Two Alphas, One Mate

Rejected

Elara’s POV:

“Mate.” Eryx spoke, and the already quiet cafeteria grew even more quiet.

The cafeteria became so quiet that if a pin was dropped at that moment, it would echo a couple of times.

Everybody had turned towards my table, and they seemed to be collectively holding their breath.

I always imagined that when the time came for me to be noticed like this, it would be because I had finally transformed into my wolf, but no, my luck was s**t.

I was left frozen and staring into the eyes of a very furious Eryx.

“What!?” Trisha and Emilia blurted out at the same time.

Eryx tilted his head a little to the right, his eyes never leaving mine.

“You… you’re my mate?” He spoke as though he didn’t quite believe the words that were coming out of his mouth.

I couldn’t believe it either.

“That can’t be right,” Trisha spoke again. “The b***h is wolfless.” She added, frown lines beginning to form on her forehead.

Murmurs erupted in the cafeteria and just like that, the silence was gone.

“What did you do?” Eryx asked, and then the silence was back, and so was my voice.

“Me? Wha… what do you mean?”

Eryx took another step forward, and I shrunk back in my chair.

“Don’t f**k with me, Elara,” Eryx said, and I felt a shiver run down my spine with how he called my name. “What. Did. You. Do?”

“I… nothing. I didn’t do anything, Eryx… I… I swear.” I answered, confused and dazed.

One moment, Eryx stood looming over me, while I sat on the chair, head bent so I could look at him, and the next moment, Eryx grabbed me by the collar of my jacket and lifted me to my feet.

There was a collective gasp in the cafeteria, and before I could even process what was happening, Emilia was on her feet.

“Hey, Eryx, I think you’re going too far.”

Eryx turned to glare at Emilia, his dark eyes glowing slightly and as though Emilia had been possessed, she dropped back down to her seat.

An Alpha’s command.

Eryx’s grip on my collar tightened, and he pulled me forward such that his forehead touched mine.

“What did you do?” Eryx snarled in my face, and I felt my legs tremble.

Eryx smelled like… the woods. The smell of him was so intoxicating, I felt dizzy.

I had always been told that even if I were to get a mate, I wouldn’t be able to feel it, because a mating bond is a bond between the wolves of each person first.

“I… I swear to you, Eryx, I did nothing. There… there’s nothing I could ever do to you—”

“Liar!” Eryx cut me off, shaking me so violently that I saw stars.

“Why am I mated to you?” He asked, his voice low and dangerous.

The finger of his right thumb grew several inches longer and grazed my neck.

“I… don’t know.” I whispered, feeling so afraid.

Frustrated, Eryx lifted me an inch above the ground, with just his grip on my collar. He was that strong.

“You lying b***h,” He growled, his nail scratching my skin, enough that I felt blood spill.

For a moment, a look of confusion and hurt passed through Eryx's face as he noticed the blood he’d drawn from me, and his grip on my collar loosened.

My legs hit the ground and I almost fell, but Eryx was grabbing me by the collars again. He used both hands this time and his grip was ten times stronger, suffocating me.

“I reject you, do you hear me?” Eryx spoke, and his words made the cafeteria gasp. “I reject you now, I reject you forever. You’re worthless, and I’d rather die before I take you as a mate.”

More gasps erupted.

“Uh… it doesn’t work that way, Eryx.” One of Eryx’s friends, Zack, said.

The only thing Zack’s words did to Eryx was make him even angrier, and he sank his nails into my collarbone, causing me to whimper in pain.

“You think I don’t f*****g know that?” Eryx turned to snarl at Zack, and the boy took a step back, despite being bigger than Eryx.

The reason for Eryx’s fury was that he was stuck with me whether he liked it or not. The law of the pack was that you can’t reject a mate that the goddess has chosen for you, until you’re above nineteen. And seeing as Eryx had only just turned eighteen, it meant that I would be his mate for a year.

Eryx turned back to face me, pulling me even closer until we were eye to eye.

“Please… please Eryx, you’re hurting me.” I whispered, tears streaking down my face as his nails continued to dig into my skin.

Eryx's scowl turned into a very menacing smile.

“You think because your daddy’s the beta you can do s**t like this?”

“I promise, I didn’t do any—”

“I will make your life a living hell, I swear it Elara.”

Tears continued to pour from my eyes as I looked around, desperately hoping and praying that somebody would help me.

For the very first time, the goddess heard my prayer.

“Let her go, Eryx. Right now.”

The voice that spoke was calm and undoubtedly feminine, and everybody knew Eryx and his group didn’t have much respect for females, but this voice belonged to somebody that even he could not mess with.

Eryx turned towards the entrance of the cafeteria, his frown deepening.

“Don’t make me come over there,” The voice said.

With a grunt, Eryx’s grip on my jacket loosened, and he gave me a light push that made me stumble back.

My waist collided with the edge of the table, and I bit back a sharp cry as I landed on the ground with my ass.

Emilia was at my side in an instant, trying to help me to my feet.

“Break is over, everybody scram.” The female said, clapping her hands.

Only when I was certain that the cafeteria was empty did I raise my head to look at Miss Paige, our Academy’s nurse.