Chapter 1

MONDAY

Only one week left until my birthday. I would be turning 18 years old, meaning I would be able to vote, buy lottery tickets, and sign myself out of school without parental consent.

And of course, the most important benefit of all of becoming legal - finding my mate.

They said that sometimes, you just knew. You just knew who your mate would end up being before the big day. It was an unexplainable, unfathomable feeling for those who had never experienced it, but it was a powerful one.

That's exactly how I felt when I laid my eyes on him.

'Him' referred to the Omega wolf who was a good acquaintance of mine. Liam and I had grown up together, as our parents were good friends. We met when he was a newborn pup, quickly befriended each other, and remained at each other's sides all throughout elementary school.

Our relationship changed when we entered high school. As our bodies began developing in line with our rankings, we fell into our own little dynamic.

I, an Alpha wolf, grew to become extremely protective of him. This was pretty predictable, given he was an Omega, and the drive to protect Omega wolves was powerful.

Liam, on the other hand, became even friendlier, if that were even possible for him. He brought me my favourite candies on exam days, listened to me when I was stressed, and was overall, just a positive ball of energy that could always make me feel better.

I sent Liam a quick text to let him know when I was due to arrive.

I'll be over in a few minutes. Just heading out right now.

He responded shortly after, while I was pulling on my coat.

Okay, can't wait to see you!

I headed over to his house this miserable Monday morning, ready to walk him to school. It was a tradition for us, ever since we were young pups, to enjoy each other's company as we headed to the hellhole.

"Good morning!" he beamed upon opening the door to greet me.

Liam was a short little thing, around the 5'6" range, with big doe eyes, fluffy brown hair, and a smile that could light up the darkest abyss.

"Hey, Liam," I smiled at him. "How are you doing today?"

"I should be asking you that," he said. "This marks the last week you'll be 17 years old!"

"I know," I said, rubbing my hands through my hair. "It's pretty crazy. I swear, it was only yesterday we were young pups."

"Right? You're going to be an adult. That's so cool!"

"I'm glad you're happy about it. I'm one step closer to death."

"Aw, don't be so pessimistic, Dylan. 18 is such a wonderful age." He patted my shoulder and smiled reassuringly.

"You're not wrong. I've been looking forward to celebrating my Lunar week ever since I was 10, and saw Tanner Leston on the reality show Lavish Lunar."

"Lunar week?" He tilted his head in confusion. "What is that?"

"The week before an Alpha's 18th birthday, it's considered to be their last week of childhood. They can go partying, or go on a vacation, or just reminisce on their memories. Depends on the wolf."

"That sounds fun," Liam said eagerly. "So, what are you going to do for your last week?"

I looked directly into his eyes. "I was hoping I could spend it with a good friend, actually."

"Well, I hope you and Justin have a lot of fun, then! I'm sure the two of you will have a great time, you're always hanging out, and you're really close if he's going to be your future Beta."

"....Liam," I sighed. "I meant you."

"Oh!" His eyes widened, as if he were surprised. "Actually? You want me to celebrate your Lunar week with you?"

"Who else would I spend it with?" I asked him.

"Let's see...you could spend it with Daniel, Justin, Riley, Gabe, Sam..." He began numbering off everyone in my extended friend group.

"Alright, alright," I said. "I get the point. I may know and be friends with a lot of people, but they're not the ones I want to spend my Lunar week with. You've been by my side ever since you were born, and we've been best friends growing up."

"That's true, I guess," he said. "Well, so what do we do for this Lunar week? What do I need to do?"

"That is for me to plan, and you to enjoy."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Liam frowned.

"I've made a whole schedule for the next 7 days, today included. All you have to do is sit back, relax, and enjoy the show."

"What about presents?" Liam's eyes widened, and he looked panicked. "Do I give them to you on your birthday, like normal? Or do I give them to during the week?"

"No, you don't have to do anything this week. I've got it all covered."

-

"I'm surprised to see you here," Justin remarked loudly, throwing his arm around my shoulders and leaning on me heavily. "Shouldn't you be in Hawaii or something, tanning on the beaches and drinking up a storm?"

"I wish," I sighed, adjusting the binders in my arms as I walked to first period. "But I have school, and I don't want to miss any of my classes for my Lunar week."

