The Bridge (Golden Lycans Sequel)

Eighteen

My eyes snap open.

I sit up abruptly, my breath coming in short, sharp gasps, though I’ve only just woken. Reaching for my phone, I check the time—just past six in the morning. I should be exhausted after so little sleep, yet I feel energised, alive.

Beside me, Christa remains undisturbed, her curls spilling across the pillow. My sudden movement, thankfully, hasn’t woken her.

I exhale and sink back down for a moment, my breathing steadying as my mind drifts to what happened just after midnight. One thought overpowers all others—that intoxicating scent. The scent of my mate, my destiny… my future.

Closing my eyes, I inhale deeply through my nose, hoping to catch even the faintest trace of it.

Nothing.

Did we imagine it? I ask Hera.

No, she reassures me. But we're inside our bedroom, Serena. If they’re an omega or a non-magical human, their scent may be harder to detect unless we're closer.

Quietly, I slide out of bed and stand before the wardrobe mirror, studying my reflection. I hold my gaze for a long moment, searching for any visible change. I feel different. Do I look different?

Lycans often grew another inch or more when they come of age, but I have no way to measure that right now.

Brushing the thought aside, I grab my uniform and dress in slow, deliberate movements, careful not to disturb Christa. By seven, I’m heading down to the hall, where I pour myself a cup of tea and settle into a random seat.

As I sip, I pull out my phone and send Serafina a birthday message before placing it face down on the table. But my thoughts refuse to stay on her. They drift, circling back to that scent—warm, familiar, and filled with promise.

Bergamot.

I’ve loved it since I was twelve, drinking it in my tea multiple times a day. But last night, it was more than just tea—it was my mate. My destiny.

There was something else woven into it, another note I couldn’t quite place. I won’t know for sure until I meet him, face to face.

For the next hour, I wait, anticipation coiling in my chest. I take deep, slow breaths through my nose, searching for even the faintest whisper of his scent.

But by eight o’clock, there’s still nothing.

Then, just as I’m about to lose hope, Christa arrives, her eyes scanning the room before they land on me.

"Happy birthday! Officially an adult now!" she says happily as she sits down next to me. She eyes my two empty mugs and the almost dry remains of my tea.

"Oh...how long have you been down here?" She asks.

"Since seven. I woke up at six," I reply.

"Wow, guess you must've been excited about your birthday? Or are you still feeling a bit off from last night?" she suggests.

"I feel great now. But I've still got three hours of computer science this morning, so it's not that exciting to be turning eighteen today," I reply as Christa sits down opposite me.

"Yeah I can't say my eighteenth birthday was that amazing while being at school. But I did meet you and what can I say? You've been a big gift to a few of us since you came into our lives," Christa says kindly. I smile at her and lean back in my chair.

"Have you ever considered that you have been my gift?" I ask her.

"Of course, there is no doubt," she jokes, "we should get food."

I nod and start breathing deeply through my nose as I rise from my chair. Lots of people are entering the hall now and he could enter soon...

Christa follows me to the food area and we select our food before going to sit at our usual table rather than where I'd been sat before.

The others soon come down for breakfast too, all wishing me a happy birthday as they too sit down with their food. Christa excuses herself for a few minutes at a point and I use this moment to do a circuit of the hall. I hope no one notices that I'm just wandering around through the tables, inhaling deeply as I go.

Hera...I'm getting nothing! I sigh

Maybe he doesn't eat breakfast?

You think there is a Lycan out there who intentionally misses a meal? I ask

Good point. Maybe he's ill? She suggests.

Maybe he's too young still? I suggest myself.

You sensed him. It was clear. He may be too young to sense YOU properly, but you SHOULD be able to find him!

After a few minutes I return to my seat with a dejected sigh. When I get back to the table I notice something unusual where my tray had been. I stand over it and I feel a smile going across my face at this sweet gesture.

"We got you a little present," Christa says, looking at me hopefully. I smile broadly now as I pick it up. It's a mug. On that mug is a beautiful design that makes up the face of a wolf. The design has elements of nature on it, music, a moon and the nights sky.

"I saw it online and I just knew I had to get it for our wolf," Christa says happily.

"I love it," I reply truthfully, still looking at it over and over.

"Can I go fill it with the good stuff?"

Finn's voice pulls me from my thoughts. I glance up to find him standing in front of me, his hand outstretched, waiting for my mug. His cheerful expression makes my heart stutter slightly, a reaction I really don’t need right now.

