Foredoomed Match

Today was the day my life went to shit. Not that I was sad or emotional. My whole life lived up to this moment. Middle school. High school. College. I knew this was my fate before the word had a meaning. It was the fate of every young adult in the Westmore Pack.

In the year of our twenty-third birthday, we were lined up and sent off to the Match Cave. The cave's magic would show us our perfect match---aka our mates---then lock us up for a whole freaking month. Secluded with our fated half, we had to mate and produce pups for the growth of the pack.

Yay! How lucky were we?

"Are you gonna be okay?" Dad asked, brushing back a stray curl from my temple.

I bobbed my head, glancing at Match Cave's entrance.

The large gold door with the alpha and omega signs would frighten any unlucky soul. The small scribbles of deity language on it didn't help much. Our teachers taught us the God Eros blessed the cave himself to atone for what Zeus did to Lycaon. Hence, the cave's match-making skills. This was a blessing in the curse of werewolves since Lycaon's descendants led our pack.

A fun fact. I wanted to meet Cupid to slap him upside the fucking head. What kind of sick joke was giving a fucking sex cave to Lycaon's children?

“Are you scared?” Dad attracted my attention with his next question.

My lips tilted at the edges. "No, Dad. I'm twenty-three, not ten. I know this stuff. You don't have to worry about me."

Back in middle school, the thought of being locked up with any of the boys in my pack for a month gave me the creeps. In high school, it was the best thing. Who wouldn't want to have a great month of lone fucking? Then reality kicked in and I wanted to burn down my town and run away. Of course, I didn't. My dad wouldn't have let me, either.

As an alpha and one of the two right-hand men to the Lycan King in our town, his sole duty was to protect the pack. I could never go against my father. No matter how fucked up the kids in the pack were. Besides, I would need a whole lot of gasoline to set Wetmore on fire. This place was big as a city. Why they still considered it a town was beyond me.

Dad's eyes swept over the other parents sending off their kids to their doom. He leaned closer to me, no doubt to say something stupid. Which he did because he was my dad. "You shouldn't worry either. I won't be picky if you mate any of these boys. We are one, after all."

That was my dad's way of saying he understood where we stood. Unlike the other one hundred and twenty-five young adults, I was the only omega hybrid. Though our pack was one of the few who welcomed alphas and outsiders and ran by a Lycan, it still had standards. And hybrids were at the bottom of the social ladder. Especially, one of my kind.

My eyes strayed to the left, catching a whiff of Gavin. His goofy smile intact as his dad ruffled his hair. "I'm not worrying, Dad, and neither should you. We'll be okay."

Back in high school, I often fantasized about being Gavin's mate. He was one of the lucky ones. Born an alpha. A real looker since he inherited some of the muscles and looks from his Gamma father. But he wasn't as nice as people thought...as I thought. By my senior year, I learned fantasies were for kids. College made me grow up real fast. Now all I wanted was to get this over with.

I didn't care who my mate was. Ugly, weak, or not, we were stuck together for the rest of our lives. I didn't have time to dwell on the inevitable. So, I screwed my way through college, getting my full of all the excitement. In the end, I would blow my mate's mind, pop out our pups, and live the rest of my life to the fullest.

Fuck Westmore and all the scumbag kids with their tails cocked in the air. I was going to be the best fashion designer this town had ever seen. As the black sheep of Westmore, it would be hard to get my business up and running, but I could do it. Years of enduring taught me a lot. I started an online store under an alias and things took off. All I needed to do was pay my dues to society and move to the far end of town where no one could bother me. Having pups was enough for these bastards. They wouldn't get anything else out of me.

"Holmes, are you ready?" our mighty King asked, walking towards us. His hesitant son trailed behind him. His gaze met mine.

I rubbed my tongue over my fangs. Like the perfect royalty, Marcus pretended to care about a commoner like me. God, I wanted to hurl at the fake smile on his face.

Dad ran his fingers through his salt-and-pepper hair. "Yea, we're just about thru. Kimberly's a bit nervous. Try'na talk the nervousness out of her."

I almost rolled my eyes. We both knew he was the one nervous. I was quite fine.

Mr. Sweden chuckled. A few strands of gray hair fell on his forehead. It was hard to tell if his hair color was due to old age. The guy was as young as they came. His muscles were still solid along with his handsome charm. Not a wrinkle in sight. Besides, his hair has been the same color since I was a kid.

