{ Theodore }
I leave Nukea's house feeling like someone is hitting my head with a frying pan repeatedly while screaming in my ear. I'm dazed and shocked.What I just discovered in there is something that has the potential to destroy my life worse than a nuclear bomb. Maybe I'd even prefer the bomb, if I'm honest, because finding my fated mate has never ever been in my plans.Especially not if is someone... like her.The last fated couple in Greyhound was my grandparents. Their love was incredibly intense and magical, as it always is when there is a fated bond between two people. They met over seventy years ago and died together ten years ago. There were a few other fated couples in that generation, but they have not been any in recent years.Except for now. I found my fated mate: Nukea Winters.Now that I think about it a little more, all the signs were there since last night, but I couldn't see them because of my drunk state.My wolf being interested in someone, pushing me towards someone in such a strong way, that's not normal at all. Not one bit. And that strong reaction of my body towards her is not normal either, the way I needed to kiss her is out of character for me.Everything has been so chaotic that I didn't even have time to think about it, but having her in front of me without being drunk... it was totally undeniable.The way that woman talks and talks and talks almost got me distracted again, but once I looked into her green eyes, our bond became a complete reality. My wolf has never been so sure about anything else in his life.And once she got close to me, her light scent made it even clearer. She smells like warm vanilla and cinnamon and mine.It's really crazy, I've never felt such wild emotions before.But to be honest, I'm not too sure I like how all over the place I felt while standing in front of her. It's something new to me.And to feel that way towards someone I just met and who is also so incredibly wrong for me, is something I'm not ready for.It's too much and my first instinct is to run away from it. I don't know what that says about me as a man, but my wolf absolutely wanted to take her in his arms and never let her go.Maybe seventy years ago this whole fated mates thing would be easier for me to accept, but times have changed. There are more important things than a bond, like... responsibility and power.I have no idea what the fuck it means to have this bond, I have no idea what I have to do or how or why, but right this minute I don't want to think about it.I get to my house in record time because of how fast I was driving and I get off the motorcycle trying to get out of my stupor, but only I succeed when I walk in and find my father in the living room, standing there talking to someone on the phone.He raises a finger at me to wait for him, so I do."Where the hell have you been?" he asks once he ends his call, looking at me with narrowed eyes, "No one could reach you.""I was with a friend, he asked me to help with something at his house," I lie because it's much simpler than telling the truth. My father shakes his head."You're usually so focused in your obligations, Theo, why are you suddenly doing this kind of thing?" he complains, looking at me with disappointment, "We're only months away from your Alpha Presentation, you should be on top of your game."He's been telling me this shit for a week now."We're months away from our goal. I've spent twenty-five years focused... can't I take a couple of days to myself?" I blurt out, unable to keep the annoyance out of my voice."Now is not the time," he replies, "Now more than ever you need to show yourself to the pack as a reliable Alpha. But more importantly... why is Isabella's father calling me to tell me you haven't spoken to his daughter since Friday?""I'm..." I take a breath, "I'm collecting my thoughts.""For eight days? How many thoughts can you collect?" he rolls his eyes, "This should be the most beautiful moment for a couple, you should be over the moon. You should have proposed to her the same second she told you about the baby."I squeeze my eyes shut and shake my head. Maybe he's right, but I couldn't do it.Even if I had that ring Nukea stole from me right now, I still couldn't propose to Isabella.I'm not ready for a commitment that big, at least not without thinking deeply about it for at least another couple of days."I know, but... knowing I'm going to be a dad is very stressful," I murmur, taking a deep breath, "The child will be born only a couple of months after my Alpha Presentation and I…”"Theodore," my father says and looks at me like I'm stupid before snorting a laugh, "Exactly. You'll be the Alpha and your future wife has the potential to be a perfect Luna. I'm sure she'll do her part and she’ll take care of your son while you take care of your people. That's the way it should be and she