My Mate Is An Outcast

Intense Encounter

Allison

My heart crashed into my stomach as I heard his words echo over and over in the hollow space of my mind. If my own mate didn’t want me, of what purpose was I? My wolf whined and rolled onto her back, kicking her hind legs in despair.

“Chad. . .please.” I struggled with tears. “I can be better. I can read a little now and spell and. . .”

“And that would never be enough! I have done you the courtesy of acknowledgement. However, you better not tell anyone we are mates or I will make you life more terrible than it already is.”

His warning chimed like bells to my hearing and his cold, clipped words finally destroyed the barrier of my tears. He hated me and there was nothing I could do about it. A strangled, painful howl escaped my throat from the depths of my battered soul and Chad made himself scarce before I could draw attention to us.

I dropped to my knees, howling out my pain and tears rushed freely now, obscuring my view. Cradling myself in a ball, I wept on and on, inviting a sore temple. The pain was equivalent to having a knife twisted in your belly and I suddenly couldn’t breath, gasping for air like a fish caught in a net. My wolf was of no help, silent and tamed by the rejection. When my head began to hurt, I closed my eyes, mentally shutting off the outside world and drifted off.

**

It was the last day of school for the year and all the students of Moon Valley College were eager to start the holidays. I was indifferent, already knowing my fate. I did not expect to do well after leaving three papers blank. I had tried to study and focus on the words especially the long words that hurt my eyes but once I sat down to write, nothing came to mind. Just my rotten luck.

“There you are!” Sienna, my best friend exclaimed, running to where I stood, partially hiding from the majority. Her hand slid off my shoulders and she engulfed me in a bear hug like we hadn’t walked to school together that morning. Sienna Chance was my very dear childhood friend and she was smart and pretty. She was in her finals, eager to be done with college. Always more popular than I was, she easily blended with others and was quite outspoken.

“Here I am,” I replied lamely, leaning my back against the rough bark of the magnolia tree. She had a flower stuck in her auburn hair and she was wearing a new dress probably to celebrate the end of school. I hadn't bothered with overdressing. A hoodie and sweatpants was enough for me; who was I hoping to impress?

Chad Ansel, my subconscious selfishly supplied the name to the surface of my mind and I shook it off. That door was long slammed in my face. He ignored me totally in school and never let me forget his threats. I had told no one, not even Sienna and the guilt of keeping a secret from her wound around my neck each day.

“Is something wrong?” Sienna asked, furtively examining my face. I gulped and backed up a bit from her. She saw right through me on most occasions and the fact that I had managed to hide my secret from her for so long was a miracle. Maybe, it was time to tell her and call Chad’s bluff. She would understand. . .

“The results are out!” someone screamed from the building and everyone raced to the billboard. Sienna tugged on my arm, pulling me along with her. There was some shouts of joy, friends hugging each other while some cursed their ill luck. Sienna finally got to the front of the billboard, tracing the columns in search of her name.

“I did it! I am in the graduating set, Allie!” Another bear hug squeezed my ribs and I almost coughed out my spleen.

“Congratulations, Sienna! You deserve it; you worked so hard.”

“I know,” she wiped copious tears off her milky cheeks. “Thank you for saying so anyways. We must celebrate but after we check your results. D for Duke, right?” She was turning back to the board when I gripped her hand and led her away from it.

“We can always check mine later. It’s your big day. Graduation, pictures, yay!” I tried to sound positive, putting all my efforts into it. She narrowed her eyes at me, immediately catching on to my motives.

“Allison Duke, will you tell me what you have been keeping from me or do I have to tear it out of you first?” Her tone was low and frightening. It was now or never.

“Sienna, I found my—”

“Allison Duke failed again!” an unfortunate orotund voice mocked from under the billboard. “She has to repeat Form Three. What a shame.” The speaker did not seem sorry for me at all and soon, people were pointing and whispering about me. The walls were closing on me, their voices were loud and noisy.

Dyslexic. Stupid. Waste of space.

I sped off with Sienna at my heels but I was the faster runner, ducking under the trees of the grove. Soon, the school was behind me but I kept going deeper into the woods to escape the noisy voices with my sanity intact. Turning left and right randomly, I kicked up dust in my haste to be alone that I was barely seeing the path. Just when I was beginning to feel watched, I hit another speeding object.

I fell flat on my back from the impact of the collision and Goddess knew, if I was human, it would have been enough to kill me. My neck and back ached, a low cry seeping from my lips as the pain washed over me. What had I hit, a boulder, an elephant? It was more comfortable lying down than trying to get up and I had barely recovered from my run. I was still out of breath and now this. A shadow moved beside me and suddenly, someone was standing by me, materialising from nowhere. It soon came into my view and the sight left me speechless.

It was a young man, no, not a man; a werewolf. His intense golden eyes penetrated my dull grey ones. He extended his arm to me and I shifted my back, testing how sore it was. He quirked a brow quizzically but kept his arm outstretched. Sure that I wouldn’t swoon, I took his preoffered arm and he lifted me off the ground, making me seem like I was as light as a leaf. His warmth seeped through my arm via our contact and I felt singed by fire. He was so attractive, his jaw strong and his piercing eyes pinning me to a spot. He was naked from the waist up, causing me aggravated discomfort.

“Try to look where you are going next time,” he growled, not in an unpleasant manner that I forgot that it was he who hit me. He let go of me and the fire in his eyes were banked. As I opened my mouth to offer my misguided gratitude, I heard someone call my name. I spun around to see who it was and looking back, the werewolf was nowhere to be found, vanished into thin air.