I paced back and forth. I ran my hand in my hair, frustrating very much from meeting Casey's brother, Claude, as well as my unexpected mate. I groaned and wanted to mess the conference room of Alpha Storm but I stopped myself. He's just watching me and he was smiling like an idiot at me.

I hit the table and paced back and forth. This can't be! This shouldn't be happening! This isn't right! I paced again. Shit! Shit! Shit! I cussed in my mind. What should I do? What should I do? Shall I leave? No! This is the pack I live in. Why would I leave? Because Casey's big brother is here? No! That's absurd!

"Will you please stop pacing back and forth, Rachelle? I was the one who felt dizzy on what were you doing not you. Oh, come here. Calm yourself and sit down," said Alpha Storm but I didn't listen. I kept on panicking. I know that some other werewolves dreamed to have their mates unexpectedly or not but I wasn't like them. I didn't wish nor dream to meet my mate yet. I still have my mission to know and to practice how to fight expertly.

I slapped my forehead as I remembered his eyes mesmerizing on me. I don't know why but my heart skipped a beat when we stared at each other a moment ago. His dark hazel eyes are really beautiful to stare at and I can't stop myself looking at it. It's captivating. Casey doesn't have a dark hazel eye color but it's an olive color shone when light strikes. They had the same face as they inherited it from each other. He's so handsome and I loved looking at his parted lips. I want... I want to bite it.

But... No! Why I am thinking about that?! Shit!

"Rachelle." I stopped at my tracks and turned around at Storm when I heard his soft voice. Then all of a sudden, his face darkened. "Sit down," he commanded sternly which made me do it. I sat down at the chair. Then I leaned in and think about Claude that he's my mate. It clouded my mind and I haven't realized Alpha Storm's feature was standing in front of me, causing me to stun a little and glared up.

He knelt in front of me and put his hands in my thighs. His stern expression a minute ago turned to soft. He raised his hand to pat my head and caressed it. My sharped breath exchanged into steady. I was even shocked that my breath wasn't normal. "There. You calmed." I gave him a puzzled look which meant I didn't understand what was he saying that I calmed. Calmed from what?

"What do you mean?" I asked as my heartbeat steadily.

He gave me a smile and he shook his head. "Nothing." I pursed my lips into a thin line and didn't respond to his answer. It's nonsense. I irked when I felt my body started to heat up from something. I could smell his scent—my mate's scent from behind the door of the conference room. I started to shiver a little. "So, why are you afraid, Ray? It's my first time seeing you like that a while ago when you met your mate which was Casey's brother," he said softly.

I looked at him, directly to his eyes. "I-I'm a-afraid to see my mate, Alpha S-Storm." I stuttered as I felt my mate's presence. I gulped. He was there, I knew it.

My eyes widened as his eyes darkened and clenched his jaw. He put down his hand from caressing my head and he looked at me, madly. "So, now we're back from calling me such formalities name." He stood up. "What's wrong with you? A while ago, you just called me 'brother' which meant a lot for me. It made me happy. Then, now, you just called me 'Alpha Storm'. Really? What's got into you, Rachelle?!" I flinched as he yelled.

I clenched my teeth and darkened my eyes. "You aren't my real brother, to begin with," I said boldly.

His eyes turned back to its color, blue-gray eyes. It softens as he sighed. He knelt down again and held both of my hands. "But you're still my family. I treated you as my little sister. My parents treated you as you're their own daughter. I know we're in the same age but I've been wishing you to call me a 'brother'. And it happened. But please don't think that I didn't treat you like my own family."

"I never said that you didn't treat me like your own family. You're the one who just said that," I said coldly. I built my own imaginative wall. Yeah right. My foster parents which Alpha Storm's parents adopted me and treated me like their own daughter and Storm was treated me like his little sister. He never had any siblings. They said I came from another pack they didn't know.

He sighed again and he silenced and so I am, too. I don't know what to say. I don't know how to initiate another conversation. This topic is very sensitive to us. I instantly knelt down in front of him and hugged him as I shuddered. I need his presence. I am still afraid to meet my mate. It's so unexpected, really.

