I could hear the smooth voice of Miss. Ava, as she goes on teaching in the large hall some theory Aristotle once came up with. But my mind isn't focused on her. Her voice fades away as I glare at the black-haired boy sitting on the other side of the room with his fingers softly thrumming on the table. His eyes are focused on the female teacher, possibly listening to the lecture going on while I watch him like a freak from afar.
Brad Benson, son to the Alpha of Lunar pack, and next in line to be Alpha. He's the kind of guy every girl in town wants for herself and still runs after, even though he's dumped them before.
Recalling what he did yesterday makes me grit my teeth and glare harder at him. Oh, the nerve of him.
I'll start from the beginning.
I remember when I first saw Brad on the first day of high school. I was that kid no one wanted to associate themselves with - boring, weird, skinny with freckles painting my cheeks and forehead, and I had practically no fashion sense. I tried making friends, but it didn't work out.
Then I saw Brad and how he was adored by everyone. He was your typical high school jock - handsome, athletic, charming... Everyone wanted a piece of him. Plus, he's the son of our Alpha. He had it all, the looks, fame, popularity, power...
I wasn't so impressed by him at first. I avoided him like the plague and stayed hidden, not making myself too popular. I didn't really care that no one acknowledged me. I was okay being on my own. Calle an introvert.
But then, at the start of my senior year, I began having this huge crush on Brad. I would sit two seats behind him and ogle him throughout the whole class as every other girl did. I daydreamed about him and even scribbled his name at the back of my notebooks a lot.
I knew I couldn't have him since he was dating one of the most popular girls at school at that time, Stacy. But it didn't stop me from trying to impress him by changing my looks. I actually started to read fashion magazines instead of my books and even tried out the dresses I saw. But then, when I showed up at school, Stacy ended up turning me into a figure of fun.
Apparently, I was so skinny, any dress I wore either ended up making me look more of a stick or dwarfed me in them. I was made a laughing stock throughout, and Brad hadn't even paid me any attention.
It wasn't common for werewolves to be so ugly like I had been. We are one of the most beautiful and exotic creatures globally, and humans mostly envy us for this. But of course, they don't know about our actual existence. They're so unpredictable and might not be able to process that we live among them, especially since we age very slowly.
Anyway, since I couldn't get Brad, I stopped trying and settled on ogling him from afar. But fate has its way of surprising people.
When I turned eighteen, which is the age of any average werewolf to find their mate, I had been ecstatic to find mine. Of course, not every werewolf sees theirs immediately, but I hoped I would quickly. A mate is someone to cherish and the one you would spend the rest of your life with. They're usually given to us by the moon but can also be chosen. You feel a pull towards them and can't help feeling attracted to them no matter what...or at least that's what I thought.
I had skipped happily to school that day in joy, fantasizing about the special moment that I would finally find my true love. Finally, someone would accept me for who I am and not stare at me like I'm some weirdo. I didn't care about the weird looks I got for my goofy smiles. All I cared about was finding my mate. I even wore a little bit of makeup to school, just in case I saw him that day.
At one of my free periods, I was walking down the hallway when I smelled this mouthwatering scent calling out to me. My wolf was howling like crazy in my head, and her tail wagging side to side.
I knew then what it meant and traced the scent right away. I found myself on the empty football field with Brad sitting on the bleachers, deep in thought.
My eyes widened in shock when I realized the scent was coming from him. And when he noticed my presence, he stared at me in question with his eyes squinted until I whispered,
"Mate."
In shock, his eyes had widened too, while I was left confused. Hadn't he smelt my scent and realize I was his? He had turned eighteen the summer before. So how come he hadn't noticed? Or maybe he had...
Realization dawned on me as I continued to gape at him in shock.
He knew. He knew I was his mate but never approached me. Every wolf can recognize its mate after turning eighteen, and Brad had been eighteen four months ago!
My suspicions were confirmed when he scowled at me with disgust written all over his face. Then, he grabbed my hand in my dazed-like state and dragged me to an empty closet.
Slamming me against the wall, he dug his fingers into my shoulder, eliciting a whimper from me. I ignored the pain he had caused at my back and stared straight into his eyes.
"Listen, you're not my mate. I don't want a weak, skinny she-wolf such as yourself as my mate, so don't bother trying to be. Get that into your thick skull, and don't even think about telling anyone else about this." He snarled at me using his Alpha tone, and I could feel the dominance riding in waves from him.
