Rejected By The Alpha Quarterback

CHAPTER 2

HAZEL

“Ugh… when am I ever gonna get my chance to date a smoking hot football player?” Kelly groans, twisting around on her bed, getting all tangled up in her sheets.

Kelly is my roommate and best friend. We’ve been rooming together since freshman year. Not only is she the coolest werewolf I’ve ever met, she’s also the biggest Nick supporter. Being the youngest daughter of an alpha, she’s never known what it’s like to have freedom. But as Kelly likes to say, the possibilities are endless. While she’s never had the pleasure of experiencing a passionate college romance yet, she’s content to live vicariously through me—for now.

“I guess you won’t be coming back tonight,” she sighs heavily but I can tell she’s happy for me. It’s there in the way she smiles. “My only consolation is that I get to ask personal questions about your s*x life tomorrow.”

I scoff. “When are you gonna get tired with wanting to hear how good Nick Warren is at s*x?”

“Until my ears bleed.” She sits up and peruses my outfit. “Don’t tell me you’re wearing that.”

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” I stare at my reflection in the mirror. “I’m wearing my favorite star trek T-shirt and I’ve paired it with my most comfy flannel shirt and a pair of red skinny jeans. I’m dressed for comfort tonight and personally, I think I look cute.

“I was thinking, maybe you should wear a dress tonight.” Kelly is staring at me like she wants to rip my clothes off. “Try out something different for a change.”

“But I like what I’m wearing.” I sound genuinely confused. “I don’t understand. Nick likes me for who I am. He’s never cared about the way I look.”

“Hazel. Look. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with your clothes. It’s just, you always dress this way. Maybe you could do something different. Wear a dress. Put your hair up. Some lipstick and eyeliner maybe?”

“That’s something cheerleaders do.” I smile ruefully. “Nick and I make fun of girls who doll themselves up in make-up and slutty outfits. You think he’s gonna appreciate if I show up looking like one of the girls, we make fun of? I don’t think so.”

I smile at my reflection, pleased with the final look.

The werewolf guys on the football team have a whole manor all to themselves. The manor is one of the perks that come with winning nationals three years in a row. It’s got thirty bedrooms. A movie room. Game room. Even an underground dungeon that some of the guys utilize on the night of the full moon.

Tonight, it is a total mad house.

Asher wasn’t lying when he said there was going to be a party tonight. The question is why Nick hadn’t deemed it fit to mention it to me. No matter though. This is just the perfect opportunity to surprise him.

I head into the house, waving shyly to some of the guys that I recognize from the team. Nick is usually by the pool table at this time of the night, playing beer pong. I head there, expecting to catch sight of his signature blonde curls.

But he’s not there.

The deeper I walk into the house, the more I notice people’s stares on me. Usually, I’m at these things with Nick, wrapped safely in his warmth. But Nick’s not here right now and a nervous feeling settles in my belly.

Someone bumps into me, nearly breaking my glasses in the process. I clutch my glasses, relieved to see that the lens isn’t broken. Gods know I can’t afford to get another one right now.

“Hazel. Oh my. I didn’t see you there.” The girl who had bumped into me, her name is Cassidy and she’s on the cheerleading squad. She’s one of the many girls that hang around the football house, one of the many who are never openly hostile towards me, and yet, never outright nice.

“Cassidy.” I readjust my glasses on my nose. “It’s fine. I’m okay. How about you?”

“I see you showed up tonight,” she quips, ignoring my question. Her eyes rake up and down the length of me once. But it’s enough. Enough to feel the wave of her repulsion.

“I’m looking for Nick actually. Have you seen him?”

“Nick.” Her lips curl up. Something’s not right about the way she’s smiling at me. “Of course I’ve seen him. He’s sitting by the pool. You should go see him. He’s definitely waiting for you.”

“Alright then. Have a good evening Cassidy.” I wave and then, I make a mad dash for the pool side. My heart’s already racing with excitement at the prospect of seeing my boyfriend. I haven’t seen or heard from him all day and I miss him.

All the chairs out here are occupied by couples interlocked in passionate embraces, lips locked in equally passionate kisses. And that is how I find Nick.

For a second, I think my eyes are deceiving me. I fear I’ve mistaken him for someone else. But I haven’t.

There’s a red-haired cheerleader straddling his waist and he’s kissing her in a way he’s never kissed me before. There’s desperation in the way his hands grope her ass cheeks as he grinds against her.

She arches her back and to my dismay, I notice it’s Nancy Lane.

A few weeks ago, Nick and I had been sharing an ice cream cone on the bleachers when Nancy had walked past us. We’d both taken one look at her and broken into a fit of giggles after Nick had called her an overly stimulated strawberry.

It’s that same Nancy that he’s kissing like he can’t get enough. His lips trail a wet path down her neck. He’s kissing her bare shoulder and while I stand there watching, with a look of shock on my face, I don’t know it yet, how crucial this moment is. How it would set a whole bunch of madness in motion.