And Marcus inherited the gene. Impeccable as they came. A nice shoulder length to enhance his facial features. If only he were as nice as his father, the world would be a better place.

Mr. Sweden rested a hand on my shoulder. "It's gonna be okay, kid. We all go through this. It's the cycle of life. You'll come out of that cave feeling better than when you walked in."

This sly old man.

Marcus snorted. I forced a smile. Dad narrowed his eyes at his once-best friend. Like the Lycan he was, Mr. Sweden shrugged like he gave me the best advice ever. And that was another flaw his son inherited. They would do no wrong.

He gave my shoulder a light squeeze. "It'll be fine." He then turned to the others, raising his voice for all to hear. "Okay, folks. It's time. Give your kids one last hug and let them go. They might walk into this cave with innocent hearts and minds, but they'll be stepping out as adults. This is not goodbye but the start of something new, something precious to Westmore. So, go in there, lads, and make us proud."

By the last word, the Cave's door glowed, the entwined signs in the middle unhinged and the door opened. Darkness greeted us.

I swallowed a breath of air. Dad engulfed me in a big hug. I giggled when he took way too long to release me.

"Everything is going to be fine, Dad."

I promise not to cause you any more trouble.

He already went through hell by having me.

He planted a kiss on my forehead. "I know. But I just want to hear if this is what you want. If you don't wanna do this, just say the word and I'll get you out of here."

And this was why I couldn't be mad at my dad. He was always fighting for me...for us. My existence had already caused him enough trouble. If I made a fuss about this, his relationship with the pack...with the Lycan King would get worse. I couldn't do that to him, not when he loved this town. He had already sacrificed a lot for me. If having a few pups was my only way of showing gratitude, then I would grab it wholeheartedly. He deserved the world after raising me by himself.

I fixed my robe and stepped back. "Dad, we talked about this. No silly thoughts. I'll be fine. You'll be fine. It's just a month. Easy. I've spent my whole life with these people. They know me. I know them. Nothing's gonna happen that we don't already know about, so relax."

He sighed. "Fine."

I pressed my lips to his cheek. "See you when I see you."

This time, I hurried off before he got any other bright ideas. To my dismay, I bumped into the worst person. Brenda Lin and the only Luna in our generation. As the title stated, she was the shit. It helped that she was the daughter of the other alpha playing the role of Mr. Sweden's right-hand man. The female who dated Marcus before we were old enough to know what it meant.

They were a match made in hell. Everyone believed they would be matched in the cave as well. He was Lycan and she was an alpha female. The perfect couple to rule Westmore one day.

She stumbled closer, pretending to catch herself. "Heard your convo, Holmes. It's a pity your dad doesn't know that this sort of thing is a walk in the park for a girl like you. I wonder if one guy will suffice?"

I leaned away from her. "Hope you and your matched mate have a wonderful month too, Brenda. You're as sweet as ever."

Fucking bitch!

She patted my cheek. "You're welcome. All for our famous little whore."

I paused as she rushed off to hang on to Marcus's arm. The door of the Cave slammed behind me with a murderous thud. This was my life. I chose this.

I proceeded into the large opening with the rest of the folks. Big large gold writing appeared on the Cave wall. Rules. A tunnel would appear on our right. The males were expected to enter first, starting from the top of the rankings. Females after. The person we met at the end of the tunnel would be our match mate. We would spend the next month with that person. Each morning for the month, the cave would present the relationship status for all to see. The person who scored the most would be blessed at the end of the month.

In other words, this was like a fucking game to someone who wasn't in the situation. How was this a blessing?

I squinted my eyes to see the last line of the scribbling. Each night the room we got to share with our partner would be filled with aphrodisiac scents to aid in mating.

As I said, this was a sick joke. God Eros was one messed up fucker.

A quiver rumbled around us. The tunnel's opening became visible. One by one, the males strolled into the darkness. Being last on the rankings, I had to wait forever to get my chance.

My heart threatened to pound out of my chest when I went down the semi-dark tunnel. A gold arrow directed the way for me to go. It ended to reveal a stone door same as the one at the front of the cave.

"Okay, Kimberly, you got this."

The door opened in the middle of me trying to sike myself up. I stepped forward, expecting to see a bare space. What I got was a modern-looking room. This should have excited me. It would have if the person standing in the middle of the room wasn't the last person I expected to see.

Like what the actual fuck! I was starting to hate Cupid.