Extended Blurb
I didn’t think I would come across this day in my life but here I was, feeling giddy and excited to go to school and meet him, and tell him everything. I skipped my way to school, my phone clutched tightly to my chest, in fear of losing my one ray of hope. None of the daily remarks or routine could bring me down, I wasn’t going to let anyone ruin this for me. This school was a living hell for me but today I could see a ray of light.
Kev used to tell me that no matter what, my mate would always be there for me and take me out of this misery which I called life but I didn’t believe him. I mean why would I, your parents are supposed to love you unconditionally, care for you, and protect you from the evils of the world but my life’s evils are my own parents and pack who are supposed to look out for me. Why would my mate be any different?
This was the notion I believed in since the time I heard my mother and her sisters giving my cousins the talk about the mate bond and mates. The Luna of the pack, aka my mother, didn’t even bother to talk to me, educate me on the matter as she believed, and never missed a chance to mock me about it; that I would never have a mate, even if I did, he would reject me.
Turns out it could be different. I wouldn’t say I was his huge fan but he is different for me or at least is different when we are alone. He is my confidante, my Z. I know he will feel the same when he finally gets to meet his C or as he liked to call me recently, kitty. The school was 5 minutes away, other days I would dread every step I took toward the school and it came so soon but today I don’t know why this road feels too long. I can’t wait to see him…
As I approached the school gates, my heart raced with anticipation, each step carrying me closer to the moment I had been waiting for. The morning sunlight cast a golden glow over the familiar surroundings, but today, everything seemed to shimmer with an extra layer of magic. I giggled internally, I didn’t even know I could be this cheesy.
I clutched my phone tightly to my chest, this phone held the memories of the best summer I have had in life. I navigated the bustling corridors of the school with my gaze fixed looking for one person in the pool of my schoolmates. Whispers and giggles followed in my wake, a constant reminder of my life and the people in it who are hell-bent on making it a living hell. But today, their words held no power over me. Today was different.
Just yesterday I found out that he was my mate. He and I shared the same feeling as I was repulsed by anyone who wasn’t Z but it turns out they were the same, my secret friend, my mate was the lycan prince Zenith Sterling.
My thoughts drifted back to last night and Zenith’s reaction. This got people from his pack and mine talking once again. I was an invisible runt for them on whom they could walk all over but yesterday when the lycan prince rejected me indirectly my parents were pissed and if Kev didn’t step in on time then I would have more bruises on my body.
Today is the first day of my junior year and I was already the center of mockery for everyone. But nothing was going to deter me today. Last night he texted me that he had to see me, I told him I would see him after school in the woods in the back of the school but I couldn’t wait. I had to see him and tell him the truth. I know that things will change after he knows the truth…
As I rounded the corner and entered the school courtyard, my heart skipped a beat at the sight of him standing there, a beacon of light amidst the sea of senior-year students. At that moment, as I started to close the distance between us, I knew that I had found my anchor in the storm. He was smiling and laughing with his friends including my brother, Kev. As I got closer, his head turned and his expression changed from grin to glum.
“Zenith, I need to…”
“Come with him.” He didn’t even let me finish and walked away expecting me to follow. He was heading towards the woods, the exact place where we planned to see each other after school. Did he find out as well?
I quietly followed him and stood beside him, quietly waiting for him to say something.
“Calista,” His voice was grim, and my heart started to beat faster. “I am sorry for my behavior from last night, I was overwhelmed and some unexpected things happened. I freaked out.”
“I understand, it can be too much but…” I was about to tell him, there was no reason to feel overwhelmed, that we would figure things out together exactly what he said to me several times during the span of this summer.
He put his hands in his pocket looking dashing as always. I can’t believe that he could like me, one of the ugliest girls in the school but I knew him. He wasn’t a shallow person, but what if I was wrong?
“I can’t do this.”
Wait. what did he say? The insecurities started to creep in, raising the telltale sign of another panic attack but I focused on him and my breathing, “What do you mean?”
“I, Zenith Sterling, the Lycan prince of the Black Walker Pack reject you Calista Petros, the omega of Night Shade Pack as my mate…”
