Mates Next Door

A Scary Discovery

~ASTRA~

My phone slipped from my hand and crashed to the floor. A tear slipped down my cheek and I stood there, digesting the news.

My father was dead? How? How?!

I crumpled to the floor and burst into tears, clutching my heart as I began to sob heavily.

"No, no. No way!" I wailed. My mother kept talking me from the other side of the phone but I remained on the floor, staring at my phone's broken screen.

"Hey," I turned immediately to see Ryder standing behind me. When he saw my tear streaked face, he walked over to me. "Crying because you've not gotten such an amount of money before?"

I grabbed my phone and pushed to my feet before stopping before him. "You're a mindless prick who thinks the world revolves around your stupid money." I pulled the envelope from my purse and hit it on his chest. "Take it. I didn't compete for the money. All I wanted was to wipe that smug grin off your face."

With those words, I pushed past him and made my way back to the bleachers. Valerie was nowhere to be found so I guessed she already left, thinking I was having a good time.

As I walked back to the main road, I continued to cry, my heart shattering into several pieces.

My father was dead? How? How was that even possible?

I dialled my mother's number again. "How did it happen?"

She was crying harder than I was and that made me feel even more awful. I leaned against a pillar and sobbed as she struggled to speak, ignoring the eyes on me. "I don't know, Astra. But I know he was killed by Alpha Gareth. He warned us never to return or he was going to have our heads! I told him! I told your father not to go there but he was starting to get worried."

"But we're fine!" I choked out, my eyes flooding with more tears.

"Not anymore," Her voice was dead. "The Argents have sensed supernatural movements and they are starting their patrol. We don't have much time before we are caught and used as an example. Our lives are in danger."

It suddenly made sense to me that we didn't belong anywhere. Not with the humans and not with our kind. We were outcasts in every world.

"What are we going to do?"

"Bury your father first." She replied and something crashed to the ground. "I am going to do that tonight."

"Then I'll come home. I need to see him for the last time."

"Honey, we don't have that luxury," She sighed. "Roads have been blocked and sensors are being installed once again. Stay at home and remain indoors till all of these are over."

"Mother, I can't miss my father's burial. I need to see him for one last time!" I begged. "I'll be careful."

"No, Astra!" She snapped in a stern voice. "You're safe where you are. If you get on the road, you'll be poisoned with silver and tortured until your healing factor weakens. They will show you no mercy!"

The call went dead in my ear. I stood in the middle of the parking lot, my body weak and tired from crying so much.

I clutched my chest and leaned against the pillar, replaying every moment spent with my lovely father.

He was such a pleasant man. He was nice to everyone, even the humans who despised our kind. And now, he was gone, all because he wanted to get us back home.

Pushing my body off the wall, I slowly made my way out of the parking lot, past students and other young people making their way home.

They were all humans, living a privileged life. They were soon going to get the news of werewolf activities and be protected at all costs while werewolves like me would be hunted down and killed like animals.

It was unfair. It was so unfair that this was the life I got. That my father died unjustly.

I'd just stepped out of the underground parking lot when I caught a familiar figure standing with one of the sorority girls.

And she was standing with the mysterious guy from the library!

My heart leapt when I saw him and a sense of awareness pricked my skin. Like he knew I was watching him, he immediately turned, cutting her short. We locked gazes and his eyes widened in recognition.

No, I couldn't see him now. Now wasn't the time to start fantasising over a guy whose name I didn't know.

I turned in the other direction but crashed into a pissed off Ryder.

He caught my wrist before I could pull away and I felt a jolt ripple through me. He probably didn't sense it because he kept holding my hand.

"What the f**k is wrong with you?" He glared, raising the envelope I tossed at him moments ago to my face.

"Let go of my hand," I warned under my breath, fighting Mylena who continued to ask for control.

"It's one thing for a girl to beat me in car racing and another for me to get insulted. I f*****g hate insults. I won't have you embarrass me in front of everyone and just walk away like you're the star of the show!"

"I am not going to take back my words, Ryder," I replied, my voice shaking.

"Why the f**k are you even crying?" He asked, annoyance lacing his voice.

