I FOUGHT THE BOND: He Fought For Me

Raine Ashford

First day back at Darkshade Academy… and the last semester for me. And, oh yeah, today is my 18th birthday.

I drag my suitcase along the crowded hallway as I walk with my two best friends. The academy is where werewolves from all over come to train, learn, and become badasses. Future alphas, betas, lunas, gammas, and warriors get made here. It’s the big leagues.

My parents were the Beta couple of my pack. They told me that most werewolves would find their mates in this Academy, and they had been expecting me to find mine here too. But honestly, I don't think I'm ready for it. I just want to graduate at the top of the academy and take the Beta title from my father.

Lana, my bestie, blinked her eyes at me.

“Do you feel anything different today? Are there any changes in your life, like smelling some special fragrance?”

When the werewolf's mate appears, our Moon Goddess will send down special signals to guide them to find each other. The most common is the smell of pheromones. Of course, there are other bond signals, so I know what Lana is talking about.

I roll my eyes.

“Oh, of course not, still not thinking about this.”

My other bestie, Matt, doesn’t look too thrilled. He’s dragging his suitcase like it’s a corpse, so I’m pretty sure he’s just not into the whole birthday-mate thing like me.

Lana and Matt have been my ride-or-die since we were kids. Lana’s this average-height, golden-curled, bubbly mess who lives for drama, while Matt’s snarky, light brown-haired, 5'9", and has a fucking mouth on him that just doesn’t quit. He’s also the weakest wolf I know, but that sure as hell doesn’t stop him from running his damn mouth.

They're both omegas and get mistreated in our pack, even here at the academy. But I never exclude people just because they are not Betas like me. I feel sick when people stick together because of their bloodline and suppress those who are weaker than them.

“This may be the day that changes your destiny.” Lana raises her brows slightly.

“Exactly,” Matt agrees. “If you find an Alpha mate, your life will be better.”

She-wolves were always vulnerable and need protection. Most she-wolves did not take important management positions in the pack. Even female Alphas either became doctors or teachers or got married.

From ancient times to the present, there was only one exception: Luna Nora of the Stone Valley Pack. She is the most powerful female Alpha in werewolf history and also the first female member of the Darkshade Council, which had only taken he-wolves.

I am neither an Alpha nor a male, and I don't want to change my life by getting married. Becoming a Beta is something I must do.

“Watch out!” Matt suddenly yanks me to the side as a stampede of girls rush past us, all screaming like they’ve seen a fucking celebrity.

“What happened?” I frown, still trying to figure out what is going on.

“It’s him,” Matt says, eyes wide with a grin that can only be described as extra. “Alpha Drake, a REAL Alpha from Silver Moon Pack. I heard that he suddenly fell seriously ill two years ago when he was about to graduate from his original school. He’s new to our school this semester to finish the high school classes.”

“Isn’t he so hot?” Matt says, his voice rising a notch as he fans himself.

I can barely suppress a grunt. I glance at him… very tall, muscular, with that flawless skin, messy brown hair, and those goddamn slanted, piercing gray eyes. His jaw is chiseled to perfection. His neck is covered in a big tattoo that screams I’m a cold bad guy.

I roll my eyes.

Nothing special. Just an overhyped prettyman.

“Imagine having someone like Alpha Drake as your mate,” Matt teases.

“He's hotter than Alpha Jason though,” Lana adds.

“None of them can be called a true future Alpha.”

“Spoken like the future Beta,” Lily teases.

We come from a long line of Beta families. My father is the current Beta of the Night Thorn Pack. All my life, my parents have drilled into my ears that I should always stick by Alpha Jason's side as his shadow, serve him, and be ready to give my life for him if need be. Even though becoming the first female Beta is still a big difficulty for me.

Just then, Alpha Drake walks past, surrounded by a horde of girls all but begging him to notice them. He brushes past me and almost knocks me over. But, of course, he doesn’t even notice.

“Arrogant,” I mutter under my breath, turning to my friends. “Take my suitcase. I need to give this to Alpha Jason.”

I pull out a can of energy drink and wave it in front of them.

“What is that?” Matt raises an eyebrow.

“Energy drink. Alpha Jason left it behind,” I say flatly.

