Keep Scratching My Car, I'll Keep Leveling Up

CHAPTER ONE

Raina's POV

I kept my head down as I walked through the main doors of Frostvale Academy, but my mind was completely focused on the secret I had been keeping for months, because Damon and I had been seeing each other behind everyone's backs for a long time. Nobody in the pack knew about us because his father would lose his mind if he found out his son was messing around with a girl who couldn't even shift into a wolf, but whenever we were alone, Damon was totally different from the cold guy everyone saw at school. I really believed he cared about me, so I kept telling myself that tonight at the ceremony would finally be the moment we didn't have to hide anymore.

"Look at what you're wearing, Raina," Mira said as she stepped right in front of me in the hallway, and before I could even move away, she deliberately spilled her drink all over the front of my dress.

"Why did you just do that?" I asked, and I stepped back while trying to wipe the liquid off my clothes.

"Because you look ridiculous trying to dress up for a ceremony that doesn't even concern you," Mira laughed, and she pointed at the wet spot while her friends laughed right along with her. "You don't even have a wolf, so you shouldn't even be allowed in the building tonight."

"I have every right to be here just like you," I said, but before I could say anything else, my brother Ethan walked over from the hockey lockers and shoved his way between us.

"Stop making a scene and embarrassing me in front of my team," Ethan said, and he glared at me like I was taking something away from him just by standing there.

"Mira just ruined my dress on purpose, Ethan," I said, looking at my brother while I tried to keep my voice steady.

"I don't care about your dress, Raina, because tonight is about the hockey team and the pack's future," Ethan said, turning his back on me to fix his jacket. "You always try to steal the attention from me, but nobody cares about a girl who can't shift and can't even play the game."

"If you cared so much about the game, you'd fix your defensive line for the championship match," I said, stepping closer so only he could hear me. "Your team is leaving the left side completely open during power plays, and any smart captain is going to exploit that within the first five minutes."

Ethan's face went red, and he shoved me back by my shoulder before I could say another word.

"Keep your mouth shut about hockey, because you don't know anything about this team," Ethan snapped, and he walked off toward his friends without checking to see if I was okay.

I cleaned myself up as best as I could in the restroom and then walked down the quiet side hallway toward the equipment room, because Damon had sent me a text to meet him there before the main event started. I pushed the door open and stepped inside, and Damon immediately grabbed my waist and pulled me into the corner where nobody could see us from the glass window.

"Are you crazy coming down here where someone could see us?" Damon whispered, but he didn't let go of my waist, and he leaned down to kiss my neck.

"I came because you texted me, Damon," I said, placing my hands against his chest while I looked up at his face. "Mira ruined my dress, and Ethan was being terrible to me out there, so I just needed to know if things are going to change tonight."

"Nothing can change tonight, Raina, and you need to listen to me carefully," Damon said, and his hands tightened on my waist while his jaw set firm. "We cannot let anyone discover our relationship, especially not my father, because if he finds out about us right now, it will mess up everything he has planned for the pack."

"We've been hiding for six months, Damon," I said, looking right into his eyes while my voice shook a little. "If the Moon Goddess picks us as mates tonight, we won't have to hide anymore, because not even your father can argue with a fated bond."

"Just don't do anything stupid out there," Damon said, and he kissed me quickly on the lips before he pulled away and walked out the door first so we wouldn't be seen together.

An hour later, the entire academy was gathered in the main hall for the Moon Bond Ceremony, and I stood near the back wall while everyone talked loudly about who was going to get paired up. The heavy doors opened, and Damon walked in with his father, Alpha Marcus, right behind him. Damon looked straight ahead as he walked to the center of the floor, but as soon as he took another step, his entire body went completely stiff, and his eyes snapped directly to mine across the crowded room.

A sharp pull hit my chest, and the scent of pine filled my head as Damon's wolf pushed right to the surface, making his eyes turn a glowing gold. The whole room went totally silent because everyone could feel the mate bond snapping into place between us, and my heart started beating fast because I thought my dream was actually coming true right in front of everyone.

Damon took a step toward me, but then he suddenly stopped, and his golden eyes went completely cold as he stared at me like he hated my guts.

"Damon, what is going on?" Alpha Marcus asked, stepping up beside his son with a frown on his face.

Damon kept his eyes locked on mine, and he didn't even hesitate as he raised his voice so every single person in the hall could hear him clearly.

"I reject you, Raina," Damon said, and his voice was completely flat without any emotion at all.

I felt like all the air had been kicked out of my lungs, and I took a step forward while everyone around us started gasping and whispering.

"Damon, what are you doing?" I asked, and my voice cracked because I couldn't believe the boy who had been kissing me in secret an hour ago was standing there acting like I was a stranger. "You know this isn't right."

"Look at yourself, Raina," Damon said, glaring at me like I was something disgusting. "You are a powerless girl from a broken family who can't even shift into a wolf, so there is no way I am ever going to take you as my Luna."

"My son speaks the truth," Alpha Marcus added, stepping forward with a cold look on his face. "A future Alpha cannot be tied to someone so weak, so this bond is officially broken."

Ethan walked out from the crowd, and instead of standing by me, he laughed along with the other hockey players while people started pointing at my wet dress and making fun of me. My chest hurt so badly I couldn't even breathe, so I turned around, shoved my way past the doors, and ran out into the night as fast as my legs could take me.

Damon stood in the center of the hall and watched the doors swing shut behind me, and he quietly tightened his hands into hard fists at his sides, knowing that his father's scheme was finally moving forward and giving them the exact chance they needed to get rid of the girl who threatened their entire dynasty.