Death isn't an option

She has to be mine

Chapter Four

“She has to be mine”

Knox’s POV

I’m sitting in my dad’s office, explaining the Juniper situation to him, my mom, and my beta- Josh. I tell them everything I know. When I’m done, my parents share a look.

“Son, I’m not going to lie to you. It’s going to be rough. She clearly has some emotional baggage, which is perfectly fine, but with all of this? Chances are she won’t realize you’re her mate until you mark her.” My dad tells me.

Shit.

“Honey, I’m sorry to say this, but you might need to mark her forcefully. It doesn’t sound like she would be compliant otherwise. In any news, you have to start getting close to her now. I’ll inform the pack on what they need to know, only mentioning her issues vaguely and in brief so they support her, which I know they will. They’ve been praying that you find a Luna soon.”

I nod my head, processing this information. Marking her forcefully would seriously suck, but if that’s what I need to do to make her mine, it’s as good as done.

“Is her family aware of the supernatural?” I ask.

My father nods. “Yes. I do business with her father figure, so he and his wife know about us, but nobody else does.”

Today at lunch I watched her from across the cafeteria while sitting with my friends. She and Ian were sitting together and laughing. Her legs rested on his lap while they ate. Afterwards she went to the bathroom, locked the door, and I heard the sounds of her throwing up. I was devastated.

All I could think about was wanting to be the one to make her laugh like Ian did. And, of course, imagining those legs wrapped around my neck while I tasted her.

God, I already love her so much. I would kill and die for her. I can’t wait for her to love me back.

The following day, at lunch, I approach her at her table. As I walk up to her she spares me a glance over her book.

“Hi” I say somewhat awkwardly. She nods at me in response, and I see Ian mouth “Manners” to her. She flips him off under the table, and I suppress a grin. My baby is a feisty one.

“Can I sit?” I ask.

“No.”

That takes me aback slightly, but I recover quickly when Ian jumps in.

“It’s a free country. Do as you please.”

I slide in next to her.

“I’m Knox” I tell her.

“Good to know” she responds.

Oh boy, this is going to be rough.

“What’s your name?” I press.

She sets down her book with a sigh.

“What do you want, pretty boy?” She asks. Somehow she makes the term pretty boy seem like a negative thing. I suppress a smile and shrug.

“Go on a walk with me after school. I want to get to know you.”

She picks up her book again. “No thanks.”

I groan internally. This really is going to be a pain in my ass. I resolve to get her alone, and then carry her to the forest if I must. I need her to know what I am immediately. After that I’ll improvise.

The rest of lunch is spent in awkward silence, and when the bell rings I can hear her sigh of relief.

Oh, it is so on. She can run, but she can’t hide.

As soon as school ends, I make sure to stay near her while she puts away her stuff in her locker, but I stay out of sight.

She groans. “f**k! I left my book in biology. Do you just want to meet me at home?” She asks Ian. He shrugs, and replies in the affirmative. Perfect.

The school has mostly cleared out, so getting her alone shouldn’t be much of an issue.

She walks into the biology classroom, retrieving her book from the desk while muttering about her stupidity. On her way back to her locker I grab her waist and pull her into an empty classroom that I know has no cameras. I put my hand over her mouth to muffle her cries, and kick the door closed, locking it. Not removing my hand from her mouth I push her up against a wall.

“I just want to talk, Juniper. But if I move my hand, you need to promise not to scream.”

Her big eyes, filled with fear and anguish, stare at me while she nods vehemently. I know she’ll probably still scream, but it’s worth a shot to find out if she’s good on her word.

I slowly remove my hand, and true to her word, she stays silent. I open my mouth to talk but can’t get anything out because she shoves me back, kicks me in the balls, and then kicks me again in my face when I double over.

Fucking hell, my mate knows what she’s doing.

Instead of running away, however, she bends down.

“There are a lot of girls in this school you can f**k with, but I am not one of them. Corner me again and you’ll be facing a lawsuit. Got it?”

My instincts take over, and before I can stop myself, I shift into a wolf. Her eyebrows shoot up and she backs away, ending up tripping over a desk and falling on her cute ass.

“Holy s**t” she mutters. And then she looks up at me.

“I f*****g knew they were real. I knew I wasn’t crazy” she says to nobody in particular.

Why isn’t she afraid? People are always terrified the first time they learn about werewolves. Did she truly suspect such things existed?

Then, she surprises me even more. She tips a glass vile onto the floor, grabbing one of the glass pieces when it shatters and holding it to her artery in her arm.

No! No, no, no, no! What is she doing?

“Sorry, Knox, but I would rather kill myself than be killed by a wolf.”

Then she starts laughing out loud. What the hell is going on?

“Actually this gives me the perfect excuse. I haven’t been suicidal in ages, but that was because I had no excuse. This is the perfect reason to end my life. You’re doing me a favor.”

She digs the glass into her arm. I shift back to human form and tackle her.

“You’re mine. You will not die. You will never get hurt. Mine.” I say before taking out the syringe with a sedative my father offered me in case I was ready to bring her home, and plunging the needle into her arm. She squirms under me strongly, screaming for help, before finally giving in and passing out.