A gentleman is simply a patient wolf. - Lana Turner

Conor had a problem. One that had been going on for a couple of days now and Tyler had announced a small impromptu meeting for the pack at one of the picnic tables outside school.

Caroline was seated in between Tyler and Conor and across from her was Aiden who was in between Reina and River. Tyler's arm was a warm weight around her shoulders and she really wanted nothing better but to shrug him off as things were still awkward between them following the janitor's closet incident but the pack came first and she could always deal with him later.

"How could I possibly tell her without freaking her out?" Conor almost moaned in misery. "I mean, I just can't go up to her and tell her 'Riley, you're my mate' and expect her to accept it."

It was nice to know that not all male werewolves were dicks (aka her own mate and his beta), Conor was…sweet and considerate, being the nice guy of the group.

A lot like Matt, huh?

She shook those thoughts away and tried to reassure him. "Of course not. She'll be shocked at first but she'll come around. I mean, it's not like she can resist." Mates had a certain pull towards their significant other. When you were 'the one', it felt magnetic, you wanted – needed to be close to each other and every time you were, your skin was on fire and it strangely felt good. You were content, happy even.

And God was that the sappiest crap she'd ever spewed out in her life.

Riley may initially be overwhelmed and afraid of the whole mating thing (as she was) but she'd come around eventually. Besides, Conor already looked so whipped about her, there was no way she would be able to resist him.

Unless she was one frigid bitch.

Werewolves had this dependence on their mates. Rejection would most probably cause them to spiral down the dark black abyss of depression and doom. It all sounded very melodramatic but you should've seen how miserable Tyler was when she avoided him for weeks when he first told her about their connection.

Like a poor, sad little puppy. So desolate and lost, just kicked around by people his entire life…

It was depressing just to look at him. And when your wolf was sad, you were sad.

"Cheer up, Conor." Aiden reassured him. "You can always do what our alpha did and just kidnap her, take her to your house and tell her to never touch another man besides him again."

Aiden, you douche.

She didn't really need to be reminded of that shining moment in her life. Tyler should muzzle his beta before she decided to strangle him or better, get him neutered before he spread any STDs to the freshman.

Aiden was a bit of a man-whore way back in his pre-mated status. She recalled an incident or two when he tried to get into her pants and failed.

Maybe she should tell Tyler and watch him beat the guy up. Hmm…

"You're hot when you're being all sadistic, you know that?"

She glared at Tyler in annoyance and elbowed him sharply in the ribs causing him to almost double over from surprise.

"Out."

"Or he could just wait around and watch all those crazy female wolves fight to the death for him." Caroline quipped, eyes on Aiden.

Werewolves had traditions especially when it came to mates. One of them was that they had to seek out their mate before the second full moon after their first transformation. If by the third full moon and the wolf still wasn't able to find a mate, the pack would choose one for him.

By means of putting the eligible female wolves up against each other and whoever wins gets the guy. And how archaic was that?

Which was what exactly happened to Aiden as he couldn't find his mate in time and they all had to watch that brutal ring of death and bitchiness galore…

River was new in town and was a new member of the pack but fierce determination not to get killed and enough jaw strength helped her win.

"Oh ha-ha, very funny, Queenie," Aiden retorted but she noticed how he scooted just an inch or two away from his mate. To mates that was like a kilometer.

River may be regretting her win now.

Unlike most mates, Aiden and River weren't as warm to each other. In fact, they barely talked unless needed to. No staring adoringly into each other's eyes, no annoying telepathic link arguments, no hot, angry sex – nothing. They might as well have signed a contract for celibacy their entire lives because they wouldn't be able to have sex with anyone else.

Tragic.

She could clearly see the hurt in River's eyes and she wanted to kick Aiden in the shins. Wasn't it enough that the girl nearly died to become his mate? She didn't know what his problem was.

"You don't understand." Tyler made another entrance into her head.

"No, I really don't."

A sigh. "It's between them, just stay out of it."

She really wanted to argue with him about it but Tyler was right. It was none of her business. She needed to stop fuming over Aiden's douche-y behavior and try to help Conor get his mate. Because she firmly believed that he deserved to be happy.

That's right. Call her Matchmaker Forbes – to the help of lovesick werewolves in trouble, patching up relationships that need to be mended and guiding reluctant wolves to confess to their one and only.

Never mind that she refused to fix her own.

That sobered her up quite quickly.

Right, Tyler.

And his apparent feelings for her.

Oh will the drama never end?

She watched Conor as he stared longingly at the brunette seated across the courtyard, typing away on her laptop and oblivious to how she was this guy's world. And pretty soon, he would become hers as well.

Caroline would make sure of it.

Even if it killed her?

Okay, not to that extreme.

With the famous Forbes determination, she got up from her seat, much to the surprise of the entire pack and made her way over to where Conor's mate was seated.

Riley Fox was the editor-in-chief of their school newspaper (which Caroline sheepishly admitted she never bothered to read) and was a teen novelist, writing these sad (borderline emo) stories about teenagers and their tragic, pathetic problems. She won an award or two for them as Caroline heard.

Besides that though Caroline didn't know much about her even though they've been going to the same schools since kindergarten (the only memory of her that came to mind was an incident with Tyler accidentally sitting down on her lunchbox during recess and then nil). But then Riley mostly kept to herself a good portion of the time along with her refusal to conform to anything average and her borderline appalling bluntness didn't really win her any favors.

Nevertheless, she was Conor's mate and Caroline had to befriend this girl and get her to trust Conor so when the grand wolfy secret was revealed, she wouldn't pack up and move to Antarctica or something.

And in the process turn Conor into a suicidal emo.

"Hey Riley," She greeted the brunette, her chipper persona in full mode.

"What are you doing?"

"Helping Conor. Now shoo." She gave him a mental shove for good measure.

Cerulean blue eyes stared up at her in bafflement and…suspicion. "Are you lost or something?"

Caroline did not let that deter her and persevered on. "Um, no. Can I take a seat?" And without waiting for a reply, she sat down. "Listen, Aiden has a party this Saturday…"

I love Caroline Forbes and the pack. No kidding. VD is in dire need of new faces now. Seriously.