Despite sensing my mate at midnight, whatever I’ve been feeling for Finn lately hasn’t faded. If anything, it’s still very much there—an inconvenient truth that is surely going to complicate everything.

I pass him the mug, willing myself to act normal even though I feel anything but.

"Thank you," I say, unable to stop a smile from slipping through.

The fact that he returns it—warm, effortless—only makes my pulse race faster. I drop into my seat quickly, trying to get a grip on myself.

"Get any good presents?" Theo asks, his tone bright with curiosity.

"Just the mug," I reply happily. Presents aren’t really a Lycan tradition. Birthdays are about spending time with loved ones, not material gifts.

"Is this thing tonight something we need to dress up for?" Joel asks between bites of sausage.

"No, just come as you are," I tell them.

"Cool. It'll be nice to meet your family," Stacey chimes in, "you're so... you, that we all often wonder what the rest of your family is like."

I snort.

"Interesting. Honestly, they’re pretty normal. I’m known as the odd one in the family."

Finn returns then, placing my mug—now full—on the table. I accept it gratefully.

"Maybe one day, I'll finally get to make you one," I tease, "maybe when it’s your birthday."

He shakes his head with a broad smile.

"No."

I blink.

"Why not? I can make it very well! When is it? Has it already passed?"

He chuckles, pausing before answering.

"It is today."

I stare at him.

"Wait, what? We share the same birthday? Why did no one tell me? Did we even get you a gift? No one mentioned it—I’m so sorry!" The words tumble out before I can stop them.

Finn just laughs.

"Serena, relax," he waves a hand dismissively, "I am going home later for my birthday, and I do not like anyone mentioning it—especially here, at school."

"Oh." I sink back in my chair. A quiet pang of disappointment settles in my chest. He won’t be at the gathering tonight. It makes sense, of course, but I still wish he were going.

"Well… happy birthday," I say, giving him a small nod.

His expression softens.

"I am sorry I will not be there this evening for yours—"

"What? No! Don’t be," I interrupt, shaking my head. "I hope you have a great time with your family."

I turn away then, my eyes sweeping over the room, but my thoughts are stuck in place.

Maybe I did imagine last night...

..

I walk to computer science with Finn, silently wishing the three-hour classes would go back to two, two-hour sessions. It was only during the programming module that the length felt painfully tedious.

Thankfully, my suffering was greatly eased by the fact that I shared this class with Finn.

As we enter the classroom, Louis turns in his chair, his eyes locking onto me as I pass. He inhales sharply, his expression shifting into something that makes my skin crawl.

"Ohh... damn, Alpha, it hit you good," he mutters just low enough that only a Lycan could hear.

I shudder internally.

What did I ever see in him? He was beautiful, sure—but it was all surface-level. Smoke and mirrors designed to lure in unsuspecting she-wolves. Underneath, there was nothing of substance.

I log into my computer, waiting for it to load. Inhaling deeply through my nose, I find nothing. No trace of the scent from last night. At least I can be certain it isn’t one of the Lycans in this room.

Thank the goddess.

"I was wondering about next weekend," Finn says hesitantly beside me, passing me an earbud like he always does. I turn to him, slightly confused.

"...Sailing?" he clarifies.

"Ohhh…yes, you want to go," I say, as if reminding myself, "next weekend...that sounds great..."

I do want to go.

Desperately.

But a small voice in the back of my mind wonders—will I be too lost in a whirlwind romance with my mate by then?

"The only catch is… if possible, I would like to leave before sunrise," he says carefully.

I pull out my phone, checking the tide app.

"How come? I mean, waiting a few hours would be way better for the tide, especially where we’d be launching from..."

"It is… complicated," he says, clearly reluctant to elaborate, "I will explain on the day. But—do you still want to go?"

He looks at me with those startlingly clear blue eyes, his expression uncertain.

My heart stumbles.

The idea of sailing with Finn sounds perfect, but encouraging these feelings seems foolish when I’m almost certain I sensed my mate last night.

Almost.

The certainty I had at midnight is fading by the hour.

...Do not be afraid...

Sen’s words echo in my mind, grounding me to this moment, right here. Because, in front of me is someone real. Tangible. Someone I like—truly like. Someone I want to spend more time with.

He is here.

"Very much," I say with a smile, "you should be warned, though—I’m a mean captain."

Finn laughs.