"It's none of your business, for f**k's sake!" I growled, my eyes immediately turning amber.

I gasped as his eyes widened in surprise. I made a stupid mistake. A stupid, stupid mistake.

My parents had warned me never to show who I was to anyone no matter how angry I was. But I did that tonight. On the night my father died, on the night my mother warned me to stay indoors and not step out until the Argents found a scapegoat.

Looking around in despair, I was filled with relief that there was no one else but us both in this place.

I fled.

I ran as fast as my feet could carry me. I had to return home and remain there until the whole noise died down.

Just as I rounded the corner, a hand yanked me with brute force, pulling me into the dark corner and clamping my mouth shut really tight.

I struggled to be free, my heart thudding wildly against my chest as fear overcame me. This was the end. The Argents had finally caught up with me.

I waited for silver poison to be injected into my skin, but my body was instead pinned against the wall.

My eyes fluttered open and staring at me were those familiar vivid green eyes I'd seen at the library, those full lips I'd kissed and couldn't get enough of.

Seeing him set my body ablaze with desire. I'd missed him so terribly and I was really glad he pulled me in.

I couldn't fight the urge this time. Mylena already roused up, firing desire and lust into my bloodstream.

I brought my body close to his, flattening my palm on his chest before I pressed my lips into his.

My body immediately melted the moment our lips touched, but that feeling was gone as soon as it began because he pushed me off him.

"Now isn't the time," He whispered under his breath. Embarrassment washed over me as I waited for his next words. "The Argents are here."

It all vanished and was replaced with extreme fear. "Argents?"

He nodded.

"Ryder!" I cried and tried to move out of the dark, but he had me pinned hard against the wall. "He doesn't know."

"He does. He can take care of himself."

"How do you even know that?"

He gave me a stern look. "Does that matter right now?"

I shook my head. "I don't even know your name."

"Arik," He replied distractedly and looked out of the corner. "They're searching the whole city. Ryder was stupid for agreeing to come to this race. I warned him."

"Wait, you know him?" I asked.

Arik glanced at me. "Yes."

I waited with Arik and when we heard movements, he pushed us back into the wall, leaning his body against mine and staring down at me.

His eyes took me in like I was a piece of painting, lingering on my lips. His eyes darkened and I could see how badly he was fighting to keep himself in check.

He brought his hand to my face, his thumb grazing my cheek. "You're so beautiful, fuck."

My body sang with delight. So he was capable of expressing his feelings after all? "I know."

"I've not been myself since our encounter at the library," He cupped my buttocks. "Every night, I lay in bed, thinking of you. This might be nasty but I've jerked off to the memories of us kissing and now, I don't think I'll even last if I see you naked."

I panted softly, my breath coming in short gasps. I could barely control myself again. I didn't care about the Argents or the fact that we were about to be caught and shot down with silver poison. I needed him so badly. My body yearned to be touched by him.

Taking his free hand, I pressed it against my chest, rubbing his palm on my breasts and guiding his hand into my shirt. "You can see me naked right now.”

I could see that his desire was getting a better part of him. "This is f*****g risky, love. I would f**k you right here but that's disrespectful. And also, I don't want to die, knowing that I haven't ravished you in all the ways I want to."

"So what are we going to do then?" My hand slipped to the crotch of his pants, feeling up his bulging erection that threatened to rip his zip open.

"I'll take you back to my apartment."

As soon as the Argents were gone, we didn't even wait. We rushed out of the corner, his hand in mine as he pulled me towards a red Jaguar XJ Sentinel.

The drive back to his apartment, which I later found out was in the same building as my apartment, was short and filled with lingering touches and words of what he was going to do to me.

We rushed into the building and took the elevator, kissing like horny teenagers. Arik almost ripped my clothes off, but the elevator dinged and the doors opened.

As we ran down the corridor, we laughed at the urgency of everything. I thought he was going to pull out a key and unlock the door but he just pushed it open.

The sound of loud pop music playing and voices speaking flooded into my ears and before I could register that he had other roommates, he pulled me into the apartment and shut the door behind him.

I stood frozen on the spot as I took in the guys sitting side by side on a couch and playing games.

Flynn and Ryder were his roommates?

No way!