Muru

Muru is a shy and introverted werewolf. She gets bullied at school and cannot wait until the night her wolf awakes and she might be able to leave school - and even her whole pack behind.

James is the alpha's son, one of Muru's bullies and her childhood friend. But what would happen when they finds out that they are mates? Will Muru forgive him? Will he be able to win his mate back?

***

I was walking home slowly from school. Another shitty day. I hated school and I hated home.

Not that my home was really bad, I didn't have any abusive parents or anything like that, it's just, from all the four siblings we were, I wasn't the favourite.

I am quiet and introverted and my only hobby is animal photography. No one in my family can relate to that.

My father likes to play badminton and one of my sisters (Anna, his favourite) does too. The other one (Lisa) likes riding and my older brother (Timo) is into soccer.

My mother is into riding, too which makes her very close with Lisa.

When I arrived home nobody was there. I knew I shouldn't feel relieved but I do. I dropped off my schoolbag, wrote a note, grabbed my camera and left again to the forest. I won't be home before sunset. Lately at dusk I had spotted the hunting grounds of a barn owl, so I went to my usual hiding spot and waited if I see her again. I had named her Minerva because she looked like a wise old lady.

It was late when I made my way back home. Sadly today I hadn't seen the owl, but I saw a few deer, rabbits and a fox and managed to take a few pictures.

"Were were you all day?" Was my greeting when I opened the door.

"Out." I sighed.

"Well you can heat up dinner, we have already eaten." My mother told me before going back to the living room to watch some TV.

"Thanks." I said and went into the kitchen to eat and then into my room to develop the pictures on my laptop using lightroom. I took a lot of pictures but in the end I choose the best three and deleted the rest. I started working on the pictures.

It was close to midnight when I was done. "I will be tired tomorrow." I thought and with a sigh I got up, took a shower and went to sleep. The rest of my family showered in the morning, but I preferred to shower in the evening, just so I could sleep a little longer in the morning. I wasn't an early bird and I hated getting up. half of my schooldays I spent half asleep just trying to somehow cope and the other half I wished to just stop existing.

Before going to sleep I posted a picture of the rabbit on my instagram. I was just about to close the app when a message popped up. It was from Randi. He as a long time follower of me and we often chatted.

"That is an amazing picture." He wrote. "I didn't know they were that late still in fur change."

"Yeah, I think this is a late bloomer." I joked back.

"You always post so many pictures, but never of you. Don't you have any self portrait?" He asked.

He asked that often and for now I have always refused. I probably should have known better, but my tired head decided why not. So I opened my gallery and picked the one and only self portrait I have ever take of me. I have to admit I kinda liked him - like a lot.

The portrait I had taken was deep in the forest at the hidden waterfalls. I wasn't cloth-less but the only thing I was wearing was a too big man's shirt I had stolen from my brother and it was white and partially wet... . It still didn't revel anything of my body. The picture itself was very sensual and imitated a photographer who was specialized in magical female portraits.

I wasn't good with other humans or communication, I knew that, so the only model I had was me and that was the only picture I had ever taken before I fully switched to animals. I had never shared this picture with anyone. He as the first.

After I had sent the picture I didn't get a reply for a very long time. My heart was beating so fast and I was so nervous. When I finally couldn't contain it anymore I asked him "Not good?"

"No sorry. I am speechless. You are beautiful!" He wrote back and I blushed.

"When will you send me a picture of you?" I asked. "Soon." He promised then he told me again how beautiful he thought I was. That was nice to read. It was actually the first time ever someone called me something else than ugly, fat or disgusting.

"Thank you." I answered. "I need to go to sleep now, school tomorrow. Two more weeks tho!"

"What's in two more weeks?"

"I soon have birthday and then there will be my full moon ritual!" I told him happily. He send thumbs up back.

In our clan it was normal to go deep into the woods for a month on the first full moon after you turned 18 and stay there until the next full moon. This was the time your inner wolf awakened. I never heard of anyone who's inner wolf didn't awaken and I was very nervous but at the same time happy. One full month out in the woods that would be amazing. Especially because the next full moon would be the frost moon. So I might get snowed in which might delay my coming back.