"Well, it has been so long since I played skipper, so you will be fully in charge."

We settle into class, the next twenty minutes dragging by in a haze of dull coding exercises. Eventually, I turn to Finn with a teasing grin.

"So, what are you doing for your birthday? A cheeky Nando’s?"

He lets out a short laugh.

"I do not know what a cheeky Nando’s is. But, since my mother has not been well, it will just be a casual family dinner at home. I have not seen my sister, Lottie, for weeks—she is at a boarding school in London—so it will be nice to catch up."

"Sounds decent. Ordering in?"

"No, we have a chef," he replies, casually, before clearing his throat awkwardly.

I raise an eyebrow.

"A chef? Wow. So fancy," I smirk, "sometimes, Finn, I forget that you’re probably stupidly rich."

He tilts his head, intrigued.

"Why do you forget?"

"Because you’re so normal. Especially compared to the other rich kids here. You find joy in the simple things—you’re not flashy or obnoxious about it. Like music, for example. You don’t just listen to it, you feel it. I see it on your face when you’re lost in a song. Like two tracks ago, for example—you were so into it."

He looks surprised, almost taken aback.

"Serena," he says seriously, "there is nothing simple about the way The Edge played the guitar in that song."

I burst out laughing. He grins.

"See? That’s exactly what I mean!" I shake my head, still smiling, "you, sir, are incredibly normal—and delightfully so."

Finn watches me for a beat, something soft and unspoken in his gaze.

"Well," he says finally, "it is very easy to be that way around you, Serena."

His smile is warm, lingering...and for just a short moment, I forget all about last night.

..

After computer science class I go back to my room and sit out on the balcony, contemplating what has been going on inside me lately.

I consider going to see Sen and asking her if she can see signs of a mate bond in my aura...but I'm starting to doubt it even happened at all at this moment.

Why can't I sense them?

I needed to figure it out soon, because in the meantime, I am now going sailing next weekend, alone with Finn, my human crush.

Who is more real to me right now than a scent I am starting to believe I was misreading anyway.

I sigh and look out over the grounds, wondering where I can find a good amount of Lycan males to be in the vicinity of.

As if by chance I spot the broad shouldered figure of Finn, out for a run in the grounds below after three hours cooped up at a computer station.

I am surprised we got anything done today with how much we chatted. I smile at that fact while watching him...and I can't help but enjoy the way he looks in a t-shirt and shorts while displaying his clear athleticism...stop it Serena!

I shut my eyes and immediately shrink back into the bedroom before he can spot me staring at him from the balcony...but checking out Finn in his workout clothing has actually given me an idea.

The gym.

The place every male Lycan must go to on a Friday...surely?

I hastily get changed into my own workout gear and take off out the door. I take the staircase two at a time down to the atrium. I head down the sports corridor and take another turning until I get to the double doors that lead into the gym.

Right. hopefully he ends up in here at some point today, I tell Hera.

You're going to spend your free afternoon on your birthday in the GYM? Usually people spend it down the pub on their eighteenth, Hera comments dryly.

We have to find him, Hera.

I know and this is a good plan, but I'm starting to doubt things myself.

No Hera, it was BERGAMOT, it HAS to mean something!

I go through the doors and immediately inhale the air of the gym.

Well, this place officially smells absolutely disgusting, I tell Hera.

Indeed, it is not a good smell, particularly today with our improved sense of smell.

I get on one of the treadmills as they're quite central in the room and I start to run on it, my eyes fixed on the door.

I run, and I run, and I breathe through my nose constantly. I lose track of time as I see people coming and going, my eyes remaining fixed on the doors.

I see Joel appear at a point and he waves at me from the door. I wave back briefly but continue to sprint on the treadmill.

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA...what is wrong with you, woman?" I hear Joel say from the side of me a few minutes later. I look toward him wondering why he's saying that to me. I stop the treadmill and take out my earbuds.

"Is that correct, on there?" Joel asks, pointing to the display, his expression strange. I look down at it and I raise my eyebrows in surprise. I've been running for over four hours and I've apparently run forty eight miles. I look at Joel and he's looking back at me like I'm some sort of alien.

"Umm...yeah...sometimes I just have to run," I shrug.

"You missed lunch on your eighteenth birthday to run allost two marathons in the school gym? In a stupidly good time, I might add," Joel asks. This does look incredibly weird and suspicious.

"I missed lunch?" I exclaim, which is more of an important issue to me right now.

