004
1451 Words
Ayla's POV.
I survived the rest of the day.
Somehow.
A few more stupid comments. A trip in the hallway. Someone dumped their juice box on my backpack "by accident." I didn’t say anything. Just wiped it off and kept walking.
They all knew.
Knew I was easy to mess with. Because my wolf was weak.
They remembered what happened last year, even if no one said it out loud anymore.
I had shifted once. Just once.
Matt Doyle cornered me after training, said some things he shouldn’t have. I snapped. Let my wolf out. Or…tried to.
She came halfway. Then froze.
I remember the moment. Clear as day. My paws hit the ground…then she panicked. Bolted back. Mid-shift. I collapsed. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move. And he stood there laughing while I clawed at the dirt.
Everyone saw.
They never forgot.
I was the girl whose wolf ran away from a fight.
Now the bell rang. Last one. Thank God.
I walked out with my head down, one strap of my backpack broken, oversized janitor pants still clinging to my waist like a joke that wouldn't end. The afternoon sun was hot, and my skin itched under the fabric.
I cut across the back of the school…hortcut to avoid the main road. That was when I heard the howls.
The field.
I paused.
Voices. Laughter. Shifting sounds.
And then I saw them.
Shirts off. Sweat shinning. Laughing like they owned the world.
Rowan and his pack.
His beta, Beck, was grinning like a damn model in a Nike ad. One of the others tossed a football across the field, catching it mid-shift with his teeth. They were fast. Strong. Wild.
Untouchable.
I should’ve turned around.
But I didn’t.
And he sensed me.
Before I even stepped into the open.
His head snapped up mid-run. Eyes glowing red. Locked right on me.
Everything slowed.
He shifted back with a roll of muscle and power, grabbing a towel from the bench. Then, like it was planned…like he knew it would kill me…he turned to Celeste.
She was already walking toward him. Hair perfect. Lips glossed. Smiling like she’d won.
And he pulled her in.
Just like that.
Pressed his mouth to hers.
Hard.
But his eyes…his stupid, gold-flecked eyes, stayed on me.
He kissed her while looking at me.
Like a warning. Like punishment.
I stopped breathing.
The bond between us screamed. Pulled. Ached.
I felt it like a stab straight to the chest. My wolf whimpered somewhere deep inside, but still didn’t come forward.
Didn’t help.
Just like always.
They broke the kiss and Celeste turned to smirk at me, tugging his shirt over her shoulder like it belonged to her now.
I turned away before I could cry.
Didn’t run. Didn’t speak.
Just walked.
And with every step, the burn in my chest spread wider.
He wasn’t going to reject me.
He was going to let me rot.
Right here.
Where everyone could watch.
I walked fast. Faster than I meant to.
My hands were shaking. My vision still blurred from blinking away the tears, but I didn’t care. I had to get away.
From the field. From their laughter. From him.
But his voice was still in my head.
That smirk. That look on his face when he kissed her…like it meant nothing. Like I meant nothing.
I kept going, down the old trail behind the gym. The same one Jace and I used to walk when we needed to breathe. Or laugh. Or forget.
Now it just felt haunted.
By me. By everything I’d done.
By everything I didn’t do.
A stick cracked behind me.
I froze.
Then I heard it…low, fast footsteps. The pounding of paws slamming against dirt.
Wolf form.
My breath caught.
No. No, please…
I ran.
Branches scratched my arms. My legs ached. My throat burned. But I didn’t stop. Couldn’t.
Because I knew who it was.
Rowan.
I could feel him.
That burning-hot electric thread pulling tighter with every step.
Then…
Crack.
My foot hit a root. I tumbled forward. My shoulder slammed into the dirt first, then my hip, then my knees. The breath flew out of me in a rush.
Everything spun.
I groaned, trying to sit up…
But then I felt him.
That horrible heat. That scent I couldn’t escape.
He was there.
He shifted behind me, and then I heard his voice.
"Wow," he said with a cruel laugh. "Was that supposed to be dramatic? Or are you just naturally that pathetic?"
I turned over onto my back, gasping. Blood on my lip. Dirt in my mouth. And Rowan standing over me, bare chest gleaming with sweat, like he hadn’t even tried.
His smirk was poison. “You really are hopeless.”
"Leave me alone," I said, voice shaking.
He crouched suddenly, grabbing my wrist and yanking me up…only to shove me back down again like I was some kind of rag doll.
"You’ve got some nerve running away after the show you put on today,” he spat. “What was that look, huh? Puppy-dog eyes? Did you really think I’d kiss you?”
I winced, trying to pull away, but he pinned my wrists above my head with one hand. Effortless. Like I was nothing.
“You’re delusional,” he sneered. “No guy would ever kiss you. Not with that face. Not with what you are.”
My chest heaved. “Stop…”
“No. You need to hear this. You think the mate bond means someone actually wants you? You're a burden. A mistake. A freak in every sense of the word.”
His face was so close, I could see every furious line etched into it.
“You’re the reason Jace is dead.”
I froze.
The blood drained from my face, because here he was again. Shedding more guilt into my already broken heart.
"You heard me." His voice was venomous. “You don’t deserve to live. You should’ve been the one who died, not him.”
My heart stopped.
“You don’t mean that,” I choked.
He laughed…dark and cruel. “Oh, I do. Everyone thinks so. You're the worst thing to ever happen to this pack.”
Tears burned behind my eyes.
"Then reject me," I said suddenly, voice cracking. “If I’m so awful…just reject me. Break the bond.”
He leaned in, his breath brushing my ear.
“No.”
I blinked, stunned.
“What?”
“I’ll never reject you,” he whispered, his voice was low and twisted with something cruel. “I want you to suffer. I want you to feel it. Every time I touch someone else. Every time I kiss them, I want your wolf to scream.”
My lip trembled. He saw it. He loved it.
“You want freedom?” he continued. “Too bad. You’re chained to me. Forever. And I’m going to make sure it ruins you.”
"You're sick," I spat, trying to wrench my hands free.
He didn’t flinch. “You think this is sick? This is me going easy.”
I finally shoved hard enough that he stumbled back a step.
I scrambled to my feet, chest heaving, eyes wild…
But he caught me again. One arm around my waist. Dragged me back like I was nothing.
"Say it," he hissed. “Say you want me to kiss you. Go on, beg. That's all you’re good at, isn’t it?”
My fists pounded his chest. “I hate you!”
"Good," he said, smiling with no warmth. “It makes it more fun.”
And then he leaned in.
Closer.
His breath brushed my cheek, hot and cruel. His hand still gripped my waist, pulling me flush against him. I could feel the heat of his skin, the hard lines of his chest. My heart slammed against my ribs…too fast, too loud.
His lips were just an inch away.
And for one stupid, traitorous moment…my eyes fluttered shut.
Because the bond wanted him.
Even after everything.
Even after he tore me down, humiliated me, shattered every piece of me…I still wanted him.
I waited for the kiss like a fool.
Then…
Laughter.
Cold. Mocking. Sharp enough to slice through bone.
My eyes flew open.
He wasn’t kissing me.
He wasn’t even close.
He was staring at me like I was dirt under his shoe.
“You really thought I’d kiss you?” he said, voice thick with disgust. “How stupid can you be?”
My face burned.
Shame washed over me like acid, eating away whatever was left of my pride. My stomach twisted. I wanted to vanish. I wanted to scream. I wanted to die.
- Writer
