CHAPTER 3
1155 Words
KYLIE:
Lana catwalks towards me with her perfect hair and body.
“I heard you need help with your zipper. Why don’t you come with us?” She grabs my hand roughly.
I yank my hand away, attempting to walk away, but Tyla grabs my hair, yanking me back towards them.
“You cheapskate, we are speaking to you!” she growls.
I come to a halt. I am not weak, but I cannot possibly fight two beta bloods.
I do not even have a wolf, and if they transform, they would tear me to shreds. Taking a deep breath, I turn to face them.
“Look, I do not want any trouble. I just need to fix my dress and I will be on my way,” I say.
The two burst into laughter. Lana tucks a strand of my loose hair behind my ear.
“Aww, even the poor have dreams,” she says to Tyla, before turning back to me. “Now, I do not care if your mother was f*****g the Alpha, but I never want to f*****g see you with my man.”
“Our man!” Tyla grits her teeth, grabbing me by the collar.
My eyes shoot above them, finding the twins, who look thrilled that their girlfriends are bullying me. I swallow hard, forcing a smile when all I want to do is put a fist through their faces.
Tyla pushes me away, then they turn back, walking towards the twins. They throw themselves around each other, kissing, while I stand there by the door. I lower my head, walking through the aisle of mocking students until I get to the counter.
“Hey, I would like you to fix this for me,” I say.
My friend Peculiar lifts her head, her eyes lighting up with joy.
“Kylie!” she squeals in excitement. She lunges forward, pulling me into a hug. “Goddess, I didn’t know you would be coming to the Christmas ball.” She does a little dance.
“Someone must be excited to find her mate and kiss under the mistletoe,” she says, and I roll my eyes.
“I am only going because the Alpha wants me to. Also, I do not even have a f*****g wolf, so how the hell will I get a mate?” I ask, and she rolls her eyes.
“Oh, ye of little faith,” she says.
“I have had faith for three years straight. The goddess just hates me and I have come to terms with that.”
“Blah blah. I am going to give your dress to the back room to get it fixed. I am covering for my mother, and she will be back in thirty minutes. I will be over at the Alpha’s place to dress. It is Christmas, Kylie. Do not let those two crackheads ruin it for you.” She grabs the box, before straightening my lips with her index finger.
“Better. A Christmas smile.”
I was not some kind of grinch that hated Christmas. There was simply no more joy in it. Every year for three years, I have watched people get their mates, kissing under the mistletoe. I have prayed to the goddess, and she rewarded me with the death of my mother. Worse, no one would want me as their mate.
I can already picture getting one and the person rejecting me in front of the entire crowd.
Soon my dress is fixed, and Peculiar’s mother returns. We go back to the Alpha’s house in Peculiar’s car. We choose our masks. She shields me from the twins, helping me dress and do my makeup. Her cheerful nature seeps into my skin, almost making me forget I am a pillar of doom.
In no time we are done. Alpha Ian hands me flowers before Peculiar and I head to school for the party. It is snowy, and the night is beautifully lit with Christmas decorations.
We arrive at the party, and she drags me deep into the room, soaking in the music. I am grateful it is a masked party, because even those who would not speak to me on a regular day dance with me, unable to see who I am.
As I move through the crowd, I catch sight of Lana across the hall. My stomach drops. She is wearing the same shade of blue as me, and a part of me believes she did it on purpose just to mock me. When her eyes meet mine, her lips curl.
She strolls past me slowly, bumping her shoulder against mine.
“I wore it better,” Lana says with her voice floating in mockery. “But do not worry, you can be my shadow tonight. Every queen needs one.”
They laugh softly, already bored, and drift away toward the twins. I stay where I am, my fingers curling into the fabric of my dress.
“Let them be,” Peculiar whispers, reaching for my hand. “Trust me they are not worth it.”
I take a deep breath, fixing my smile as my friend calms me down.
The hall is jolly for a while. Couples and friends make merry as the full moon finds its way out of the clouds. Then, all of a sudden, mates begin to find each other. Peculiar slips from my arms as she finds her mate, a guy from the soccer team named Troy. They find a corner to make out and claim each other.
I stand there bare as almost everyone is torn away with their mates. Soon, the clouds seem to close in, and I shut my heart, not wanting to find a mate anymore. I look around for the twins, but they are nowhere to be found. I guess they are in a corner making out with their girlfriends. I bet they were lucky this year and their girlfriends are their mates.
Pain settles in my chest, and I wander out of the hall to the huge mistletoe outside. The cold bites into my skin as I stare at the pretty structure. A tear falls from my eyes as I whisper a prayer.
“Goddess, please. Do not allow me to be unlucky this year. If you wont give me a mate, then let me meet my wolf.”
The moment I say it, hands grab me from behind, and someone spins me around, crashing his lips against mine.
In that moment, the word “mate” echoes in my ears.
When I recognize his cologne, I press my hands to his chest, breaking the kiss with my heart racing hard in my chest.
Then Ronan takes off his mask with a smile on his lips. “What’s wrong? Lana, you are my mate!” he exclaims, reaching for my mask.
His eyes widen in shock as he sees me.
- Writer
