Last night, I did something I probably should not have done.

It was my birthday, I was a little drunk and I had just celebrated the date with my friends and family. I was riding such a high that I forgot for a while that I was celebrating yet another year unmated.

It was a great day, truly. I received a plethora of love from everyone I know and work with. I have no complaints whatsoever. And I still have my parents' dinner party next Saturday to look forward to.

Since I couldn't drive home, Owen Michaels volunteered to give me a ride in his car. It was a very kind offer on his part, he had already worked a double shift yesterday - in the bar and as a warrior in training - so anyone would understand if he went straight home.

But instead, he drove me to my house. And that should be it, honestly. It was a nice gesture and we should have ended our night outside of my front porch. That would be the best course of action, at least on my part.

But that was not what actually happened.

I am not making excuses for myself, but he is so cute and willing while I am lonely as hell.

I invited him into my house with the best intentions, but let's just say the night was young. I celebrated my birthday privately - or better yet, we celebrated together. I wish I could say I had a bad time with Owen, but something tells me he was no virgin. Not that I expected him to be.

Now my bedroom is all messed up, clothes all over the floor, unwrapped condom packages - thank God we were safe - and a boy eleven years younger than me has just left the bathroom, wrapped in a towel barely covering his extremities.

He greeted me with a bright smile and I cannot help but admire his adorable sunny disposition.

"Good morning, Owen. Aren't you late for work?" I asked him with a surprised frown, still reeling from what happened last night.

"I have the night shift today, Beta. I don't go until 7." He replied in a matter of fact tone.

"Please call me Stephano. This is weird enough for me as it is." I instructed him, blushing uncomfortably.

"Why is this weird for you? Is it because of our age difference? Because that means nothing to me. We are just having fun." He argued, convincingly.

I was taken aback by his carefree disposition. He wasn't freaked out at all. I guess he really wanted this. And I cannot exactly say I was forced into any of it. I did not have to open my house to him and he certainly did not force my hand.

"You're right. We really just had fun. This doesn't have to be weird just because we work together." I agreed with him, breathing out a relieved sigh.

"We don't work together, Stephano. I work in the same building you operate, but our worlds are very far removed. I am a probational warrior, several positions below you. And that's fine, we don't have to talk about work. We don't even have to see each other at the center, if it's weird for you." He countered, putting me at ease.

I am not going to lie, I dreaded having this conversation with him. But Owen is right, we don't have to make it weird. He is surprisingly mature for his age.

"I want you to know that I did not pursue you because you are the Beta of the pack. I do not want or expect any advantage from our time together. Please know that. I wanted to have sex with you because you're hot, not because of your position or money." He assured me in a serious tone.

I stared at the boy, still in a towel, baffled by him. This could go wrong for me in so many ways, but I am glad he is so mature. This is putting me so at ease that I even sit down for a moment on my bed.

"Thank you for saying that, Owen. I really appreciate that. Get dressed and I'll make us some breakfast." I told him, feeling relieved and content about this outcome.

The one fear I had of all this happening is what kind of expectation he would have from me. I can not be seen favoring anybody in the pack, especially a person who slept with me. These are the kind of things that destroy a person's reputation.

As soon as Owen removed the towel, I was wide-eyed at his anatomy - like I was seeing it for the first time. I blushed and went straight to the bathroom. Now it's my turn to take a shower and cleanse myself of these impure thoughts. He is so ripped... woof.

Some time later, we are having breakfast inside the kitchen. I am fortunate enough to have a housekeeper, Lupe, who always stocks my fridge. And she makes a mean pollo guisado that is to die for.

I am Mexican by heritage, but she is Puerto Rican . I always eat well, no matter what.

After we ate hungrily, Owen drove me back to the bar where I could get into my car and drive straight to the pack house. He thanked me for an excellent time, but I was the one who was feeling thankful. I am glad he insisted, even after I ghosted him for a little while.

