father waits impatiently inside the car, waiting for my mother to say her goodbyes, but my mom seems unfazed as she grips me tightly and giving me a smile. It's been two days since Cody ran into me. Two days of nothing but anxiety surrounding my parents. I give her a half assed one in return, the best I can manage at the moment, waiting down the seconds for my father to finally be on the road again.

"We're going to the Werewolf Council in the south. We won't be back for a few weeks. You'll be in charge of the Semi Annual Pack Run, James. Make sure to make us proud." She tells me reminding me of our packs age old tradition. I have the urge of resist, but something tells me doing so will only have my dad staying around that much longer.

"Okay mom. I'll be sure to send you pictures." I assure her before waving as she strides towards the car.

As soon as she's inside, the car is pulling away, not a backwards glance from either of my parents as they disappear into the horizon once more, leaving me to pick up the pieces of their latest visit on my own. I already have a massive headache, and the idea of trying to organize a pack wide event sounds like a headache. However, knowing there's no way around it, as soon as their car is no longer in sight I turn around to head back into the pack house. I make my way straight upstairs to Zee's office, knocking on the door before entering.

I find her hair wrapped around her Mate's hand, the Asian Faerie smiling down at Zee lovingly. I clear my throat and avert my eyes, realizing I walked in on something. I hear Rain sigh before going to move, her grumbles noises of annoyance reaching my ears quite easily. When she leaves the room, it's with a glare that I personally wouldn't wish on anyone.

I close the door behind the Faerie and turn towards Zee who's looking at me with the most no bull shit face I've seen. "I swear to every Goddess alive, James, if you came in here for something stupid, I swear I will kill you." She tells me and something tells me that she means it.

"I'm sorry and I promise to make it up to you, but I need some sign up sheets and for an announcement to be made that the Semi-annual Pack Run & Race is in two weeks. People need to start signing up as pairs to compete." I remind her and from the looks of it she completely forgot about what time of year it was. She immediately starts clicking away on her computer as she goes to answer.

"Fine, I'm printing them out now and I'll make Rain help me put them up. The deadlines for signing up will be in one week." She tells me and I nod along.

"Awesome. We're going with track two this year. Have the Warriors help with set up and the Omega Corp help with sign ups, registry and all the detail work. Everyone gets double pay these next two weeks." I tell her and she takes a pause in whatever she's doing to take down the notes.

I'm reminded when I first turned eighteen and it was time for me to slowly start taking over all the Alpha responsibilities that I had been training for since I started school. I was nervous as shit and fucked up a lot of simple tasks and events that first year. Thankfully with Alex as my Beta and Zee being the best Elder and trainer ever, I have been able to have a smooth second year of being mostly in charge. Speaking of Alex...

"I'll talk to him about it, but I want to see if Alex will be willing to be the judge and MC ?" I ask her and her eyebrows shoot up.

"You don't want to do it yourself?"

I shake my head. "This is going to be the last year that I can really participate. After this I'll be officially Alpha and people will expect me to act more refined than running around wildly like that." I tell her, ignoring the secret reason.

'You can ignore it all you like hun, doesn't make it any less true.' Sloan tells me in an obnoxious singing voice.

'I choose to ignore that statement." I tell him kindly before turning my attention back to Zee.

"Okay, well, if you can convince him, I have no objections. Anything else? Do you know who your partner is going to be since Alex will be MC?" She asks and I ignore the way my neck and faces gets warm at her question which I completely ignore as I go to stand up.

"Thanks for your help with this, Zee. I'm going to do some homework, see you later." I call over my shoulder as I go to leave the room. I hear Zee call after me but I pretend as if I don't have supernatural hearing and continue walking.

I head downstairs, not having a destination of anything in mind, just enjoying the weight of my parents gaze being off of my shoulders. That's when I see Cody sitting on the rug in front of the living room fireplace, laid out on his stomach with his feet rubbing together in the air. I admire how sweet he looks reading a book that's flattened on the rug, his glasses sliding off the ridges of his nose as he sinks deeper into the pages.

'You're such a simp already James. It's very unbecoming.' Sloan tells me, dismissing the quiet nature of Cody's beauty.

Nerves hit me in the pit of my stomach, and I almost turn around and forget the half ass plan that's circling my brain, but I take a deep breath and mister all the confidence I have. Much to Sloan's amusement, it's not much at the moment, but nonetheless I make my way closer to Cody and sit down next to him, just as I go to speak, I notice Alex & Zee coming down the stairs, their attention not on us yet, but that could change at any moment. I gulp before opening ny mouth.

"Hey, Cody." I greet, and I watch as the Omega has a heart attack, and I imagine his soul leaving his body as he spasms and hurriedly slams the cover shut on his book.

He looks at me from the corner of his eyes with red cheeks and I almost swoon at how adorable and amusing it is.

Maybe Sloan is right. I am getting soft.

Shrugging it off and accepting my fate, I chuckle at Cody's bewildered expression as he goes to answer. "Hello." He says, and his eyes narrow as if trying to figure out what's going on.

Not wanting to give Alex fuel to bully me, Sloan already doing a great job at that position, nor give Zee another reason to lecture me, I make a bold move. "Would you come on a walk with me?"

I can tell the question surprises Cody and that his first instinct is to say no. And while I'm disappointed, I try not to let it show and prepare myself for the answer. But what comes out is a quiet "Okay." that seems to shock us both. Not wasting the opportunity, I raise from my squatting position, going to offer my hand to Cody, but he isn't even paying attention, grabbing his book and fixing his clothes oblivious to my outstretched hand.

