Oil And Water Don't Mix

As soon as our eyes meet, it’s like something magical happens. It’s the only way that I can describe it. His eyes are so vivid and deep that it feels like I could get lost in them forever. 

I knew I have always had a crush on Ashton, but what I feel right now is so much stronger.

“I’m so sorry,” He apologizes as a small smile clings to his perfect lips.

“I would be in the pool in the back,” Harper excuses herself, and Ashton nods, not giving her his full attention. She looks annoyed that Ashton is talking to me.

This is the first time I have been so close to him, or to even talk to him. It feels unreal, almost as if it’s too good to be true and I’m dreaming.

“Come with me to the kitchen so I can get you cleaned up?” He asks, and I nod slowly. He chuckles when he realizes that I am staring at him too much, and my face gets red from embarrassment.

He reaches for my hand and leads me through the crowd of party-goers. When we finally reach the kitchen, he does something that causes my breath to hitch. He removes his shirt and places it under the faucet, wetting it slightly.

I can not stop staring at his body, he is breathtakingly hot.

“May I?” He asks for my permission to clean up my dress, but I gently disagree. My throat is like sandpaper right now, dry.

My emotions are all over the place and I don’t know what I would do if he comes any closer to me.

“No, let me,” I reply to him softly, and he gives me his slightly drenched shirt as he shrugs. It smells just like him, amazingly good.

As I use his shirt to clean up my dress, he stares at me with a huge smile. “What’s your name?” He asks, his voice deep and manly.

 A lot of other people are also in the kitchen but they all seem to be minding their business. There is even a girl puking on the floor a few feet away from us; just another typical party here in this town, I guess.

“Lara,” I reply to him.

“Well, I’m Ashton Martins and it’s a pleasure to meet you,” He says as I hand him back his shirt. In the process, his hand lightly rubs against mine and I inhale sharply.

“I know who you are,” I say to him shyly, causing him to raise his eyebrow in interest.

“Everybody knows you, you are the Alpha. All the girls want to mate with you, and not just because you’re an alpha,” I add, and this time he laughs while his face gets flushed.

I like it when he laughs, it makes my heart dance in glee.

His jet black hair is gelled back sleekly, and his lips look as soft as a cloud. His jeans hang dangerously low on his waist and his abs bulge out subtly as we talk.

“I am going to say something to you, don’t freak out, okay?” He steps closer to me and I try to keep my cool. It is pretty hard to focus when my crush is standing shirtless right in front of me, and dare I say, even flirting.

Where is Tessa? I am going to kill her for leaving me alone, though I am not complaining.

“Um, sure…” I reply to him nervously as I run my hand through my hair. He stares at me as I do this and I watch him back.

“I think you’re my mate,” As soon as the words leave his mouth, my eyes widen.

Holy sh*t! Did I just hear what I think I heard?!

“Excuse me?” I try to get him to say it again and he looks happy to do so.

“Lara, I think you’re my mate,” He says as he reaches for my hand. 

The moment that our hands touch each other, we get abruptly interrupted by a group of his friends.

“Ashton, man! We have been looking for you! What are you doing here in the kitchen…” The blonde attractive guy speaking stops when he sees me.

“Oh,” He drags the word, and I fight the urge to roll my eyes. I pull my hand from Ashton’s grasp as quickly as I can and I fold my arms on my chest.

“Leave Ashton alone, Jamie. The man is trying to find his mate!” Another one of his friends says as he wiggles his eyebrows and holds Ashton’s shoulders. 

“Lara!” I hear someone call my name and I turn around. It’s my sister, Zoe. She is wearing very short jeans and a tank top, isn’t she cold?

I gladly excuse myself from Ashton and his group of friends. He tries to stop me but his friends don’t let him.

I walk out of the kitchen and towards Zoe.

“When did you start coming to parties?” She hugs me excitingly and I hug her back.

“Um, I have been to a lot of parties,” I defend myself and she laughs.

“I’m not a stranger, remember? We live in the same house and we happen to be sisters,” She reminds me, and it’s my turn to laugh.

The both of us walk away from the kitchen area and towards the large living room. The music is loud so we have to speak loudly or we won’t be able to hear each other.

“Whatever,” I roll my eyes playfully.

“Where is Tessa?” She asks me a question that I wish I knew the answer to.

“I don’t know, we came to the party together and she went to get us drinks but didn’t come back,” I inform Zoe, and she glares at me in response.

“Non-alcoholic drinks,” I clarify, and she smiles.

“You look nice,” She compliments me. The music suddenly changes to an upbeat one that I know, it’s Zoe’s favorite song.

She begins to dance and I reveal my teeth by smiling.

“And you look like you’re going to catch a cold,” I say back to her loudly. 

“Come on, dance with me,” She suggests, and I give in.

We both dance to the song and soon Tessa joins us.

“Where the hell have you been?” I try to speak above the music.

“So when I went to get our drinks, I met a cute girl that was super interested in me,” She replies to me as she gives me a wink. She does not need to give me any more information, I can already guess what happened after, and I have no problem with that.

As long as she enjoyed herself.

“I need to tell you guys something,” I say loudly.

I keep hearing Ashton’s words in my head: “I think you’re my mate.” and I can’t make it go away. I need to tell someone or I am going to explode on the inside!

“Go ahead,” Tessa replies, and Zoe stops dancing.

“I met Ashton Martins,” I confess, and Tessa screams excitingly, causing me to laugh.

“You have a crush on him, right?” Zoe inquires, and I nod.

“He told me that I’m his mate,” I tell them, and Tessa scoffs in disbelief.

“Lara, this isn’t time for pranks,” She responds. “Oh, sh*t, you’re serious,” She exclaims when she notices my straight face.

“Of course, I am,” I reply to her.

“When did he tell you this?” Zoe asks me, her tone cautious.

“Just before you found me in the kitchen,” I tell her, and her eyes widen slightly.

“F*ck,” She cusses as if something is wrong.

“Zoe, I think that’s good news,” Tessa says to her with a small chuckle, and I nod. I’m confused, why is she acting like I just killed someone? This is literally a dream come true for me.

She strokes her hair in frustration and I wait for her to say something.

“Lara, have you ever shifted before?” She asks me, and my forehead wrinkles in confusion.

“No, but what does my shifting into a werewolf have to do with Ashton and me?” I ask her, feeling a little offended.

She knows that I don’t like to talk about this. I am a 16-years-old she-wolf and all the girls my age have already shifted into their wolves while I can not. It makes me feel like I am broken.

“It has everything to do with it, plus you’re an omega,” She laughs humorlessly. “He is going to reject you, and you will have to accept the rejection,” She says to me. Her words feel like I have just been hit by a truck.

My heart is beating so fast for some reason.

“I don’t understand,” Tessa says my exact thoughts.

“So he’s going to reject me because I can’t shift? I know I just met him but I don’t think Ashton is that vain, he won’t,” I say to her with all the confidence that I can muster.

“It’s not him, it’s his father! Ashton may want to spend his life with you, but he does not have the luxury of choosing to. He is the Alpha and the most impressive werewolf in this town, his father expects him to mate with someone as impressive as him,” Zoe explains, and my mouth gets dry.

I can’t find the words to speak. What was I thinking? She’s right, I’m just a commoner, and to top that, I can’t even shift into my wolf yet.

“But…” Tessa stutters.

“You would have to accept the rejection,” Zoe says as she pulls me into her arms for a hug. Tears fall from my eyes and I try to find a way to argue with what she is saying, but I can not.

“Oil and water don’t mix, Lara. They don’t,” She whispers into my ears, and I stop trying to hold in my tears.