Unbreakable

Pack up

    When the meeting was dismissed, Alpha Ryan didn't pay me another glance. Which was probably a good thing because Tate was practically ripping my arm out of my socket dragging me up to our dorm. Once we were inside tears poured from my face as Tate practically starts spewing a river of questions.

    "What the f#ck was that, Tess? Were you not paying any attention at all? What the h**l was that?! Why did you say mate? How did you know? Tess? Tess...?" He was in my face shaking my shoulders but it didn't register in that moment. I heard an almost feral growl and thought for a moment it may have been a rogue but that obviously didn't make sense. 

       "TATE, STOP" I looked up at him with eyes full of panic and hurt. He seemed to get the idea that I didn't understand it myself.

     "I was distracted by his scent." I admitted with a pang of regret, "I hid from his scent yesterday. I couldn't handle finding my mate with everything that happened. I've also had my wolf come forward in my mind a couple times but she refuses to acknowledge anything I say or respond to me. I didn't want to cause you more pain, but I didn't know he was an Alpha... what did I REALLY miss at that meeting Tate?"

    He looked at me and his sullen face turned back to that cheesy Tate grin that graced his face during the meeting.

    "And THAT," I laughed, "why are you so happy all of the sudden"? I was staring daggers at him through my tears and with that Tate broke into hysterical laughter. I mean on the floor crying and cackling like a hyena to the point I almost called the pack doctor to have him admitted. After what had to be at least 10 minutes of him laughing, trying to regain his composure, and falling back into laughing fits he just sighed and looked me square in the face. 

    "You really don't know what this means for you does it?" He looked at me seriously now. "Tessa, you are going to be Luna to the Clear Mountain pack. Oh, and you can't exactly hide from him now, Alpha Tomas made a deal with Alpha Ryan to trade some of the pack members in order to establish an alliance with Clear Mountain."

    And with that statement I went pale, my stomach in my throat preventing words from forming. I then did the only thing I could do in that moment of panic, I started laughing and crying at the same time, and luckily Tate was still on the adrenaline rush from his laughing fit and fell back into it with me for another 5 minutes or so before I threw myself onto my bed and put my hands on my forehead as if the pressure would take off some of the weight on my mind in this moment. 

    "Tate, he doesn't want me. I had already evaded him  and I publicly disrespected him during our first actual encounter. I have literally heard my wolf twice in my life. How can I be a Luna if I can't actually shift or even get my wolf to talk to me ORRR when my mate refuses to acknowledge me?"

    "Tes--" I cut him off.

 "Enough about me Tate, this is exactly what I wanted to avoid, how are you holding up? Especially now that we are essentially being traded for protection I assume?"

    "I am okay. I actually think the change of scenery would be good for me. I found the applications you brought for me. I appreciate that. I don't know how Alpha Ryan will feel about his new recruits looking at colleges hours away, but being in a new territory will be a fresh start for us both, Tess. Especially when miss thang over here stops beating herself up and embraces the life the mood goddess has in store for her".

    I laughed and rolled it off. "I don't know what to do Tate. I have constantly been pushed around. Your mate is supposed to love and accept you regardless, and the first thing he does is remind me of my position, and it was not that of his mate but of someone beneath him. My parents, my peers, hell pretty much anyone whose name is not Tate has had a problem with me. I will go with you in the morning, but If things don't work out Tate; Rogues don't have to go feral or live in the wild, especially if they are not alone. Promise me that we will take each step going forward together?"

    "I promise", Tate replied before eyeing me with a mischievous grin. I raised my brow and he continued, "starting with packing". 

    I chuckled at him and put a couple photos in my backpack. We spent the rest of the afternoon at my parents' to collect my more personal belongings that just hadn't made it this far. I only had about 6 boxes. I wasn't the award winner or the popular girl like I  was expected to be. Not being able to shift left me as the butt of many jokes when invited to hang out with others so the photos lining my wall were mainly store-bought and had little meaning to me. Sure I was smart and my grades reflected that but it's not exactly the key to making friends as a wolfless werewolf. At first I thought a few of the girls really wanted to be my friends, until I was 14 and had a sleepover from hell with the Alpha and gammas daughters Katelynn and Felicia. Needless to say that a pillow fight that was supposed to be good fun turned south when Felicia snuck oranges into the pillow cases that they then began pelting me with. I actually lost consciousness and woke up to 2 oranges stuffed into my shirt and had to clean up the pillows containing the mashed produce. I got a text with a photo of myself with the oranges in my shirt and marker all over my body and when I realized it was a mass text to every kid in our school from Felicia I lost it. 

    When we were finished we realized we had missed dinner and what would have probably been the last meal we ate at the Packhouse with how early we were due to leave. My parents acted sad for all of 20 minutes before my mom danced off to do laundry and Dad got an "important mindlink". He was really going to the casino but what was the point. If they weren't going to cry over me, I wouldn't waste a tear on them. I crawled into a comfy joggers outfit with hopes of sleeping on the ride to Clear Mountain pack since it was at least 3 hours from our Packhouse to theirs. Tate came over and curled up in my bed and cuddled me like the big spoon. It was nice to just be next to someone to go through it with. Ryan. His name hit a note in my heart just thinking about him, even if I didn't want it to. I shook him from my mind and waited for sleep to come, nuzzling into my best friend.