-:Cecelia's PoV:-

Alarms suck, I knew. But they suck royally when you're a werewolf with sensitive hearing. Serafine growled in my head as I jumped up, covering my ears, wincing.

'Shut the damned thing off,' she clawed at the insides of my brain.

'God, Sera, relax!' I cried as I slapped my hand down on my clock. As soon as I did that, we were greeted with resounding silence. Sera panted in my head loudly, still mad.

'I swear, every day, Ce.' She gritted out. I laughed.

'I have to wake up on time, so I need them and you know it.' I replied.

She grumbled incoherently before blocking me out. She was being touchy that day. I yawned, stretched, and got to my work. I'd be starting school today. First day of sitting in class with my pack after six years.

Sigh.

I wondered how Callie was. She was the person I knew most about personally. I don't remember much, but from what I do, she was quite perky and demanding. She was like my twin sister in mannerisms back then. She seemed different from what I noticed in the past two days. I didn't spend a lot of time with her, all with talking to Julian and Liana and training and studying.

Yes, I was serious about my studies. There was no guarantee my mate will be a millionaire. I just didn't want to risk it. Even if he was, I don't want to be the kind of person who relies completely on her mate, you know? I liked being completely independent. But that was just how I was. It's not wrong to depend on your mate. That's what most she-wolves did since the males tend to be increasingly dominant and possessive. If it makes them feel safe, loved, and secure then so be it.

I brushed my teeth and threw on my jogging gear. I pulled my hair back in a sleek ponytail. I wasn't surprised to see fading bruises on my arms and face - the product of yesterday's relentless training. I shrugged at no one in particular and locked the door behind me. I knew my way around the territory so I wasn't worried. Training for school-going kids was in the evening before dinner on weekdays. Mornings were for warriors and adults.

I ran through the forest swiftly, enjoying nature. I was expecting Sera to come out and say something, comment, or just observe nature like she always does but she didn't. I guessed she was still mad about this morning. I came across the stream that separated our territory from our neighboring packs. It was deep, but not much. We swam in it often. At least we used to.

I sat down there for a while to catch my breath. Five minutes, I told myself. This would be my five-mile marker. Exactly five minutes later, I got up and made my return journey. I said polite good mornings to the fellow pack members who'd woken up as I made my way. I was drenched in sweat by the time I made it back to my room.

I showered and made sure to cover my bruises. I wore a sweatshirt to hide my arms and wore my hair open and on one side to hide the one on my jaw. I grabbed my keys and bag, pocketing my phone. I ran down the two flights of stairs to the dining hall on the ground floor. Most of the school-going teens were there by then.

I grabbed myself an apple and a banana and downed a glass of milk. I pecked my mother's cheek, hugged my dad, fist-bumped Aaron, and was on my way for school in my brand new car (they bought me that as a homecoming gift).

Our school was mostly werewolves, but there were a fair amount of humans here for us to be cautious. I parked in the parking lot and made my way to the office. I got my new locker number, time table and got a map printed in case I ever needed it. I walked to my locker, stuffed all my books that Aaron got me the day before in it, shutting it close. 

My first class was History, so I carefully studied the map and made my way there. I sat on the very last bench of the class near the window and put my head on my hands on the desk. I missed Julian, Liana, and Carla. Carla was the girl in my grade with who I shared most of my classes with. She was nice and sweet. Tolerable. And hence she became friends with my modified self in Freshman year.

"Hey," someone tapped my shoulder. I looked up questioningly. "That seat is taken," the offending brunette stated haughtily. 

"Yeah. By me." I rolled my eyes.

"Move." She demanded.

"Sit somewhere else, why won't you?" I tried. I could smell her. She was a werewolf, but not from our pack.

"No," she denied me flatly. I sighed.

"Fine," I gritted my teeth. I didn't want to start a fight on my first day. I threw my bag on the seat beside that but she tsked.

"That's taken," she said sharply.

"Seriously? You're gonna need two of them to sit?" I asked in disbelief. The class was almost full. The bell had rung. The teacher would be here any moment.

"No, of course not," she scowled. "That one is for my Alpha," she corrected me smugly. 

"I didn't know your Alpha went here too," I frowned.

"Well, he's the future Alpha, and he's starting today," she mused. "But I don't see why I'm telling you this, Crescent Moon." She narrowed her eyes at me. I rolled my eyes.

I shifted to the only other empty seat left in the back. The one in front of where the supposed 'future' Alpha would sit. I swear, werewolves can be so annoying sometimes.

I slid low in my seat, slouching, and folded my hands across my chest. I think I even pouted.

Sure enough, the classroom door opened and our History teacher stepped in. He ignored my presence as if it were nothing. He began droning on about shit I didn't feel like listening. I was feeling restless. I couldn't concentrate. So I looked out of the window in the parking lot to pass time.

I didn't bother looking away from there when the door opened and late students arrived. Of course, the Alpha would come late for a dramatic entrance. I rolled my eyes when almost all the girls in there let out a dreamy sigh. Alphas are naturally attractive and tend to have this effect on people. To think about it, I probably would too, but I chose to dress like a hobo in oversized clothes every day. 

