Claimed By My Best Friend's Brother

Chapter Three: Lonely

I was so glad I took a course no one cared about.

Ancient Lycan History.

Six people in total took the class; three people had already dropped out, finding it boring as s**t.

Okay...it was. A three-hour black and white video of some old dude reading a textbook that was buried in the Lycan Archives in Sweden - I saw even the teacher fall asleep during it.

But, I liked it. It was interesting and no one bugged me.

Though, of course, this lesson had to be on the Mating Ball.

Ugh, did everything have to remind me about it?

Professor Ainsley paced slowly back and forth in front of her desk, speaking aloud from memory. "The Mating elixir was a gift from the Goddess, allowing us the choice to select when we find a mate."

One of the other students, Kelsie, raised her hand, and Professor Ainsley nodded at her for her to speak. "But... didn't we have naturally occurring mate bonds not even four generations ago?"

Ainsley nodded, pointing at her that she'd made an excellent point and grabbed the remote for her projector, turning it on. "You are indeed correct, Miss Kelsie," she said, Kelsie blushing but smiling. Ainsley turned the project screen to show the double helix of Lycan DNA. "Four generations ago, our kind was cursed,"

"Stupid f*****g Faeries," one of the male students muttered.

Ainsley glared at them for a moment. "Thank you, Mr Morgan." She hissed, making him sink into his seat with a bit of fear. She turned back. "The cursing altered genetics, making the mating bond almost inaccessible."

"Almost?" Kelsie asked, ducking her head quickly when she realised she'd interrupted one of Professor Ainsley's infamous history speel. She loved mating history.

Ainsley continued as if she hadn't heard her. "The only times a mating bond now occurs is in the time of the Mating Ball when the Goddess gifts those over the age of twenty-one with the elixir," she changed the image to the Lycan Pool, a structure in the temple of the Moon Goddess that every Pack had built, a standing fountain that, on the night of the Mating Ball, the water would turn purple with the Goddess' magic. Ainsley leaned against her desk then, looking across the sparse faces. "Or," she continued, catching all of our interest, making her smile as she crossed her arms over her blazer. "If the Goddess sees a pairing fit for the right."

Another student put their hand up.

"Yes, Mr Wayne," she sighed, all of us expecting him to ask her to repeat everything she'd said the last hour since he was asleep.

"How do the pairing know?" He asked, surprising everyone. All of us looked at him like he'd sprouted two heads.

Ainsley gave a small proud smile. "Glad to see we found a topic you like," she teased, making him curl his lip at her, she waved him off. "To answer your question, the Goddess will start to send visions to the pair if they don't consume the elixir, encouraging them to..." She mused for a moment, considering an appropriate word.

"f**k?" Morgan offered, receiving a glare of annoyance in response from the Professor.

"If you want to be vulgar about it, sure." She shrugged then, "The Goddess sends s****l visions, usually in familiar settings where the pair have interacted, to encourage the pair to explore the desire."

I blinked, feeling colour both drain and rise to my face.

Dreams? Familiar settings?

Desires.

Ugh, nope. It was just a stupid hormone thing.

Class ended and I made my way to the track fields, deciding to go for a jog in the mountain pass to clear my head.

I set down my jacket and bag, tugging off my shirt so I stood in my sports bra and leggings.

A shiver ran down my spine, making me turn and raise my arms to block the incoming strike.

I didn't see my attacker, ducking to deliver a swift punch to their stomach and sweeping their legs, dropping them.

I went to run, only to stop, seeing the group of Gammas standing in a semi-circle around me, all of them shirtless and sweaty.

Staring at me in bewilderment.

I glanced down finally at the person I'd dropped, being met with a dark head of hair slamming into my chest and Dominique was pressed between my thighs, pinning me.

He smiled that sexy, dimpled smile, his breathing ragged and ugh, he smelt so good.

"Hey, kitten," he panted; I struggled, trying to slip his hold only for him to lock me in place easily and glance up at the Gammas who watched us.

"This is a basic hold for a smaller opponent," he said, demonstrating where his holds on me were, making me blink.

A-Are you using me as a training dummy? I growled at him a mind-link, seeing his slightly since from my tone.

Yes, he answered. Now, be a good girl and show them you aren't just a cute piece of ass.

His words made me blush, a flash of annoyance going through me at the same time as excitement.

My annoyance won out.

I slipped my knees between us and shoved him, throwing him into the dirt.

I'm not a piece of meat! I snapped, snatching up my things and shoved past the Gammas. "And that's how you throw off a bigger opponent!" I shouted over my shoulder, feeling Dominique's confused stare on me, his attempt to mind-link me that I denied. I knew he couldn't chase after me and demand an explanation; he had a class to teach, and I had rooms to clean.

I found my keys, thankful I'd left my car on campus the other day after training. With a heavy sigh and a swell of emotions tightening my chest, I fell into the driver's seat and turned on the car.

The sound of the heavy metal I enjoyed did well to drown out the sound of me crying as I drove to the Packhouse.

Calypso rose to comfort me.

Are you okay? She asked, already knowing the answer. We shared a brain for Christ-sake.

She growled at me, annoyed that I tried to keep things bottled up.

I growled back. "I'm not in the mood."

She sighed. Obviously. But what's caused you to be so upset? She pressed, wanting me to sort and process the mess inside of me that had been building the last year since my birthday.

I pushed all back down, saying nothing until I'd finished all my jobs then climbed the stairs to the second floor and to find Alyssa studying in her bedroom.

I threw myself down onto her large plush bed beside her, bouncing a bit and let out a guttural groan.

"Fine..... I'll go to the Ball."

Alyssa practically threw her textbooks and laptop off the bed as she sat up, her eyes wide and hopeful. "Repeat that!" She demanded and I covered my eyes with my arm.

"I give up..." I muttered. "I'll go to the stupid Mating Ball."

She was squealing and bouncing, running around the room, getting changed and babbling about the stores she'd already planned to drag me into.

I sighed again, getting off her bed and following behind her.

Are you sure about this? Calypso asked, hesitant and trying to hide her own hopefulness.

If it meant I could get Dominique off my mind...off my heart...I had to try, right? I answered.

She gave me a loving pulse of comfort. I only want you happy. She murmured, nuzzling against my mind.

I know...but... I sighed.

I can't be in love with him. I said finally.

It hurt too much knowing I could never have him, that I would be likely paired with someone of Gamma status at highest.

If mum and dad were still alive, if our Pack was still whole....it might have been different. I was a Beta's daughter once, but after the fall of my Pack, when our Alpha had perished, and my parents died shortly after, I was forced to strip myself of my status and accept an Omega title in my Aunt's Pack.

Though a Luna, she was also an Alpha at heart, she just chose to run her Pack with a mother's love rather than a father's strength.

It worked; the warriors and Pack here were incredible, some of the best fighters in the world - one of them being Dom since he was frequently sent to other Packs to aid them in training and new technology.

I shook my head of the thoughts, Alyssa taking my car keys and sliding into the driver's seat. "Oh, there's a party tonight, I already said yes." She informed me - her polite way of saying my day of torture wasn't over.

I nodded, leaning my head back against the headrest. "Whatever, as long as there's beer," I muttered.

She giggled. "Dom said the same thing,"

My heart twisted and I know she heard it.

Alyssa knew I had a thing for Dom, she even tried encouraging it a few times - telling me to live a little - but she didn't know how much that thing made me feel so...alone. How much it caused me to be completely disinterested in any other option out there.

No...I had to go to the Mating Ball. I couldn't let my own selfish emotions stop my Wolf from finding the person who'd make her stronger...whole.

Even if it meant I wasn't.