2: His eyes on me

Kayla’s POV

I cursed as I wiped away the tears that poured down my cheeks. The men’s room smelled awful but I wasn’t ready to face April’s confrontation. I couldn’t believe that I lost control like that, why was I so aggressive?! 

“ Our mate is currently in the arms of another woman and you’re just going to stay here and cry about it?” my wolf Sapphire barked in my head and I bit my lip in frustration.

“ Just shut up Sapphire! You’re the reason everyone is never gonna stop calling me a freak – just…please stop taking control like that!” I begged, holding my head in my hands as I remembered how everyone stared at me when they saw my outburst earlier. 

“ It’s not my fault that they’re ordinary.” She muttered and I took in a deep breath and instantly recoiled because of the stench. The ladies' room was occupied and this was the only place I could go.

 Knowing full well that there is nothing I can do to hold Sapphire back and that I couldn’t just stay in the restroom all day, I decided to leave.

“ It reeks of everything bad in here,” she said as I stepped out of the restroom. 

“ Hey!” someone said from behind me, startling me.

When I turned around, it was Becka. Her big brown eyes had become a little smaller as she smiled from ear to ear upon seeing me. I laughed when I saw that smile and then I hugged her.

“ Woah, you really missed me that much?” she asked and I nodded. 

“ That’s okay because…guess what I got you for your birthday.” She said, handing me a pair of Nike shoes that she didn’t bother to package. 

“ I just know that your toes are literally burning  in those.” She pointed at my shoes and I laughed because she was right. She knew about my growth spurt too. 

“ Thanks,” I said simply as I wore the shoe she got me and threw the old one in the trash, they were quite embarrassing now that I thought about it. 

We both headed to class in silence for a while before she finally said what I feared she would, “ So… I’m hearing some whispers about you finding your mate.” 

“ No, that’s a misunderstanding. I don’t know why I did that.” I lied but she knew that I was lying. Even though we just became friends a few months ago, she knew me better than anyone else – except Aidan of course.

“ Yeah, a misunderstanding,” she said while suspiciously looking at me from the corner of her eyes. 

When we got to class, Aidan and his friends were already seated and they were chatting animatedly, except…Aidan wasn’t talking at all. He was quiet and he looked upset. 

“ Why won’t he just talk to you?” Becka asked as we stood by the doorposts.

“ Because he’s probably confused and doesn’t understand why I would say what I said outside,” I said, it was no use acting like Becka didn't already know the truth.

“ No, he’s not. He knows you’re his mate – now that I think about it, it seems he has known for quite a while now.” 

“ There’s no way Becka. He’s turning eighteen in two days, he doesn’t feel the things I’m feeling right now.” 

Becka paused and gave me a very questioning look, it was as if she couldn’t believe what I had just said. “ Are you sure you even know Aidan?” she asked, her eyes widening in surprise before she pulled me aside so no one would see us at the doorposts.

“ What do you mean?”

“ Wait…you think that you’re older than Aidan by two days?” she asked, looking at me crucially.

“ Yeah, my birthday is today, and his birthday as well as…April’s is in two days.” I said, rolling my eyes at her. How could she think I wouldn't know his birthday?

“ Well, that’s true…only that he was born a year before you Kayla.” She said, giving me a pitiful look.

“ There’s no way. He said he was my age, he’s always said that…” 

“ What? That one argument you guys had when you were what- six-year-olds? He said that to make you happy and I can’t believe you really believed that till now!”

“ Well, w-we…never actually talk about birthdays or celebrate birthdays because of me. Maybe I would’ve realized sooner… I –“

“ – Kayla, Aidan has known about you being his mate yet he didn’t tell you, instead, he dated April. Think about that!” 

This was the side of Becka that I didn’t like. The side where she slaps me with the painful truth even though I try to be hopeful but I couldn’t deny that she was right. 

I paused to think about it, if what she is saying is true then Aidan will be turning nineteen in two days and that means last year when he told me that I get more beautiful whenever it's my birthday, he was already aware that I was his mate – which was why it looked like he wanted to kiss me! I didn't imagine it!

Heck, he probably knew when he teased me this morning about being excited to see my mate when in fact it was him. 

“ But if this is true, why isn’t he as desirous of me as I am of him? Why didn’t he pull me in his arms and make it known to everyone that I am his mate?” I asked while she frowned.

