Rejected By My Mate, Claimed By His Rival

Chapter 2

Aurelia's POV

When he finally breaks the kiss, I'm breathless. I can't deny how soft and fruity his lips tastes but still, I can't help but be angry.

First is him calling my name and second is kissing me. How does he even know my name? I'm sure he's a stranger because I recognize all the pack members of Winter Snowpack.

I push hard against his chest. "What did you do that for?" I demand angrily.

He c***s an eyebrow, his lips twitching with amusement as if he's enjoying me being ruffled up.

"I thought you wanted to ask me to because you were staring at my lips." He says casually.

My heart skips a bit at his words, awareness tingling through my bloodstream. Not one bit glad about this sudden attraction to this hot rude stranger, I snap,

"Who the hell are you, really?"

His smile deepens. "Feisty, I like that." He says in a dangerously low voice.

He suddenly lowers his head towards my face and I feel my cheeks flare ambers. Oh moon goddess help me! What is he trying to do it now?

His scent filters into my nostrils. Powerful, carnal, and tantalizing my senses mercilessly. Alpha male! I feel my heart race at the thought.

"I'm Julian, the guy who will make you forget that your mate rejected you," He purrs, his breath searing my skin and tingling my insides.

Suddenly, from the corner of my eyes, I glimpse Drake and Sierra approaching and the urge to spite them burns through me. Yes! Two can play at a game

Impulsively, I loop my arms around Julian's neck, pulling my weight upward to stand on the tip of my toes, taking his lips in mine.

Julian takes a few seconds to react. He's probably thinking I'm going crazy because I just chided him for kissing me and now, I'm initiating it.

I also think I'm going crazy because why does his lips taste like paradise? His hands wrap around my waist now, deepening the kiss as his tongue ravishes my mouth.

I secretly glance at Drake and Sierra and I can see an indecipherable look on Drake's face. If I don't know better, I will call it jealousy but I know it's not.

He's only angry that I found another guy so quickly. Either way, my blood sings with satisfaction. I hear their retreating steps now and I break the kiss.

"I'm sorry. It was a mistake."

"No, it's fine." He licks his lower lips, pulling me tightly in his arms. "Feel free to use me anyhow you—"

I suddenly push against his chest. What the hell is he talking about? The sultry look on his face is so distracting and I can't think properly.

"Run!" A voice screams in my head and I bolt out of the room.

As I run, I feel something jumping in my inside. Does that mean I have gotten my wolf? But why can't I shift like others?

I get outside and luckily for me, there's a taxi waiting outside. I hop inside it and I arrive home in record time.

It's as if the moon goddess is giving me a nice birthday gift as compensation for the awful one because Dad isn't home to get on my nerves as usual.

*****

When I wake up again, it's 10 am. s**t! I'm late for school and as an omega, the fact that today is Friday, the last school day of the week, is not an excuse for me to be absent. If they find out, I might even get rusticated.

I quickly take my bath and head for school. Luckily for me, it's a break period and I know this is the best way to avoid getting punished for coming late.

I only have to sneak into the cafeteria and then return to class with my classmates. Feeling smart, I enter the cafeteria but I instantly bump into someone.

Sierra! And she has an evil smirk on her face as if she has seen me sneaking in.

"Sneaking in like the filthy omega you are!" She sneers contemptuously.

I sighed deeply. I know better than to cross her after she has caught me. She'll only make everything worse.

I force. A smile. "I wasn't exactly sneaking in. I'm here to help serve food."

She gives a skeptical look like she doesn't believe it but she doesn't push it and I'm surprised.

"Since you're so eager to serve, why not come serve me and my mate at our table?" She says.

I clench my jaws, feeling the pain of the mate bond break that I have almost forgotten, start to flood my mind again like a terrain.

I don't want to face Drake yet, but then again, I can't refuse Sierra's orders. She will try to report me to the disciplinary board.

Besides, she's the only daughter of the second wealthiest family in Winter Snow while I'm only an omega daughter of the pack school's janitor.

I take a deep breath. "Alright. What number is your table? I'll take your orders."

A smile of wicked amusement crawls on her face. "Follow me!" She says.

I drag my feet behind her, feeling dread crawling up my nerves. She stops at table 20 and even before I see Drake, I smell him.

He's sitting in the middle of five boys, all of them from prominent families in the pack, and— he has a smile on his face.

My stomach constricts. How can he be so happy even after rejecting his fated mate? Turns out I'm the only one in pain from the breaking of the matebond.

"I brought an omega to take our orders!" I hear Sierra announce with a patronizing voice.

I mask my pain with a smile and approach them. "I'll take your orders. Tell me what you want."

The four boys give me their orders, but throughout, Drake never glances up at me. It's as if he finds my presence uncomfortable.

"Me and my mate will have Chinese rice," Sierra says as she hops into his lap, straddling him and in return, he wraps his arms around her waist.

Even as much I hate to admit it, I feel my heart ache inside my chest. They really look happy together— like a perfect couple and he's gazing at her so softly like he used to do to me.

But I know now that he used it to deceive me. This is the girl he loves and I'm only trash to him.

"What are you still waiting for?" Sierra snaps when she notices I'm still standing there.

I leave to get their food and soon, I'm carrying a big tray with a variety of dishes arranged in it and approaching their table.

All of a sudden, something whips past me from my right, and before I know what is happening, someone rams into me, and all the contents in the tray crash on the ground with a muffled thud.

I quickly glance around the room and relief floods my system as I realize many people haven't noticed it.

"You should've been focused on where—" I stop midway as I glance up to see Sierra's face

Devil's pawn! She must have bumped into me on purpose. A good yank on her hair will put her in her place, but that'll be like asking for death.

I ignore her and bend to pick up the broken pieces of ceramic plates but as I'm about to pick the first one, she steps on it.

I frown up at her. "What do you think you're doing?"

She scoffs. "Did you just throw the future Alpha's food on the ground? Do you know what that means?"

I sigh. "I don't care enough to know what it means because it's your fault for bumping into me!"

She looks taken aback for a moment as she clenches her jaws. "How dare a filthy omega like you talk back at me?"

"Have you forgotten that the omega you call father is the school's janitor and he also works as a gardener in my house? Do you want me to fire his ass?"

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut but I just shrug it off. "My father being your gardener or the school's janitor has nothing to do with this." I retort.

"You bumped into me and I'm not complaining. Just why are you making a scene?"

Rage skitters across her eyes and she raises her hand towards my face to either slap me or yank my hair. I quickly sidestep her, so that her hand cuts through the air and she staggers and falls.

A feeling of satisfaction washes through me and I can't stop the snort that escapes my nose.

Her face suddenly twists savagely as she lets out a shriek, so loud that everyone within earshot can hear.

"How could you push me?" She cried, her voice shaking fake emotions.

My eyes almost pop out of their sockets as I stare at her in horror. She's the one who tripped and fell, but now she's trying to blame me.

"What? I didn't—"

"How dare you?" I hear Drake's voice behind me and I freeze.