Ryle
"If there was one thing I detested, it was she-wolves confessing their feelings to anyone they pleased. I staunchly adhered to the belief that she-wolves should only be pursued by their destined mates. I upheld the traditional 'old love' values of wolves. Consequently, every time a she-wolf confessed her feelings to me, I felt repulsed and offended. I harbored a strong aversion to any romantic advances apart from those from my fated mate, whom I had yet to encounter until now.
Situations like what the woman in front of me did weren't new to me. And just like the other confessions before, I turned them down in the most ruthless way possible, discouraging them from continuing their affection for me. Just like what I did with the others, I tore their letters to shreds without an ounce of remorse. In fact, they should have thanked me because I was sparing them from experiencing more heartbreak if they opted to continue, as I knew they wouldn't stand any chance of winning my heart or attention.
"This is the lamest thing I've ever received."
My friends cheered from behind. They were used to me turning down girls on a regular basis. As twisted as it sounded, I enjoyed seeing their heartbroken expressions. For me, that was what they got for pursuing a wolf outside their mateship. They deserved to be humiliated in the worst possible way for being unfaithful to their mates.
But to my surprise, another she-wolf rushed to our side and grabbed the cheap girl behind her. Her hair was a fiery red, like a flame I was more than willing to get burned by.
Our eyes met, and I felt a lump in my throat, getting lost in her emerald-green eyes. Her angry expression added more tension between our eyes, making hers stand out even more. Unexpectedly, I got lost in her gaze, as if I was put under a spell, taking my breath away.
Just then, Koa, my spirit wolf, whispered in my mind.
'Mate.....'
I snapped back from reality, my senses jolting me awake. Blinking rapidly, I hesitated to make eye contact, a nervous flutter gripping me unexpectedly. I acted calm and collected, concealing the inner turmoil swirling beneath the surface.
'Is this cheap she-wolf your friend?' I asked with a smirk, desperate to keep my thoughts away from admiring her face.
'As a matter of fact, yes,' she answered. Dear goddess! I swore she sounded like an angel!
The lady with fiery red hair locked her eyes on me. I held my ground, refusing to yield in our silent staring match. In that moment, she flashed an arrogant grin, shaking her head with a mix of disappointment and anger.
'You know what’s funny? The lamest thing I ever saw today is you.'"
Her words surprised me, like a sudden gust of wind that I didn't see coming. I made a disapproving sound in response, feeling a sudden rush of offense. Without wasting any more time, I quickly replied.
"Oh, yeah! The one who was lame is your friend. How could she beg for love from a wolf outside her mateship? How desperate was she? These cheap actions only portray what kind of she-wolf she is."
“The kind of she-wolf the likes of you don’t deserve. What you did to her only proves what kind of werewolf you are. And honestly, it's such a turn-off.”
A surge of anger coursed through me upon hearing these words from my mate. The reality was starkly different from the dreamy picture I had painted for the first encounter with her. My expectations had revolved around something more romantic, more genuinely sweet, the kind of memory one treasures forever. Yet, the harsh truth stood before me. The enchanting daydreams of our fairy tale reunion morphed into an unexpected, bitter reality.
It was hatred at first sight, a nightmare for a first meeting with your destined half.
With my bruised ego, I retorted to the cheap girl as an outlet.
"Having this ugly cheap girl as a mate would be a curse from the moon goddess herself. Your friend would probably remain unmated for the rest of her life. I mean, who would be willing to be with a cheap, ugly-looking she-wolf like her for the rest of his life?"
I anticipated some retort to the insults, but to everyone's surprise, she delivered a resounding slap instead. The sound reverberated throughout the cafeteria, and gasps erupted from those who witnessed it.
My mate’s response turned serious, her icy eyes fixated on me. The reality began to set in. Someone dared to stand up against the mighty Ryle Vanderberg of the Silverwolf Pack.
I was groomed to lead a famous pack, used to getting attention and respect. The incident shook me because, beyond our usual training, someone had the audacity to lay a hand on me out of sheer disrespect. Anger took over, briefly making me forget that the lady in front of me was the one I had been waiting for my whole life.
"Are you insane?! Why did you slap me?"
I raised my voice and lost my cool. The students around me were surprised to witness me losing control in front of everyone. However, the lady raised her voice even more, expressing her strong dislike towards me.
"Because you’re a total jerk!!!"
I started to doubt the authenticity of the mate bond we share. In my perception, the dynamics between fated mates shouldn't be like this. There should be more romance and less chaos.
Anger threatened to consume me, and the desire for retaliation against this furious lady grew. But at the last minute, I shifted my perspective. Rather than succumbing to the impulse of letting anger take over, I considered a more interesting approach to settle the matter.
