Chapter 2
1427 Words
SILAS'S POV
A human. A f*****g human. I was mated to a human. Weak, pathetic. Human. This was bullshit. I needed her to reject me so I could go and find a real shifter to claim and prosper with.
I glared at the Beta next to her, his arm around her. A boyfriend? She must know about shifters, then. So this would be simple. I'd explain the mixup; she wouldn't want to leave her boyfriend and just reject me. Simple.
I stormed over to the group formed around her and her boyfriend. The Beta leaned forward, holding out his hand. "Hey, I'm Lucas, man. You..."
I snapped at him. "Hey, Lucas. How would you like to go play out on the ice?"
Lucas's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "What do you mean?"
I shot a glance at Owen, then my mate. Owen understood immediately. This is why he was my best friend. "Yeah, man. How about we take you out on the ice and shoot some pucks?"
Lucas looked over at his girlfriend. "Are you okay with that, babe?"
The word babe about my mate had me gritting my teeth. I didn't want her, but until the mate bond was severed, I needed him to take his f*****g hands off her and not call her babe. "I'll stay and keep her company."
Lucas's eyes shot to me. "Huh?"
I shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. "I'm sure she doesn't want to sit around in a locker room, and I have some emails I have to catch up on. She can hang around while I answer them. Hockey stuff, ya know?"
Lucas looked at me suspiciously for a moment but then back at my mate. She nodded. "Go ahead, hon. I'll be okay with...?"
I grunted. "Silas."
"I'll be okay with Silas. I'm sure we'll be best friends when you return."
I scoffed. My attitude seemed to affirm Lucas's decision. He swooped down, planting a kiss on her head. "Thank you so much! We'll be right back!"
Turning back to Owen, he slapped his hands together. "Yeah, man. This is gonna be awesome."
Owen shot me a glare, one that said I owed him. And I definitely did. I'd explain my situation to him later. He'd be more understanding of my plight. He knew I could never mate with a human. My family would disown me.
I watched as the little group of my friends and dumbass Lucas the Beta, who had too many hands and lips, started getting ready to go out on the ice. My mate stood there, her arms crossed, watching them too. "What's your name?"
She turned towards me slightly. "Aurora."
Beautiful. "Cliche name."
She huffed. "Says the guy named after a Vampire Diaries character."
"A what?"
She shook her head. "Nothing. After your time. But the name is still in it."
"My time?"
She turned towards me more. "Well, maybe not. It is an older show. But not so old you'd be named after it. Maybe you've heard of it. The Vampire Diaries. It's one of my favorites. I've seen it six times."
I stared at her. "No. I've never heard of something called The Vampire Diaries. I’m more concerned with your implication that I'm old."
She shrugged. "Well, you're older than me."
I laughed. "How old are you?"
"Eighteen. And you look what, late 20s? Early 30's?"
My jaw dropped. "Are you serious?"
Shrugging again, she turned away from me, watching the group exit the door. Her dumbass boyfriend blew her a kiss, which she cheesily caught and put in her pocket. Great, she was one of those. Gross.
"I'm only 22."
"Old enough."
I glared at the side of her head. I needed to change the subject. "So. How long have you and the du...Lucas has been dating?"
She looked around, ignoring me. "Do you mind if I sit on one of the benches? My feet are killing me."
I waved a hand. "Have at it. So. You and Lucas?"
She plopped down on the nearest bench. "About six months. Since we first started college. We met at orientation."
It's a short time for him to open up about being a shifter. Maybe...I needed to ask more questions. "Does he...are you two close?"
She nodded. "We love each other. Why are you asking?"
I sat down next to her. I wasn't sure what I could ask her to narrow down what I needed to know. "Lucas must feel like a one-of-a-kind guy to date for you."
"Um, I guess? No. Yeah. I don't know. What does that mean?"
Keeping my eyes trained on the ground, I continued. "You know. He's so fit, and I'm sure fast...reflexes like...an animal."
I heard a small gasp. "Are you making an implication that because of my weight, he's too hot for me?"
Oh. Oh, boy. Aurora was curvy. Soft. And gorgeous. And that wasn't just the mate bond talking. Lucas was honestly the lucky one to snag someone like her. But...I needed her to reject me. Human. She's a human. Who apparently did not know about shifters...
I sneered at her. "What? Truth hurts?"
She scooted away from my side of the bench. "Is this why you wanted to get me alone? So you could sit back and insult me without an audience?"
I locked eyes on hers when she finally looked my way. I leaned in, scooting real close to her. "Maybe I didn't want an audience for something else."
Her eyes widened, and she stood up. "I need to go."
With that, she scurried out the door, not looking back at me. Hot, cold. Did I just insult her and then imply I wanted to f**k her? f**k.
I threw myself back, laying on the bench. This was not good. My mate was a human who didn't know anything about shifters. But she was somehow dating a Beta. Who now probably hated me, which was a good outcome. And I needed her to reject me.
Great. Just great.
*****
AURORA'S POV
Okay, so #7 was the hugest d**k on planet Earth. Who apparently liked to f**k bigger girls. I pulled at my shirt, self-conscious now. I leaned against the wall, wanting it to absorb me into its cement bricks so I could drown. I didn't want to be here anymore.
Why would he insult me and then comment on having s*x with me? That was a whole lot of weird. Maybe it was his thing to insult and then bang. Fetishes sometimes didn't make sense to me.
I pulled on my shirt again. Was my shirt that unflattering? I had spent almost an hour trying to find the perfect outfit for tonight. A pink blouse with mesh sleeves so that if I sweat, I won't have stains. My jeans fit me perfectly, or so I thought. Now I was wondering if maybe they made me look even fatter.
Hearing voices down the hall, I looked toward the rink to see shadows. Good, Lucas and the others were headed back. Maybe just a bit of chatter, and then we could head back to campus. And I wouldn't have to look at Silas's stupid face anymore.
When the group finally reached me, I saw Lucas's face flush with excitement. "This was the greatest present ever, babe."
He threw his arms around me, squeezing me tight. It's tight but never able to lift me like you see in the movies. My stomach twisted. I usually didn't feel so self-conscious around Lucas. Only when girls were glaring at us, silently judging us. Or when I was staring at myself in the mirror. Or when I saw photos of us together. Or...well, it seemed like it was all the time.
He leaned back, keeping his hands on my shoulders. "Are you all right, babe? Something seems off with you."
I smiled at him, trying to hide my thoughts. "It's all good. Can we get going? I'm tired, and I have some studying to do."
He glanced over my shoulder, where the others were watching us. "The guys invited me to go out with them. I didn't know if you wanted..."
I waved a hand at him. "Oh, no, you go. I'm fine. I'll catch a rideshare back to campus. Just promise you won't drink and drive."
His eyes lit up. "Thank you so much! You are the greatest!"
He enveloped me in another hug. If I went with them, Silas would be part of the gang. And I wanted to be as far away from him as possible.
- Writer