Storm hugged me back. "Sshh... I'm right here, Ray. You can tell me about your feelings." He cooed me while rubbing my back to calm me down which helps me very well. I calmed at his arms.

"I'm really afraid to meet him, brother." There. I said it again. I called him 'brother'. I could feel that he was glad that I called him that. I never ever called him like that. I used to call him 'Storm' or rather 'Alpha.' He and I weren't true blood-related but he already treated me like his sister since I came here in their pack. I used to call him 'brother' when I was a little bit as I grew up and realize what I was from his family, I started to act being so formal for them which for them, it didn't necessarily. "It's so shocking and surprising," I said again and leaned my face in his shoulder.

"And it's so unexpected."

"I never thought that I could accidentally meet him in the forest."

"While I walking back to the packhouse a while ago, I smelled his scent."

"I didn't know that that scent was his and rather, he was my mate."

"I'm not ready to meet him."

"I'm not ready."

"I'm... not."

I shuddered again and my body started to heat up. I could almost feel the presence of my mate behind of that door. I hugged Storm tightly. I was starting to feel fear of meeting him. Come on! Please tell me. Is there any phobia that you can call of fearing of meeting your mates? I wanted to slap myself mentally. Goodness! Graciousness! There is no such thing as that.

After I burst out of my feelings, I silenced and waited for my brother to speak up. Surprised, Storm lifted me and he put me down in the chair to sit me down. Then, I heard his chuckle and winced my hair using his hand like I was a dog. I frowned causing him to laugh his ass out. I rolled my eyes. But I'm happy hearing that laughter again. It's been a long time since I last heard it. The last time I heard was when I left my pack to join the academy for werewolf soldiers. He usually laughed when he and Casey we're together, talking nonsensically.

"That was just fine, Ray. Some werewolves weren't ready to face or to meet their mates. But they have to deal with it. No matter what they can do to shoo him or her away, it doesn't change the fact that they are mates." I tried to absorb it in my mind. Yeah, I know what was the definition of mates. They are your soul mates and they are connected in some way. They are bounded and be with together forever. They will not be fulfilled if they haven't had their other half.

"I'm still not ready," I answered and frowned.

He kissed my forehead. "Some werewolves, when they met their mates, some of them rejected their mates because they couldn't accept meeting or being with them. Or rather, they just don't want to have mates yet or they are disgusted. So, I'm warning you, Rachelle, whatever running in your mind in feels to reject that Alpha boy, quit it in your mind. I am not going to allow you."

I was left speechless. Damn! How did he know that I was planning to? Great! Now, that he warns me, how could I not meet my mate?

He sent me daggers. "You're planning it, don't you?" He growled.

"Hey! I am not! Don't accuse me that I am planning to do that because if I do, you could kill me." Great! Goodness! Graciousness, Rachelle! And now you'll be damn at lying. Shit! Shut the fuck up!

"Are you sure?" He stared at me with disbelief and looking directly to my eyes as if looking for a hint that I was lying. Well, I'm not going to let him know that.

"Give me some time." I gave him my bored expression and stared at his eyes. Please let him not know. Please let him not know. I chanted that to myself over and over again. I don't know what to do if he finds out I was just lying to reject my mate even though I can't do that. I don't have guts to reject Claude for moon goddess' sake.

Then, suddenly he smiled and patted my head again. "Okay. If you're not planning into that, then I guess, you're planning into meeting him, right? Come on!" He instantly pulled my hand to stand me up and he started walking towards the door where my mate was behind there together with Casey.

"Hey! No...no... That's.. That's not what I meant, brother! Brother! NO!" He didn't listen to me but he just opened the door. "BROTHER!" I yelled at him as I meet the two siblings, Claude and Casey.

Claude looked at me. I saw his eyes lightened up as he saw me with those dark red beautiful pair of his eyes. I even saw him flashed a smile. My stomach automatically flipped.

Goodness! Graciousness! My heart went wild!