Chapter 3

KEIRA

1 WEEK LATER.

I tilted my face from left to right, inspecting my mouth. My fingers brushed over my lips as I smiled again, wider this time. I turned 18 today and expected to find my mate too. Not just that, I just got my braces removed, after four long years of hiding my mouth when I laughed, which was rare. My teeth were still a little crooked at the bottom, but the top row? Straight. Smooth. Clean. Perfectly imperfect. 

I looked pretty. I smiled again, just to feel the freedom of it. 

"This is it," I whispered. "He's gonna see me." 

I didn't know who he was yet. But I prayed he was kind. Gentle. The type of person who didn't care about rankings or bloodline. The type of man who was going to love me for who I was. 

I put on my pink dress, zipped it up and spun slowly in front of the mirror. It was soft like cotton candy, with a heart-shaped neckline and tiny white daisies stitched into the hem. It hugged my waist and flared out just above my knees, swishing every time I walked while the sleeves sat just off my shoulder. My heart thudded loudly, and it wasn't from fear this time, but from hope. 

Maybe today... I'll matter to someone. 

It wasn't enough, though, to stop that loud voice in my head- the one that always whispered that I was "just an Omega," unwanted and small- tried to rise. But I pushed it down with a smile, some positive affirmations and a couple deep breaths. 

"Not today," I told the voice. "I looked beautiful. And someone out there is going to love me." 

I waited at the front door for Alia. She'd promised last night that we'd go together, saying it was going to be fun and that she wanted to see who the goddess would pair me with. But after thirty minutes of waiting, Beta Garrick came out to let me know she had already left. 

I wasn't even angry. Disappointed, yeah. But I was used to this. It wasn't the first time someone made me a promise and broke it. 

I left right after, and the moment I got to the school gate, I smelled something that made my entire body freeze. 

Oh. My. God. 

The scent hit me so hard my knees nearly buckled. Sweet spice. Like cinnamon and smoke. Clean rain. A touch of vanilla and cedarwood. My heart was pounding so fast I couldn't breathe. My wolf had also gone wild inside me, howling, spinning in circles, clawing at my chest like she wanted to leap out and run toward it. 

"Mate! Mate! Mine!" she screamed. 

The overwhelming feeling to find him was all I could think of and my heart nearly burst out of my chest in joy as I staggered forward, nose in the air, sniffing like a crazy person. I didn't care if anyone saw. I followed the scent, weaving between lockers, eyes wide, stomach fluttering with the thousand butterflies that were partying hard inside it. 

The school hallway was buzzing with students, lockers slamming, sneakers squeaking. The scent grew stronger near the gym and it took every ounce of self control I could muster to not run to him. I felt my head swell and contract the moment I turned a corner and stopped, cheeks flushed. 

There he was. 

KAI? 

ALPHA KAI WAS MY MATE! 

NO WAY! 

For a second, I couldn't move. It was him. It was really him. 

My crush was my mate! No freaking way! 

My wolf went wild inside me, howling frantically. She wanted to be close to him, so did I. 

Was that why, last week, he gave me the flower and told me that soon, all my pain would be over? Now I understood. He knew. He knew we were mates. I was beside myself with tears of joy as I hurried forward, almost tripping over my own feet as I weaved through the crowd. I didn't care how many people were around. I just wanted to be near him, but getting closer I saw he was with Alia. 

"Kai!" I called, voice shaky from joy. 

He turned slowly. I expected him to feel the bond too and come to me. But the moment our eyes met... his whole face changed. His brows pulled together, then his lips curled down. 

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he snapped, grabbing Alia by the waist and pulling her close. 

Every feeling of joy inside me was expunged instantly, and it was replaced with mounting, stultifying dread as I imagined the worst. 

"I... I'm your mate," I said softly, looking into his eyes and hoping he'd snap out of it already and acknowledge me as his mate. 

Alia stared at me like I was insane. 

Kai narrowed his eyes. "What did you say?" 

"I... I s-said you're my mate. I- I felt it at the gate. I followed your scent-" 

"Are you crazy?" His face squeezed into a grimace, like he had lemon in his mouth. "I shouldn't even be asking. Of course you're crazy. What could possibly make you think that I'm your mate?" 

