Once Rejected, Twice Denied.

Chapter Four

TESSA POV:

My eyes flicker open as the strong smell of my favorite pastry ever fills the air. Warm chocolate eclairs with fluffy cream inside and a big 18 candle is on my bedside table and Aimee is standing next to the bed with the biggest grin you have ever seen on someones face. Goddess!

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

She squeals and I laugh at how absurd she is. Who is more excited anyway? I laugh as she hands me the plate of pastries and then continues on to devour one of them.

"Goddess, do you know how much I have been practicing this recipe? I think I have had about forty chocolate eclairs in the build up to this day!"

I giggle at her and then look down at the perfect creation.

"Damn, Aimee, you did well!"

She laughs now and cream gets stuck to her cheek.

"Girl! I didn't make those. Goddess knows I needed a lot more practise before letting anyone try my egg disasters. Besides, you deserve the best today. You're eighteen! How does it feel?"

I take a moment to think about her question before taking a bite and smiling at how good it tastes.

"I feel the same as yesterday and the day before."

I shrug and she smiles and grabs my hand.

"I have a gift for you!"

"A gift for me?"

I can't hold in my excitement. I never get gifts and Aimee and I agreed not to do it because I feel bad that I cannot afford things for her. Aimee nods and then I frown, remembering I didn't get her anything for her birthday.

"Oh hush, Tess. I wanted to get this for you. Besides, it's kind of a gift for both of us."

I open the small box while she is talking and I smile at the most stunning anklet inside. It's a beautiful golden chain with a band that says "Forever Friends" on it. My eyes water up and I hug her but instantly regret it from the pain in my side.

"Thank you, Aimz. I love it so much."

She jumps up and lifts her pajama pants and I see she has a rose gold one on too. Hers says "Forever a Sisterhood" on it in the same font as mine.

"Wherever we find ourselves in life, you will always be my most true friend and sister."

We both smile at the symbolism and I feel myself getting warm inside from how truly lucky she makes me feel. Sure, life outside of this little bubble sucks, but man, I am lucky to have a friend like her. It's going to be hard to one day have mates and have to move away to live our lives, especially now that we know for sure that her mate is nowhere near our territory. My heart rate picks up a little at that word. Mate. I wonder who my mate is. I wonder if I will even have one, considering I haven't shifted yet. Something stirs inside me.

"I can't believe I am eighteen now."

I say it and look at my friend and I think she gets what I am referring to. My stomach goes into knots at the thought.

"Don't look so petrified, Tess. Maybe your mate will surprise you."

She doesn't seem convinced. In fact, she avoids my eyes and looks away with a small smile.

"Tell your face that."

I joke and she laughs awkwardly and shakes her head.

"Well, all I know is that your mate has no choice but to treat you right, otherwise they will have me to contend with!"

I laugh at this as Aimee makes punching gestures.

"Whoah, whoa, girl! Maybe I don't even have a mate. I am wolfless, remember?"

Aimee gets a glazed look on her face and offers me a small smile. Why does she look like she is hiding something?

"Don't be silly, Tess. You have a mate out there. AND a wolf. She just hasn't arrived yet."

"How can you be so sure?"

I finish off the last bits of cream oozing from the pastry and Aimee sighs.

"Call it a feeling."

I nod and decide to let it go. Maybe all this mate talk is making her feel uneasy because she hasn't met her mate yet. We spend the rest of the morning chatting about the final few months of school and watching series. There's this series called "The Witcher" which has this super hot guy in it and Aimee and I giggle every time he comes on the screen. It seems stupid and childish, but it's the most normal I have ever felt in my life. I never grew up with family or television or any sort of luxuries, so being able to just relax and feel at ease in a space is new for me. I even take a long shower and Aimee straightens my hair with her ironing wand.

"Goddess, Tess, you have the most stunning hair. Look at my s**t curls compared to your golden locks."

Aimee sighs and I sucker punch her in the shoulder. It's all fun and games until I feel my chest tightening with pain from the healing.

"Please! Boys drool over fiery red heads with kick-ass personalities! You know it."

I wink at her and she laughs.

"Whatever. You have that cute and innocent girl- next- door look with your bright, blue eyes, blonde hair and porcelain smooth skin. Boys have always drooled over you at school. I guess they are all just too scared because of..."

Aimee fades off as she realizes what she was about to say. I sigh and finish it for her.

"Because I am the pack runt with no wolf."

I nod and shrug. Aimee looks at me with sympathy and I smile through it as I put on some of her eyeliner.

"It's okay, Aims. This has been drilled into my head for the past two years. It's practically engraved on my skin now."

I laugh now, but more out of the sad realization that my life here sucks. Aimee is not laughing though.

"It isn't true though, Tessa. You aren't a runt and you don't deserve this sort of hate slander. Goddess, the day I become beta here, everyone will hear it from me. Anyway, maybe your mate will help..."

I scoff now and laugh.