knows it.”"I guess," I murmur, but still, there is something inside me that disagrees with this.In fact, after my realization a few minutes ago, I now want to marry Isabella even less. My wolf is completely against the idea.I begin to consider... should I tell my father about Nukea? About our bond?He loved my mom a lot, but he's never been a romantic. He’s so work-focused, he probably won’t even consider it important. Or worse, it might just worry him and stress him out. He might even want to do something against Nukea to make sure she won't ruin his plan with Mister Mihdi.I can't let that happen. Maybe I don't love Nukea, but under no circumstances do I want anything bad to happen to her.So, I guess the best thing to do is just... keep this bond a secret.I mean, I just met her yesterday and she gave me a lousy first impression. It's not like I have any kind of feelings for her.And since Nukea is an omega, she doesn't even have any idea that there's a bond between us. She'll only feel it when... if I ever mark her neck.So, basically, I'm the only one who knows about this.It feels completely wrong inside me to deny Nukea and deny something that could grow and be beautiful, but I was born with obligations and I have to think about my pack before anything else. Even before myself.Isabella is definitely the best choice to be my pack’s Luna. Even if my wolf hates even the thought of it with all his soul.I'm the one who makes the decisions, not him."I will propose soon, Dad. Trust me," I tell him, pushing all my worries aside, "I just needed some time to clear my head.""I trust you completely," he replies, putting a hand on my shoulder and giving me a smile, "And don't forget about the gala tomorrow, you have to go on my behalf, with Isabella. Show everyone how much of a great pairing you both are. And you should buy the most expensive item at the auction. Make a good impression.”Fuck, I completely forgot about that shit."Sure. I'll be there."{ Nukea }Besides the usual looks of complete disgust and some nasty comments from the Rich Ones, I spend a fun day with my brothers.I took them to see a movie, ice skating and shopping. I got them some school stuff, new clothes and shoes and even toys they had been wanting for a while."By the way, we have to keep this a secret from dad, okay?" I ask the boys as we eat ice cream sitting at Greyhound's main park, in front of the big fountain in memory of Luna Lidia, "He can't know I have money or he'll try to take it away from me.""You don't have to say it, Nookie," Knox replies, "We know how it is.""My smart boys," I say and raise both my hands to squeeze one cheek of each, they both just whine but they let me do it, "Come on, it's time to go home."They don't complain because we've been walking for almost five hours and they're tired."Where were you?" my dad asks as soon as we get home. He doesn't look too drunk yet, just the usual."Violet invited us to have dinner at her house. She gave us some stuff too," I quickly say as if it's not important, he just makes a bored sound. I push my brothers towards their room, "Are you going out tonight?""No," he replies and gets up from the couch before giving me a full up and down look, "I had a meeting with someone earlier. I think he's going to be the answer to all of our problems."Okay?"Hmm… good luck with that, then," I mutter and walk out of there.I stay in my room until it's two in the morning. I think my dad is already asleep at this point.I approach his room very carefully and open the door slowly to go in. I can see him lying in his bed but I don't hear his snoring so that's a bad sign.Still, I'm here now so I'm going to continue.I leave the door ajar and head for his jacket on the chair beside his bed. When I feel Theodore's wallet in the pocket, I grab it."What are you doing here?" my father asks suddenly, opening his eyes and scaring the hell out of me, "What did you take?""The wallet I stole last night," I admit, my father scoffs."I already spent the pathetic amount of money he had. And I couldn't use his cards to get more or buy anything online either because they're all deactivated. It’s useless," he replies in a bored and annoyed tone."Damn, that sucks. Well, I'll just take it and t...""Why?" he asks, squinting his eyes, "What else are you looking for?""Well, there was a ring...""Ah, yes," he rolls his eyes, "It’s a cheap toy, it's not even gold. Why do you want it?""I liked it, I want to keep it," I lie but my father squints his eyes even more and sits on the bed."I wondered why the hell Theodore Heiden had such a cheap ring in his wallet, it didn't make any sense. Now I think it's actually yours… did some man give you that ring, my girl?""What? Of course not," I snort, rolling my eyes, "I just saw it on the floor and ke...""You don't have a boyfriend yet, right?” He asks, cutting me off.