“ Sometimes, our natural feelings for someone can be as strong as a mate bond or even…stronger. I think he has come to like April more than he realizes. He probably wants you as much as you want him but he also can’t let April go.” 

I ran my hand through my hair and groaned in frustration, “ Why can’t I just have one thing work out for me? I’m not strong, I’m not pretty, I’m not special, I don’t fit in and now…someone I’ve had feelings for since I was twelve already likes someone he met a year ago more than me.” As these words came out of my mouth it got even harder to breathe. 

Becka hugged me and pat my back as she calmed me down, “ It’s okay. Let’s not assume anything yet, he may come around.” 

When I had calmed down, she held my hands and led me into the class. The once noisy and energetic chatting died down immediately after I entered the class. They all knew that my outburst wasn’t some prank, they knew that Aidan and I are mates. They were simply watching the show. 

“ Just calm down okay..” 

“ My wolf is going feral, I don’t think that’s possible,” I muttered in a low growl as I heard April enter the class. My hearing was probably the only thing that I beat everyone else in this school at. I could hear her tell Jason to scoot over so she would sit with Aidan. 

“ Could you help me hold this?” Becka asked, handing me her can of soda while she searched for something in her bag.

“ Hey…”  I heard April say to Aidan. I heard him grunt a small, “ hey” in response.

“ Have you made your decision?” 

Did she really ask him to choose between me and her? 

“ Look at me,” I heard her say but Aidan chuckled as he said, “ it’s not that easy.” Suddenly I heard them kissing and that’s when I lost my composure. A loud popping sound startled me and I realized that I squeezed the soda can so hard that it burst out and wet my clothes. 

“ Wow she is not being subtle at all,” Jason said but I got up and left the class in a hurry, afraid of what Sapphire would make me do.

I kept my head as blank as possible while I cleaned up my clothes because I feared what Sapphire could make me do. I knew deep down that there was a darkness to Sapphire and I didn’t want to let her control me.

As I got out of the bathroom and headed to class, I heard Mr. Sawyer introducing some new students to the class. I could see about three of them standing at the front door - two girls and one guy, they looked like the definition of danger even though they dressed casually like anyone else would. There was just something about them that screamed danger.

I quietly walked past them but as I did, a strange scent tickled my nose and I looked at them, wondering who it was that had that scent. 

“ What? Never seen a rogue before?” the girl with short black hair and threatening eyes asked. My eyes widened for a brief moment as I finally realized why I automatically felt threatened by them. They are Rogues! But why were they studying here?

I looked away from them and said, “ Sorry”  before I entered the class. 

 Becka shot a concerned look at me as I sat beside her but I ignored it and listened intently to what Mr. Sawyer was saying.

“ …they will be studying a few courses here since they’re teens like you. But do not cross any of them, they’re not simpletons. They are known to attack without Mercy when provoked – I’m saying this for your own good.”

He looked at each of us before he called in the new students. They walked in and gave each of us a very stern look. They all had one thing in common, they were very tall – even the girls. They nonchalantly introduced themselves as Izzy, Kaitlin, and Devon.

“ One of you is missing,” Mr Sawyer said and then they all sighed. 

“ He’s definitely not going to show. He thinks all this is a waste of time – I mean, rightfully so…” Devon said, rolling his eyes as he folded his hands.

“ I believe he thought otherwise,” Mr. Sawyer said with a proud smile as a tall, young man entered the class. I gasped inaudibly because of his eyes – they were silver. 

When he entered the class, he ignored everyone else and seemed to be searching for someone in the class.

“ Young man, do you mind introducing yourself to the class?” Mr. Sawyer asked politely but he didn’t seem like he heard a word. 

I peeled my eyes off of him because…well, I didn’t want anyone to catch me ogling a Rogue. 

“ That scent…” he said and the class fell silent. I reasoned that if a scent drew him here then it must be the scent of his mate. “ Becka is so lucky” I heard someone whisper.

Of course, it would be Becka, she’s beautiful unlike me on the other hand who already has a mate but he's being mind controlled by another. I sighed and tucked my hair behind my ears but the wind blew past my hair and I breathed in that scent I perceived when I saw the Rogues earlier and it scared me because it was different from Aidan’s.

It was enticing and very tempting, perhaps even more tempting than Aidan’s but, I couldn’t understand why I would react that way, especially when I didn’t know who had that scent. 

I got my answer when I saw this new Rogue standing in front of my desk and his intense gaze was on me.