The hot man is right, time is up. Take me outside so I can find a rabbit, Hera growls in my mind.

"Well, I'd better go...start getting ready for this evening..." I say to him as I step off the treadmill.

"Serena, are you okay? You have been acting a little off the past few days," Joel asks, furrowing his brow a little. I nod my head a little too vigorously.

"Yep. Super."

He looks at me skeptically and then points at me keenly.

"You have...boy trouble," he states with a c****d brow. I feel my cheeks burn immediately.

"No, Joel, I...don't..." I mutter with a shake of my head before I walk away from him, not wanting to divulge anything. I exit the gym and I head back to the atrium. I jog out of the entrance and along the beaten track around the perimeter until I get to a decent bush to shift behind. I take off my gym clothes and I swiftly transform into Hera. She bounds off along the perimeter, away from prying eyes. She trots down to the stream and peers in at her reflection.

This definitely wasn't a dream either, Hera comments.

You look so beautiful Hera, but why are you now white? I ask curiously.

I've heard of us sometimes changing colour when we come of age, but into white? It's a rare colour at the best for times, Hera states.

Hera trots off happily along the river and begins to hunt for rabbits.

She manages to catch a few, which does go towards blunting the developing hunger we have from missing a meal. She has just caught the third near the edge of the sports field when she stops.

I know why, for the captivating scent now hits my nose too, immediately invigorating my olfactory nerve.

It's real, he's out there! Hera says, charging forwards toward the scent and out into the open field in broad daylight.

HERA! I yell internally, forcing her to stop in her tracks.

But it's our mate, Serena! He's been out here!

I know, and we will find him, but we can't be seen like this! We are very big and pure white, I'm the daylight too we are VERY noticeable, I plead.

Hera slips back into the bushes and stares out to the building before us.

Whoever he is, he's on the other side of that wall, she says.

Okay well let's shift back and we will go check out where that is, I explain.

Hera bounds back to where we shifted and I'm shortly a naked eighteen year old girl in a bush. I'm just hastily putting back on my bra when I pause. I inhale through my nose and I pause again.

Hera...I think we can only smell him in YOUR form, I say, hoping I'm wrong.

I toss my bra back onto my pile of clothes and I shift back into Hera. She raises her nose to the air immediately and breathes in deeply through her keen nose. The wonderful bergamot and...is that patchouli now too? The scent fills our nose and invigorates our other senses now too. I feel our wolf heart beating twice as hard and the instinct to run toward the smell is so very strong.

...I shift back to my human form.

I inhale...smelling only the fresh air and the earthy scent of nature around me. The subconscious urge to find the source of the smell has also now promptly vanished.

I can't find him in human form! I panic.

This is very strange. I am not sure what to suggest, Hera replies meekly.

We can only find him in our wolf form...and it's not like we can just run around the school like this! I reply sadly.

I put my clothes on and go back into school.

...

I enter my room and Christa is there, looking ready for this evening already.

"There you are! Isn't your thing in about twenty minutes?" she asks as I put my bag down on my bed. I check my watch...she's right.

"Today has gone fast," I mutter as I start removing my clothes. I take out a casual navy jersey dress from my wardrobe and pull it on.

"Where were you at lunch? Are you okay?" Christa asks as I let down my long hair and brush it. I then start smoothing some curling mousse through it to liven up my natural curls.

"I got a bit sidetracked in the gym, you know how it is," I shrug.

"No, I absolutely do not," she jokes, "but hey, it's nice to see our tomboy in a dress."

I'm about to say something back when there is a knock at the door.

I get up and open the door, a little surprised to see my dad standing outside dressed in a light blue shirt and dark jeans. He walks in and spots Christa and looks a little taken aback for a moment. Probably because she's human, I guess.

"Hey dad...this is Christa, my friend from law class," I explain. Christa stands up and shoots dad her best smile.

"Yes, we've actually met before," he says with a quizzical look.

"Oh...well...great," I reply awkwardly. Dad turns to me and looks at me fondly.

"Eighteen," he says simply, his eyes looking a little mistier than I would ever like to see.

"Yep," I say happily. He reaches into his back pocket and produces a little box.

"Your mother and I are off to see Serafina this evening. Going to finally meet Scott, too. This is from your mother and I. Traditionally we give you all a necklace for your eighteenth, one that doesn't go missing," he explains. What he is implying is that the necklace is enchanted and stays put even when we have shifted. I take the box from him and open it up. I make a noise of approval as I bring the necklace out of the box. It is a treble clef charm surrounded by a cluster of stars, each with a small moonstone within the centre.

