I WOKE UP AS MY HOCKEY ALPHA'S GIRLFRIEND

Chapter 24

Mary

There I was, worrying about my reputation while Emily Carter was worrying about molecules.

Molecules.

Honestly, there was something fundamentally wrong with Omega wolves like Emily.

Actually, let me correct myself.

There were two kinds of Omegas in our pack.

The first kind accepted reality. They knew their wolves had never awakened, so they accepted the lives the Moon Goddess had given them. They lived quietly in the suburbs, stayed away from pack politics, and didn't waste their lives chasing dreams that were never meant for them. They called themselves the Moon’s cursed because they had no wolves.

Then there was the second kind.

Emily Carter.

The kind that refused to accept reality.

The kind that looked at Alpha schools, Alpha privileges, Alpha lifestyles, and somehow convinced themselves they deserved all of it despite being wolfless.

It wasn't ambition, it was delusion.

Personally, I wasn't bothered. I knew exactly who I was. My mother was an Alpha, and my father was one of the strongest Alpha wolves in the entire pack. My wolf simply hadn't awakened yet. That didn't mean it wasn't there. It only meant she was preparing for a grand entrance.

And in a few weeks, on my eighteenth birthday, she would finally emerge. I believed that with every fiber of my being. I just prayed I wouldn't still be trapped inside Emily Carter's body when it happened.

Because if my eighteenth birthday was spent discussing chemical equations instead of celebrating my awakening, I was going to lose my mind.

"Mary!”

Emily's voice snapped me back.

"Would you please come back to Earth and listen to what I'm saying?"

I rolled my eyes. "There is nothing more to this presentation,” I said, irritated. School was over and I had to sit in a class like I had paid for extra lessons. “Relax. I can handle it."

She folded her arms. "Can you?"

"Yes."

"You've been staring into space for the last five minutes,” she maintained, trying to prove a point.

"I've gone through this presentation a thousand times." I shrugged casually. "With Col."

Her eyebrows shot up the moment I mentioned his name.

"You practiced... with Col?"

"Yes."

Her entire expression changed.

And then I realized that I didn't even know what Emily felt for her brother's hot best friend. I was curious though. Col was the kind of omega who deserved to be blessed with a wolf.

A slow smile spread across my face. "Emily, your face lit up when I mentioned Col."

She frowned deeper. "What are you talking about? My face has always looked like this."

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the desk.

"Emily Carter..." I grinned. "Do you have a crush on Col Washington?"

She stared at me. Then she burst into laughter. Not nervous laughter. Real laughter, like I had suddenly become a stage comedian.

"What the f**k?!" She shook her head. "Col is practically my brother."

"Brother?"

"He's Dylan's best friend. We literally grew up together." She looked genuinely horrified, which was crazy in my opinion.

"How can I have a crush on someone who's basically family?"

I clicked my tongue. "No wonder he calls you Poochie."

She poured. "He calls you that?"

"Not anymore. I told him to stop."

She looked like I had erased a part of her identity. "Why?"

"Because I'm almost eighteen." I lifted my chin proudly. "I'm a grown-ass teenager, and I refuse to answer to a teddy bear nickname."

She laughed again.

Honestly, Emily laughed far too much for someone whose life was so tragic.

I still couldn't understand it.

"And besides," I continued, "what's not to like about Col?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Everybody has a type."

"He's not yours?"

"No."

I looked at her like she'd admitted to eating sand for breakfast. "Then what's your type? Do you have a type?”

Who would believe that I'd be sitting and discussing ‘types’ with an omega.

She pretended to think. "Hmm..."

"An Alpha?"

She grinned. The stupid girl actually grinned like it was supposed to be a thought.

"If an Alpha is willing to dump his mate for me,” She pointed at herself, "I'll happily take him."

I barked out a laugh. "You dream too much, Emily Carter."

She raised an eyebrow.

"You want admission into the most prestigious Alpha academy in the country."

I counted on my fingers. "You want to outshine every Alpha student."

I raised another finger. "And now you want to steal somebody's fated mate?"

I laughed again.

"Emily Carter, are you trying to become the most hated woman in this pack?"

She shrugged so casually it irritated me. "I've been hated since kindergarten,” she answered. "Hate doesn't scare me anymore."

She reached for her notes. "If anything, it motivates me."

She tapped the thick chemistry textbook. "That's exactly why I'm getting into Werewolf Academy." She looked up. "So stop talking about Col."

She pushed the papers toward me. "Molecules are way cuter."

I stared at her for a long time and sighed. Emily Carter genuinely needed professional help. How could anyone look at Col Washington and decide molecules were sexier?

Had she seen that man under the moonlight?

Had she seen him take off his shirt?

My brain immediately replayed the night at the swimming pool. The silver moonlight dancing across the water, the droplets running down his chest, and his stupid smile.

Of course, his stupid shoulders too…and his stupid everything.

That was who Emily compared to molecules.

Emily's internal wiring was definitely defective. If it had been a curse, we could have begged the Moon Goddess to lift it.

But this?

This was factory damage. Nobody could save her.

I grabbed my bag and stood. "I have tutorials with Col."

It was a complete lie. I hadn't practiced the presentation once. Tomorrow's demonstration was tomorrow's problem.

Emily stood too. "Promise me you won't mess this up."

Her expression turned serious. "If you ruin this presentation for me, Mary Saint Laurent, I’m going to ruin your life."

I laughed without humor. Couldn't she come up with something better?

"What exactly is left to ruin?" I asked. "My boyfriend knows I lied to him. My mother is probably furious with me. The Luna has probably lost every ounce of respect he ever had for me. And the Alpha King probably thinks I'm pathetic.

"Worse, the entire pack is gossiping about me, and my friends are probably discussing me in every group chat they have."

I spread my hands. "So tell me, Emily Carter. What exactly is left for you to destroy?"

She actually looked sorry.

"I'm sorry your life fell apart." Her voice was quiet. "But that's what happens when you build your whole life inside a bubble."

She held my gaze.

"The bubble bursts...and suddenly there's nothing left."

I scoffed.

She picked up her notebook again.

"So stop living inside one." Then she said the one thing she should never have said. "And stop acting like Ethan Sparrow is your mate."

I froze.

"When your wolf awakens,” She looked me straight in the eye, “go find your real mate. Because Ethan Sparrow might not be him."

Something inside me snapped. I crossed the room in two strides, grabbed her wrist, and yanked her toward me. Our faces were inches apart.

"Don't you dare." My voice came out low but it was dangerous. "The moment I hear those words coming out of anyone else's mouth…” I tightened my grip. "I'm taking you down with me.”

She didn't flinch.

"The entire pack believes Ethan Sparrow and I are fated mates. And that's exactly how it will stay."

I released her wrist, slung my bag over my shoulder, and walked out of the classroom without looking back.

No matter what happened, Ethan Sparrow was going to be my mate.