Chapter 4: The Rival Mate
1003 Words
Alice was beginning to think she'd entered some alternate universe.
Jake Hunter had sat with her at lunch.
Not once.
Not because he lost a bet.
Not because someone dared him.
He had chosen to sit with her.
And somehow, that felt impossible.
The rest of the day wasn't any easier.
Everywhere she went, she caught him watching her.
Not in a creepy way.
In a curious way.
Like he was trying to figure her out.
Like she was a puzzle.
The problem was that every time she looked up and found his eyes on her, her heart forgot how to function.
Which was happening far too often.
Jake was miserable.
Not because of Alice.
Because of Savannah.
The blonde transfer student had somehow managed to appear everywhere he went.
His locker.
Practice.
The parking lot.
Even outside one of his classes.
His wolf hated it.
Something about her felt wrong.
Calculated.
Like she was constantly pretending to be something she wasn't.
Jake leaned against his truck after practice.
The scent hit him before he saw her.
Savannah.
Great.
She approached confidently.
"Can we talk?"
Jake sighed.
"I guess."
Savannah smiled.
"Alone."
His eyes narrowed.
"No."
Her expression tightened.
"You're suspicious of me."
"I don't know you."
"You know what I am."
That got his attention.
Jake straightened immediately.
"What did you just say?"
Savannah stepped closer.
"I know you're a wolf, Jake."
His wolf instantly surfaced.
Danger.
Savannah's green eyes flashed gold.
Just for a second.
Then they returned to normal.
Jake's jaw clenched.
"What pack are you from?"
Savannah's smile widened.
"There he is."
His Alpha instincts screamed.
Something wasn't right.
"My father sent me."
Jake's stomach dropped.
He already knew exactly which father she meant.
Alpha Victor Blake.
Leader of the Crescent Moon Pack.
One of the largest packs in the region.
A pack his father had spent years avoiding.
Savannah tilted her head.
"You remember the alliance discussions."
Jake's face hardened.
"That was years ago."
"Not to my father."
Jake already hated where this conversation was going.
Savannah's smile turned smug.
"You were supposed to be mine."
The words hit like a punch.
"No."
"Yes."
"No, I wasn't."
"Our families discussed it."
"When we were children."
"An alliance."
Jake laughed humorlessly.
"I don't care."
Savannah's eyes darkened.
"You should."
"No."
The smile disappeared from her face completely.
Because Jake wasn't looking at her anymore.
His gaze had shifted across the parking lot.
To Alice.
She had just exited the school building.
Books clutched against her chest.
Completely unaware of the danger she was in.
Savannah followed his stare.
And suddenly everything clicked.
The obsession.
The attention.
The possessiveness.
The way he'd ignored every girl in school.
Including her.
"Oh."
Jake immediately looked back at her.
Savannah smiled slowly.
Cruelly.
"It's her."
"Stay away from her."
The warning came instantly.
Savannah laughed.
"So it is."
Jake's wolf growled.
Mine.
Savannah heard it.
And for the first time, genuine anger flashed across her face.
"You found your mate."
Jake didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
His silence said everything.
"She's human."
Jake stepped forward.
One step.
A clear warning.
Savannah's wolf surfaced in response.
"You chose a human over your own kind."
"I didn't choose anything."
"Then reject her."
Jake's eyes flashed gold.
The parking lot suddenly felt too small.
Too dangerous.
His wolf pressed against his skin.
Furious.
Protective.
Ready.
"No."
The single word carried Alpha authority.
Savannah actually stepped back.
Shock crossing her face.
Jake had never used his Alpha voice before.
Not like that.
Not against another wolf.
Not over a girl.
A human girl.
Jake's expression turned deadly calm.
"If you go near Alice, we have a problem."
Savannah stared at him.
Then she smiled.
And somehow that smile felt more dangerous than anger.
"Interesting."
Jake didn't like that smile.
Not one bit.
That evening, Alice sat on her bedroom floor surrounded by books.
Homework spread across her bed.
A half-finished cup of tea sat nearby.
She should have been studying.
Instead, she was thinking about Jake.
Again.
A knock interrupted her thoughts.
"Come in."
Evelyn entered carrying folded laundry.
The older woman's smile immediately faded.
"What's wrong?"
Alice frowned.
"What makes you think something's wrong?"
"You've reread the same page six times."
Alice glanced down.
Her grandmother wasn't wrong.
Again.
Alice sighed.
"I just feel like something strange is happening."
Evelyn froze.
Only for a second.
But Alice noticed.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Grandma."
Evelyn sat beside her.
"What kind of strange?"
Alice hesitated.
How was she supposed to explain this?
That the most popular boy in school suddenly seemed interested in her?
That she'd dreamed about wolves?
That she couldn't stop thinking about him?
"It sounds stupid."
"Tell me anyway."
Alice looked down.
"Have you ever felt like your life was about to change?"
The question hung in the room.
Evelyn's expression softened.
"Oh, sweetheart."
For a moment, sadness flashed through her eyes.
Almost like she remembered something painful.
Something old.
Something she never talked about.
"Sometimes," Evelyn said quietly, "life changes whether we're ready or not."
Alice frowned.
"What does that mean?"
But Evelyn was already standing.
"It's getting late."
"Grandma."
"Goodnight, Alice."
The conversation was over.
Alice knew it.
Still, as Evelyn left the room, she could have sworn she heard her grandmother whisper something.
Something about fate.
And wolves.
Outside, hidden among the trees bordering the property, a pair of golden eyes watched the house.
Jake stood motionless beneath the moonlight.
He wasn't stalking her.
At least, that's what he kept telling himself.
His wolf simply needed to know she was safe.
That's all.
Nothing more.
The bedroom light switched off.
Jake relaxed.
Safe.
Mine.
The possessive thought made him groan.
This mate bond was going to drive him insane.
Then suddenly—
His wolf froze.
A foreign scent drifted through the air.
Wolf.
Female.
Savannah.
Jake's head snapped toward the woods.
His eyes flashed gold.
Because Savannah wasn't watching him.
She was watching Alice.
And that was a problem.
A very big problem.
- Writer
