Make You Mine

Adrian remembered the day when he first saw her and for a brief moment, he understood what others said when they first imprinted on their mate. When his friend Thorne told him about imprinting and how everything changed when he met his mate Octavia, it finally made sense to him.

The moment Thorne locked eyes on Octavia, his perspective changed. She became his world, his protector, and the person who made his stars shine.

Octavia was the sunrise to his sunset, the stars to his moon, the warm feeling of pure happiness. She's the definition of love and light in his life, giving him purpose to live.

It made sense. Everything made much more sense and just like Thorne, he gravitated towards her, just wanting to be near her.

He turned eighteen that year and he was becoming a young man. Adrian didn't know what else to do when he saw Naira, he rarely kept himself in check with his emotions, but when he saw her again but in a new light, he struggled to contain them. When he heard her laugh It felt like music to his ears. He didn't care what others thought about her, but to him she was perfect.

Naira Matawhai's laughs were music to his ears and so was her singing in her native language. He liked the way she sang, doing a pukana, widening her eyes, jutting out her chin or twirling the poi around.

She was the star of the show with her performance and a carefree look to the world, the world was hers and she owned it.

Of course, they were best friends, and spent most of the time with each other. He never thought that she would be his fated imprint because of their close friendship. Remembering what Thorne said earlier, Adrian thinks about imprinting.

"I don't understand," Adrian said, frowning. "How can I possibly imprint on someone I already know?"

Thorne chuckled. "Imprinting doesn't have to be romantic, Adrian. It's about finding your anchor to the world. Someone who will always be there for you, no matter what. Once you imprint, they become your whole world. A friend, a lover, a brother, or a protector. It doesn't really matter, as long as you're there for them for the rest of your life."

As Thorne spoke, Adrian felt a warmth in his chest and knew it was Naira. She had always been there for him, even when he didn't realize it. And now that he understood what imprinting meant, he knew that he would always be there for her too.

On a hot Friday afternoon, he was walking with Naira to their final class for the day. Adrian couldn't stop thinking about his maths assessment and how he liked Naira. He hardly noticed the few students hanging around, talking quietly in the background. His anxiety made his palms sweaty as he struggled to find the right words.

Naira's touch on his arm brought him back to the present. He looked up to see her, his heart thumping. His wolf whined with impatience as he tried to tell Naira how he felt.

Adrian's mind wandered a bit more about her until Naira waved her hand in front of him, looking concerned. "Adrian, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Nai, thank you though," he fibbed, running his hand through his hair. "Have you eaten lately?"

"Of course," she said with a concerned look. "What about you? Did you take the whole shop with you?"

He rolled his eyes and pushed her head back lightly. "Shut up."

She couldn't help but laugh loudly, letting out a snort before calming down. "Why did you even ask in the first place?"

"You hardly eat," he observed. "Especially after playing rugby."

Naira and her cousins spent a lot of time playing around on the field, but they weren't good at rugby. Forget about tackling.

"I eat while I walk to class," she said with a roll of her eyes. "I'm not that very hungry.

"You're horrible at rugby," Adrian teased, sticking his tongue at her.

"Shut up, Kyle," she laughed, "you can't talk shit anyways. You're not any better!"

Although they both liked to point out each other's flaws, Naira was more stubborn and had trouble admitting her own faults. She was quick to give advice but struggled to follow it herself.

He couldn't help but wonder why he was so drawn to her. She was stubborn, sometimes didn't make sense, and always too damn loud. She was a clown most of the time, but what he admired most was the impact she had on him.

"What class do you have, Nai?" He asked, trying to silence his loud beating heart and not think about his desires.

"Hmm," she quickly checked her phone, "I have English last. Thank god I don't have math."

"I have science," he brushed his hair back, "I get to blow some shit up!"

She scoffed at him. "Well, I hope Mr. Weatherton doesn't let you blow up the whole class."

They both laughed, and he pushed her shoulder playfully. "You're such an idiot, Nai."

"More like yourself," she retorted.

They both met up after school in the parking lot. Naira was already waiting by his silver Toyota lexus, typing away on her phone. They always meet up after school to roam around town, grab drinks and talk about anything.

Naira was oblivious of him having a crush on her. Most of the school thought they were a couple, he almost believed it too. He kept the thoughts to himself, not wanting to probe the fire deeper.

By the time they walked a bit far from the school to Adrian's car, Naira was already over it. There was no shade where he parked his car, which led to her complaining.

"Why didn't you park the car earlier? There's plenty of trees around and you didn't bother to find one." She rolled her eyes, when he unlocked his car with a click of the button. "Now your car is all hot and smelly."

"Well, why don't you start walking then if you're gonna complain?" Adrian scoffed at her. "I was kinda late to school anyway so I couldn't find any parking."

"Hm, sounds like a you problem." Naira grinned at him. "Besides, can't be arsed walking home, too much effort, bestie."

She smacked his shoulder and laughed while he turned the car on. They both rolled the windows down, put on their seat belts and peeled out of the parking spot, going straight to town.

"So," he said, "where do you want to go?"