I couldn't do anything but watch him storm out while slamming the door shut behind him. I had never seen Brad so pissed before. He was the golden boy of the school; everyone adored him, including the teachers. And to think I, his mate, was the one who brought out the ugly side of him.
But I didn't understand. From what my parents told me, a mate is someone you can't live without. The bond will continue drawing you two together, and you can't resist it no matter what. So how come Brad knew I was his for four months and could stay away from me? Had my parents lied? Or was it that they thought everyone else's love story to be like theirs?
I had seen my parents together, and they absolutely were madly in love with each other. They had met each other at college and felt the mate pull instantly. Three weeks later, they completed the bonding process after meeting both their parents. A marvelous love story it was. But why was mine different? Was it because I was skinny and seemed to be weaker than your average wolf?
Most werewolves have their first shift at the age of fifteen. I had mine at sixteen. My parents kept trying to console me the whole while, telling me it was okay and that it was usual for some wolves to have their first shift late.
Even when I shifted, my wolf was as skinny as me, and her fur a dull brown like my hair. Don't get me wrong, I love my wolf, but I really wish she had been as strong, fierce, and beautiful as the rest. I wish I was like the rest...
I couldn't force Brad to love me, so I decided to leave him alone. If what my parents said was true, then he wouldn't be able to resist the mate pull and would come crawling back to me. In the meantime, I was left with sighing and giving him longing stares from afar. I did notice Stacy giving me more attention sometime later. And I'm not talking about the good kind.
She would accidentally bump into me, sending my books flying, and taunt me about my appearance. I didn't know why she suddenly had an interest in bullying me, but later found out she knew about me being Brad's mate. Brad never did anything to defend me but laughed along with the others. I kept telling myself to be positive. He would come around later. He had to.
My hopes were totally shattered, however, few days to graduation. Rumors started to fly around about Brad marking Stacy as his mate on graduation. I didn't want to believe it and thought them lies that Stacy had started. I hadn't wanted to go to graduation, but because of this rumor, I decided to go and see for myself.
I kept praying on the way there for it all to be just mere rumors. And when the ceremony was almost over and nothing happened, I was beyond relieved. Until all werewolves were summoned to the packhouse for a 'special announcement.'
Dread had filled me when I suspected the reason for this summon. And everyone kept whispering about it.
I was beside my parents when the whole thing happened. Our Alpha, Alpha Benson, came out with his mate beside him and Brad at his other side. I couldn't hear what they were saying as my heart was thumping loudly in my ear, and my throat clogged with tears. All I saw was Stacy regally and confidently walking out before Brad sunk his canines into her neck with no regrets as everyone cheered them on. I ran outside to get away from it all, and my parents went after me.
But I didn't wait and instead shifted into my wolf before racing further into the forest. No one knew about Brad being my mate, not even my parents. I was left broken. My whole body was engulfed with pain, and I felt the agony of my heart being ripped out of my chest. Brad mating Stacy had almost killed my wolf that day and maybe me. I hid in the forest the whole day, too weak to go home, just howling and whimpering in pain.
My mum always said meeting your mate is the best feeling any wolf could ever get. But for me, it was the worst. To think the one who was supposed to comfort me and take care of me was the one causing me so much pain. I couldn't eat properly or shift into my wolf for weeks after that night, and my parents were restless as they couldn't figure out what was wrong with me, nor did I tell them. She was too weak to come out. I knew then that I needed to get out of there.
For a werewolf, it's hard to leave your pack.
They're your family no matter what, and you need your Alpha's permission to leave with a reason to. For instance, if a she-wolf's mate is from another pack, she can go to her mate's. Some leave for other reasons and become rogue.
I know my mate leaving me for another is a good enough reason, and maybe my Alpha would let me. But I doubt he would be too happy to know his son rejected me and mated another. This would cause a lot of commotion.
So, in the end, I could only go on a vacation. And I did, to my aunty's new pack, Red Moon Pack. That is her mate's pack, and she left ours after finding him. I miss her as she was one of those that understood me better when she was here. So before the start of my college semester, I went to pay her a visit.