Priorities.

The teacher began introducing them as 'new students' (thank goddess I was on time) while the class drooled over them.

But then the smell of oak and dew with a hint of mint reached my nose and invaded my senses. Serafine howled and jumped forward, fighting for control in a frenzy. My head snapped up to look towards the door when I realized the meaning of that.

Green collided with hazel when our gazes met. A jolt of electricity passed through me leaving me breathless. Long sharp jawline, cheekbones even I was jealous of and the most perfect square jaw ever. Perfect pink lips and a tuft of messy brown hair on top. 

His muscled figure was evident even though his leather jacket. A black leather jacket, underneath which he wore a white T-shirt.

Goddess, he was hot.

I watched as his lips curled up into a smirk. He definitely caught me eye raping him. Despite that knowledge, I couldn't bring myself to be embarrassed. His wolf won control and his eyes turned black. 

Beautiful.

"Mine," he growled lowly, but my sensitive hearing caught it. I doubt that even any other wolf did. I did, because my mate's voice will always stand out, will always reach me, will always envelop me. I watched on in a trance as several gasps echoed through the room, probably because they noticed the change in his eye color. There weren't many werewolves in this class. 

Strangely, I wanted to crawl up to that wolf and be held by him for an eternity. He smiled at me faintly.

The spell was broken when a blonde boy beside him roughly yanked at his hand. I quickly looked away, my heart beating wildly. I heard a growl, and then another, but didn't look back.

Shit. This isn't good. Because if it is what I think it is, I am in huge trouble.

"I'm assuming you all are Mr. Summers, Mr. Reynolds, and Mr. Gardner," I heard our teacher interrupt furious whisperings between the trio at the door. The teacher was human, so he didn't know what just fucking happened. They ceased their talk and were ordered into their seats. The hair on the back of the neck rose when a particular 'Mr. Summers' walked past me to sit behind me. I sucked in a deep breath, my suspicions confirmed.

The entire lecture, I was battling within myself, trying to make sense of the situation. I could feel him breathing heavily in the seat behind me, leaning forward. It took all the strength I had in my body to not lean back and let our skins touch.

Sera howled in my head. She yelped, screeched, clawed . . . anything to break the chains I shackled her in to prevent her from pouncing at her mate. She growled at me but I held her. 

I was stoic outside, but the inside was a raging storm.

I didn't hear a single word the teacher said throughout the lecture. I spaced out. And when I wasn't spaced out, I was staring at the clock, willing it to move faster. Finally, the accursed bell rang, sharp and shrill. I shot out of my seat faster than a bullet from a gun and ran through the hallways towards my locker.

I whipped out my phone, desperately dialing the first number that came to my mind. He picked up on the first ring.

"Hello?"

"I found my mate," I breathed, closing my eyes and leaning against my open locker for support and coverage.

"Congratulations!" he beamed.

"You know who it is?" I asked rhetorically, in an emotionless voice.

"Who?" he asked, curious.

"It's Ashton fucking Summers, Julian," I whispered into the phone.

He gasped, and rightly so. He knew all about the equation the Rivers shared with the Summers.

My mate was the future alpha of the Silver Moon pack. The pack we were currently on extremely bad terms with.

"Are you okay, Lia?" he asked, concern seeping into his voice.

"I don't know," I admitted truthfully.

"How is Serafine?" he queried. I squeezed my eyes tighter together.

"Bad, Julian," I said, listening to her heavy grumbling. "I don't know what to do," I almost cried. He sighed.

"Go home first," he advised. He was right. That was a public hallway. Who knew how many ears are on me right then? I panicked, hoping nobody heard it, glancing around maniacally.

Our eyes met for the second time today and once again, I was held captive by those hazel orbs. But this time, they held anger. However much my brain screamed at me to look away, despite the hostility in them, I found myself still staring. 

What happened next took my breath away, and not in a good way.

He sneered at me and caught the brunette girl's from earlier by the arm, and placed his lips on hers. All the time, he stared at me right in the eye.

I think I stopped breathing altogether from the shock. I was frozen. So frozen that I easily ignored Julian's panicked 'are you there's from the other side.

Sera growled again, viciously and I firmly held on to control. If I thought she was howling before, goddess help me, this was a supersonic attack. My head pounded with the intensity of her yelps.

Try as I might, I couldn't stabilize myself. The mate bond was too strong, its pull too severe, and was affecting me more than I could've fathomed. 

Looking at the fire in his eyes, the way he kissed the girl so forcefully and determinedly, he wasn't affected at all, apparently.

He had staked his claim. And made it clear it wasn't me.

Tears burned my eyes as I forced my body to move. With a lot of effort, I lifted my hand and flipped him the bird with a steely gaze. Then I turned and strode off.

Against my wishes, because of an asshole and forces beyond my understanding, I left behind a piece of my soul in the hallway that day.

**********************

A/N:-

Soooo . . . that happened. Haha. How'd you like it? What do you think?? Lemme me know in the comments.

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