"Dang, that sucks," Riley said from the other side of me. "I can't relate, my birthday's in the summer where there's no schoolwork."

"Of course you can't relate," I joked. "You're not even an Alpha."

"Yeah, I know. But hey, I'm still going to have an epic birthday party, Alpha or not."

"So, what are you doing this week?" Justin asked eagerly. "Some super cool party with the whole gang? Trip to Punta Cana? Nightclub?"

"I've got plans."

"Ooh, what type of plans?"

I shrugged. "Nothing too outrageous. Definitely not pulling a Tanner Leston, either. Just something enjoyable and close to home."

"Honestly, man, this is your week," Justin said, tapping my chest. "Your last week of being a child, and I just want to let you know that I love you. You're so kind and funny and strong and amazing, if anyone deserves to be Alpha, it's you, Dylan. It's you."

"Thanks, Justin. That was oddly sentimental of you, especially on a Monday morning."

I took note of how he was leaning on me and talking with a slight slur. Yep, something was definitely up.

I took a whiff of his scent. He didn't reek of drugs or alcohol, nor could I detect any recent traces on him, so I assumed he was recovering from a party from the other day. I did smell something a bit off about him, though.

"Are you drugged, or hungover, or something?" I asked Justin.

"No."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, fine, I might have overdosed a bit on Celestisleep, but I'm pretty fine, I think," he said, stumbling a bit.

"The sleep medicine?"

"Yeah."

I smacked my face. "How much sleep medication did you take last night?"

"I took, like, only a few sips from the bottle," Justin protested.

"Justin, you idiot, you're only supposed to take a few teaspoons at a time!" Riley said.

"I'm pretty sure the bottle said to take large sips for a greater effect."

"No, no," Riley shook his head. "I've taken that stuff before. It's really strong and will leave you drowsy if you take too much. You just can't read."

"Huh. That's actually wild. Hey, look, you can see the moon glowing from here even though it's daytime!"

We looked over to where he was pointing at a blank wall, where there was definitely no moon in sight. Riley and I exchanged an exasperated glance.

"That's not..." Riley shook his head. "Anyway, Dyl, the girls texted and were wondering if you'd like to hang this evening."

"Can't. I'm not free tonight." My thoughts wandered over to the plans I had made for Liam and I tonight, in addition to the pack work I had to get done.

"Ah, dang it. Any other time this week?"

"Unfortunately, I'm pretty busy throughout the week. I have so much planning I have to get done for next Monday."

"Are you going to at least take a break for your Lunar week?"

"Of course I am. I promise, I'll try to fit something into my schedule for this weekend, okay? All of us can hang out together."

"Works for me, man," Riley grinned. "Keep us updated on what times work for you, and don't forget to enjoy yourself while you're at it."

I was about to open my mouth and say more, when I heard the deafening noise of an air horn blasting through the hallways.

"Get to class!" The dreaded, familiar voice came shrieking out of nowhere, and students quickly scattered.

"That would be our cue to leave," I said. "Anyway, I'll see you later. Take care of Justin, Riley."

Riley sighed. "I'll make sure he gets to class. Alright, Justin, come with me. I'm dragging you to geography."

I passed Justin along to Riley, who slumped tiredly into Riley's arms and nearly knocked the two of them over.

"Oof!" Riley said, regaining his balance. "You feel like a big, wet noodle!"

"Thanks, Ri, you know I love you too. Of course, not as much as Dylan, but you're somewhere on the list."

"You know what? How about you walk yourself to class?"

"Did I tell you how amazing you were? You're a gift from the Moon Goddess. An absolute unit."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at their exchange. My Goddess, they could really be dense at times, but they were still my friends.

-

"Was something up with Justin today?" Liam asked me as we drove away from the school. "I was sitting next to him in chemistry, and he was out cold the entire time. I thought he died or something. He didn't answer my questions at all."

"Oh, he overdosed on sleep medicine."

"What?"

"Yeah. Decided to chug half the bottle, I'm guessing, and became really drowsy for the rest of the day."

Liam grimaced. "That doesn't sound good. Will he be okay?"

"Riley's taking him home right now. He became more sober by last period, anyway. I'll check up on him later."