She knew something was wrong with me the minute I walked into her home. I was skinnier, and my eyes were dull and lifeless. I told her about Brad and Stacy as it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep it in. She consoled me while I made her promise not to tell anyone. She wasn't happy about it and was ready to storm on Alpha Benson, but I succeeded in persuading her in the end.
She tried helping me to feel better in the next couple of months. Getting me to eat and help connect back to my wolf so I could shift again. And she was successful. I couldn't express the amount of joy I felt finally being able to shift again. I realized then that I had lost myself all for a boy who hadn't even cared an ounce for me. He had rejected me in the worst possible way ever, mating another she-wolf, knowing full well how it would break both my wolf and me.
I resolved then that I would never show any sign of weakness ever again. To remain strong and keep moving forward. Brad may have rejected me, but I will show him that I'm much better than that weak she-wolf he thought of me as.
My aunt was luckily a beautician and pretty damn good at her job. I told her to give me a makeover and help with my wardrobe. I was starting college, after all, so I should change my style. She was more than happy to help with it, and at that time, I had started to gain extra weight. I was still skinny, but the good kind of skinny, like hot-shot-model skinny. My tall height made it even better.
I changed in those few months at my aunt's, and so did my wolf. Even she was more energetic and bulky. But sometimes, at night, I could hear her howling at the loss of her mate, and I would sob along with her.
Brad may have mated Stacy, but it didn't mean our bond's completely broken.
I still was attracted to him and sometimes wished he would come back for me and apologize for all he'd done. I may be stupid for thinking that, but it's what the mate pull does to you. You can't escape it. I only wonder how he was able to fight it. Maybe I just was too much of a disappointment.
When college started, I still stayed a few more weeks at my aunty's before returning to my pack. I could remember the shocked look on my parents' faces when they took in my new appearance. They tried to cover it but failed miserably.
I was nervous on my first day of college and wished I hadn't chosen the same as Brad's. Back then, I had still been obsessed over him and didn't think twice before doing it. Now, I wish I really hadn't. At least when I saw familiar faces at school, I was more than satisfied with the stunned look on their faces, and it gave me a boost of confidence. I strolled down the halls like a queen and smiled at their shocked expressions like a boss.
But then, I saw him. He was hot as hell as always with his black hair, high cheekbones, and toned muscles. The Alpha gene really was good, and like always, it made me swoon. But his new mate was beside him, clinging to him like a leech. I was sure he hadn't even once thought about me while I suffered all those weeks. I really wish I could hate him, but the damn mate bond wouldn't let me.
Then he noticed me, and so did the rest of his squad and his mate. Once more, I was satisfied with the shocked look on their faces. I smirked, feeling smug before walking out on them, leaving their jaws hanging open. And I had been going through my college days like that. Boys actually were asking me out, and girls were trying to get close to me too. I didn't miss the angry glares I got from Stacy across the room or hallway or the longing, burning look my former mate gave me. But it was too late for him. He already made his choice.
One night, I attended a college party at one of the dorms, and Brad actually had the nerve to corner me. He breathed in my scent, and if I hadn't pushed him away, he might have done other things too. I knew he was drunk and tried to get out of there, but then he grabbed me and started to grope me, whispering nonsensical stuff into my ear, asking me to forget the past and move on with him...as his mistress. Bile rose up in my throat before I kneed him in the groin and got out of there.
What rubbish! Did he think I was that stupid, naive little girl he could push around like before? He wanted me to be his mistress while Stacy remained his mate! Never! I'd rather die!
After that day, he didn't stop, though, and I was getting sick of him. Even my wolf was starting to get irritated by him. Finally, last night, he came to my dorm, drunk, and tried forcing himself on me. Luckily, my roommate, Lana, walked in on us and helped fight him off.
And now, that's why I was glaring openly at him in the hall as the lecture went on. How dare he? Did he think as an alpha he could do anything to his pack mates and get away with it?!
"...Miss. Ellie?" I turn at the sound of my name to the professor. She and the whole class have their necks turned and their eyes pinned on me. Awkward.
"Is there something more interesting you're listening to?"
I don't like her much. She's one of those lecturers who are very strict in their class.
"No, Miss. Ava." I slightly shake my head, feeling embarrassed at the attention I'm getting. She sends one last stern look at me before resuming her teaching.
I stare back at the devil to see him smirking my way. He probably caught me staring and thought it was for some other reason. Snorting in distaste, I throw one last glare at him before turning back to the lecture going on.