My Long Lost Mate

"What do you mean?" I frowned.

"Just... I don't know," he faltered, taking the snow on the ground to his hands and molding it to a round shape, "He went missing. Do you remember when I said that my mother died of an illness?" he asked, and I nodded almost immediately. "A few days after she passed, my father was nowhere to be seen. He left everything behind without saying any words to the pack. His title, his belongings, his son."

While he was talking, I noticed the hint of sadness in his red eyes. I could see it clearly in his eyes—the fact that he did not despise his father but longed for him. I stayed quiet, waiting for him to continue his story.

"He left me when I needed him the most," he grimaced, "I was only fifteen then. I haven't even found my wolf yet—it was still asleep inside me. That's why Andrew's father, who at that time was the beta, decided to replace my father's position until I turned sixteen, the age where my wolf would finally be awake and I would have the ability to shift." 

When I saw him with droopy shoulders and a lowered head, I couldn't push the urge to hug him away, so I hugged him. I pulled him to a hug and patted his back, "It must have been hard for you." 

It took some time for him to finally returned my hug and said, "It was hard. I was lost—both of my parents left me in a span of a few days, and I didn't know what to do. Though I have spent my whole life preparing myself to be the alpha, losing both of my parents out of nowhere was a big blow to me. I have always lived my life according to what they wanted me to do, so when I finally encountered a situation where I need to decide things by myself, I realized that I couldn't—because I have never done that before."

He then broke the hug and pushed me gently away, "You must have thought that I'm weird, right?" he chuckled, "What kind of a man can't decide for himself? But it was really because of the way I was raised. I was raised like I was living as a horse, while my father, he was the one to ride. He was the one who controlled all the things that I have to do, whether it be how fast should I run, jump, or even when to stop."

"Did you hate him?" 

"A little," he said, "My mother always said that he only wants the best for our family, that he didn't want anyone to look down on his only son which was why he trained me to be the best in everything. She said that it was his way of showing his love for me, but I don't think that was the case at all."

"So you are a lot like me," I let out a sour laugh, saying, "We both lost our parents."

In a way, we were similar, but at the same time different. Though we both went through the horrible loss, our circumstances were the complete opposite. While he was someone who was held high in regard, I was not. He was expected to be someone great, while I—well, was probably expected to die a miserable death. 

I now realized the importance of our surrounding environment when in the process of growing up. It was an unfortunate occurrence that his father left, but had he stayed, Luke would not be the man he was today. He would only be a puppet to his father, always controlled by his demands. 

"Unfortunately," he chuckled. He then stood up and brushed his pants, "Now, let us stop talking about sad things and just spend the rest of our night with some fun, shall we?" he said, holding his hand out for me to hold. 

"And what do you plan to do?" I asked, standing up after receiving his help. 

He smiled when hearing my question, pulling me by my hand towards the frozen lake. Walking closer towards the lake, he was the first to step into the slippery ice while I stayed on the snowy ground.

"Let's have a little race," he suggested, sending me his cheeky smile, "The first one to reach the middle of the lake will be the winner, and the loser shall grant the winner a wish."

By the look on his face, it seemed that he was sure that he would win this race and got his wish granted by me. But unfortunately, I didn't have any wishes. So joining this race would only bring me harm and no good. 

"I don't have anything to ask for," I shrugged, shaking my head. He must have not expected me to refuse his suggestion as his mouth turned into a pout, and his eyebrows drew together into a frown. I laughed at his reaction, thinking that there must be something that he badly wants from me.

"Maybe you can keep it until you found your wish?" he appealed, not wanting to lose this chance. Looking at the man who was so eager to have his wish granted, I soon complied. I mean, what was the worst that could happen from granting his wish? 

I followed Luke to the frozen lake, stepping my feet on top of the ice for the first time. As soon as I stepped my feet on the ice, I almost slipped at how slippery it was if not for Luke who was quick to catch me. 

"Oh! I didn't know it would be this slippery!" I quickly regretted my decision as I held Luke's hand for support, wanting to return to the safe snowy ground. Luke had little to no problem with balancing himself on the ice, so I thought it would not be that slippery. How wrong I was. 

"There is no going back once a decision is made, young lady," he grinned, blocking my way of escape. Now, he was completely certain that he would win this race. "On the count of three," he suddenly announced, leaving me flabbergasted. 

"One... two.... th—umph!" 

"Wait!" I covered his lips with my hands, stopping him from counting any further. "Don't you think you should give me a little advantage? I am wearing a dress, and this is my first time stepping into the ice," I pleaded, blinking my eyes at the man, "And I also need a little time to practice." 

When met with the actual race, I couldn't help but have the urge to win even when I didn't have any wishes to ask for. I just didn't want to lose after seeing the smug expression on Luke's face. 

"I'll let you start three seconds early," he offered, being generous because he was confident about taking the win, "Deal?"

Not satisfied with the deal, I raised my palm and held out the number five, "How about five?

"No, five is too—" he tried to refuse but stopped when he felt me tugging the hem of his shirt, pouting while tilting my head a little, "Fine. Five seconds." 

The pout on my face immediately turned into a smile, feeling a little confident about taking the win because of the advantage given. But still, with my current skating ability, those five seconds would only bring me a little distance away from the starting point. Luke would catch up to me in a matter of seconds, leaving me behind and taking the win all for himself. I need a plan. 

After using a few minutes to practice, the race soon came to a start. We were now standing on the snowy ground, the agreed starting point. Before we started, Luke had placed a giant snowball by the middle of the lake, using it to indicate where our finish line would be. I set my eyes on the snowball, glaring at it as if wanting to melt it with my fiery glare. 

"Ready?" 

"Ready," I confirmed. 

"On the count of three," he said before starting to count, "One... two... three!" 

As promised, Luke gave me a head start while he waited until five seconds to pass before starting to skate through the ice. The moment I stepped my feet on the ice, it was as if my body started dancing without my will.

My whole body was flailing, and I realized all the practice I did before gave little to no help—although it was understandable because I only spent minutes to practice. I asked for a longer time to practice, but Luke didn't let me. I bet he was scared that I would win this race once I got the hang of it. 

While I was focused on balancing my body, five seconds had passed. Luke, who was counting for the five seconds to end, finally started to join the race. Did he count it right? How did five seconds go by so fast? I was still only a few steps away! 

In a flash, Luke went past me and sent me a smirk as he did. When I saw him with the mocking smirk on his face, my dėsɨrė to win skyrocketed. I will definitely wipe that smirk off him. 

I started to hasten my pace, wanting to close the distance between us. As the distance between us decreased, I reached out my hands and grabbed his shirt. I pulled on his shirt, causing him to slow down, and soon, we were standing side by side. 

Knowing that he would still outrun me the moment I let go of his shirt, I decided to jump on his back and cling onto him. 

"Hey!" he shouted.