I hope I don't live to regret this, I really do.

Later, during lunch break, Linda was quizzing me about the celebrations last night. Fortunately, she wasn't aware of me and Owen as of yet, but I am sure someone will blab their mouths [to her] soon.

Phillip was happy for me, then he commented that he got an email from Thomas about my 'forced' vacation. My scowl was ugly at the remembrance. If only I could kidnap Owen to go somewhere, but I think we are too early in the relationship for joint vacations. As in that is never going to happen. Not at all. For starters, he has at least nine months before he is entitled to any vacation time...

"Yeah, I will let you know of the date soon, Alpha. I have until the end of the month." I told Phillip, not in a good mood.

"Take your time away to relax, Beta. I know it seems like your life is stuck right now, but if last night was any indication, you are loved and cherished." Linda chimed in, smiling at me. I returned her smile and thanked my beloved cousin. She is such a great Luna.

"The Goddess could not have picked a better person to be Luna, cousin. I really mean that." I said, smitten by her.

"It is still weird for me to hear you calling her cousin. Even though I already knew that from the beginning." Phillip commented, looking odd at me.

"Yeah, keep it in the family." I said, trying to be humorous.

In the afternoon, I went to the training center. Iris was off today, so I talked to Clarkson - the Under Delta - for a while before I walked upstairs to Thomas' office. He already texted me this morning to check in with me and get the juicy details of my night with Owen.

It was a pleasure to talk to him like we used to in high school. Once he got mated and I didn't, it was a test of our friendship. Not because I resented him, but some part of me probably did.

Though I have never wanted this to be my narrative. I am not a fan of pity parties, nor do I want to be handled with kid gloves

By all means, do talk about your mate. I want to hear all the juicy details of your relationship with him, I really do. That's what friends are for. And I do love Tom.

"Then we had breakfast, he dropped me off at the bar where my car was parked and that was it." I was telling Tom about last night, everything I could remember that is.

He was happy for me, encouraging me to live my life until my mate shows up. Sincerely at this point, I am not hopeful to find him. I just want to live my life the best way I can.

"Shouldn't you be telling me I am forbidden to consort with any subordinate? You work in the H.R. department!" I was baffled to hear just how encouraging he was, though I obviously love him for it.

"About that, there are no rules about dating warriors. There are only regulations for mates. They assumed everyone would be already mated by the time they are employed by the pack." He lectured me in a dreadful tone. He understands better than anyone how this is a touchy subject for me.

I grimaced at the information. Of course the pack chart was written with mates in mind. We are werewolves. We are supposed to get mated at 18. I am the one who is stunted.

"Yeah, I figured as much. Good talk." I muttered under my breath, feeling diminished by my lack of pairing. I shouldn't be feeling like I am less than anybody else. That is why thousands of my people died in the fight for me to live my life authentically and happily.

Tom was uncomfortable to have to tell me that and I totally understand why. It was nice talking to him nonetheless. I rarely have this kind of subject to dish about.

I think the fact that Owen is not here at the same time as me today helps to not spread the gossip about us.

Let me tell you something, warriors are a gossipy bunch. Men talk more than women, if you can believe it.

Soon enough, I was back at home reminiscing about the day I had yesterday. What a day it was indeed...

*Flashback*

After Owen entered my house last night when he drove me home from the bar, he offered to make some coffee for me to sober up.

I told him I was fine, I just needed to drink some water and I would be good as new. So, the two of us drank a glass of cold water. It was refreshing after the night out, but once we were alone in my kitchen with nothing to look at but each other, I was starting to thirst for a different nature.

It is virtually impossible to hide sexual attraction from another werewolf, unless he is a child who has never shifted yet. Once we shift for the first time during puberty, all our acute senses are triggered. The superhuman strength, eyesight and especially our sense of smell. The most powerful sense of all to us werewolves.

Have you ever come down the street to your house and even before you arrived home, your dog started barking?

