Together again

6. Disappointment

Amy's POV

The drive back to the pack was exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. After the incident at the graduation party, I had to prolong my return for a few more days to let my broken skin heal and recover mentally from the attack. Jaden had been locked in the cells immediately, and was still awaiting trial for his crime. After giving my statement to the authorities, I was happy it was over and I wouldn't have to face the asshole again before I could leave with my family and mate.

My Mate.

The moment I saw the beautiful face of my savior, I was in love. Not to mention the sparks that ran through my skin with his single touch that made me feel at home. He was so gentle, attentive, and protective that I couldn't stop smiling. At least I had achieved one great thing on that awful night. Despite not shifting, and being attacked, I had at least found my mate.

And what a mate he was.

I was shocked to discover that my mate turned out to be none other than one of our famous professors: Hayden Stanton. The talk of the campus since I moved into my dorm. Every girl drooled at the sight of him, while every guy envied him for the attention he got. He was 30 years old, single, and a hot as f**k specimen who oozed confidence and sexiness with his every move, word, or glance. It wasn’t surprising that all of this lured every female to sign up for his classes, even if it wasn’t required for their majors.

Hayden Stanton, standing at six feet three inches tall, with short brown curly hair, deep brown eyes, and the body of a God, was every girl's dream during her education. And I wasn’t an exception. I had been attracted to him the moment he entered the hall on the first day, barking out his rules and expectations. But knowing my goal and my bad luck in the man department, I decided to look past his awesomeness or awesome ass, and focus on my task: passing the exams and getting my degree.

It was hard but not impossible. With him being a huge distraction, I put a lot of effort into ignoring his hot stares, deep enticing voice, and strong aura every time we talked privately in his office to discuss my assignments and suggestions for my extra classes to improve my education. Greta often told me to make a move and try my luck with him after witnessing one or two of our conversations in the common areas, but I always brushed it off. How could he be interested in me? He was a man while I was a girl.

But fate has wicked ways to bring mates together. How could I not have noticed that there was actually something going on between us? The chemistry was evident, the stolen glances filled with want, his sudden appearances at the most unexpected moments were signs and his words before the graduation party were definitely proof:

“I’m hoping to see you more often.”

An abrupt halt made me shake off all my thoughts as I blinked my eyes and saw familiar surroundings. The big gray packhouse on my right, the yard full of known people in front of me, and the smell of engine oil coming from my left, the Alpha’s garage. I was home. With a bright smile, I quickly unfastened my seatbelt and, not waiting for Hayden to assist me, I jumped out of the car to meet my folks after such a long departure.

I hugged a lot of people on my way before I finally spotted my fathers and hugged them both simultaneously. They had gone back home a day before me to make all the preparations for my return. They laced our hands together and the three of us walked further into the crowd, everyone congratulating me or welcoming me back. I was humbled, and then I noticed Him.

As the crowd before me stepped away to let him walk through with a dazzling smile, Hayden reached my side, releasing my fathers from their duty. Before I had even finished introducing Hayden to him, he was gone.

An unfamiliar word came out of his mouth before the gorgeous smile dropped from his handsome face and he turned around abuptly. Sprinting away like his ass was on fire, he vanished into the woods. He ran away, leaving me stupefied with an open mouth, not knowing what to say. What was going on?

My eyes followed him until he disappeared into the trees. My brain was working overtime, trying to make sense of it. I thought I had played all possible scenarios in my head of what might happen when meeting him again, but I hadn’t thought of this. His bizarre reaction was definitely heartbreaking. I thought he would have given me a friendly welcome, at least.

He was my best friend’s older brother, someone I thought was my friend, the next leader by my Alpha’s choice, and my first huge crush I thought I would never forget until meeting my mate. The person who I was hoping would be happy at seeing me back, with a deserved title and an amazing mate by my side, but obviously, I had hoped for too much.

His reaction today was something that caused a huge ache in my heart and I suppressed the whimper that wanted to come out, determined not to show my devastation to anyone. I was shocked, seeing him simply walk away when all I had prayed for was his words of pride and a warm hug that would complete the day.

“What was that?” I asked no one in particular, but my voice sounded hurt and small.

The crowd around us stood frozen, looking dumbfounded as they watched the scene unfolding before them. I scanned their faces to see if any of them had an answer but no one rushed to give me any explanation.

“Is it our new pack doctor who caused all the ruckus today?” A soft and soothing voice asked and I tore my eyes away from the tree line to see my best friend Rory waddling my way.

She was heavily pregnant with her second child, but all her exhaustion was masked by a tired yet sincere smile. The moment she stood right in front of me, spreading her arms for a hug, I launched myself at her.

“Oh, I missed you Amy. So, so much. I’m so happy to see you back home.” She gushed, holding me in a strong embrace.

I hugged her back, making sure not to squash her belly. Her scent enveloped me and the moment we connected, I sighed in relief. I missed her a lot too. She was my Luna, a mother to all the members, an advisor when we struggled with decisions. But beyond that, she was my best friend. And as funny as it sounds, I was the one who taught her all about werewolf life when we first met.