"Hopefully he'll be fine by tomorrow."

"He will be. Trust me, he's gone through worse. Much, much worse. Anyway, today marks Day 1 of my Lunar week. I've decided to take you to one of my favourite stores, it's a pretty sweet place, I must say."

"Sounds fun," he said brightly. "Can you tell me where we're going?"

"It'll spoil the surprise. We'll be there soon."

"At least a hint, then?"

"It's something that makes you feel better on Misery Monday."

He thought for a moment. "Laying in bed, watching movies back-to-back while eating chips, as you contemplate your entire existence?"

"Okay, maybe that, but I was thinking of something more so to do with food. Although, that was a very specific coping mechanism you mentioned there."

"Um...ice cream?" I only shook my head at his guess.

I pulled up by the building, which was located right next to the highway, and surrounded by dull, white offices.

"This looks kind of sketchy," Liam said suspiciously as we climbed out of the vehicle. "What is this place? You sure this is a food place?"

"Positive."

"Wait, I smell something," Liam said as we stepped closer. "Is it...chocolate?"

I didn't say anything, and instead, led him into the store so he could see for himself.

"It's a chocolate store!" Liam said, mesmerized by the selection around him.

"Clarence's Chocolate Outlet," I explained. "My go-to place for candy."

Liam's attention flickered over to a jumbo sized chocolate bar, and he melted.

"Look, Dylan, it's a cookies and cream chocolate bar!" He hugged the shiny package in his arms. The entire thing was nearly as tall and as wide as him.

"Oh, and they have a hot chocolate rack!"

Liam hurried over to where they kept the warm chocolate drinks. "They have vanilla, French, double brownie, peanut butter, unicorn..."

He blinked. "Unicorn hot chocolate? Never heard of that before. Sounds intriguing."

"Keep it, then. Oh, they've also got chocolate letters so you can spell out your name."

We stayed in the outlet for the next couple of hours, as Liam wanted to check out every type of chocolate they had. Like me, he also had a sweet tooth, but I didn't think he would be this selective.

In the meanwhile, I had become well-acquainted with the cashier, who watched with an amused grin as Liam scurried around the entire store.

"Your friend is certainly quite picky with his chocolates," the elderly man mused.

"Yeah," I grinned sheepishly. "He is. I'm sorry if we're bothering you. I'll be buying a lot of chocolates later on, anyway."

"Liam?" I asked, heading towards where he was checking out the chocolate lollipops. In his small arms, he carried plenty of packages and boxes. "How's it going over here?"

"This must be what Charlie felt like," Liam said, giggling as he hoarded all the chocolate around him. "So many choices. What ones should I get, Dylan?"

"Get whatever you want, Liam. It's my treat."

"What? Oh, that's okay, I can pay."

"No," I ordered him. "I'm paying. It's my Lunar week, it would be rude for me to invite you, and expect you to spend a penny. Now, get whatever your little heart desires."

After some thinking, he ended up settling on some interestingly-shaped chocolates, as well as the unicorn hot chocolate.

"I am very intrigued," he said, looking at one of his boxes. "I can't wait to try this."

"Chocolate ham?" My eyes widened at the full-sized brown ham. "As in, they dipped an entire ham into chocolate?"

"No, no," he said. "At least, I don't think they did. I think it's just shaped like a ham."

"Wow. What else did you get?"

He rummaged through the shopping bags. "I got chocolate French fries, chocolate pie, and chocolate vegetables."

"An entire Thanksgiving feast, then."

"Yep. Pretty much. Care for a fry?" He handed me a chocolate fry.

"Don't mind if I do," I said, plucking the fry out of his fingers. "Mm, this is actually really good! Smart choice."

"You know, I actually have no idea when I'm going to eat all of this," he said, looking at his chocolate feast.

I shrugged. "We'll have some for dinner tonight."

"Really? We're going to eat dessert for dinner?"

"Don't see why not. We've got our protein, our vegetables, our carbs, and our dessert."

Liam gave me a wide smile. "Bone apple teeth!"

-

Hello everyone, I'd like to thank you all for taking the time to click on my story. It means a lot to me, and I really hope you enjoy it. Please let me know how you're liking it so far! How do you think day 1 of Lunar Week went?