“No. No one gave me that ring. I just want to have it, where is it?""I kept it, I was going to pawn it tomorrow, I wanted to do it just in case that stone was expensive or something.”"It's not," I say, trying to act like it's not a big deal, "Just give it to me, I want to wear it.""Hmm… you really want it, don't you?""Yes.""Then do me a favor and I’ll give it to you," he says, as usual. He always tries to get something out of me."What?""Go out with Logan Gonzales tomorrow. He's very interested in you," he says and I grimace. I don’t know who that is, but this is not the first time he’s tried to do this shit."Dad...""Don't start, Nukea. It's time you do something for us, for your brothers and me," he throws in my face, "We need to take advantage of your one virtue, your beauty... you're still a virgin, right?""That's none of your fucking business," I spit loudly and turn to walk out of here. This is the kind of conversation I've been avoiding for two years since my father realized he could use me to get money."It is. Logan wants you to be his wife and he won't take you if you're used. Hey, you better play nice or you won't see that ring you want so badly," he threatens me just as I reach the door. I stop with my hand on the doorknob.I need that ring."What does Logan want from me?""He just wants to meet you tomorrow. He wants a date to a gala or some shit like that. If you're good, he'll want to be your husband and then our life will be set. Logan will take care of all of us."That sounds like I can get off easy just by letting Logan see how horrible I'd be as a wife."Fine... I'll go. But if you don't give me that ring after, I swear I'll fuck up that plan of yours somehow," I threaten."We're both on the same side, Nukea.“No, we’re not.{ Theodore }“Please come home. It's an emergency.” I get that message from Nukea at six in the morning the next day. It's the only thing I've heard from her since I left her house yesterday.I get out of bed the same second I read the text and I don't even answer her, I just put on some clothes and shoes and I run to grab a car and drive to her house immediately, breaking a few traffic laws in the process. I get out of the car and run to the door, opening it without even knocking. My heart is pumping hard with worry and I look around for her but all I see is Knox sitting on the couch. "Wow, you came," he blurts out with a smile."Where's your sister? What happened to her?!” I demand, my voice deeper than it should, my body tense and ready for…"Nothing happened, she's taking a shower. I didn't think you'd get here so fast," he laughs and gets up to walk to the dining table. There’s a phone with a pink case there, "Can you please help me with my homework again? You're very good at i
{ Nukea }I still don't know if this is a long term plan by Theodore to fuck me over in a more elaborate way or if he really is just... not that bad, but I'm starting to get really confused. Never in a million years did I think I'd be cooking and eating sitting across from the future Alpha of the Greyhound pack, The Enforcer, a powerful man, one who has so much money he hasn't even realized one of his Rolex watches has been stolen. I'm not an optimistic person normally, so I'm expecting him to turn psycho at any moment, but right this second I guess I can't kick him out of my house, right? He's being nice, so I'll just go with the flow. But no matter how many times I scold my brothers, they don't seem to understand that they should be fucking respectful. Even if Theodore is acting like he's just a regular guy, he's not."Well, now we all ate so it's time to go. The boys have school," I say once we're all done eating, hoping Theodore understands and leaves my house so I can go take
I can clearly see the moment when his eyes darken as he hears my words. The presence of his wolf is what is making everything feel heavy and suffocating. And heated. My proximity to him causes his sudden pheromones to affect me immediately and my whole body starts to react in that way I hate. I lower my gaze and bare my neck to him because I can’t help it. I've been in the presence of many other wolves before and, being an omega, I've had to submit most times, but I've never felt this affected before. "You're such a good girl. I love that," he says at last, stopping the car literally in the middle of the street without a care in the world. He turns to me and puts a hand on my cheek, "Look at me, Nukea."I do, I raise my eyes to his. I'm so nervous, but at the same time it's... exhilarating. I feel so wild under his gaze, like the animalistic side of me is being called to come out. "Thank you for expressing your respect like that, sweetheart, you've made me so happy," he says, his
