Chapter 2
1969 Words
Caden
“Oh, he is more than intense...he is terrifying.”
So that is what Carly thinks of me?!
Anger rises to my chest, and I clench my fist in my lap while trying to listen to our professor. But I can’t focus. Carly is my mate, weak little Omega Carly, and guess what? She rejected me! I’m apparently not good enough for her. Not only that, but she also thinks I’m terrifying.
And I’m not terrifying!
Inside my head, my wolf, Fenrir, loses his s**t. ‘Not terrifying? Oh my god, this is great—you’re living in denial!’
‘I’m not living in denial!’ I roar back at him.
Fenrir sighs. ‘Dude, look, I don’t want to insult you, or anything, but there is a reason why people don’t dare to keep eye contact with you. You have anger issues.’
I growl low in my throat, and Felix turns around in his seat, eyeing me warily. “Everything okay?”
“No, everything is not okay...” I hiss at him in a low voice so as not to interrupt our teacher. “My mate is a nerd, the laughingstock of the pack, and she just rejected me—me! Can you believe it?!”
Felix, my bastard of a Beta and most loyal man, stifles a snort and I narrow my eyes.
“Traitor...” I whisper. “You’re not supposed to be laughing at me right now! This is terrible! She also said that I’m terrifying, which is not f*****g true!”
“I don’t blame her,” Felix grins.
“What?!” I exclaim. The professor sends me a glare, but I don’t care and let my eyes roam over Felix’s face. “What are you trying to say?”
Felix sighs. “Carly is what? Five-foot-one on a good day, and you’re the biggest linebacker I’ve ever seen. Six-foot-six and built like a mountain. Combine that with your temper, and there is no wonder she rejected you. You’re scary, man. Had we not been friends, then woah, even I would stay away.”
I grit my teeth, trying to control my rage, but my wolf agrees with Felix. ‘He’s got a point there, Caden. You do tend to lose control when you’re angry. And you’re always angry.’
I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. “So what do I do? How do I make her see that I’m not terrifying?”
Felix shrugs. “I don’t know, man. Maybe try talking to her? Apologize for scaring her?”
I groan. “I’m not apologizing for being who I am. That’s weak.”
“Then I don’t know what to tell you,” Felix says, turning back to face the front of the class. “Good luck with that.”
I scowl, my mind racing with thoughts and emotions. I can’t believe Carly rejected me. And to think that she finds me terrifying. Me, the future Alpha of this pack. I need to do something, anything, to make her see me differently. What was that other thing she said? That I’m not husband material?
‘Pretty sure that was it...’ Fenrir sounds amused. ‘Did that hurt your feelings?’
‘f**k no.’
Yes, it hurt a lot.
‘You do realize that I can read your mind?’
‘Shut up, Fenrir.’
I spend the rest of the class brooding, trying to come up with a plan to make Carly see me differently. Maybe I could show her my softer side?
‘You don’t have a softer side.’
‘Fenrir...’ I warn.
‘I get it!’ My wolf sighs. ‘I won’t talk...’
With my arms crossed, I return to cooking up a plan on how to deal with Carly without my wolf making fun of me. When the professor dismisses the class. I quickly grab my bag and head out of the lecture hall.
I have to find Carly.
It’s not very hard. The short princess-looking werewolf is standing by the fountain while sorting her books, dressed in a cardigan with various bling-bling on her bag. Bah. Could she look girlier? Even her brown hair has these stupid pins that are glittering under the sunlight. Like, what is she trying to do? Look like a strobe light?
‘Just try to be nice, please?’
This time, I listen to my wolf. I mean, at least Carly isn’t wearing her hideous glasses today, but contact lenses. I’m grateful for that and shove away my negative thoughts before steeling myself for what’s to come. “Hey, Carly.”
She turns to me and winces when she is at eye level with my chest, and as she lifts her chin, I can see the fear in her pale and innocent blue eyes. “H-hi, Caden. What can I do for you?”
“I just wanted to talk.”
Carly blankly stares at me, and my wolf sighs. ‘Try to smile.’
‘I never smile!’
‘She looks nervous! Do it, do it now!’
I can’t remember the last time I smiled. My lips aren’t used to curling upwards, and when I try my hardest to smile, it feels unnatural and forced. Even Carly looks horrified!
I quickly drop the smile, feeling embarrassed. “Sorry, that was weird.”
Carly’s eyes widen, and her lips part in surprise. “Wait, were you trying to smile just now?”
My face turns hot. “O-of course not!”
“I’ve never seen you smile before...”
“I wasn’t smiling, okay?!”