“You've been doing all this legwork since you lost to him in the last challenge,” Matt scoffs.

“He's not even taken the title yet, and he's already got you running errands. What next, is he gonna ask you to bring him his damn boxers too?” Lana adds with a scowl.

“The fuck... I’ll end myself. But relax, this bet is about to expire, and I don't have to do these things until then.” I groan, pull off my hoodie, and run my fingers through my red hair.

Matt grabs the suitcase, still grumbling. “Fine, fine. Whatever you say, Future Beta.”

“Before you go... I have to remind you, today is the last day for submitting your job application as the future Beta,” Lana says.

“I have submitted my application form.”

“Good luck, Raine... but you know they’re not going to accept you… every pack wants a he-wolf.” Matt sighs, giving me a pitiful look.

“I’m still going to try. I know I can convince them to pick me. Let me just give this to Alpha Jason. See you guys later.” I wave at them and head toward the men's dressing room. Alpha Jason will be there, getting ready for combat training.

The hallway is vast, just like the rest of Darkshade Academy. This place is massive, a real beast of a boarding school, located deep in the woods, far from human civilization, giving us werewolves the privacy we need.

I reach the men's dressing room and take a deep breath. I’ve always hated coming here. The room’s packed, as usual… sweaty, muscular guys everywhere, all looking like they could crush me under their sheer bulk. I keep my eyes straight ahead and my chin up, ignoring the stupid-ass whistling and the snide remarks like they’re beneath me. The sooner I get this over with, the better.

Then, out of nowhere, Raven starts stirring.

What now?

Raven’s my wolf. She’s small, with brown fur, not exactly the strongest even for a beta, but she’s feisty as hell and has a knack for getting into trouble.

But right now, it’s not trouble. She's jumping around in my head, howling, full of energy.

‘What’s going on, Raven?’

That’s when I catch it. A sweet-as-fuck scent hits me… not the sweaty dudes, thank you very much. No, this is fresh pine, like rain-soaked earth, with a deep, masculine musk and a hint of spice. It wraps around me like a cozy blanket, making me feel warm and... all sorts of things I don’t want to feel.

My heart kicks up a notch, and I start looking around, my senses on high alert. I walk faster, following the scent until I stop dead in my tracks.

First, my eyes catch the sneakers of someone, then slowly, I let my gaze move up until it lands on his face.

Handsome. Blond hair. Green eyes… Alpha Jason.

Raven howls, and at the exact same moment, Alpha Jason’s voice cuts through the air. His eyes widen in shock.

“Mate!”

No... no... this can’t be happening. Alpha Jason can’t be my mate. This has to be some twisted joke or something.

Around me, the room falls silent, all eyes snapping to me.

‘Mate! Mate!’ Raven’s already losing it in my mind.

Jason shakes his head, like even the sight of me offends him.

“You can’t be my mate and Luna. Hell, you’re barely fit to be my fucking Beta.”

Laughter erupts around us, sharp and cutting, but I stand there, jaw clenched, nails digging into my palms to stop my hands from shaking.

“Like I had a choice,” I manage to get the words out, even as my chest feels like it’s caving in. “The Moon Goddess decided this. Not me.”

The laughter around me gets louder and louder. Jason stands in front of me with a red face. He is the heir of the Night Thorn Pack and the proudest son of Alpha Ken. He would officially inherit the Alpha title after graduation, but his mate was me—a beta who could not bring him any pride as an Alpha.

“The Goddess must think I’m a joke,” he shakes his head slowly. “I will never ever take someone like you to be my future Luna! I, Jason Royce, future Alpha of Night Thorn Pack, reject you, Raine Ashford, as my future Luna.”

The energy drink slips from my fingers, crashing to the floor. The pain is instant, like someone is tearing my chest apart. I stumble back, clutching my chest, trying to breathe, but it’s like the air is being sucked out of me.

My wolf is a mess in my head, panicking, howling, but I bite down hard, refusing to fall apart in front of him.

He is killing me.

Raven’s still fighting, but my body’s giving up. I can’t breathe, can’t think.

“Accept it!”

With the last bit of strength I have, I lift my chin and swallow back the sob threatening to come out.

They say when a mate rejects you, it can kill you. I thought they were just exaggerating, but now?

Darkness takes me.