Chapter 5 - Birthday Surprise

Cassie -

I slowly make my way back downstairs and get myself to my room. I close the door as quickly as I can and lock it, closing myself in, away from the world. I pick up my school bag and, through my pain, I settle into my bed gingerly and attempt to complete all my assignments before I am too tired to focus. I still need to keep my grades up if I am to have any hope of leaving here.

When I finally look up, having finally finished my last assignment of the day, I rub my tired eyes, relieving the dull ache that is forming behind them slightly and I glance at the old child-like clock I have on my dresser, the clock I have owned since I was around 5 years old, it is a little beaten and there is a crack in the glass front, but otherwise it has always worked well so there had been no need to buy a new one.

With a sudden jolt of surprise, I see it is a little after 2am. Happy birthday to me, I think to myself, caught somewhere between excitement and dread. I wonder what fresh new hell could be awaiting me in the morning and then I begin pondering the fact that I can now find my mate. I wonder if he is nearby. I crawl under the covers of my bed, with my stomach protesting every movement I make, due to it being empty as well as from those kicks I received earlier, and thankfully, I quickly fall into a dreamless sleep.

My alarm goes off at 5am as it always does. It’s not like I can get a day off just because it is my birthday. I'm not even sure if anyone knows it is my birthday today. I climb out of bed and head straight to the communal bathroom on my floor to wash off the lingering grim from last night’s crawl around the house. Fortunately, most of the pain I had last night has gone now and what does remain is more of a dull throbbing sensation rather than the stabbing pain I was experiencing. I have a nice long hot shower, lathering my hair with copious amounts of conditioner, then I brush and dry it until it shines, finally, I scoop it up into a neat ballerina bun on top of my head. Quickly brushing my teeth, I give myself a once over in the mirror and dash to my room to dress and start my day before anyone else can join me. I'm praying people will go easy on me, and by people, I mean Ace and Madeline, even if they don't know it is my birthday, maybe today will be a good day. One can dream, I guess.

In the kitchen, I began making breakfast, oatmeal today. It was nice and easy, even I can do this. Once the oatmeal is ready, I separate it into 4 large portions and add flavouring: chocolate, cinnamon, strawberry, and coconut. The process is simple, soothing and relaxing for me, so I enjoy oatmeal days. I definitely much prefer that to scrambled eggs and other breakfasts. As I am in the process of putting the huge bowls onto the warming trolley, the door to the dining room swings open, and the scent of sandalwood and lemon reaches me. The scent is homey and refreshing, like a freshly cleaned pile of laundry (I guess that is because those are the scents of our detergents). This can mean only 1 thing; MATE! I turn slowly, breathing the intoxicating scent, deeply, enjoying the sense of rightness that flows through me and observing in shock, amazement, and with a slight sinking feeling, I watch as  Ace strolls in with Maddie on his arm and a sharp glare aimed directly at me. My heart sinks.

No! No! No! How can he be my mate? Anyone but him, please, please, not him.

"Breakfast is late," he states coldly, "get a move on Cas, how dare you take this long, what the fụck have you been doing all morning?." I glance up at his face and then hurriedly place the last bowl down. I don't utter a sound. I don't think I could, even if I wanted to. My mind is racing. Ace is 18. He has known I have been his mate for over a year, and he chose not to acknowledge the bond? He actually actively chose to ignore the bond and wait until the Alpha and Luna were away and then tormented me openly? The Alpha and Luna had been planning this trip since just after Ace turned 18, he must have  planned all of this...Your mate can be detected as soon as you turn 17, even if they are underage, which means he knew. He knew for all of this time. I can't believe he treated me this way, knowing we are mates. What had I done to make him hate me so much? Was knowing I couldn't sense the bond enough that it gave him reason to hate me? How could he do this to me?

After freezing for a solid minute, I decide I have to ignore this for right now and think, maybe I can pretend I am still oblivious, that will give me some much needed time to process this and then I will have to talk with him, find out his reasoning, and make a decision.

"Cas? don't ignore me, I'm talking to you!" He adds when he gets no response from me, clicking his fingers in my face.

Resolved, I try to pass them both quickly, with the trolley, and I plan to go about my day as per usual. Unfortunately, fate seems to have other ideas.

What happens next happens in a flash, so quickly it barely registers as time passes. I graze my shoulder on his elbow, trying to get by. I feel the sparks, which means he does too, then Madeline is shoving me away, hard.

"Don't you touch him, wh0re, watch where you are going, clumsy b!tch!" she yells.

Everything spins inside me, and I reach out to catch myself, briefly gripping Madeline's arm, but she snarls, grabs my fingers and squeezes hard before throwing my hand away from her. I try desperately to find something else to hold me up but there is nothing, so down I fall, and on my way I slip into unconsciousness. I hear her voice floating as if from a distance "Fụcking hell, that slụt tried to push me over."

My last thought as I flailed and then hit the floor in a dead faint is that, he KNOWS, he knows I know he is my mate, he would have felt the sparks too, now I am of age, so much for giving myself time…

Ace -

Goddess I want her, I hate that I want her, why can't I want Madeline? She is much more my type, and she has rank, she has class, and she needs to be my Luna. It is all a part of the plan her father cooked up years ago.

And now, dammit, Cassie knows, she knows we are mates and she knows I don't want her by my side. Soon she will know the plan, but for now I have to keep up the act. 

That must mean it is her birthday today. She is 17 and all mine. I don't want to want her, I know that is the bond, but now I can have her and I will.

Yesterday I almost gave in. Seeing her on her knees beside my bed had me straining for release. Luckily, Maddie is always willing, but I want Cassie's body beneath me, not hers. I want to hear Cassie screaming my name in pleasure after I have thoroughly punished her. A good sp@nking is just what she needs to show her who is in charge. Now, today, she knows the truth, the truth that I have been aware of for far too long, she is my mate. I have to make her submit to me, she will be my mistress while Maddie is on my arm, I'll accept nothing less. I need a son, an heir, to carry on my legacy. Maddie doesn’t care, she is happy as long as I service her regularly and make her my Luna when the time comes.