Rejected By My Mate, Claimed By His Rival

Chapter3

Aurelia's POV

He spins me on my heels to face him and I can see his lips trembling with fury. The four of his friends are with him and they're also glaring at me.

"What really happened?" One of them asks calmly. I think his name is Bryan.

I'm about to speak but Sierra beats me to it.

"Guys, I wanted to assist Aurelia with our orders, but she attacked me instead, hurling insults at me for taking Drake away from her."

"What?" The word comes out of my throat with shock.

How can she twist the whole thing? And the worst part is that all of them seem to believe her, especially Drake.

His gaze is so frosty that I feel like my heart is freezing and my soul is crushed into tiny shards.

"No! That's not true, Drake. She bumped into me and---"

"Enough!" He snaps, his voice as dark as night. "I don't want to hear the lies from your mouth. And I also warned you never to call me by my f*****g first name!"

"And did you say she stole me from you?" He scoffs incredulously. "That I was the first guy who f****d you doesn't mean I belonged to you! You meant nothing to me then, and you never will!"

His voice cuts across the room and it's as if every student in the hall stops what they're doing to face us.

I can feel their judging gazes pierce my body and my heart sinks into the pit of my stomach. How can Drake be so cruel as to spill this in front of everyone? Does he hate me that much?

The dam in my eyes break and tears spill over, rolling down my face like water oozing out of a faucet.

"I really didn't—"

"Shut up!" He silences me, pushing me aside and going to Sierra. He helps her up, worry evident on his face.

"I'm so sorry." He says softly and glances at me. "Apologize immediately!"

Triumph flashes in Sierra's eyes as she presses her face against the hollow of Drake's neck. I clench my fist tightly, holding my tears at bay.

I can't cry for them. They don't deserve it. It's really my fault for always acting like a pushover to Sierra.

I've always put up with her bullying at school just because my father is the school's janitor and I don't want to get him fired.

But this is simply not right! If I let her keep trampling on my pride, then I'll be the biggest fool.

"I'll not apologize!" I declare flatly and the cafeteria erupts with murmurs and whispering.

Drake and Sierra's faces contort with disbelief as they stare at me. I gathered my poise, looking Drake straight in the eye as he glared at me.

"How dare you refuse the Alpha's orders?" He bellows angrily.

"She can refuse your orders because she's not at fault!" A stern voice says behind me.

I turn only to see the gorgeous face of the guy from the coming of age ceremony, Julain. He's wearing our school's uniform and it molds over his body like a second skin.

Sierra is the first to react. "Brother?" She shrieks in horror. "What are you doing?"

My eyes widened with surprise. s**t! He's Julain Adams, Sierra's stepbrother and the heir of the wealthiest family in the pack.

And I kissed him yesterday.

Drake doesn't look so happy about Julian's interference. His gaze darts from Julian's face to mine, watching us with equal disdain.

"This is none of your business, Julain!" He retorts.

"Then, you should have acted like a real Alpha!" He counters Drake with an edge to his voice. "I saw everything and my sister is at fault!"

Wow! Julain has enough power to even challenge Drake? Right, I have heard rumors about him and Drake being rivals since middle school.

They rival in hockey, girls and they hate each other's guts, but Julian left Winter Snowpack three years ago and I think everything has ended there. But I don't think so anymore.

"What?" Sierra's scoff breaks into my mind. "Brother, why the hell are you taking sides with a disgusting girl like Aurelia?"

"Are you saying that the mate of the Adams family's heir is disgusting, sister?" His voice is cold, cutting through the air like a knife.

The cafeteria erupts in more murmurs. My breath hitches in my lungs. Is he calling me his mate?

Sierra frowns, her lips trembling from restrained anger. But she can't do anything because she seems scared in the presence of her big brother.

"Now, apologize to your brother's mate!" Julian commands her.

I gasp and so do Sierra and Drake. I can see Drake's gaze darken as he steps in front of Sierra.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Julian? How can an Alpha wolf apologize to a mere omega?"

"I'd rather die than apologize to an omega!" Sierra chimes in, yelling.

Before I know what is happening, she snatches a glass of drink from a passing omega and hurls the content at me.

The liquid soaks through my uniform, immediately making the scars on my skin visible to the prying eyes of the other students.

I wince as the liquid makes contact with a fresh scar on my upper arm and the pain burns through my body.

"Sierra!" Drake yells in panic and for the first time, he's glaring at her.

He glances at me and I almost think I see a flicker of remorse in his eyes, even a slight trace of concern. Is he trying to take my side now? No! I know too well that it's not possible.

He's an unrepentant jerk! I remind myself.

My clothes are becoming more translucent and I turn to run out of the room but Julain catches my wrist and suddenly whisks me off the ground, holding me in a bridal style as though I weighed nothing.

I feel my cheeks burn hot as everyone in the hall stares at me. I try to wriggle out of his hold but he holds me in place and carries me out of the hall.

He doesn't stop till he reaches a white Lincoln car. He opens the car's door and lowers me gently into the backseat.

Just when I think he'll go to the front, he joins me at the front, invading my personal space.

He doesn't say anything, just keeps staring at my face in reverent awe as though I'm some beauty goddess. I feel a fresh ripple of unease passes through me.

"You're wet." He suddenly says and my heart almost jumps out of my throat.

"What?" I scream, then seeing his teasing grin, I add. "Well, I'm-- I'm fine."

Suddenly, he starts unfastening the buttons on his shirt and panic grips me. Just in the space of less than 12 hours of meeting this guy, my mind hasn't rested from getting so heated up.

But why does he have this effect on me?

"What are you doing?" I ask, hoping the panic isn't too obvious in my voice.

He smiles but continues unfastening the last button. He takes off the shir, revealing his tattooed and finely chiseled chest.

"Take this!" He says, handling his vest to me. "Wear this instead of the wet one. I'll find myself another shirt."

A sense of gratitude fills me. "Thank you so much," I mutter quietly, making to take the shirt.

But he suddenly holds it away from my grip. "I'll give you on one condition. Be my girlfriend for two months."

I arch a puzzled brow. What gibberish is he spewing? He's the heir of a wealthy family and also the brother to the girl I hate most in the world!

Screw the shirt then!

I turn to open the door but he slams his fist against the door, stopping me as he backs me up against the backseat, his gaze suddenly turning serious.

"Don't you want to get your revenge on Drake for humiliating you publicly? Don't you want to teach Sierra a lesson for bullying you all these years? I can help you if you agree to be my pretend girlfriend for two months."