Chapter 3

Hey there babe, are you ok?" Cruz asked, smiling down at Avery as she lay sprawled on the ground.

"You idiot, you attacked me!"

"No, it was merely me being playful."

"Well, I don't enjoy your rough play or find any of that funny. So wipe that stupid smile off your face."

"Sorry.'' Cruz gave her an awkward smile before helping her to her feet.

Just the small contact was enough to drive Avery's senses wild, and she wondered if it was the same for him as well. Because it felt so good to have her mate near, though it was more intense with the Alpha.

At first she thought it was the authority he had over her, but now she saw that it wasn't so.

"How are you doing today, mate?" Cruz smiled down at her, showing off the dimples on his cheeks.

Avery gaped up at him, lost for words as she gazed in his gray eyes that seemed like deep swirling pools pulling her in. As she stared at him, she wondered what his blonde hair would feel like or if his jawline was as strong as it seemed.

Without realizing, she began to trail a finger down his straight nose because she wanted to see if his freckles were real.

Cruz's thin pink lips turned up at the corners while Avery continued to touch his face.

She didn't know why she was doing it, because this boy who had turned into a man just a few weeks ago was her bully some 2 years ago. He would always mock her looks, and tease her for having a flat chest.

She had mixed feelings about Cruz in high school, but with him before her now and so close, she was having a hard time focusing on the past and the hate she had for him.

Without either of them expecting it, Cruz bent his head to her level, capturing her lips between his.

Avery had to lean onto him for support, as her legs turned to jello. Her senses exploded when she could have sworn there were fireworks going off.

When they pulled apart, Avery still had her eyes closed, savoring the moment. While Cruz had his forehead on hers and smiling.

"I should get to work before I'm late," was the only thing Avery could think of saying.

"I'll walk with you."

Avery glanced up at him, then looked away.

"What?" Cruz smiled.

"I- it. Nothing."

"Come on, there is no need to be shy. You're my mate."

"You used to hate me in high school." She rushed out.

Cruz made a face. "Yeah, I never hated you, just thought you were such a nerd."

"But you were so mean to me."

"Because." He sighed before continuing. "I always thought you were pretty, I even tried talking to you a few times but you always had this 'I don't care' attitude. You shut people out and sat by yourself day after day, you literally hissed at people whenever they tried talking to you. I remember one day you wore these bright red pants and a black shirt. I thought it was cool, but when I tried to compliment you, you acted like a weirdo."

"I never did any of those things." Avery protested.

"You did, then you stop combing your hair because 'I'm not trying to impress anyone.'" He mocked her voice. "

"So you never hated me?"

"No, but with the way you just made it so easy to do what I did."

The two began to walk before Avery said anything again. "This is all so... I didn’t know that, and Cassie. Weren't you two dating?"

Cruz laughed out.

"Dating? Yes but you know the rules so nothing happened between us, she dumped me days before her 18th because she was certain I wasn’t her mate."

There was silence until Cruz asked, "so... how are we going to work around with you having four mates? I mean, it must be hard on you.''

"About that, I have to choose someone and the others I don't choose will die and if I don't choose someone, then we all die."

Cruz paused. "Are you being serious?"

"No, no it’s a joke, but that’s how I imagine things in my head."

Cruz breathed a sigh of relief. "Who are you going to choose?"

"I don't know yet, because as you can see. My mates aren't people that I typically hang around with, I know nothing about you guys."

"This must be hard on you." Cruz stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I don't want to sway your mind, even though I don't want to die either if you don’t pick someone. But the choice is all yours, I guess that you'll just pick the Alpha."

"That's the thing, I think people would want me to choose him because he's the Alpha and they all want him to get his mate so the pack can be complete. But what if I don't love him as much as I love someone else?"

The two stood there for a while, neither knowing what to say.

"I'll see you around, I can hear my boss bad mouthing me already."

When Avery walked off, Cruz stood in spot, watching after her. She glanced back at him and he waved at her before walking away.

Avery hurried inside and sprinted to the back of the supermarket, where the locker room was. She placed her white apron over her head, then made her way to a random aisle to make it seem as if she had been there for a while.

The manager walked past, looked her up and down, huffed then walked away.

Avery smiled to herself as she replaced the almost expired milk with the ones that were in the cart.

"And there she is, late again, pretending as if she is busy." A voice said.

"Like you don't do the same thing." Avery frowned at her best friend.

"No, I'm here early, just sleeping alongside the meat."

The two burst out laughing.

The other girl got serious all of a sudden.

"I heard that you have four mates, is it true?"

"Holy pit hole, it's not even a full day and it seems like I'm the talk of this damn place. You should see the look I was getting while walking here with Cruz."

"Cruz? As in "Cruz Silvermoon?"

''Yes Laura, that Cruz. He is one of my mates."

"Yeah you two, the registers won't tend themselves!" The manager yelled.

"Relax James, no one is going to come." Laura said.

Just as the words left her mouth, the bell to the door dinged.

The two females made their way to the front, noticing that it was the girls that they love to hate.

"Wonder how Cassie will react when she finds out the man she wanted to be her mate is already one of yours."

Avery didn't answer, instead she ran her staff card through the reader to start up her system.

While she and Laura stood in their separate lanes, they could hear Cassie and her friends talking about them.

"Ew, enough of Laura. Did you hear about Avery? She has four mates." Daniel, Cassie's right hand bitch said.

"Wonder what unlucky losers got stuck with her." Cassie snorted.

"How does having four mates even work?" Daniel asked.

"Who cares? Nobody likes the weirdo, so she will get mates just as weird." Cassie said, and Avery knew she was rolling her eyes.

When the three girls got to checkout, it surprised Avery to see that Naomi was there with them but she had been quiet the entire time.

"Hurry up loser, we have things to do." Cassie said then went back to chewing her gum in the most obnoxious way.

"That will be 15 dollars and 14 cents." Laura tried her best to mock Cassie's voice.

After paying, there was an awkward moment as Cassie and her friends just stood there staring at them.

The bell dinged to signal a new customer.

Avery closed her eyes and swallowed hard, as an earthly scent mixed coconuts assaulted her nostrils. She turned her head in the direction of where the person was standing.

Cassie followed Avery's eyes, her mouth fell open causing her gum to fall out.

"Wait, don't tell me that he is one of your mates." She burst out laughing.

Daniel joined in with her, while Naomi said something that got them to stop laughing.

"I think he's cute."

Avery growled at her in return, while her friends looked at her in disbelief.