*Sean's POV*
As the future beta of our pack, I attended all the meetings where we scheduled the upcoming events for the mating party. The date is set for a month from now and this is the last meeting we'll have until the week that it happens. This meeting was mostly about finalizing any payments as well as confirming the caterers and supplies needed for it. We have a lot of new games set up that will hopefully bring about a good time for everyone. Most are for those who are still unmated at the age of 16 and up. Each year less and less mates are found at this event and people are starting to get down about it. We used to have thousands of mates find each other during this time, but last year we only had a little over a hundred. Even though I am still young, I was starting to lose faith that I would ever find my mate.
There are some other games that are for already mated couples as well, like one where we blindfold the males and they have to find their mate by only their scent. I already know that I could easily win this one, but I've actually heard that there are many mates out there that aren't as attuned to their mates and often struggle at events like this. There are also family events, such as a canoeing contest where your entire family will race to the other side of the lake then do an obstacle course and comeback. This is great because the children can participate without their wolf, since most of them don't develop their abilities until around age 12.
I never really enjoyed attending this event since I had no family to do it with and I was starting to despise how it mocked me year after year. However, this year I finally have someone to do it with. Ever since last night, all I can think about is everything that I now have in store for my future. There are the little things like attending this event, or making home cooked meals for someone, and having someone to talk to when something good or bad happens. And there are the big things like the possibility of having pups and building a home with someone.
This meeting continued throughout the weekend and all weekend I've been zoning out from day dreaming. Tommy's caught me doing it a couple of times and sometimes he has a worried look, but other times I can tell that he's sad that he hasn't found his mate yet. Most Alphas mate with daughters of other alphas, but we've already travelled all across the country and met all the other packs. This means his mate could literally be anyone and his search has become much more difficult.
***
Monday has finally come and we're currently waiting for Josh in our usual seats in history class. I'm starting to worry about how to ask him about my mate without sounding like a psychopath. I mean I can't exactly say 'Hey Josh! I recently met the love of my life at that club on Friday and realized that I've sometimes smelt traces of her scent on you. Can you please tell me what her name is and where I can find her?' If I said that he'd probably ask his teacher if he could work with a different group then warn my mate that a crazy person is asking about her. As I'm thinking all this through, I can't help bouncing my leg up and down. It's a nervous habit I've never been able to break and it's also the reason why I'm terrible at poker.
"Sean man, are you okay? You seem kinda nervous."
I turn around to see that Josh has taken the seat next to me and my inner wolf starts to stir in excitement as it realizes that we're one step closer to finding our mate. "Yeah I'm good man. It's just that I met this amazing girl at the club on Friday and she had to leave before I got her name. I'm pretty sure she goes to this college though."
"I actually knew most of the people who were there. Describe her for me and I might be able to make a guess as to who it is, or at the very least keep my eyes peeled."
I gave him a description off her physical features and held all the other things my wolf sensed about her to myself. Towards the end I saw his eyes start to widen and he picks up his phone and starts scrolling through one of his social media accounts. I made a mental note to look into social media accounts that could help our pack blend in better with the human world. Finally he settles on a group photo that was posted during the first week of classes with the caption "Stop by the math tutoring center for all of your math related problems". He points his finger to a short girl on the end with the most angelic smile. All of the air gets knocked out of me and I can barely manage to say a confirmation that she is the girl I'm looking for.
"That's Annabelle and she works in the math tutoring center with me. You can find all of our hours posted in Morgan Hall."
"Annabelle" I say in awe.
"Yeah, everyone calls her Bell. I'm kinda surprised that she even talked to you at the club. She's a pretty introverted person who never approaches anyone, but is willing to talk to anyone who approaches her first and can hold a conversation. I also don't think she dates either."
I'm about to ask him a plethora of questions when the teacher starts talking at the front of the class, so I give him a small nod for a thanks instead. After class I head straight to the tutoring center.