Opting for a playful retaliation, I gathered the torn papers and handed them back to the cheap girl with a smile.
"This time, I'll try being more patient. I'll allow you to rewrite whatever is inside this paper. Yes, I'll give you another chance IF you renounce your friendship with your brave friend."
The girl was taken aback by my statement, and I smirked.
"I'm the son of an Alpha. I value and honor my words."
She glanced at the lady with fiery red hair and then back at me.
"I am patient enough not to harm people over their foolish mistakes. So, if you do this for me, it would even the score, and I'll consider it justice served for the slap I earned from your LOYAL friend."
“Huh! Dream on, jerk. As if Crisha would do that to me.”
The furious lady clearly showed enough confidence about their friendship. So, I waited to see what the girl named Crisha would do. But to my surprise, Crisha suddenly swung her arm and slapped her friend really hard. I was amused by the sudden turn of events and how shallow and stupid this Crisha was.
“You have no rights to hurt Ryle. How could you insult and disrespect him like that? From now on, you are no friend of mine. You are nothing but a rabid she-wolf without manners.”
Cheers of laughter echoed around. Crisha smiled, drowning herself in the momentary spotlight she received. I turned to my mate, and her world fell apart. Clearly, she was hurt by the betrayal of that one friend she chose to defend.
I wanted to rush to her side and comfort her, but I fought the urge with every fiber of my being. My mate needed to be taught a lesson, something that would change the way she behaved, especially in front of me.
I stepped forward, turning to face everyone.
"You all bear witness to the things I was forced to endure from this lady. But as an Alpha’s son, I was taught not to harm a woman. I'll still be a gentleman for her sake. If she chooses to apologize, I’ll consider everything water under the bridge."
The red-haired lady looked shocked but remained determined that her actions were justified.
"I will never crawl back and apologize for slapping a jerk like you. You deserve it, and I am proud of what I did."
"Very well," I responded, walking closer and leaning toward her ear.
"Soon, you'll know who I am to this school."
I walked away, and everyone made way for me. Inside my head, Koa panicked.
"Are you crazy, Ryle?! THAT’S OUR MATE!!!"
"Relax, Koa. I’m just trying to tame the beast inside her. In no time, she would crawl back and apologize. And of course, I would forgive her. Then that’s how she would start to see me as her loving mate. You’ll see."
I chuckled and headed to my classroom. In my perspective, what I was doing felt right, and I was confident it would make my mate warm up to me sooner.
And I am certain of it.
Isobel“You have no right to hurt Ryle. How could you insult and disrespect him like that? From now on, you are no friend of mine. You are nothing but a rabid she-wolf without manners.”I was taken aback by Crisha's sudden action, my hand on my cheek where her slap had landed. The force of it was unexpected, leaving me bewildered by her betrayal. I looked into her eyes, hoping to find some remorse, but I was shocked to see nothing. Doubts started to fill my mind, questioning if everything she had shown me in our friendship was genuine. How could she easily turn away from me? The whole situation felt unreal, beyond what I could have expected. It left me speechless.Ryle and his friends cheered from behind, finding entertainment in the unfolding drama. Ryle appeared to be equally surprised by Crisha's actions, though I wasn’t sure whether it was genuine surprise or not. But I could sense the satisfaction building inside him, knowing that he succeeded in his plan to inflict hurt on me.M
IsobelLorrie exchanged glances between me and our sorority sisters. I took a deep breath, prepared to hear their perceived versions of the earlier events.The girl behind Lucy spoke, "Ryle doesn't deserve to be slapped like that. Bullying is against the rules. This impolite she-wolf acted barbaric earlier. She doesn't deserve to be part of our sorority. She was probably out of her mind to target a kind guy like Ryle."“Isobel slapped Ryle Vanderberg? But why?” Lorrie asked, still confused.But Lucy was no longer interested in letting me defend myself. Instead, she explained the reason why they were tossing my things out. "As you all heard and saw, this ginger bullied our mighty Ryle Vanderberg. If the school finds out that she belongs to Ep-El, our sorority is at risk of going down. I am sure the owner, Ryle's father, wouldn't let this slide. We will not let our sorority suffer for Isobel Reeve’s stupid action.”With that, the rest of the girls agreed, plastering a grin on Lucy’s fa
Isobel I entered the small restaurant and asked about the job. No one was there, and there were no customers eating. It was early in the morning, and even though the place looked a bit old, it was quite nice inside. It was comfortable for eating or studying. It wasn't fancy like other shops near the university, but it was good enough for someone to eat and spend time with friends. I walked up to the counter and looked at the menu. The prices were reasonable, and the food they offered seemed suitable for students. "Hello? Anybody here?" I called out. It had been a few minutes since I entered to ask about the job. Then, a woman who looked around middle-aged came up. I noticed her face light up when she saw me. "Yes? What would you like to order?" she asked. I smiled awkwardly. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but I'm actually here to ask about the job. I saw the notice outside your door." The woman sighed. "I thought I finally had a customer." She then scanned me from head to toe and continued