I had been sixteen when she came to our pack. She had been eighteen, but she had no idea who she was and no clue that a supernatural world existed. Because of her unorthodox upbringing, followed by a traumatic car accident, she ended up with an additional obstacle: memory loss. She was like a puppy that had to be taught everything from the start and eased into reality before she could discover her real role in our community and Blake’s position in all of this.

She had thought Blake was the Mayor’s son.

Every time I heard that title I laughed, and even now, after two years, it still had that effect on me. Holding my best friend, remembering that white lie we all told her caused me to giggle. In seconds, my body started to shake and I burst out laughing uncontrollably over the memories of that day.

“What’s so funny, Ams?” Rory asked, looking at me in confusion.

“The beginning.” I laughed again, stepping back to bend down, holding my stomach. It was so intense that I lost my breath and wheezed out an explanation.

“Mayor’s son… the training… mouth… fingers… dick.” I said between breaths, and in seconds her confused face turned red in embarrassment.

“We thought we were alone, and no one was watching.” She explained sheepishly but smiled, remembering the exact moment I was talking about.

Yes, that was a fun day. Her first training day and the first time, Blake decided to introduce her to us. They thought they were alone on the field when we all left, but we weren’t that far away to not hear her moans when our Alpha decided to shamelessly have a bit of fun with his mate in the open.

That reminded me of Cam and my eyes traveled to the spot where I had seen him stepping into the woods and a sad sigh left my lips. Rory noticed the change in my behavior and her gaze followed my trail.

“He is probably overwhelmed and doesn't know how to deal with his emotions. I mean, look at you girl. All grown up with sexy curves and long toned legs. You are gorgeous.” She teased, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. But I didn’t get the message. What was she talking about? And to make the situation worse, her next words shocked me to my core.

“Well, I see you brought a sexy snack with you. I guess you choose to play dirty. But he’s a perfect distraction for all the other she-wolves who try to make moves on Cam. Now you can claim the man you always wanted and let your friend help you with that.” She chuckled, eying Hayden standing behind me.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Luna, but I’m not interested. Amy is MINE, my MATE, and I will not let any male think he has a chance with her. Over my dead body!” Hayden roared at my Luna, sneaking his hand over my waist, bringing our bodies together.

Her face turned into one of shock. And not the happy one, but horrified. Her eyes widened, her mouth fell open and she visibly paled. In seconds, Blake was hugging her in his arms, preventing her body from collapsing. He didn’t look angry at my mate's outburst, but he wasn’t happy either.

Still feeling the rage coming out from Hayden in waves, I turned around in his hold and cupped his cheeks. When I looked into his now dark eyes I knew his wolf was fighting his way out. His dark curls covered his forehead and his breath came rugged through his nostrils. He was pissed beyond imagination.

When my touch, soothing voice, and sparks started to work and his eyes turned back to his beautiful brown ones, I smiled at him. Palming his scruffy cheeks, I assured him that, despite my Luna’s words, I was his and he was mine. Nothing else mattered.

Once Hayden was relaxed and we were able to attend the party again, I took a look at the crowd watching us. I noticed a mix of different emotions; shock, confusion and some even showed disgust. Alpha Blake was weary and I knew we would be summoned to his office later for explanations. Rory was still pale but her shock was replaced with disbelief that her version of the dream was far from coming true.

“What are you looking at?!” I asked, almost yelling at everyone.

This situation was getting on my nerves and their reactions made my own blood boil in anger. Not waiting for any reply, I grabbed Hayden’s hand and dragged him out of the party and straight into my room, leaving everyone frozen in their spots.

“How are you feeling, baby girl?” Hayden asked the moment I shut the door close behind us.

How was I feeling? There were many emotions that washed over my body and none of them were pleasant. Anger, hurt, sadness, and the biggest one was disappointment.

First, Cam decided to ditch the party without a word.

Second, the whole pack was looking at me like I had committed a crime.

Third, my Luna insulted my mate, suggesting he was a piece of meat for others to devour.

Fourth, my ‘adventure friends’ didn’t even show up.

What the f**k was wrong with them all? I wanted to scream all my thoughts out but, thanks to Hayden’s gentle touch, I was able to close my eyes and focus on my breathing. I had been on the verge of exploding at the welcome party or, as I should actually describe it, an ‘unwelcome’ party. Once again, it was not what I was expecting after being away for over two years.

It was not the way I wanted to be greeted after working my ass off to graduate and make my pack proud. I know I was adopted, not really a Beta heir, but wasn’t I worth the thrill of celebrating finding my mate? What was their problem? Everyone deserves happiness, everyone has a mate out there to find, so why was finding my own a total shock or displeasure when I brought him home?

Finally, opening my eyelids, I looked deep into my mate’s eyes and saw all the love he felt for me, the happiness of being fated together, the determination to fight everyone who disagreed with the Moon Goddess’s choice and, lastly, the hunger to devour me.

I placed my hands on his defined chest as I bit my bottom lip. His eyes turned darker as he licked his own lips and swallowed the saliva, definitely having the same thought as me. Our eyes met again and the sparks intensified, the pull to be closer made me lean forward. With a hammering heart in my chest, I asked for something I hadn’t asked him before, something that was reserved only for my mate. Something that right now could make me feel complete.

“Kiss me.”