#Chapter 5 Fated

Vedant’s footsteps echo down the hall as he makes his abrupt exit. Whatever message he had just received must have been more important than continuing to mock me through the locker. I start to wonder what it could be when my own phone chimes and I see a message from Felix.

Felix: It doesn’t matter. I will wait for you no matter how late it gets. I wouldn’t miss your birthday for anything.

As I smile down at the phone in my hands, my mind starts to wander to when me and Vedant had been friends. There had once been a time when he treated me as tenderly as Felix does now. Sometimes I even used to wish that Vedant would be my mate.

I think of the hatred in Vedant’s eyes and the vitriol of his words, and I can’t even imagine that now. Any hope that the Vedant I used to know would emerge is gone.

After the rogue killed his brother Owen, everything had changed. My closest friend, the boy I loved, grew to hate me. He wouldn’t even consider hearing my side of what happened that day.

I type a quick message to Lynn asking for help, hoping that she doesn’t get too caught up with her books again and sees the text before daybreak. As I hit send another message from Felix comes in.

Felix: I know it’s not your birthday quite yet, but I can’t wait any longer to give you your surprise.

Iris: Now you have me intrigued. What gift could have you this excited?

Felix: My gift this year is… an offer to join my pack. Although you never bring this up, I can feel what the girl I care about is truly feeling. I know you’re miserable where you are and now that you’re 18 you’re finally free to leave.

My heart flutters in my chest at his offer. It is finally happening; I can finally leave my pack. He is offering me the thing I have dreamed of for so long, a chance to leave my scars behind.

I start typing out my reply when my phone dings again in my hand, this time a notification for the school forum. I open the notification and my heart stops.

Someone had taken a picture of Vedant shoving me in the locker, and Alice had posted it to the forum. I scroll down and see dozens of comments already starting to flood in of people calling me weak, wolfless, a murderer.

The tears begin to well back up in my eyes and I read message after message about how awful I am, and how I deserve exactly what happened to me.

My fists clench as I think about the whole pack just goes along with the bullying without question. I was shoved into a locker, and somehow, I still end up the villain not the victim.

Everyone decided to blindly believe the rumors about me and that was it, I would always be the bad guy. The worst part was that I wasn’t even allowed to grieve or process my trauma. Owen had been my friend, and I wasn’t even invited to his funeral. Instead, I was made the pack punching bag.

I hate them. I hate all of them. They may have taken me in when I had nowhere else to go, but I don’t owe them anything anymore.

I refuse to be treated this way. Any guilt I feel about leaving the pack is gone.

I slump down inside the locker, waiting. It takes a while, but eventually I hear footsteps echo down the hallway.

A voice calls out, “Chiara?”

I beat my fists hard against the locker, “Over here! Lynn! I’m in here!”

The footsteps get louder and eventually come to a stop in front of me.

“Lynn!”

I hear some rustling and then the sound of a lock being cut and the door swings open. I throw myself in Lynn’s arms thankful for my one friend.

“Chiara, I’m so sorry I didn’t see your message sooner. You must be starving, here, I brought you some food.”

Lynn passes me a small thermos of soup and I down it gratefully. When I’m done, I look at Lynn seriously. “I am going to try to find my mate tonight.”

Lynn looks at me like I’ve lost my mind, but I continue before she can say anything. “Lynn I can’t stay here anymore. I’m miserable. If they’re in this pack, I will be able to reject them and then I can leave forever.”

Lynn nods, understanding. “I’ll miss you, but I won’t stop you. You deserve more than the life you have here.”

I give her a quick hug, noticing the concerned look on her face when I pull back. “What?”

“It’s just… what if your mate won’t accept your rejection?”

I flex my hand, “He will accept my rejection, or I will beat him to death.”

Lynn’s mouth falls open, shocked.

“I am a wolf, and not as weak as I seem. I am leaving this pack one way or another.” I feel Molly’s disapproval, but I don’t let it get to me. If my strength gets exposed, it doesn’t matter, I’m leaving anyway.

I check the time and see that it’s eleven o’clock. Only one more hour until my birthday. I give Lynn one last hug and then make my way out of school and toward the middle of town, to have the best chance of sensing my mate when the clock strikes midnight.

Once I arrive, I find a bench to sit on and then, I wait. Every minute ticks by with excruciating slowness, until finally, it’s time. The moment the clock strikes midnight I know that my mate is close.

All of my senses roar to life as an overstimulating heat overtakes my body. A rich, woody scent hits my nose and I’m off.

I pinch myself to shake off the intoxicating effect as I scent the air, knowing that I can’t allow myself to succumb to the bond if I plan to reject my mate.

The scent grows stronger, so damn mouthwatering. Up ahead, I see two figures. No surprise which one is the mate I’m about to reject.

But then they move together, bodies locking in a tight embrace. And a sharp pang shoots right in the center of my chest.

My mate is being intimate with someone else. I do my best to shake off the pain, pleased. This will make things easy.

If my mate is already with another woman, he should accept my rejection easily. I continue forward, until I see the back of a man’s head. The force of my physical reaction nearly crumbles my will, but I will refuse to succumb.

I look at the sky and send up a quick thank you to the Goddess, that my mate was outside tonight. I don’t know what I would do if he had been home, refusing to answer the door.

My emotions are a confusing swirl of pain and excitement, betrayal and longing both to see him, and to flee this place and never return. I do my best to get a handle on the conflict raging within me as I prepare to state my rejection.

I take a step forward, opening my mouth to speak when the man turns. My body goes cold as I recognize the face of my mate.

My mate is Vedant.

That Vedant who just vowed that he would make the rest of my life a living hell.