How I met my Mate - being a Human

Mary It had just become spring and the apple tree outside my window was beginning to bloom. I had been watching this tree grow for almost 27 years. Since I was six months old, I had been living at an orphanage. I never met my parents, I was found as a baby on the doorstep of the orphanage. The manager of the orphanage was a strict woman, she was in her mid-forties and had dark hair which she usually wore in a bun. Her name was Savina Black and we were only allowed to address her as Ms. Black. I didn't know any other home than the orphanage. It wasn't much. It was always a bit chilly in winter and Ms. Black was usually in a bad mood. But I had my own room and earned my own money. The sun was just rising behind "my" apple tree, which was already bearing its first blossoms. I would be leaving this room today. The only home I had ever known. The orphanage was a 7-storey building with a dark gray facade. On the bottom floor was the kitchen, dining room, two bathrooms and a common room. On the second floor was Ms. Black's office, two study rooms, a bathroom and my room. The other floors housed the children's rooms, as well as one bathroom on each floor. Each child had their own room. It wasn't very big, it had just a small wardrobe and a bed in it. But it was a retreat for each child. The furniture was all donated and sometimes in a terrible state. Clothes were also all worn out and mostly donated. When I was about 13 years old, Ms. Black took us same aged kids together and educated us about the world around us. We lived on the border of a werewolf pack territory. That's right. WEREWOLVES. At the time, I thought I had misheard and that it was a joke. Until Ms. Black turned into a wolf right before our eyes. I had nightmares about it for weeks afterward. Seeing Ms. Black's hands turn into paws and her face turns into that of a wolf. She had growled at us and had been much bigger than a 'normal' wolf. The orphanage had been built right on the border of the wolf pack. We were therefore on the human side. Why it wasnt on the pack territory was never explains to me. So, of course, it was a big shock for me at 13 to find out something like that. I had read books about werewolves, but they were just fantasy stories. We were strictly forbidden to talk about it outside the orphanage. Not that I had anyone to tell. At the age of 13, kids began to show if the were a werewolf. Adult werewolves could smell it. Also the senses of those children began to sharpen, and they became stronger, although the first shift didn't take place until the 18th birthday. Due to my intelligence and quick perception, it wasn't clear at first whether I could also be a werewolf. However, I didn't smell like a wolf, so when I didn't shift at the age of 18, it was clear that I was "just" a human. A smart human, but still just a human. I also never shifted after 18, which proofed it even more As I didn't know my parents, I didn't know whether they were human or not. It always made me feel like a second-choice human. Although, strictly speaking, they weren't humans, they were wolves. WEREWOLVES. Whether at school or at home, I always got a clear vibe that I was beneath the wolves. As I was rather small and slim, I didn't fit the image of a big, strong wolf anyway. Those who showed all the signs of being wolves were taken to the pack house. I don't know what was discussed there and what happened to them, because as a human, nobody tells me anything. Most of those who came back from the packhouse were more arrogant afterwards. They usually had a strong dislike of me or the only other human child in the orphanage. One boy in particular had it in for me in my childhood. Tom. He and his entourage had particularly hated me since the conversation with Ms. Black, which they had before me because they were two years older than me. They insulted me at every opportunity and showed me that I was worth nothing in their opinion. They also hit me a few times and gave me bruises because of their strength. Violence was the one thing that was not tolerated in the orphanage. Ms. Black dealt with it harshly, so I have never been physically abused ever since. However, I will never forget the way Tom looked at me. "Worthless, weak, human" he had called me. Shortly afterward, he and his little gang turned 18 and left to join the pack. There were still insults after that, mainly because I was one of the few humans there. However, my fear of werewolves remained. They were always physically superior to me and in their hierarchy I was always below them. The tormenting got better when I took the job as a cook. Most of them were probably afraid I would spit on their food. At 18, those who turned into werewolves became part of the pack and moved out of the home. The only other human child besides me moved out at 18. I never heard from him again. When I finished school, the home was looking for a new cook. Each of the children in the home had a chore to do. Whether it was washing, cleaning or cooking, everyone had to help, even arrogant Tom. I have always loved being in the kitchen. That's why I made the agreement with Ms. Black. The orphanage would pay for my education as a cook and baker and I would take over the job and stay for 3 years after my education until it was paid off. I finished my education at 22 and my debts were paid off at 25. After that, I tried to find a "normal" job in the city and move out of the orphanage. But I didn't find anything. I had written hundreds of applications, but no one wanted to hire me. The orphanage had a bad reputation and no one wanted to hire me. People in the city were judgmental. Again, I felt like I was only the second choice. My new goal was to save money and then leave this place. Then I wanted to start again at a beautiful place in the world and find a job there. Maybe then I would also fall in love. That was something that hasn't been written in the stars for me yet. However, two weeks ago, Ms. Black came and terminated my job as a cook because she was giving it out to someone else. In the same breath, she told me that I could start as a cook at the packhouse. The pack house was something like the center of life for the werewolves. It was in the middle of their territory. The werewolves who had a rank and were at the top of the hierarchy usually lived there too. All the other wolfes just hung out there most of the time. Ms. Black had taught us the basics about werewolves so that we didn't misbehave and knew the rules in case someone from the pack came to visit. Fortunately, this had happened very rarely so far. The top person in the pack was the alpha, he was the leader of the pack, so to speak. His partner was the Luna and was his equal. The second in command was the Beta, he was the Alpha's deputy. He was followed by the Gamma, then the "warriors". I always found it a bit strange to talk about a warrior. In the world of werewolves, there was a lot of fighting, and so they probably needed them, as well as the pecking order of the pack. (Not that anyone would tell me about it!) What Ms. Black also taught us, was the story of mates. Werewolves were granted a mate by their goddess (the moon goddess). These mates were a perfect match. Mostly they found each other after the first shifted into a werewolf, at 18, but there were also wolves who spent years looking for their mate. Most of the time, the mates were both werewolves, but sometimes werewolves were also mated to humans. The attraction between the mates was very strong, both physically and psychologically. As soon as the connection was recognized, a bond formed between the two mates. They then sensed each other's feelings and felt a strong physical attraction to each other. That was something I envied the werewolves for, they knew immediately if it was the right one for them. They didn't have to go from date to date like humans and hope to find the right one. I'd only dated one person before, but unfortunately it didn't turn out good.