IsobelI ignored the photos of myself hanging everywhere and went straight to my locker. But to my surprise, a pile of trash fell on my feet—my locker was filled with trash. Students gathered around me, recording with their phones. Lucy led them, holding her expensive phone and laughing at me."Sorry about that. School is a little dirty, so we decided to clean it. As you know, as one of the student leaders here, I must set a good example for our fellow students," Lucy said, trying to cover up their cruel actions. She then addressed everyone. "Luckily, Isobel Reeve is here to help us."Another girl behind Lucy added, "Don't worry, Lucy, we just put THE TRASH in the right place."Lucy laughed. "You’re right. It's actually a family reunion. Because Isobel here is also trash."Thea, who was also there, added more insults. "She deserves to be on the streets. Where trash belongs."Just then, the garbage juice dropped on my feet.“Ewww! Gross!” they all exclaimed, disgusted by the slimy liqu
IsobelAs Lorrie continued her angry tirade, I started to feel really sad inside. The mention of Crisha's betrayal brought back a flood of emotions, and my mind echoed with the painful reminder of standing up for someone who had ultimately abandoned me. However, deep down, I knew I wasn't angry at Crisha. In fact, I felt sorry for her, understanding that she was also a victim in this situation. I was hurt, but not to the point of hating Crisha. Beneath the pain, I believed there was still kindness left in her. Despite the hurtful words being thrown around, I would never wish for the same thing to happen to her.“Enough, Lorrie! Don’t say such things about her. Crisha is also a victim here.”“What? Are you out of your mind? Clearly, Crisha Cha is the root of all your miseries!”"She's not, okay?” I shot back. Lorrie was furious at how I defended Crisha. I heaved a sigh and explained my perspective. “It's that jerk's fault! Crisha was just manipulated by Ryle. She did things she didn’t
RyleAs I strolled through the school corridor, I heard laughter echoing around. Out of curiosity, I checked what the commotion was about and immediately saw some individuals making fun of my red-headed mate.Koa wanted to intervene; I could feel his eagerness to defend our mate. Clearly, he felt uncomfortable seeing her being humiliated like this.“Move, you jackass! Don’t just stand there and do something.”But instead of panicking, I just shrugged my shoulders. "Relax, Koa. It's just light bullying."Koa didn't like my idea but didn't say anything more. Meanwhile, I watched with amazement. In my mind, I was confident that soon enough, Isobel would crawl back to me, regretting what she did. I smiled, imagining this scenario. As the crowd bullied her, I observed Isobel. I saw how tough and determined she was. The bullying and the crowd saying weird names and even declaring their hate towards her didn’t even make Isobel falter.“Go think of a better plan then. Because it would take yo
IsobelAfter the whole class was paired up, the professor explained the tasks for the activity. Our goal was to present a short summary of the life of a famous werewolf, especially those who played crucial roles in well-known packs. We could also interview various artists or artisans, anyone who had made a name in different industries.After addressing some related questions, our professor dismissed the class. It was thirty minutes earlier than our usual dismissal time, granting us an additional thirty minutes to spend as we pleased before our next class.In my case, I planned to disinfect my locker with bleach, as I had only managed some light cleaning to avoid being late for my previous class.As soon as the professor left, I began gathering my things and headed toward my intended activity. However, Lucy and her group blocked my way.“Where do you think you’re going?” Lucy asked. I took a deep breath out of sheer impatience; her extreme hatred for me was beginning to annoy me.“What
IsobelThe other classes went on as usual. The students continued to be jerks around me, but I was beginning to build some tolerance toward them.After class, I went straight to Mrs. Potts' coffee shop to help. The new equipment arrived today, adding more work to the pile we were both already dealing with. Mrs. Potts couldn't afford to hire more help, so I understood the responsibility that fell on my shoulders.Finally, we were done for the day, and I retreated to my tiny room. I sent Mom a message first before resting, afraid to miss updating her due to exhaustion.I turned on my radio and rested my face on the small desk in front of my bed. I adjusted the volume enough to be heard but not to disturb Mrs. Potts in the other room. Maybe my body was about to give up due to too much fatigue, but that wasn’t an excuse for me to miss Midnight Wolf’s show.“Good evening, everyone. I dedicate this song to those who also had a bad day.”“Woke up this morning with books in my bed,Bad vibes