In that one month out in the woods you would get to know and bond with your inner wolf and when you came back a month later you would meet your pack and if you were lucky your mate.

"If Randi would be my mate I would be forever grateful." I thought. Oh, I knew so little back then!

I am lying in bed writing with her, the woman of my dreams. Her name is Frost_Moon and she is a photographer on Instagram. I have been writing with her for two years and I think she's my soulmate!

She had just uploaded a new picture so I knew she was still awake. With a smile I asked her for a self portrait. I have been asking that regularly for over a year now and I expected to get turned down like every time but not this time.

Stunned, I looked at my phone. She was the most beautiful and perfect woman I have ever seen. She had a beautiful slender figure and long dark hair. On her collarbone was a mole shaped like a butterfly. I wanted to kiss it.

"Me too!" Argus my wolf howled. "But only if she is our mate. Oh, I hope we get a beautiful mate like that! But no matter who, our mate will always be the most beautiful to us." He added. I nodded deep in thought.

I must have stared at the picture for quite a long time because she wrote "not good?" Making me feel bad immediately. No, she was perfect.

She asked for a picture of me. "Soon." I promised. How should I ever send her a picture of me? She probably would be disappointed and never talk to me again. I was not worthy of such a beauty, I suddenly felt depressed. Oh, how right I had been at that time!

She told me she has her full moon ceremony soon. I had mine two months ago, that meant we were close to the same age. Maybe we could meet afterwards. Maybe she was my mate!

"Maybe."Argus added. It was still weird sometimes to talk with my wolf but I liked him a lot and we made a great team.

I fell asleep with the phone in my hand dreaming of the most beautiful woman. Too soon my alarm rang. I showered, put on my clothes and drove to school. At the entrance I ran into Anna and Muru. I greeted Anna with a hug then I snarled at Muru. "Why are you still here? Go away you are hurting my eyes." That made my friends that had just appeared laugh and I felt good, I felt cool. Muru just walked away, never saying anything to us. She generally was very shy and introverted and barely talked with us.

She always wore big black hoodies or shirts with often nerdy topics, which I actually found funny but I couldn't say that in front of my friends so I made fun of her instead.

Even today her hoodie actually was amazing. Miskatonic university, it said. Damn I loved Lovecraft! I remember before we went to highschool we actually were friends but I found friends while she didn't and when someone started to make fun of her I didn't speak up, afraid to loose my friends and ever since we haven't been talking much. I felt like a coward back then but nowadays it's just normal to treat her that way.

It was weird if we were alone she was always friendly to me but as soon as someone else joined she would just stop talking. Sometimes I wondered if she hated me or not? Maybe one day I will ask her.

"How are you doing?" I ask Anna to distract me from my thoughts.

"Great!" Anna smiles at me. Anna is beautiful. Different from Muru she always wears cute feminine clothes that show off her well trained body. Anna does a lot of sports. Before I had seen the picture of Frost_Moon yesterday I always was hoping that Anna would become my mate, but now I was hoping it would be that mysterious woman from Instagram. I always thought she was ugly and fat and that's why she never showed a picture, but now I think it's 'cause she doesn't want guys hitting on her.

"James!" Someone called me and I turned around to see my best friend Nate running at me. "I got it!" He screamed. "Got what?" I asked confused but just then Nate noticed Anna and I got ignored for the next five minutes. All of the guys were into Anna. She was one year younger than us and one class below us. She was the most popular girl at school.That's why I always dreamed about her becoming my mate. If she would be my mate, I would be the most popular guy! Everyone would look up to and be jealous of me. I really would be someone!

"So what did you got?" I asked after Anna went to talk with her friends and I finally got my friend's attention back.

"The okay to go study in the city!" Nate grinned. Nate was really interested in law and wanted to study it to maybe apply new laws in werewolf society to make living better for all of us.

"That's amazing!" I said. Nate nodded. I was hoping one day when I became the alpha that Nate would be my beta. "And Forst_Moon my luna", I thought. Not noticing how ever since I saw a picture of her I had replaced Anna in an instant with that mysterious woman.

I was such a shallow jerk back then!