Wolf Like Me

Leah POV (Age 10)

They’re ten when Fatin’s alpha side begins to change. It was small things; she became more protective of Leah and her brothers. 

As soon as the first, Ahmad, was born she became warier of other alphas. Then when the second, Kemar, was born Fatin went into full protective sister mode. 

She had even yelled at the nurse to give them space when her mother had still been in the hospital with the Kemar in her arms. Leah had to drag Fatin away to the vending machine and soothe her annoyance with chocolate milk. Over time Leah had learned that sweet things were a great way to mellow her mate. Fatin calmed and asked her mum to let Leah hold Kemar as she sipped her milk.

However, there were other things that changed too. Fatin began to store all this pent-up energy that Leah could read like a book. She fidgeted, unable to sit still and all Leah could do was watch with a frown. Her mate was not in pain, but she was uncomfortable. 

Rana noticed it a couple of weeks after Leah. 

The pair sat in the living room as Leah did her homework on the floor. Fatin was meant to be rehearsing her cello piece, but her legs bounced and she kept getting frustrated over the smallest things. Eventually, she lost her temper, throwing the bow across the room. It clattered against the wall before hitting the floor.

“Fatin! Your equipment is expensive.” Rana strode into the room with Ahmad on her hip, annoyance painted across her features. 

“I can’t get it right!” 

“That is why you rehearse. You do not need to ruin things that you have not paid for.”

“Then maybe you should play it instead!” Fatin snapped; fists curled as her eyes glowed slightly. 

“Room. Now.” 

“But Leah is here!” 

“Now, Fatin. Leah can continue her homework down here whilst you sit and think about your actions.” 

“But Leah-”

“Move.” 

With a huff Fatin rose, forcefully placing her cello down as she stomped across the living room and up the stairs to her bedroom. It was petulant, dramatic, and not like Fatin. Whilst Leah knew she often acted up when she wasn’t around -their mothers loved to gossip- Fatin would never do so around Leah. 

She had never seen Fatin argue with Rana like that. Obviously, Leah had seen mild disagreements but never one that Fatin refused to back down on. Even as she stalked away, she was muttering and talking back to her. Her mate was cocky and confident, but Fatin wasn’t rude. Especially to her mum. 

“I’m sorry about that Leah. I don’t know what’s gotten into her today.” Rana pinched the skin between her brows with a sigh. She bounced Ahmad, shushing him gently as he cried.

“Her scent is changing.” 

“What?” 

“Her scent is different. She has too much energy and keeps getting frustrated over small things. Yesterday she yelled at Kenny Dwyer because he got glitter all over the glue stick. Then the day before that she threw a chicken nugget at Amanda’s head because she wouldn’t pass her the ketchup.”

Rana paused. “Her scent has changed?” 

“Yes.” 

“Oh, I hadn’t noticed.” 

“It’s not a huge difference. She smells earthier.” Leah liked the change; it was like the smell of the forest after the first fall of rain. It reminded her of camping trips and autumn nights. 

“Maybe I should look at getting her into sports. My siblings were all omegas growing up, so my family never had to deal with young alphas with too much energy.” 

“That would probably help. She was better on Tuesday after dodgeball in gym.” 

“Perhaps not dodgeball, that might hurt her wrist for cello.” 

“Our school has soccer practices on Wednesday, Friday, and the weekends when Fatin isn’t practicing.”

“Soccer? That could work.”

Leah nodded. “Please could I go up and sit with her? She hasn’t been feeling good this week. Everything’s off.” 

“Of course. Can you bring her math homework up though? Maybe help her out, she’s left it until the last minute again.” 

“Okay.”

“Thank you, Leah.”

The next week Leah sat on the bleachers with Rana and the boys at Fatin’s first practice. 

Normally Leah hated sport, but seeing Fatin out there in a uniform and cleats made her look unstoppable. She couldn’t look away. 

“If you need me to drive you home just let me know. Their practice is a couple of hours long.” 

“It’s okay. I have my book.” However, the book that lay nestled in her palm didn’t catch her attention like it normally did. Instead, she watched Fatin warming up with a smile on her face. 

They often felt the light simmer of one another’s emotions. Bonds were magical things designed so that mates knew when their partner or partners were in danger, needed protection, or felt low. Leah had felt Fatin’s discomfort for weeks now, the energy of it building in her chest like a ticking time bomb. 

So now, as Fatin began to run warm-up drills across the soccer pitch, she finally felt that tightness easing as a smile lit her mate's face. 

“She’s happier.” 

Rana chuckled. “I still find it hard sometimes to remember that you two already have a bond. It’s a lot to deal with at any age. When I met Fatin’s father, I was in such a bad state. I was tired, sleep deprived, and crying nonstop. It pained me that when we met, he had to face the weight of all those emotions too. What was my burden became his. Saying that sharing these emotional burdens helps in a way. Not feeling alone in our thoughts. But regardless, it’s a lot for anyone to cope with. Weighing up the emotions of two instead of one. I’m proud of you both, Leah. The way you’re both so young yet balance one another even when it pains you. I’m glad my daughter has you to support her.” 

“Normally it’s Fatin supporting me,” Leah mumbled, blushing. 

“No. You may not see all that you do for her, but I do. Fatin is all the better for having you as her mate.” 

“Sometimes I feel bad she got stuck with me.”

Frowning, Rana looked at the small girl who was watching her mate trip up a beta on a tackle that must have been dodgy because the coach blew her whistle. 

“Leah, Fatin could not have found a better mate.”

“I don’t think other people think that.” 

