No mate

The morning finds me still awake. It was kind of foolish of me to think that I might go to sleep after what happened. Every time I tried to close my eyes, I saw Axel's eyes glowing with lust in my mind. I couldn't bear it. If I had stared at that image for too long, I would have thrown away the blankets and run to the pack house to finish what we started earlier.

Mates… the word reverberates in my head over and over, like an echo of fate. But something still feels wrong, unnatural, and I can’t shake it off. And it’s not just our past. It’s like my body is burning for him, my soul is begging to be close to him, my heart wants him like it never wanted anything else, and yet, I feel like… like…

"Rose? It's time to wake up. You are going to be late." My mom hesitantly whispers as she peeks inside my room. I shake off the confusing thoughts.

"I am awake..." I sighed and get up.

"How are you feeling, love? Do you want to talk about what happened last night?"

When we arrived back home, I locked myself in my room without a word, so she must be worried, but I really didn't know what to tell her. The situation feels unreal even for myself... putting it into words...

"I don't want to talk about it, mom."

"If you need space, that's what I'm going to give you, dearest. But know you can tell me anything, alright?"

I nod, and she kisses my forehead. For a second, I want to ask her to stay home today, but in the end, I will have to face him sooner or later, so better not to stay with this knot in my stomach for another day.

I usually arrive at school half an hour earlier to avoid the unpleasant crowd of asshole teenagers roaming around the halls, but today, I simply couldn't get out of bed.

I barely had time to brush my hair and throw on a T-shirt and some jeans.

"Hello, Rose. What happened? You are so late today. Last night you ran away before saying hi. I will start to think you're avoiding me." Caroline smiles as she approaches me. The sound of her high heels hitting the floor makes my skin crawl.

"I wasn't feeling too good," I answer, feeling the need to stuff myself into my locker.

"I wouldn't know. Werewolves rarely get sick. One of the many perks of being one. You should try." Her minions start laughing, and I mentally roll my eyes. If she weren't the Beta's daughter and Axel's bitch, no one would consider her dry jokes funny.

"I will try to be a werewolf when you try to wax that hairy mustache, Caroline," I answer, and my heart instantly drops. I haven't talked back to her since we were kids. I called her mean, and she convinced her father that I should be forced to train with the rest of the kids. She almost killed me.

From the look on her face, she didn't expect me to answer, and now she is lost as to what to do. But, of course, she can only escalate or she will lose face in front of her followers.

She pushes me into the lockers, and I gasp for air. As a werewolf, she is so much stronger than she looks.Just now, a teacher passes by, but he acts like he doesn't see anything. Who would dare to reprimand daddy's precious girl?

"Be careful, Rose. Pity is the only thing keeping you from being a rogue. And you know what happens with rogues when we catch them, don't you?"

Her eyes flash with a murderous sparkle of red. I always knew she hated me. Somehow, it's natural. Wolves hate the weak. But at this moment, I realize that it goes beyond that. This girl doesn’t just want me to die, she would actually like to be the one to kill me. With pleasure!

She is about to say something else, but a voice from behind interrupts her.

"Caroline! Let's go to class!"

My heart starts beating like crazy when I look up and see Axel staring down at me. His eyes are filled with anger, but he keeps a bored smile on his lips.

"Baby! I was just finishing teaching this..." Caroline says, all sweet, but Axel cuts her off.

"You are finished! Let's go!" there was no room for arguing in his tone and I could see Caroline getting a bit confused before dropping me to the ground and turning to him.

They all leave. None throwing me a second glance. Not even my mate.

Now I wonder if last night wasn't just a dream. A dream that I was starting to hope for. Not only for a mate, for the one werewolf in this world that is obliged to love me unconditionally and accept me with all my flaws, but also for a chance to become an actual member of this pack. A Luna…

This thought keeps playing in my mind all day. If I’d become Luna, if Axel would learn to love me despite the fact that I have no wolf… I’d find a place. I could belong.

"Rose? Are you alright?" Brad asks, putting his bag down on the desk next to me. We are not really friends as any person that was trying to be friendly was bullied by the evil squad, but he sometimes talks to me when we happen to pass by each other or have classes together. He is an Omega, so he gets bullied anyway. Caroline doesn’t discriminate.

"Oh yeah... My mind is just somewhere else." I answer and force a faint smile.

A laugh comes out of nowhere and makes my hair stand.

"Look! The losers are getting along." Caroline comes next to us. "That is great. Do you wanna know why?"

Brad looks away, probably cursing himself for talking to me and I bite my lower lip, my eyes to the ground.

"Lola! Ask me why." She orders her main minion.

"Because they match?" Lola laughed, but Caroline throws her a threatening look.

"I said to ask me why."

Lola gets red in the face and blurts out a why. Caroline smiles and turns back to me.

"Because when your mates are going to figure out how horribly the Moon Goddess cursed you, they will reject you in a heartbeat. So you will be sad, lonely losers. Together. Of course, you will be forbidden to reproduce your faulty genes in my pack, but at least misery loves company."

I look up in shock. What is wrong with this girl? She had everything she ever wanted since the moment she opened her eyes. Why is she so sour that she feels the need to say such vile things unprovoked? This is so utterly stupid! It’s like she’s not a real person but just a demon!

Brad is red in the face and his shoulders are shaking. I am suddenly so damn furious. I get that she hates me, but Brad is a true member of the pack. Even if he is an Omega. To treat him like that. Just because he asked me if I'm ok? Just because he will never raise at the level of her absurd expectations?

I slap my hands on the desk and get up. The minions that were laughing now stare at me in silence. Caroline grins.

"I get that you're an utter bitch that has nothing better to do than torture me! But what on earth did he do to you?" I ask and her grin gets larger.

"Oh, look how she protects him. You are already in love."

“Go fuck yourself!" I shouted and everyone in the class stares at me in disbelief. Even Caroline seems taken back for a second.

"Why so mad? Because I guessed it right? No need to be ashamed, Rose. You will hurt your lover like that. Come, kiss him to make him feel better."

"Wha...?" I manage to blurt out before she grabs my hair and pushes me towards Brad. She pulls so hard, tears start to fall down my face.

"Come on, Rose. Kiss your mate." She growls in my ear. "You know how. Remember?"

I do. How can I forget when she made me make out with a frog during a training session. She has it filmed...

Her grip is tighter and tighter. A few more moments and she will rip my hair off. I grab a pen from my desk and tighten my fist around it. I am done with this bitch!

"Caroline! Stop!" I shout, not recognizing my own voice. And to my surprise, she listens, freezing in her spot.

I open my eyes and, even though my vision is blurry from the tears, I see someone approaching before I can process what happened. And why is Caroline looking at me with shock and terror mixing in her eyes.

"Axel?"