"We had this custom designed by a friend. You have too many likes, hobbies, skills...But music has been your biggest love since you could talk and pick up anything that would make a noise. The stars... because, well, that's our thing," he says, sounding oddly choked up, right now. I step forward and embrace him tightly.

"I love it, it's perfect. Thank you for seeing that in me," I tell him. Christa takes the necklace from me and gestures for me to turn so she can put it on for me.

"It's cute and...it is so very you," Christa says, looking down closer at it.

"Well, have a lovely evening with Aus, Ella and Ollie," Dad tells me before he turns to Christa, "thank you, Ms Montague."

He exits the room and I go and look at my new necklace around my neck in the mirror. I smile as I touch it, because it also reminds me of the best night of my life, singing around a campfire and looking up at the millions of stars above...Finn's expression as he looked at me through the flames.

I shake my head and feel an ache in my heart about how conflicted I am. I needed to focus on finding my mate.

Christa and I walk together to the botanical garden.

"I've never actually been here," Christa admits.

"Why? It's my favourite place in the whole school aside from our balcony and the gym," I ask.

"I don't know, I just haven't. But today is as good a day as any," she says happily as I swipe my keycard on the security panel. The doors open and we step through. I walk with a rather impressed looking Christa to the middle of the expansive structure.

"Happy Birthday!" I hear a chorus of familiar voices. I smile happily as I see Austin, Ella and Ollie standing near Stacey, Alice, Theo and Joel under the great wisteria tree.

"Thanks guys, it is so good to see you all here," I exclaim, feeling quite made up at the sight of them all.

There are picnic blankets on the grassy ground under the tree, and this is where we all sit down. Austin has made delicious BBQ pulled pork and cheese baguettes teamed with a strange beverage of choice, which is champagne. We tuck into these happily and they are delicious.

"Well this is probably the best baguette I've ever had," Joel remarks with a satisfied noise, "and I've been to New York."

"The BBQ sauce is homemade," Austin says proudly, finishing off his own.

"Well if you decide to sell this stuff, I'll happily be your poster boy," Joel grins.

"So...are there any of your group missing?" Ella asks randomly.

"Oh yes, Finn isn't here. It's his birthday today too so he's spending the evening with his family," Christa informs them.

"Ah, maybe we will get to meet him some other time," Ella replies.

"Yeah, probably not, he's quite shy," Theo says with a loud laugh. Shy? No. Standoffish at first, yes, but Finn definitely wasn't shy.

"He is not shy, guarded is the word I would use," I say to Ella. She tilts her head and looks at me and I quickly look away and try and wipe my mind, as such.

I already had one faerie poking around in there about Finn, I didn't need two.

"So, we know we don't usually do gifts in our family, but...we got you something," Austin says, wandering around behind the tree for a moment before coming back around again carrying what is quite clearly a guitar wrapped up in wrapping paper.

I jump up immediately and go to him and he presents it to me. I hastily unwrap it and stare open mouthed at the thing of beauty inside. A brand new acoustic Yamaha.

"Oh my, Aus! It's GORGEOUS!" I declare, looking at it up close before holding it against myself and doing a full strum across the strings followed by a dodgy expression, "it needs some desperate tuning though."

Austin laughs at this and nods, "we know you love your current guitar, but you've had it since you were ten so it's a bit small for you now. I know how often you use it, so it seemed like a pretty solid investment."

"I love it," I grin, looking at it fondly.

A short time later, Sen appears with a moderate sized chocolate fudge cake, my favourite kind of cake, with a one and eight candle proudly lit in the middle.

"I hope I've done this correctly," she says as she tentatively steps forward.

"Wow is that Ella's mum?" Christa whispers to me. I giggle and shake my head.

"No, her name is Sen, she teaches botany here and maintains the garden. I can see why you'd think that, though."

"Well, does the birthday girl have a wish?" Ella says, taking the cake from Sen and turning toward me.

To find our mate...to turn off my feelings for Finn as they're not helpful right now! I say to Hera.

No. Just wish for your TRUE mate, that is all we need to wish for, Hera replies.

I blow out the candles as everyone around me sings happy birthday and right then I have to admit, I think the next year is going to be my best one yet.