My brothers best friend is my second chance

~Abby

Right before the last goal of the hockey game, my phone vibrated. I knew it was making a huge mistake to look at it, but I did anyway.

It was a text from Emma: “I am sorry, but you really need to see this.”

Right after the text, a video clip popped up.

One that I could not stop myself from watching because my eyes glued on the familiar figure moving on my screen.

Then I heard the sound—loud moans that made me feel like I was going crazy.

My fingers shook.

Around me, the crowd cheered loudly for the winning goal, but everything sounded far away now.

The boy in the video was Travis.

My boyfriend and my fated mate.

I looked up at the ice rink. Travis was running around to celebrate. Then he looked at me and blew me a kiss.

He did this every time he won.

He always made sure I had the exact same seat in the crowd so he could find me easily.

I squeezed the bouquet of white lilies in my arms. Travis used to laugh when I brought him flowers after a game. He always said hockey players want trophies, not flowers. But he always kissed me anyway.

Tonight was supposed to be special.

He had promised me that after winning the championship, he had something important to tell me.

My inner wolf had been excited all day. But now, I just needed to know the truth.

I ran down the steps and went straight onto the ice even if I was not allowed to be out there.

When Travis saw me, he smiled and opened his arms to hug me. He looked so happy that I almost believed the video was a lie. But I did not hug him.

POW!

I punched him hard right on his nose and then threw the flowers on the ice.

“Ouch!” he groaned, holding his face. “What did you do that for?!”

“For being a liar and a cheater!” I shouted. I held up my phone so he could see the screen.

Suddenly, the whole arena went completely quiet. Everyone now stopped celebrating to watch us.

Travis looked at the video while holding his bleeding nose. His face turned pale. “How did you get that?” He tried to reach for me.

“Don’t touch me!” I screamed. “Who is she, and why is she wearing your jersey while you are fucking her?!”

He looked around at the crowd. “Come on, Abby. Let’s not do this here.”

“I am your mate!” I yelled. “How could you do this to me?!”

The crowd gasped. Most people did not know we were fated mates because Travis wanted to keep it a secret.

Then his best friend, Mason, walked over. He looked at Travis and said, “Don’t you think it’s better to tell her the truth now, or you’re going to watch her humiliate herself even more?”

My knees felt weak, but I forced myself to stand straight.

“What is he talking about, Travis?” I asked, crying. “Tell me it’s—.”

“I can’t be with you anymore, Abby,” Travis said, cutting me off. His voice was suddenly very cold. “We are done!. You are an Omega… and you are too weak. My parents will never accept you.”

“But we talked about this!” I whispered. “You told me your parents said it was okay!”

“I lied!” he shouted. “I have a big future. I am going to be the next Beta of the pack. Look at you. Who wants a weak Omega for a Beta’s wife huh?”

I could barely breathe. Travis looked around the huge arena, showing everyone my broken heart. Then he looked back at me.

“No one!… No one wants you,” he said. “You are fat, you are unfit, and your family name is embarrassing.”

Tears ran down my face. “Travis, please… we can—“ I tried but he didn’t let me finish.

“I, Travis Maddox of the Red Moon pack, reject you, Abby Abernathy, as my mate,” he said. His voice was completely heartless.

The invisible thread that had connected me to Travis since the Moon Goddess chose him as my mate felt like it was being ripped apart, strand by agonizing strand.

“Fucking leave here already!” one of his teammates yelled at me.

“Maybe she needs you to carry her out of here princess-style, Trav!” another one laughed.

“No way, she is too heavy for that,” a third teammate said. “Get off the ice before you crush it with all that weight!”

The whole crowd started laughing at me. Then, someone started chanting and the whole crowd followed.

“Get out! Get out! Get out!”

I had never felt so utterly destroyed in my entire life.

I took one last look at Travis, searching for a shred of the boy I had loved with all my heart and there wasn’t a single hint of remorse on his face.

I turned and ran, sprinting off the ice and out of the arena into the freezing night air.

I walked through the dark streets while crying. Finally, I stopped in front of a bar. The neon sign read:

THE DEN.

Inside, the music was very loud matching the throbbing in my head.

I walked up to the bar and slammed my hand on the counter. “Give me a drink,” I told the bartender.

The bartender looked at me with a creepy smile. “What does a pretty girl like you want to drink?”

“Anything to completely knock me out tonight.”

He smirked. “Coming right up.”

I drank one glass after another. Soon, the counter was full of empty cups. I felt very dizzy. I hoped my night would be like the stories I read on phone apps—where a handsome stranger takes me home and helps me forget my pain.

But no one would want that with a plus-size like me.

The bartender handed me another drink. Before I could grab it, a hand tightly gripped my wrist.

“The fuck do you think you're doing, pigeon?”

A cold shiver went down my back. Only one person called me that name.

Nick. My older brother's best friend.

Even through the hazy, blurred lens of my tipsiness, he looked striking—and very pissed off.

He held my wrist tightly and stared deeply into my eyes. “Do you think your brother would be happy to see you in a bar full of dangerous, wild wolves?”