My Rebel Mate

"Lena! Get up, it's time for school!""Just five more minutes," I mumbled, dragging the sheets over my head. It was the first day of my senior year, and I wasn't happy about that at all. School isn't really the ideal place to waste senior year; I'd always pictured mine packed with adventures and trips around the world. But my best friend, Tessa, saw it differently. Still, I got to spend senior year with her, and that made the day a little better. "LENA IF YOU DON'T GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW I WON'T SAVE ANY PANCAKES FOR YOU! I MEAN IT!" Tessa yelled. Oh, did I mention she was basically my mother? Well, sort of, but I know she's only trying to look out for me."Okay okay! I'm getting up! Just- just don't finish the pancakes" I hauled myself out of bed and shuffled to the bathroom. When I caught my reflection in the mirror, I looked rough as hell. My curly hair was a total disaster, sticking out everywhere, seriously everywhere. I sighed, stepped into the shower, and when I finished I brushed my hair and teeth before pulling on jeans, a flannel, and my black vans. By the time I headed downstairs, I could already smell the pancakes. "Something smells amazing," I said to Tessa, heading into the kitchen for a plate. Once I had my pancakes, I dropped into the seat beside her at the table. "Mmm! Oh my god, these are so good!" I was basically stuffing my face with Tessa pancakes. Seriously, she makes the absolute best pancakes in the whole world! "Cole told me to add a little vanilla extract. Said it gives them more flavor," she said before taking a bite of her pancake."Well, Cole is right, and speaking of Cole, where is he?" I asked before taking a sip of the orange juice Tessa handed me. "He's on the way here." Tessa said, sliding her plate into the dishwasher. Cole is Tessa's mate. Or, better said, Alpha Cole Maddox, which makes Tessa a Luna. They've been together for what feels like forever, and they still stare at each other like they just met for the first time. I was always jealous of Tessa because she found her mate, and I still hadn't found mine. She always said that one day my mate would show up and I'd be just as happy as she was, but I'm already 18 and still mateless. I couldn't help thinking maybe there just wasn't a mate for me. The door opening snapped me out of my thoughts, and I heard Tessa squeal with excitement. I set my plate in the dishwasher and headed for the door. "Hey babe," Cole said, leaning in to kiss her. "I missed you," Tessa said as she wrapped him in a hug. "Aaww, look at you guys," I said as I joined the hug. "Hey Lena, long time no see," he said when we all pulled apart. "Hey Cole, that vanilla extract in the pancakes was a genius idea," I said as we headed back into the kitchen, and Cole sat down while Tessa and I grabbed our stuff for school. "Thanks, you two ready for senior year?" he asked. "Well I don't know about Lena, but I know I am. And we need to go now if we wanna make it on time. Are you gonna go with us, Lena?" Tessa said, taking the keys from the jar. "Yeah, give me a sec to grab my phone," I said as I hurried upstairs for it. I came back down, grabbed my backpack, and headed out the door. I took the keys from Tessa to lock up the house, and before long we were heading to school.