That's because canines - like us, from the same family - can scent your arrival long before you actually step foot at your door. That is even more powerful when we are in wolf form and that is also why all patrols are made by warriors shifted into one. There is only one human form warrior designated to carry the clothes and other useful artifacts.

Unfortunately, a skilled warrior or rogue can disguise their scents to surprise the enemy or prey. But our sense of smell continues to be our most useful and powerful sense yet. And one of those many uses is to detect sexual attraction.

Our body emits a specific odor that is undetectable to the human race, but very distinguishable to us. It's the same thing when a female animal is in heat, the males of the species can scent that and are immediately pulled to copulate with the female.

That is also true with Omegas when they get struck by heat, it's impossible to resist it unless you are mated and marked or you are an Omega yourself, of course. They are immune from heat, which is why Omegas tend to stick together - especially in high school, before they are mated.

Elliott Lockwood, Philip's Omega father, is said to have saved some of his friends when they were struck by heat back when he was in high school. He was a fierce advocate for the safety of these individuals once he became Luna of the pack.

My mom is also an Omega, so she did the same with my dad and pushed him to have a warrior on standby at school in case of an emergency. A heat emergency.

There we were. Owen and I, alone in this big house, just staring at each other scenting our mutual sexual attraction.

I couldn't help but get enticed by him, his imposing presence, attractive physical features, perfect jawline and adorable smile. I wish I was immune to his charm, but there is no mate bond pulling me towards anyone at the moment.

Of course, I could also scent his sexual attraction towards me. I am not being a creepy uncle who is imagining stuff. He pursued me, not the other way around. And now that we are alone, he could let it be known properly.

There is no one around to shame us or to detect our arousal. There is only us.

We started kissing in the kitchen and ended up stumbling up to my bed on the upstairs floor, barely containing our desire. In moments, we were dispensing each other's clothes, eager to consummate our lust.

Neither one of us had any idea of what the other expected to happen, but we talked about our preferences, what we were prepared to offer the other. At that point, I wanted Owen so bad. With his consent, I took charge of his body in all the ways that I wanted.

I drove him to the brink of madness with my teasing, playing with his pole.

By the time we actually started to have sex, he was practically begging me for it. And I was there to give him what he needed, what the both of us needed, let's be honest here. Oh how much I needed that to happen.

It's a sad fact that I am doing this with a boy eleven years younger than me, but as the morning after proved, he is very mature for his age. On the grand scale of things, our age difference means nothing in regards to what we wanted from each other.

I only use the word 'sad' because of my own personal feelings regarding this sexual encounter. But as long as we are clear in our pursuits - which I think we are - there is nothing wrong with having some fun while we wait for our destiny to arrive.

Are there people who still save themselves for their mates?

Of course there are.

But they are certainly not twenty nine years old... *gasp*

After we climaxed, Owen asked to use my shower which of course I allowed. I took the opportunity to take a shower as well. It was then when we continued playing with each other's bodies.

Our night extended until two in the morning when we collapsed, exhausted. It was no wonder I woke up late the next day. I needed to rest and so did he. I really earned my stripes tonight, leaving my partner beaming with joy.

*End of flashback*

I sat back on the couch with a glass of wine, replaying all my adventures with Owen. Though I resisted for a little while, I cannot help but think this was just what the doctor ordered.

I am now hoping we can do this again sometime. Though I do not wish to get attached to anybody, I won't say no to having our clothes lying around on the floor while we make good use of my king size bed.

That was so much fun... *naughty grin*

A|N: Okay then, you go boy. Get your groove on!

This is the first time ever [in any of my books] that we don't know who his mate is. It can be literally anybody.

Isn't that fun?

Yes, the truth will shock you all.

PS: I am not a total fan of this singer, but he does have cool tracks that I have used before in my books. This was something that I reminded, but was not completely familiar with.

Next is "2 be loved (Am I Ready)".

Love,

Léo.