Chapter 6

NINA HAYES’S POV.

I scoffed so hard I could feel saliva flying out my mouth.

“I'm your what?”

“My mate.” Jace Brook repeated the words I dreaded so much confidently. “You felt our mateship bond before, didn't you?”

Well, I did but…

“No. I did not.” My gaze hardened. “You must be confusing me with someone else.”

Before Jace could say anything else, I jumped to my feet and found my way out of the dumpster.

He followed me. I felt his presence trail behind me.

“You've grown so much.”

I said nothing; instead, my pace heightened as I continued towards where we could see other students.

I made my way out of my favorite spot and onto the football pitch. 

The further I got away from him, the better.

But as I was curved at the entrance back into the school dormitory, I felt a hand grab me.

“Hey!” I yelled.

He twirled me to face him.

“Why are you leaving?” His eyes were full of genuine curiosity.

I didn't care. My forehead wrinkled tight, my gaze harder than before.

“Leave me alone.”

“Why?”

“Because I want you to leave me alone.”

I moved again, but his hand on my arm forced me to stay.

I made serious eye contact with him, sneering at his resistance.

“Stop.”

“Is it because I called you my mate?” Jace started. “But I wasn't lying.”

“I'm not your mate, please. The last thing I want is to be mated to you or anyone else.”

My words seemed to sting Jace’s heart. I caught an involuntary squeeze of his left eye, but then his mask of nonchalancy went up again.

“Why? Do you have a mate?”

“No.”

I struggled to move while I spoke, but his grip on my wrist was strong. He fixed me by his side and wouldn't let me go.

“Then that settles it, you will be my mate.” 

His features started to bubble again, but my answer remained the same.

“I will not be your mate, and neither do I want to be anyone's mate.”

When Jace noticed the tension on my forehead and my grunts as I struggled to be free from his hold, he released me.

I staggered back but found my foot before I could fall.

My wrist ached, I glared at him for waiting that long to release me.

“Look what you've done.” I pointed to the red and swollen area on my wrist. The one his thumb had sunk into.

“I'm sorry.” He came close. “I didn't mean to. I can—

I pulled away. My lips curled up in disgust. I didn't care. 

“Just leave me alone, okay?”

And before his reply could come again, I walked off.

***

The knock on my door jerked me from sleep. I opened my eyes, but they were too tired to stay open.

The knock came again.

“Who is it?”

“Your brother, who else?” Yelled back at me from behind the door.

Killian.

I forced myself off the comfort of my warm slice of heaven and pushed the doorknob in.

The soft click of the door welcomed my brother, Killian, who came by with some bags.

“You were asleep?” He entered. Killian never needed permission to make himself feel at home.

He would always feel at home in my room.

He dragged a chair close to my bed and placed the bags next to the bedside table.

“Here. I got these for you.”

I sat beside him, our knees touching as I reached for the bags next to me, my sleepy eyes scanning through with excitement.

“What are these?”

“Girl stuff.”

“Girl stuff?” I paused as my attention was more invested in the bags. 

Like he said, they were girly stuff.

A box of chocolate, a little teddy bear. A Stanley cup in my favorite color pink and some of my skincare products.

He even got me a love note. I took it out from the bags and read it.

‘Dear Nina, thanks.’

Corny, but it was the effort that counted.

I pushed back the things he had given me, my attention reeling back to Killian with my teeth buried in my lower lip and my eyes flashing with excitement.

“You got me presents. Thank you.”

Killian’s intimidating posture relaxed into my chair again.

“Yeah. You deserve it. I don't know what you must have said to the board, but they didn't get me thrown out of school. Thanks, sis.”

My excitement was immediately swallowed up by sudden guilt. My smile disappeared in seconds.

“Yeah.”

Killian noticed the shift. “You don't like the gifts?”

I forced a smile, “I love them.”

“Great, cause I had no idea what to buy. Jace told me you'd like these kinds of stuff.”

“Jace?” I paused, my left eyebrow raised was almost too noticeable.

“Yeah. He's back in school. Shoot! I must have forgotten to tell you. I told him about the whole Aiden thing and how I beat him up, almost got expelled, and you saved the day. He told me to get you a gift— these gifts.”

Again, my eyes wandered to the bags. My nose twitched, little wonder my wolf picked a familiar scent before.

“He even paid for them,” Killian added.

“Really?”

“Yes. He said it's his way of saying sorry to us, on Aiden’s behalf.”

I dragged a deep breath. 

If only Killian knew his gifts weren't exactly helping.

“I guess you could say thank you to him for me.” I tried to sound nice.

“I will.”

Killian got up to leave. He scanned through my room for a snack to take when he didn't find anything, he went to the door.

“I’m leaving.”

“Alright. Take care.”

He walked outside the door and turned to the hallway when he called my name again.

I poked my head out the door, my eyes pinned on Killian, searching his pockets.

“I almost forgot…” he didn't stop until he found a little piece of paper. He handed it over to me.

“Here, Jace asked me to give this to you.”

I took it, my forehead wrinkled with confusion as I unfolded it.

“What is this?”

Killian shrugged, “I don't know. Jace asked me to give it to you. Something about an apology.”

But it wasn't.

It was an invitation. He needed to talk to me.

‘Meet me at the same place we met today. I know your secret with my brother, Aiden. 10 pm tonight. Come or I'll tell your brother.’

My breath hitched.

How did he find out?