Chapter 2

Piper’s POV

The next morning, I woke up with a jolt.

The first thing I felt was the pounding in my head. The ache was merciless, reminding me that I had drowned myself in too much liquor the previous night.

The second thing I felt was heat. It was solid, steady and radiated against my side. My lashes fluttered open, and I turned my head.

That was when I saw him.

For a moment, I thought I was still drunk or hallucinating because no man on earth looked like this.

His face was sharp with clean lines and sinful perfection. His jaw was carved like a blade and his cheekbones caught the faint light spilling through the blinds.

His hair was dark, inky black and tousled in a way that looked too good to be accidental. It fell over his brow to soften the edges of his fierce features.

And then there were his lips. They were full and dangerous in the way they curved even in sleep.

But it was his body that truly made me forget how to breathe. Broad shoulders stretched the fabric of his shirt as his chest rose and fell with a steady rhythm.

His arm lay lazily against the sheets and his veins were etched beneath golden skin that looked like it had been kissed by fire itself.

He wasn’t just handsome, he was lethal, a Greek god in the flesh.

And that Greek god wasn't standing across the room, he was in bed with me.

The moment his eyes fluttered open, a pair of storm grey eyes locked into mine with an unnerving intensity.

That instant, a scream escaped from my lips and

I rolled off the bed so fast that I hit the floor with a thud.

Still reeling with fear, I scrambled backward until my shoulder came in contact with the cold wall.

“I’m sorry, I didn't mean to... I had no…” I filtered off, staring back at him.

Racking my head, I tried to pinpoint how I had found myself here but my thoughts were fuzzy.

The only thing I could remember from the previous day was the rejection and how I had drunk to stupor.

This beautiful stranger was unfazed with my disorientation and while I was still struggling to steer myself to sanity, he sat up slowly, his gaze following me.

He was unbothered, like he had expected my panic.

His voice was rough and husky from sleep, but it carried a power that made my knees weak.

“Mate.” He called and that instant, memories came rushing in.

“No, this can't be happening." I spat out as my stomach twisted.

The last thing I wanted was having a mate, not after what Rollins had done. I was yet to recover from that and now…

No way!

Before he could throw his legs off the bed and make his way to my side, I scrambled to my feet and with the speed of lightning, bolted out.

***

I barely remembered how I got home. The only thing I could recall clearly was the sound of my shoes slapping against the pavement as if the devil himself was chasing me.

The motel door, the faint streetlights and the quiet of dawn all blurred together until I was in my bathroom, shoving water over my face like it could wash my appearance off.

Breathing heavily, I was staring back at my reflection in the mirror. I looked so pale and my eyes were so wild.

A mate, another one?

I didn’t have time to process it, I couldn’t. If I thought too hard, I would unravel.

So I did what I always did when everything inside me threatened to collapse: I got dressed for school.

With careful precision, I slipped into my jeans, hoodie and sneakers.

When I was done, I yanked my hair into a ponytail, shoved my bag over my shoulder, and walked out like nothing had happened.

But of course something had.

I had woken up next to a man whose presence still scorched my skin and whose claim still echoed in my head like a curse.

When I got to school that morning, I braced myself up for the stares, the whispers and the laughter.

No doubt by now everyone knew Rollins had humiliated me and rejected me in front of half the hockey team.

I was ready for the eyes that would slice me open with pity or cruelty but to my utmost surprise nothing came.

The hallways were buzzing with gossip but it was not about me.

“Have you seen him?” a girl squealed by the lockers, fanning herself with her notebook. “Archie Quinn, he’s in the same class with me.”

“Archie Quinn?” another echoed. “The Alpha’s son?”

My stomach sank at the thought of another jock joining the dozens we already had in the school.

Whispers chased me as I moved through the hallways. The name was repeated and was growing louder with every corner I turned.

Archie Quinn, the Alpha’s son and the new transfer student.

When I finally pushed open the classroom door, I understood why because there he was sitting like a storm in human skin.

Archie Quinn was no other person than the Greek god I had scooted away from that morning.

My legs felt weak that instant and my heart stuttered violently.

Trying not to break and create a scene, I hurriedly made my way to my seat and slid in carefully. My pulse was hammering in my throat as I tried all I could to keep my eyes off him.

But how could I?

The way his grey gaze swept the room with quiet authority, the way the other students leaned in to watch him and to whisper about him was magnetic and unavoidable.

“Did you hear? He’s Alpha Orion’s heir.”

“I heard he transferred from his former school after rejecting his mate." Someone whispered behind me.

Shoving my hand into my hair, I shut my eyes tightly. I wanted to push myself up and tell everyone to shut their mouths but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

“You know, she is so unlucky. Imagine being rejected by the alpha heir of all people.”

“Just look at him, he is so gorgeous.”

The whispers continued. They were unending and even rose higher and higher.

My chest tightened as bile clawed at my throat. I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that the man I had slept beside unknowingly was the Alpha’s heir.

The thought made my skin crawl and for the rest of the class, I kept my head down. My hands were shaking as I scribbled notes I couldn’t even read.

By lunchtime, I was running on fumes.

My stomach growled, but the cafeteria felt like a death trap. Still, I forced myself inside, tray in hand and pretending not to notice the stares that always seemed to find me.

As usual, I picked a corner table, far from the clusters of cheerleaders and jocks.

When I finally settled in my seat, I unwrapped my sandwich with trembling hands. I was going to thank the moon goddess for sparing me humiliation not until I heard the shrill laughter.

It was Elsa.

From where I sat, I could see her walking in with her friends.

She was swaying her hips and her ponytail was bouncing like she owned the air around her.

Just when I thought it was all over, her eyes found me and that instant, her smile became sharp.

“Well, well, here is the rejected little mutt,” she cooed but was loud enough for the whole room to hear.

Her pack of followers giggled on cue.

I stiffened, keeping my eyes on my tray, but it didn’t matter. They eventually circled me like wolves scenting blood.

“You must be starving, Piper,” the cheerleader sneered. “Here… let us share.”

She lifted a carton of milk from her tray, a smirk spreading on her lips as she tilted it forward, aiming for my head.

I braced myself for the cold splash, the humiliation and the laughter that would follow.

But the milk never dropped.