MATED TO TWO: A BULLY AND A GOODBOY

9

Athena:

As I walked out of the library and down the hallway, a wave of rage and disgust washed over every bone and muscle in my body. I wished I could grab Cameron, punch him in the face, and tear him apart, but I couldn’t. The world was unfair, and it made me constantly regret my existence.

‘Pull yourself together.’ Lily, my wolf, said to me, and I scoffed, ignoring her and increasing my step on Night Howler high’s floor.

“Slow down, Ms. Train Tracks!” Cameron called out, running after me.

“Please leave me alone, Cameron!” I yelled, but as soon as I got to the stairs, he grabbed my hand. He turned me around, and I jerked my hand away from his grasp.

“I swear if you touch me one more time, I’ll...”

“Do nothing,” Daren said from behind, and I turned around to see him standing with his hands in his blue jeans pocket.

I swallowed hard, staring at him for a moment—just long enough to notice that the bandage on his face had come off and his wound had nearly healed.

“f**k off, Cameron,” Daren said, and Cameron rolled his eyes. He approached Daren and brushed shoulders roughly before proceeding down the stairs.

Daren grabbed my hand as soon as Cameron left, and I did not fight because I could not really come up with an excuse for not answering his calls. He led me down the hall to the janitors’ closet. Then he slammed me against the wall and slammed the door shut with a loud thud.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” He yelled, pinning my hands above my head and slamming me up against the wall, his right leg in between mine.

I fought against his grip and tried to look away from his stare because, even though it was dark, I could see the bright red glow in his eyes, indicating he was angry.

“Answer me!” he yelled in my face, raising my pulse.

“I..I..” I attempted to form a sentence, but the words would not come together. Perhaps the pain from yesterday was still affecting me, and he was only trying to establish his dominance over the pack. He only wanted to rule the pack, so if his primary motive disappeared, he wouldn't even think about me.. I was secondary, not something or someone he thought about.

“You what?” he exclaimed, and I squeaked in terror. He let me go when he saw me break a sweat, and my entire body creaked with fear.

“I have called and texted several times.Do you have any idea how many thoughts have gone through my mind, and to think I was one step away from going to your house?” He said, smashing his hand up above me, causing me to sink to the floor.

We both remained silent for a while before he spoke.

“You know what, I can’t take this!” He turned to leave, but I interrupted him before he could reach the door.

“Do you even care about me?”

When I said that, he chuckled briefly before turning around and walking back to me.

“What does that mean?”

“Exactly what you heard,” I said, standing up and attempting to regain control of myself.

“Am I nothing more than a golden goose? I mean, you were mean to me on the first day,and…”

“You ran into me!” In response, I shook my head and crossed my hand.

“I am not finished,” I said, approaching him and closing the gap between us. “You became aware, and then you fled. Or rather, you made it a reason to look after me, because you need me as your Luna. I am not sure how important I am to you, but I know they have not recorded it in history that the chosen Luna was rejected, and I am sure that is why you are doing this. Cameron already made that mistake, and this is your time, and honestly, I am tired too!” I yelled, poking him roughly on the chest, and exited the closet.

With each step I took away from the closet, I wished he would come after me or call me back to tell me he was wrong and that he loved me so much. But I was delusional because nothing like that happened, and I felt a trickle of tears fall the moment I walked through the front door. When I turned around to see Daren step out of the closet, the tears that I had been fighting fell freely. I walked out the door and hurried down the stairs in front of the school building.

There was no need to hold back the tears because everything had blurred, so I cried my heart out as I walked down the school grounds. I decided not to take the bus because I did not want my bullies to make a public mockery of me, so I walked home through the tears.

As soon as I stepped out of school, I paused for a moment, wiped my tears, and continued walking down the road. I had to keep my broken heart at bay in order to think clearly and avoid being hit by a car.

Suddenly, I heard a car hunk aggressively and felt it drive towards me at high speed, causing me to pause and wonder if I was on the wrong side of the road. But then it was just Daren. He drove up close and stopped beside me.

“Get in,” he said, and I looked at him with teary eyes. I hissed and then continued on foot.

“I was fine before you showed up, and I do not need you for anything!” I yelled.

He kept driving alongside me, trying to get me into his car, but I was hesitant. After apologizing for a few minutes, he matched the throttle and sped up ahead of me, causing my heart to skip a beat. He came to a screech stop right in front of me, raising a cloud of dust in the air. While I was coughing, he got out of the car and slammed the door.

He approached me, and, before I knew it, he had me swept off my feet in bridal style. Then he carried me to the car, opened the door with one hand, and placed me inside. He dashed over to the driver’s seat and climbed in.

I tried to say something, but he pressed his lips into mine before I could finish. In awe, I pushed him away, panting heavily and grabbing the door handle. I could not believe what was happening and did not believe it was real.

“Look, I am sorry for what happened back there,” he said, taking my hands in his. I looked him in the eyes, and he spoke without blinking or stuttering.

“I can not say I love you in the way you want, Athena, because we just met, and I am confused, but one thing I know is that you mean a lot to me,” he said, pausing briefly to tuck in a stray strand of my hair that was blocking my view.

“You are beautiful, kind, and intelligent. I know you want me to treat you like others, more like you want me to set you free, but I can’t.”

“Because I am your mate,” I said, and he paused for a moment with his mouth ajar before continuing.

“Yes, and I want to protect you. My dad is out of town, so I am not even sure what my duties should be. I may be doing more or less, but I am trying because we have a chance to build a future together, and I want you to understand that,” he said, as I drew my hands away from him.

“What exactly is your point?” I asked, and he sighed.

“I will protect you with every drop of blood in me, even if it means dying in the cold hands of my brother, and I will not let him harm you,” he said, and I looked into his eyes, remembering the horrifying nightmare I had. He drew me into a warm embrace and kissed my cheek, and I sank back into my seat.