As soon as I take off the dress, Violet comes out with me and I ‘pay' for it while the rich bitches are trying on theirs. Although, in reality, my best friend is just letting me borrow this dress for the night as she has done before."The fabric of your dress is quite delicate, Miss, so please take VERY good care of it," she tells me with wide eyes so I get her message to not fuck up this expensive dress that doesn’t really belong to either one of us. I just roll my eyes."Of course, I will take very good care of it. Thank you so much, here’s this big tip for your help, Miss. I'll be back to buy more stuff soon," I reply and then I leave before I have to deal with those two bitches again.For the rest of the morning I stroll around the shopping center and I buy some new makeup to make sure I really look my best tonight. Not for that Logan creep, of course, but for that tall brunette and her lame blonde friend. I want to shut their mouths. When I come back home with my brothers while
Kissing my own future wife feels like something I shouldn't be doing at all, but I manage to end the kiss before that becomes obvious and I open the car door for her. "Have you had time to think about the pregnancy?" She asks once I get in the car as well and start driving. I can feel her eyes set firmly on my face, so I force myself not to make any gestures, "We haven't talked since I gave you the news, I've been nervous... I mean, not that nervous. I know you're the most honorable man out there, but I'd still like to hear how you feel about this.""I'm sorry I disappeared like that, Isa," I sigh and reach out a hand to hold hers, she squeezes it immediately, "Of course I'm going to do the right thing, we're going to get married and start a family, there's no doubt in my mind about that. It's just that... I have so many things going on at the same time, the news took me by surprise because it's something very serious. Something that is going to change our life completely. I need som
{ Nukea }Why does my whole head hurt so much? I groan in pain and bring my hands to my face to cover it but then I groan again because it hurts. A lot. As I finish waking up everything comes to me. I realize I'm lying in my bed and I remember how that fucking bitch from Violet’s store punched me in front of the most important people in the pack. But that's the last thing I remember, so I have no idea how I got into my own bed. I get up and the first thing I do is get off this uncomfortable dress. I carefully set it aside, wincing because that bitch got what she wanted. I can't return if it's dirty and I can't wash it without it being obvious somehow and probably getting Violet in trouble. Now that I have the money from Theodore's watch I could pay for it, but then I wouldn't have as much in my savings. Damn, everything always goes wrong for me. Once I have my pajamas on, I walk to my mirror to look at my face and I gasp in horror when I see my left eye and cheekbone. They’re a
{ Theodore }Nukea is annoyed.I manage to get her to follow me to my car and get in, but she turns to the window and stays that way for the entire time, refusing to turn to look at me even when I try to make conversation. To be honest, her clear annoyance is making me feel like a caged up animal. I want to tell her I'm sorry and try to make it better somehow, but... I don't have to apologize for having a girlfriend. We are nothing. And I don't think we can ever be anything. But that doesn't stop me from wanting to make her feel better, so I stop at the first atm I find on the way to school. "Can I have my wallet now?" I ask her, she nods and pulls it out of her purse, then goes back to looking out the window. I hate how anxious I feel to make her stop being so mad, but if there's one thing I know it's that money fixes most things. So, I don't even ask how much was that dress because it’s not even about the dress.I get out of the car and unlock my cards before taking out as much
{ Nukea }I must have slipped into the twilight zone without realizing it or something because there is no other explanation as to why Theodore Heiden, Mister Next Alpha, billionaire super handsome dude just handed me five thousand dollars, let me keep his mom's ring and is driving me around the pack like I'm his boss... AND I'm still annoyed at him.But I need to snap the fuck out of it before he decides to stop being so nice and take this amazing amount of money away from me. It's not like I have any right to feel this way anyway, I just can't help it."Do you want me to go get them? Knox will love that," Theodore tells me, sheepishly. I give myself permission to turn to him now. He's actually so cute, it's making me angrier, "Yeah?""Sure," I say and give him directions to Beau's classroom. "Don't steal my car or I'll steal your brothers," he playfully threatens before getting out of the car, making me let out a surprised laugh. That was funny. Everything about him is a surprise