The mounting dread had my heart hammering against my ribcage now. "But... I can feel it." I looked at his face, searching for any remnants of the boy who gave me a flower last week and told me everything would be okay, soon. But all I could see was the Kai who watched while I was being bullied. 

As if that was not enough, he pulled her close and kissed her, before they went back to their discussion like I was never there. My hands started to shake. I felt like my soul left my body. I felt like something inside me had been shredded to pieces. He didn't even look at me again. They walked away together, his arm around her. 

My feet moved before my brain did. 

I turned and ran. Everything melted into a dizzy mess as I shoved open the nearest bathroom door and fell to my knees in front of the bowl. And then I threw up. Over and over. Like my body was rejecting what I had just seen, like I could vomit out the pain, the confusion, the sick betrayal crawling through my stomach. All I could see was him. His lips. On hers. His hands pulling her closer like she was everything, while I was nothing. 

I spent at least the next hour bawling my eyes out. All morning I had felt so pretty. I believed today was finally mine. That I could start fresh, be wanted and be chosen. But he called me crazy. He kissed another girl in front of me. 

I hated my body for shaking this bad. I hated my heart for aching for someone who spat on it. And the worst part? Even now a part of me still hoped he'd come running through the door, fall to his knees and take it all back. 

But he won't. Because he won't. 

Just then, the PR system cracked on. "All students please proceed to the south courtyard for swimming practice. Attendance is mandatory, and defaulters will be punished." 

I washed my face and walked out, making my way like a zombie to the facility, hearing the laughter of the other students. 

Why was I always the one who got hurt? Was I cursed? 

With each passing second, I realised just how jarringly foolish it was to think Kai, an Alpha, would accept me as his mate. 

But... he didn't have to reject me like that, considering our history. I should have known better. I should have known he was just playing with me. A cruel stupid game. 

My chest felt like someone had scooped out my heart and left the hollow behind.I sat on the bench the whole time, having taken my attendance. I didn't swim. I didn't speak. Just stared on, disconnected from reality. After the practice ended and the students left in groups, I stayed behind, drenched in my thoughts. 

Just then I heard footsteps approaching the facility. I looked up just in time to see Kai step in, eyes sharp and face as hard as stone. My wolf roused inside me again, whimpering softly with the hope that maybe he wanted to acknowledge me now that we were alone, but once again, I was wrong. 

"Don't ever say that shit again. Don't you ever dare to mention the bond again. Ever." he warned as soon as he stopped in front of me. 

My voice cracked as my tears began pouring again. "So you knew... You knew I was your mate. Yet, you denied it. Is this what you planned? To pretend to care, then break me in front of everyone else? You said my suffering would end. Were you lying the whole time?" 

His face twitched. Just a little. Then he looked away. "I never loved you." 

I flinched. "I thought... I-" 

"I said I never loved you!" he snapped. But there was hesitation in his tone though, like the words hurt him more than he wanted to admit. Still he looked at me like I was dirt. "You're an Omega. You actually thought I'd want you?" 

Was this who he really was? Because I thought I saw something good in him. I thought... Maybe someone finally cared about me. I was so stupid. My mate hated me. 

"Don't look at me like that," he snapped yet again, before he stepped forward and said the words that completely shattered me. "I, Alpha Kai, reject you as my mate." 

"Kai, no please don't-" My words were cut off as the pain of rejection slammed into me, knocking the air out of me. I collapsed to the floor, gripping my chest. My wolf howled in pain, begging for him to stop and take back his words but he watched on, like he did before. It felt like I was being ripped apart from the inside. 

Then, he walked away, leaving me in pain. 

The pain only started to ebb nearly half an hour later, and that's when Alia walked in on me. "Oh my God, Keira? Are you crying?" 

I looked up to see the fake concern written all over her face. 

"I didn't know you two were really mates. I thought... you were bluffing. You should have told me." She said, covering her mouth like she was shocked. She saw everything. She just wanted to rub it in. Then she leaned in and whispered. 

"If the Alpha finds out that an Omega like you is his son's mate, he'll kill you. You should accept his rejection and leave the Pack as soon as you can.”