By now, Carly is holding back a smile of her own by biting down on her bottom lip. And I must be insane because, at that moment, I find her the cutest thing I have ever seen.
“If you say so, but I still think you were trying to smile.”
I roll my eyes, feeling slightly warmer in my skin. “Can we focus on the issue at hand? You rejected me, and I want to know how to change your decision.”
“You can’t.”
“What do you mean I can’t?!”
Carly jumps at my tone. So much for trying not to scare her…shit. We were doing so fine, but now she is creating distance between us and holding up her hands in surrender as if expecting me to attack her.
“I-I’m sorry, Caden. I didn’t mean to hurt you. It’s just that, well, you do come off as a bit intimidating.”
“I’m not intimidating!” I snap, feeling my anger rising to the surface again. “I’m the future Alpha of this pack. I need to be respected!”
“I know, I know,” Carly says quickly, still holding up her hands in surrender. “But sometimes, your temper can be a bit much. And you’re always so serious, never smiling or laughing. It’s like you don’t have a softer side.”
I grit my teeth, feeling her words hit a sore spot. “I do have a softer side,” I insist stubbornly. “I just don’t show it to everyone.”
Carly raises an eyebrow, skeptical. “Really? Because all I’ve seen is your anger and your need to control everything around you.”
I take a deep breath, trying to keep my temper in check. “Look, Carly, I know I messed up. I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did when you rejected me. And I’m sorry if I have ever scared you. But I want you to give me a chance, to get to know me beyond my temper and my position in the pack.”
Carly studies me for a long moment, and I can see the wariness in her eyes. “Is this a trick?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m asking because there is no chance in hell that you’re asking me out.”
“What?!”
“You heard me!”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Seriously? I’m not dumb, Caden!” To my surprise, Carly is now the one raising her tone. It’s actually quite adorable. She is tiny and reminds me of an angry kitten. An unfamiliar warm feeling settles over me as I stare down at her.
“I’ve never called you dumb, Carly.”
“No, but you act like it!” She prods a sharp nail into my chest. “And I’m many things, but dumb is not one of them, okay? Don’t think I don’t realize what is going on here. Your ego couldn’t handle my rejection, so now you’re trying to make me change my mind to lessen the damage! But guess what? I won’t take back my rejection!”
Wow.
When was the last time I had someone yell at me?
I continue to stare down at Carly, unmoving and unblinking until she gasps and seems to catch herself. I can see it happening, the panic crashing over her when she realizes she was yelling at her own Alpha.
“Oh my god... I-I’m so sorry! s**t! I can’t believe I talked that way to my Alpha!”
My lips twitch. “Now you realize?”
Carly freezes, and I do the same. Since when do I crack jokes? My attempt at humor surprises me, but what is even more surprising is that the fire returns to Carly’s eyes when she finds me grinning above her.
“You’re a f*****g asshole!”
I’m amused. “I am?”
“Yes, and you know what? Since I’ve already started to lecture you, I might as well continue!”
My grin grows. “Go for it.” She seems to be on a roll, so why not encourage it? I give Carly my full attention, and she doesn’t disappoint.
“You’ve treated me like s**t for years.”
“How?”
“By acting like I’m useless! You never even let me join the pack hunts!”
I tilt my head. “Because you always manage to ruin them, sweetheart. Either by stumbling over your own clumsy paws or, oh! Remember when you mistook your own pack member for a deer and attacked them? Jorgen had to be sent to the f*****g hospital. Poor guy.”
Carly inhales sharply. “You promised you would let that one go and never bring it up again if I didn’t join any more hunts! And guess what? I haven’t!”
“And I’m grateful for that. You’re sort of a walking disaster, and I would rather not have you accidentally kill any pack members.”
Carly’s blue eyes flash with anger, and in the next moment, she grabs her water bottle and splashes me in the face. I’m not sure who is more surprised: me, or Carly, who is now gasping at her actions.
She stares up at me, I stare back in shocked silence, and then she hastily slips her books back into her bag. “I have to go!”
“Uhh…bye?”
My eyes stay glued to Carly’s tiny form as she storms away, and Fenrir sighs inside my head. ‘Young love...so sweet, so beautiful to watch...’
If I could kill my own wolf, I would.
‘I don’t like her, and I most definitely do not love her.’
‘Lies, you like her, and you know it.’
‘Shut up…’
Beyond irritated, I turn away, only to hiss when I realize I have a boner. It’s tenting my pants, and my nostrils flare when I realize there is no chance in hell I can hide this thing.
Fenrir chuckles. ‘You secretly liked it when she spoke up to you, didn’t you?’
A scowl forms on my face. ‘I will admit nothing.’
- Writer