“Other people’s opinions mean nothing compared to the decision of fates. There is no better person for you both out there than each other. There will always be people who complain, be it because they’re jealous or just mean, but the fates know exactly what they’re doing. I have seen more than enough to know they have paired you both perfectly. I love my daughter, but she is cocky and bull-headed just as her father was. Overly confident alphas need grounding, stability, and calm.”

“Boring,” Leah corrected, shoulders slumping. 

“No. Different, not boring. Everyone has different interests and as you get older many will change. People that all used to like the same thing will grow apart and change. Interests change. Different is not boring. It’s something to be proud of, and those differences may take you all sorts of places you never would have expected.”

Leah nodded, watching with a smile as Fatin barged into another player sending them flying. 

“Should we be worried about that?” Rana asked. 

“No. She’s happy.” 

The young wolf was, even as she finished- caked in mud from head to toe. Grass stuck out of her hair and stained her white shirt green, and she smelled like she had plastered earth on herself. 

“Hug?” Fatin said, reaching out her arms. 

“No. You’re so gross.” Leah chuckled, pushing her mate back.

“Come on, just one hug.” 

“No, you’re like a sewer monster.” 

Fatin lifted her arms, making a zombie noise as she followed her mate. 

“Don’t, you’re disgusting. Take your shoes off before you get in the car, I’ll get your hoodie.” 

“So demanding,” Fatin groaned. 

Leah helped her mate untie her shoes, pulled them off, and chucked them into the bag. “Ew, your socks are wet.” 

Wriggling her toes, Fatin grinned. “Do you want to take them off too?”

“I’d rather eat a bowl of worms.” 

“Gross.” 

“Fatin stop winding Leah up, your feet are repulsive right now. Get them in the car, towel them down, and put your clean shoes on.” 

“Both of you are so annoying.” 

Leah smiled, taking her seat on the other side of the car. 

Soccer became a regular thing. Each week Leah would watch her play at least once, enjoying the time she could sit in the open air watching her mate slowly growing more confident on the field. Though Leah hated sports, she grew to find football interesting and would even watch it on television as long as it was the women’s team playing. 

“Why does the women’s team play so much better than the men’s team?” 

“Because many of them are gay,” Fatin said around a mouthful of chips without faltering. “Gay people have superpowers.” 

“I don’t think that’s true,” Leah frowned in confusion. 

“I don’t know, have you seen me on a field?” 

“What do you mean?”

“I have gay superpowers.” 

“You’re gay?” Leah froze at the admission.

Fatin laughed so hard she almost choked on her crisps. “You realise that you’re my mate, right? We’re both girls. I don’t think either of us is straight.” 

Her brain whirled for a moment thinking about it. Leah wasn’t straight if Fatin was her mate. She knew that one wolf in her class had gay dads, but it still wasn’t common where they lived. Gay wolves were often accepted but Leah heard comments on occasion. People on television said mean things as if they knew better than the fates. 

“I- I’m gay?” 

Fatin broke out into another fit of laughter. “Just a bit. Don’t worry. You’ll get superpowers too.” 

“Like what?” 

“Uncle Abe said gay people have fashion superpowers. He said that they are really good at making bread too.” 

“Bread?” 

“Uh-huh.” 

“I’m gay,” Leah repeated loudly just as Rana walked in with surprise registering on her face. 

“I can’t say I’m shocked,” Rana said, looking between the pair. “Are you both okay in here?” 

“Yes. I was just telling Leah about our gay superpowers.” 

“Your what?” 

“Uncle Abe said that-”

Rana tensed her jaw, pulling her phone out to ring her brother. “What on earth have you been telling her now?” 

“Ooh,” Fatin tensed. “He’s in trouble.” 

“I’m gay,” Leah said again in pure shock. Though, truly the fact should not have been all that surprising. 

When Leah got home, she swallowed the lump in her throat and paced in front of her parents who sat on the sofa anxiously awaiting what she had to say. 

“Honey, are you okay?” 

“No. Yes. I’m not sure.” 

“Did something happen?” 

Leah nodded. Yes, something had.

“Okay, is it bad?” 

“I don’t know.” 

Maryann and Kurt waited patiently until their daughter came to a halt, staring at their feet as she announced, “I’m gay.” 

Now, Kurt was many things but being good at hiding emotions was not one of them. Instead of keeping quiet, he broke out into laughter so strong his whole body shook the sofa. 

Leah however didn’t know what she had done to get such a response, so instead, she flinched. Staring at the floor as Maryann hit her husband. 

“Cut it out Kurt, your daughter is telling us something.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

“Lee,” Kurt said. “We know. Your mate is a girl.” 

“Oh. You know?”

Maryann smiled, biting her cheek to fight her own laughter. “We did have an idea, honey.” 

“Are you mad?” 

“Why would we be mad? We love you and love Fatin.” 

“Because some people get upset at gay people.” 

“Kiddo those people just have a stick up their ass.” 

“Kurt! Language!” 

He cleared his throat. “What I mean to say is that people will always find all sorts of people to hate when they’re not happy with their own lives. We just have to ignore them. There will always be someone. The fates gave you both brilliant mates and you should always be proud of that. Just as we are.” 

“You’re not upset?” 

“We could never be upset with who you like. Any gender, genderless, doesn’t bother us. All that matters is you’re happy, Fatin is happy, and you brighten each other’s worlds.” 

“Okay.” Leah sighed. “Can we learn how to make bread?” 

Maryann stilled, trying to work out where on earth that had come from. “Bread?” 

“Yes. I want to test my gay superpowers.” 

Kurt broke out into another fit of laughter.