"My mate? How on earth would he be able to help me stand up against the strongest alpha in the territory? Please, Aimz. if I can just have a mate who accepts me as I am and is happy to live a peaceful life away from it all, then I will feel like I have hit the jackpot. Nevermind seeking vengeance on all the people here who have wronged me."

I reach for Aimees' red lipgloss now.

"Here, try this color instead. I think it will suit your complexion better with your outfit."

I look down at my really basic, pastel pink workout clothes. It's just leggings and a loose cropped hoodie that I borrowed from Aimee for the day because it is comfortable. I have no shoes on as Aimee painted my toenails bubblegum blue. I open the lipstick she handed me and it was more of a nude color with hints of the same pink as my outfit.

"All I am saying, is don't be so sure that you won't get a strong mate. I have seen how emotionally strong you are, Tess. You might think you are weak because of how much everyone has tried to convince you of it, but honestly, you are the strongest girl I know."

I look in the mirror now at the clean, shiny and vibrant girl staring back at me. She looks like a weird clone of me. A small glimmer of who I could be, but am not. My walls start to cave in on me and I look away. That girl isn't really me. It's only a facade. I am the wolfless runt who is all those names that have been called to her a thousand times before. Hideous, ugly, weak and pathetic. I can't believe Aimee would think that my mate would be anyone but low ranking. I wouldn't care though. He could be a nothing just like me and I would love him as if he were EVERYTHING and more. Ranks mean nothing to me. I limp away from all the mirrors, make-up and accessories and I go to Aimees' bedroom window and look down into the treeline below. Aimee is humming some sort of popular tune whilst she sprays curl enhancer in her hair. My eyes focus in on a rustling bush and I feel a weird sort of buzzing stir inside me, as if calling for me to go closer towards it. I look away for a minute and see Aimee is still busy and decide to flick through a fashion magazine on her bed. Still, even with all the distraction, I can't shake the feeling of being watched. At one point, it even feels as though someone's eyes are burning into my skin and my skin lifts with goosebumps. Strange.

"Ready for your next gift?"

I see Aimee looking at me now with an uncertain smile. I give her a "what the hell" expression because she has already spoiled me rotten today. Besides, the day is almost up, so what else could she possibly have in mind?

"Aimee!"

"Tessa!"

She uses the same whiny tone I did and I roll my eyes, causing her to laugh. I sit in the wheelchair now and she rolls me out the room and towards the front door.

"What could possibly be outside when it's almost sunset?"

Aimee doesn't answer and when I look up, I see she is deep in a mind-link with someone. Damn, okay.

"Sorry, was just making sure everything is ready for you."

I look at her now with confusion. She doesn't look down but she carries on rolling me closer and closer towards the forest. The more steps she takes, the darker her facial expression becomes and, eventually, I can't keep quiet anymore.

"Why do you look like someone has died? Seriously, Aims? I have been friends with you for years and you look so upset."

She sighs now and looks at me. Goddess, she really is upset!

"Tess, you need to promise me that you are going to keep an open mind. I know that you might feel a little shocked or confused at first and I can assure you that I was also a little upset when I found out myself, but you know that not everything is what it seems and you also know that I want what is best for you always!"

She rambles on and the seriousness in her tone makes me feel a little anxious.

"What the hell are you on about, Aimee?"

It is my turn to look around panicked. I still feel like I am being watched from just beyond the trees.

"Tess, I know you're going to be angry when you realize, but you need to know that when I found out I did some digging and was ready to kick some ass. You need to come to these realizations yourself and you need to make these choices yourself. I am always here for you. Your best friend and your sister, but there is nothing I can do beyond this point. I wouldn't allow any of this to happen if I didn't think that just maybe it is the best thing for you. I can't change what the Moon Goddess intends for you."

"Aimee, you're scaring me."

I feel myself bubbling with worry and confusion. What is she saying? What does she know and what about the Moon Goddess? Why is she trying to justify herself so much and why does she feel the need to tell me that she is here for me? My breaths become ragged.

"Tess. Breathe in and out. Follow me."

She gestures for me to breathe and I follow her until I feel myself becoming calmer. I can tell she is worried about me, but at the same time, I still feel the genuine love and care from her aura. Aimee would never hurt me.

"This is something that is best for me? Something which will make me happy?"

Aimee smiles and nods with around eighty percent certainty.

"He promised me."

"He?"

I ask and, as if on cue, I am hit with a breeze of sweetness that starts to surround the air around me. It's a sweetness so alluring, so divine, so enticing and it fills me up inch by inch with hope and desire. I know this smell and my senses go on overdrive as my skin pricks up in anticipation. My body also knows what to do. It knows where to look and what it needs. As if every second is crucial and, despite the doctor's orders, I lift myself out of the wheelchair and take a step towards the lush bushes. My nose lifts to take another inhale of a scent which now lives rent free in my soul.

Banana Bread.

Two piercing eyes appear from the trees and my whole body stills.

"Mate."

We say at the same time.