'Yeah, sure.' Sloan snorts and I contemplate hiding all his tiaras from him so he can't go play dress up with Artemis. Just the thought of the threat has Sloan flipping off a manicured mail, but not another words comes from his sassy mouth.

Instead I focus on leading Cody towards the door, hoping to find a nice quiet place outside to talk to him. About maybe teaming up with me for the Pack Run and Race and also so we can get to know each other better. To convince him to believe in that spark between us and that we were blessed to find each other esrly. Maybe it's because I'm desperate to finally be able to love someone the way I never was. Maybe it's because I want to be able to feel like I'm worth something to someone.

Selfish I know.

But isn't all love?

I end up leading us towards a little pond that's towards the east, a small bridge covering the water.

I walk up the sodden planks until I'm in the middle. I lean against the bridge and sigh, my heart racing wildly in my chest. It makes me feel like I'm a teenager again, getting shy while talking to any pretty boy or girl. But this is different, I know in my soul that Cody and I are Mates, and I just want things to go perfectly. He deserves that.

'You deserve that.'Sloan reminds me and honestly I much preferred my wolf when he was being an insensitive asshole.

"Is something wrong?" Cody asks and I can feel the anxiety coming off of him in waves. My shoulders relax and I laugh at myself quietly, being so caught up in my own head, I didn't realize I was fucking with Cody's.

"No, no, nothing is wrong." I say, aiming to calm his nerves. "I just wanted to talk to you about the Pack R&R coming up." I tell him, biting my lip, hoping that he won't shoot me down automatically, but he stays quiet, his face open and curious. "This is my last year before I become Alpha for real and the last year I can participate. So I want to be in the race this year and have you sign up with me as my partner."

I awkwardly avoid eye contact, my heart squeezing in nerves. When the silent stretches on for too long. I risk a glance at Cody and see his confused furrowed face facing the ground, his right hand shaking against his leg as he stares off into space. I wait for him to respond and be finally does, a look of perplexity covers his face as he goes to answer. "I don't understand why you would want to be my partner. I'm fast,and have heightened senses, but that's it." I'm so relieved that his first reaction wasn't to decline the idea of working together with me, that I end up laughing out loud. I'm unable to stop myself and watch and Cody's eyes shoot towards me to study me. I wish I knew what he was thinking.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm laughing." I apologize when I gather a full breath and continue. "I just think it would be a good chance for us to get to know each other. I think we could definitely come in the top three teams even if we don't win." I assure him, happy that he's willing to entertain the conversation at all.

"But I still don't-"

I cut him off before he can continue, not thinking, just opening my mouth and letting whatever falls out, come. Very smart decision on my part I may add. "Cody, I want you to be my partner because I can feel something between us. I've been searching for my Mate for almost two years and haven't found them. But when we touch. Or when we talk and you smile at me, I feel something I've never felt before. And I can't help but think, and maybe even hope that you're my Mate." My cheeks are stained a permenant red once I'm done. Never have I been that honest about my feelings and it makes me feel bare. I painstakingly watch Cody's reaction and watch as he cringes and pulls away from my words, the uncomfortable thoughts written all over his face.

The rejection is like a knife to a heart, and I steel myself for his words before I add one more thing. "It's okay if you don't believe me. I'll do my best to prove it to you and show you that we're meant to be together. But for now, we can just be friends."

The word friends sticks to the rough of my mouth like a spoonful of peanut butter. It makes me hate the word and wish I wouldn't ever have to use it, but I understand that he can't just let him believe that I can. In fact, even as I stand here, Cody's arms are wrapped around himself as if to protect himself from something. I would hate to think that I make him uncomfortable but with the evidence in my face it's all I can do to not only think about that.

"I can just be friends." He finally says after an eternity. His words of soft, but their firm, leaving no room for arguments and I don't accepting his words as they are. I will honor them as I promised to do.

A load of bricks is lifted off of my checks, allowing me to breath wash with the idea that while he doesn't believe me, he's willing to stick around.

I keep my smile to myself as I nod in agreement with Cody's words. "Just friends. I'm fine with that." I tell him and his own shoulders seem to relax as he hugs himself just a little tighter and watches the way I move. I sneakily watch him as well, his lean toned body perfect for running and speed. Beneath his slightly baggy jeans and hoodie I can't see the shape of him, but I can only imagine how amazing his body must look. My cheeks redden with such wayward thoughts. While I'm still a virgin and have only been in one relationship, I don't have much sexual experience but between porn, masturbation and hormones, I definitely have a heightened curiosity for sex.

Though of course I'm getting ahead of myself.

A small piece of me speaks up and wonders worried about the possibility of Cody not being my Mate, but I don't have an answer. So instead I carry on, doing my best and showing up the way I want since it's literally the only thing I can control.

"I have one month until my birthday. I'm sorry to disappoint you but things like that don't happen to me. And there's no way in hell I could ever be picked and accepted as Luna." Cody says and I listen, knowing that if I say the wrong thing, he won't want to talk anymore. My heart squeezes at his words because it affirms one of my fears- my future Mate being unwilling or unable to be a Luna and in turn, my lover.

"You might just be surprised about what happens. You never know what's truly unattainable until you go to reach for it." I tell him and for a while he just looks up at me, staring up into my eyes before sighing and nodding as if to himself.

"Fine. So when is our first practice?" He asks me and I tell him to meet me in the same place tomorrow after school. He doesn't say anything, just starts walking away and as he goes I can't help but shout a message.

"You can keep denying it, but one of these days I'll convince you and get you to fall in love with me." I say and when he turns his head to peak at me, I see the corner of a smile before he turns his head and is on his way back to the pack house.

~~~~~~~~~~
I have two hours until I can get off of work, and while I could write I would much rather take a nap soooo lol

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