Chapter 007

TALIA

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Westwood."

"Hello, Ruby!" mother called, turning in her chair and beaming at Ruby, who had just walked through the front door.

I uncrossed my fingers and exhaled. I still didn't know why I kept getting tense whenever Ruby came to visit. I supposed I had just grown used to my parents criticizing everything I did.

Ruby was the exception though.

My mother was always sweet and kind to Ruby. She seemed to like her much more than she did me, her own daughter. I knew why.

My best friend’s parents were very wealthy. Ruby's father was the CEO of Fex Textiles, and if there was anything my parents loved more than Tessa, it was building connections. It was why they had been over the moon when my twin started dating Ethan, the Alpha's son.

Mother, still smiling, dropped her knitting in her lap to ask Ruby how her parents were.

"Very well, Mrs. Westwood," Ruby replied politely. "They send their regards."

"Oh, wonderful," my mother exclaimed, rubbing her hands together.

"Hello, Mom," I greeted, moved further into the room so she could see me.

Mother gave a sniff, didn't bother to respond. She didn’t even glance at me as she resumed her knitting.

Since the day I found out Ethan was my mate, she had not said a word to me, and apparently not even the presence of a visitor in the house was going to change speak to me.

Without waiting to see if Ruby was following, I ran up the stairs, tossed my school bag into the corner of my room, and fell back on the bed with a sigh.

I blinked hard, forcing tears burning my eyes back. I had spent the rest of the school day crying after talking with Cassian, and now there was only a hollow, empty feeling in my chest.

Curling myself into a ball, I tried to think of something, anything that would stop the tears, but it was no use. A sob broke free. The tears spilled over and ran down my cheeks.

Ruby’s hand fell on my arm.

"Hey," she said, tightening her grip and shaking me gently. "Don’t start crying again. You’ve done enough of that already. Look... your eyes are already swollen and red. I swear I’m not going to console you this time if you keep bawling your eyes out."

My lips trembled as I forced myself upright.

"Tell me the truth, Ruby," I whispered, my voice shaking slightly. "Is there... is there something wrong with me?"

Ruby’s eyes widened in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"Maybe I really am cursed or something," I went on. "That’s the reason why everyone keeps rejecting me."

Ruby groaned. "Oh, come on, Talia. There is nothing wrong with you. Maybe Cassian just feels uncomfortable that an eighteen-year old student is hitting on him. I don't know... maybe there is something in the school's constitution that says you can't date a student. Besides, he's probably way way older than he looks-"

"I don’t care," I said. "Even if he’s fifty, it wouldn't matter to me. I still want him. He’s my mate!"

Ruby’s mouth fell open in a perfect, comical O. "Wait a minute! You’re willing to have sex with a fifty-year old?"

I fell back on the bed with a groan, rolled over onto my stomach. This time the tears burning my eyes weren’t tears of sadness but shame as I recalled how Cassian had looked at me like I was dirt under his shoes.

There had to be something seriously wrong with me. First Ethan had tossed me aside without a second thought, and now Cassian was doing the same.

"I’d do anything - anything - to get him," I said, my hands fisting the sheets.

Suddenly Ruby gasped, then clasped my hand.

"I’ve got an idea!" she cried.

"What is it?" I asked, my heart hammering hard in my chest.

"I’ll have to give you a total makeover," she said, her brown eyes sweeping me up and down. "No offense, friend, but you don’t always put a lot of thought into your appearance. Men are physical beings. They like women who look hot and desirable."

I frowned. "What do you mean? Are you saying my clothes aren’t good enough?"

"Well... they’re fine," Ruby allowed after a pause, "but you need a serious upgrade, girl, to catch the eye of that hot professor."

I shot Ruby a glare, which she returned with a smirk.

"There’s nothing wrong with the way I dress," I snapped. "I have a good sense of fashion and I’m not changing it."

"It’s not just your fashion sense, Talia." Ruby countered. "There are other things too. I’ve got five tipsguaranteed to help you win your mate’s heart."

"And what are they?" I asked dryly, already sure she was going to quote me something she had read in one of the girl magazines she was always reading.

"One sec," Ruby trilled.

She shot off the bed. I heard the sound of her bag unzipping, and two seconds later she was sitting beside me with a notebook open on her lap, a pen poised over it. Her eyes narrowed in concentration as she scribbled at the top of the page: HOW TO WIN TALIA’S MATE.

Underneath that, she wrote:

1. Become more feminine.

She underlined the last word twice, then circled it.

I scowled at the notebook.

"I am feminine," I pointed out, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Oh no, you’re not," Ruby said flatly. "Now, now, don’t glare at me," she added quickly, taking in my expression. "If I can’t tell you the truth as your best friend, who will? First off, you don’t put on any makeup."

"And why would I bother to put on makeup?" I interrupted. "The only place I ever go to is school."

"And," Ruby continued, completely ignoring me as she ticked a second point off on her fingers, "when you eat, you eat like it’s your last meal. Even the way you walk -"

"What’s wrong with the way I walk?" I demanded.

"You walk like you’re in a hurry, so fast no one even has the chance to say hi. And you slouch a little."

"I don’t slouch!" I retorted hotly.

But Ruby was already scribbling in her book again. Frowning, I leaned closer to read what she had just written.

2. Learn your target’s routine.

"Target?" I repeated. "You make it sound like he’s a fox I’m hunting."

"Well, getting a man is kind of like a hunt, isn’t it?" Ruby said, waving her hands airily. "You have to make yourself a vital, important part of his life. You do it one step at a time. And then, by the time the hot professor realizes it, you’re like ivy wrapped around him. He can’t cut you off without hurting himself."

"Stop. Just stop," I said, holding up a hand. "You’re not making any sense. I’m not going to do all that. It sounds... sneaky."

With a huff, Ruby snapped her notebook shut. "What do you plan on doing then? Are you just going to let him go?"

"No, I won’t," I said after a long moment of thought. " But I’ll come up with a good strategy - a better one."

From downstairs, I heard Tessa call, "Mom?"

Mother said something, but her words drawn out by a loud thud - probably the sound of Tessa flinging her bag somewhere.

I started to tell Ruby, who was closest to the door, to shut it properly. But then my twin said something that froze me cold.

"I need a literature tutor, Mom," she said. "The subject is so hard, and I can’t cope anymore."

In a flash I was off the bed and standing with my ear pressed to the crack between the door and it's frame.

"Oh, sweetheart," my mother crooned. "Of course you need a tutor. Why didn't you tell me before now? Do you have anyone in mind?"

"Yes," Tessa answered sweetly. "There’s this new literature professor in school - Professor Cassian. I hear he’s really good, but he isn’t teaching my class, so I need some extra private tutoring."

Ruby, who hadn’t been listening, was still scribbling in her notebook. My nails dug deep into my palm. I was shaking with fury.

I had barely known Cassian for twenty-four hours, and already Tessa was scheming to get her hands on him. Why did she always go after everything I wanted? Why couldn’t she just let me have something that would make me happy for once?

There was no way I was going to sit back and let her take Cassian from me, just like she had taken Ethan.

Slamming the door shut, I whirled around to face Ruby. She did a double take and dropped her pen when she saw the look on my face.

"I’ll take your five tips," I told her. "I’m going to get Cassian, whatever it takes."