Once the door’s closed, I immediately stomp away from the room. I can’t believe it! They set me up! How dare they?! What didn’t they understand when I told them that I won’t mate him the first and second time I met him!

When I reach my parents’ flat, my dad is sitting at the table reading a book. In front of him my papa is typing on his laptop. They both look up when I enter the room but I don’t even acknowledge them when I cross the living and go straight to my room in a heartbeat. Obviously slamming the door.

How can they be so peaceful when they were setting me up on a date with a guy the pack want me to mate because of some packs’ relationships bullshit?

Did you hear that?

That the pack want me to mate.

That they want me to mate.

I sit up on my bed when there’s a knock on my door.

 I groan internally and say in the most neutral way “What do you want?”

“Come sweetie, dinner is ready” my dad says

I get up knowing that locking myself in my room will only bring me more problems. I go sit at the table in the living room where everything is already set. It takes me no time to remark the food on the table: avocado toasts with fried onions served with sweet potatoes fries. Ok, so they clearly want to calm my nerves. At least they’re aware they upset me.

I wait until my parents are also seated, then begin to eat silently. I don’t have to look up to know they are glancing at each other wondering how to break the awkwardness.

“uhm..” my dad starts “How was your date?”

I look up at my dad and stop eating. Well, wasn’t the best way to ease the tension. My dad realises it really quickly and speaks again “Okay Sweetie, we’re sorry but we knew you would have never go, would we have said the truth”

“At least, with meeting him more you get to know him better” my papa spoke up

“Right” I scoff “because I so told him more than ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and was so friendly”

“Don’t forget to be respectful towards high ranks” my dad says locking is eyes with mine.

“According to who?” I challenge

“The…werewolves’ hierarchy” my dad responds choosing his words carefully

I just hum in response. Yes, I am an omega, so what? I need to kiss up high ranks? No way in hell! They are respectful, I will be. They aren’t? You will see. Just because of some fur’s colours they think they are above anyone else and it was supposed to be common sense? Didn’t they learn genetics in school ?

“Why aren’t you making any effort Remini?” my dad asks

“Efforts to mate with someone I don’t want to mate with? No, thanks” I mumble, already exhausted by our conversation. It’s always the same.

“You can meet other high ranks werewolves, as much as you want but you need to hurry. The alpha won’t wait for you to choose eternally.”

“And if I don’t want to mate a high rank? Or if I don’t want to mate soon?”

“You need to!” my dad says raising his voice. He, then sighs and steadies himself “Look, you are the Beta’s son and an omega, you need to find a mate for the pack, it’s your responsibility as a member”

After silence as my response my father continues “It’s for yourself too, you will see it’s great to have a mate. I don’t know why we have this conversation over and over, you’ve known all that since you were a kid”

I was looking at my plate, arms crossed. Me either don’t know why we always have this conversation, maybe because we simply didn’t understand each other.

I stand up from my chair, taking the avocado toast in my hands. “I will eat in my room to do my homework”. Then I left the living room with a bitterness that avocados weren’t supposed to have.