Chapter 5

It's the night of the party, and I'm in Bri's room getting ready. There are a bunch of other girls here too, and the place is low-key rowdy, but it helps me take my mind off the past few days.

“Girl, what do you think about these low-rise jeans!? I think they look good on me.” Says a red-haired siren girl whose name I can't remember.

“Damn, girl, that shi is fire. Mark would definitely be jealous.” Says another siren girl with dark hair.

From their brief discussion, I learn that Mark is her ex, who dumped her for a new elf girl in their class, and she's going to the party to make him jealous.

My makeup is already done, and I'm already wearing my outfit for the night: a pink dress that accentuates my figure and light accessories. I don't want to do too much, as I'm already irritable from the upcoming full moon.

I've already finished Bri's hair, and I did a fantastic job, if I do say so myself.

After a few minutes of haggling and giggles, we take some shots and then head out for the party. I can feel eyes on me, just like I have for the past few days, but Bri keeps assuring me that it's all in my head.

I try so hard to believe her, but on most days, I find it too much to bear. I still haven't heard from Jax, and my anxiety is through the roof.

He doesn't return my calls or texts, and I barely see him around campus. I come up with excuses about him being busy, but a part of me knows it's just a lie.

We approach the venue, a makeshift tent made from foliage, flowers, and two trees bent over. The fairy lights add to the whimsy of the place, probably the work of a sprite or fairy.

It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, and something about it calms me down. Or is it the shot? Either way, I feel my body loosen and my muscles relax.

Bri drags me to the bar, and we're immediately surrounded by boys asking to buy us drinks. I decline, not feeling in the mood to have anyone pressing on me or talking my ears off.

“Dawg. You gotta loosen up. Move your body, we're here to danceeee!” Bri screams over the loud music.

I'm yet to reply when she downs her drink in one go, pecks the boy she's talking with on the cheek, and then drags me to the dance floor.

She grinds against me and whips her hair from side to side, not a single care in the world. I shake off the feeling of being watched and start dancing, awkwardly at first, but then I start dancing erratically, feeling the music in my bones.

I don't know how long I dance, but I feel tired from dancing in my heels, so I go back to the bar to sit, Bri and I giggling as we return to our seats.

Immediately after I sit, I look up and see Jax enter with the boys.

I feel the knot return in full force.

I turn to the bartender, order a shot, down it in one gulp, and wait for it to stop burning and work its magic. After a minute or two, I feel its effect in my system.

I whisper-shout to Bri that I'll be back. She follows my eyes and spots him too. She nods in acknowledgement and goes back to talking to a different boy.

I take two deep breaths, exhale, and then walk to where Jax is standing. He has his back turned, so he doesn't see me coming.

I tap his shoulder lightly, and he turns to look at me.

“Hey, what's u…”

He says it excitedly, thinking I'm someone else. Then the excitement on his face is replaced by irritation.

I fold my arms across my chest, refusing to be deterred by his attitude.

“What the fuck, babe? You haven't returned my calls or texts, and you've been avoiding me. Is anything wrong? Did I do something?”

“Vee, I do not want to talk about this here. We can talk later.” He says, turning his back on me.

“I want to talk about it now! You don't get to ghost me and then not tell me what's wrong.” I say as I wedge myself between him and the two other boys he's talking to.

They sense the tension and back away.

“What's wrong with you? Why are you being dramatic?”

“Dramatic!? You literally ghosted me without an explanation, and now I wanna talk about it. You're calling me dramatic?”

“Can you just quit shouting?”

I don't realize my voice has gone up, and I can see people stop dancing to look at us. Even the DJ lowers the music, but I don't care.

“I won't. You ghost me, your friends pull a dirty prank on me using a picture only you could get, and you tell me to stop shouting?” I say, looking up at him, eyeball to eyeball.

I can feel my wolf backing down from the fight, but I hold on.

“We can have this conversation somewhere else.”

“No. I want to have it here.”

By this time, almost every eye in the room is fixed on us. Maybe it's the full moon, or maybe it's the alcohol, but I don't give a shit.

“Okay, you want to have it here, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then here's the truth. It was all a fucking bet. The relationship, the sex, the promise. It was all a lie.”

I can feel my feet turn to jelly, and my head feels like it's gonna explode.

“What?” I whisper in shock.

“I didn't love you. I mean, who'd love a stuck-up bitch like you? Why would you think I'd go against pack rules to date a slut like you?”

I don't know when it happens, but I feel my hand connect with his cheek.

And in that split second, I feel vindicated.

I slap him again, twice.

I hear a growl from somewhere in the group, and I know his Betas are ready to protect him, but he holds them back with a single gesture.

“I will teach you a lesson on hierarchy and respect, but I don't have the time, so I will keep it for another day.” He says while drawing close to me, anger and disgust clear on his expression.

I feel goosebumps on my skin, but I still refuse to back down. I can see him wrestling with his wolf and his primal instinct to put me in my place, but I couldn't care less.

I open my mouth to say something, but I catch a scent that makes me dizzy for a minute.

It's the most wonderful thing I've ever smelled.

It smells like the earth after rain and cinnamon spice. I can feel my wolf struggling to come out.

After I regain a sense of control, I look up to find Jax staring at me with an expression I can't describe, and that's when it dawns on me that the scent is coming from him.

Some invisible force pulls me closer, and I find it hard to resist. I can tell he feels it too. I can feel my wolf getting more restless than ever, and I fight harder to control her.

And then I feel something else, like a wave hitting my back, head, and shoulders.

It feels like I can feel every plant in the room, and I look down to see vines wrapping around my legs.

We both finally get to each other, and that's when I realize it.

He's my mate.

The tattoo on my lower back starts to tingle, and I can tell it's filling in with color, just as I learned in high school.

I look up at Jax, but he seems confused, like he doesn't want this to happen.

I push my head to the side, waiting for him to mark me, the ordeal of the past few minutes forgotten.

And that's when I hear it.

“I reject you.”

Slowly, the scent fades, and then I feel my heart and everything around me slow down.

My head feels like it's gonna fall off my shoulder from how heavy it becomes. I feel the wave from earlier move back, alongside my connection to the things around me.

I watch the world lose color, and I feel my tongue and nose lose their function.

Then the worst happens.

My wolf is gone.

That's when I fall to my knees and let out a scream.

The tears come with full force, and the last thing I see is Jax's feet as he leaves me on the floor.