MATE!

BELLA'S POV

I took my helmet from my nightstand and left my small apartment for school. I was late for my first class, but I hoped Mr Abel would not chastise me for being late.

What was I thinking? Even though it wasn't my fault that I was late, no one wants to know if I had to get up at 3 a.m. today to scrub the floor of the entire pack house.

I took a deep breath before entering the school building; no one was in the hallway because classes were in session, and I thanked God for that because I didn't want to be bullied today.

I went straight to my classroom after retrieving my books from my locker.

As expected Mr Abel yelled at me and called me various names before asking me to take my seat.

Because there was only one empty seat, I hurried to it, bowing my head in respect to the Alpha's son, who happened to be my seatmate for the day.

The bell rang immediately, and without waiting for Mr Abel to leave the classroom, Cassie, the school's Queen bee and Beta Christen's daughter, approached me and yanked me out of my seat by my hair.

I knelt in front of her, bracing myself for more bullying.

I'd grown so accustomed to being bullied by her and her thugs, and indeed by the entire pack, that I didn't even bother crying.

"Not today, Cassie," Alexander, the Alpha's son, said as she tried to hit me.

"We need her face in good shape to serve the King when he arrives today," he said, and I mentally rolled my eyes; I knew better than to think he was finally on my side because he's also a big bully, even if the mention of the king made my heart race for no reason.

"Then I'll avoid her face," Cassie said, pulling me up by my hair once more.

She led me to the front of the class, where she sat with her minions beside her.

"Would you mind singing for us?" She stated. I lowered my gaze to the ground and silently cursed my parents for bringing me into this world.

"Did you not hear what I said? I said "sing for us!" She screamed at me.

I looked up at her with a pleading look while I fidgeted, and she laughed humiliatingly.

"Oh, Bella, you're no fun," she said between laughs as she stood up from her seat, her minions imitating her action.

"I heard your mother was a fantastic singer," she said as she took slow, intimidating steps towards me.

Not my parents again, it was already difficult for me to live with the fact that my parents were rogue; I cursed them for everything that had happened in my life, and Cassie knew that; she knew that bringing up my parents would cause so much pain, but she didn't care.

"Why don't you shift then? My bad I almost forgot you can't shift '' She said when she was very close to me and slapped me hard on my left cheek while the whole class burst out into laughter.

"I said not today Cassie" Alexander growled in that alpha tone and she tilted her neck to the side in submission, then shot me an evil glare before returning to her seat while I sprinted away from the classroom.

I wish he had allowed her to do whatever it is she wanted, at least that way she wouldn't want to have fun with me when school closes.

Classes ended soon, and I rushed out of the school building on my bike to the pack house. I couldn't afford to be late today or the alpha would have my head for being late. Thankfully, I avoided Cassie and her thugs after classes ended.

I hopped on my bike and rode to the pack house, letting the evening breeze caress  me .

To avoid meeting any of the visitors in my current attire, I entered the park house through the back door.

I couldn't help but notice the woody cherry scent that permeated the entire structure; something about it made my head spin and choked me.

I grabbed an apron and a tray placed the bottle of whiskey on it and walked down the hall to where some men were standing.

Then I placed the whiskey on the small stool and began to walk away, but I stopped and just stood in front of Alpha's  Tristan's office, where the meeting was supposed to take place.

The earlier scent came from here, and I wondered when the Alpha purchased a cherry tree and what it was doing inside his office.

The guys, who I assumed were the King's guards, gave me a strange look, and I bowed my head and left, not wanting to get into trouble with them.

The last thing I want to do is get beaten up by those huge men, let alone disgrace Alpha Tristan and the entire 'red moon pack'

Everyone had been looking forward to this day; there were girls scattered around the pack house hoping to catch a glimpse of the King, but no one dared to approach the fifth floor where the meeting was being held for fear of being killed by the king.

"Bella, the king needs another bottle of whiskey," Mr Fernando exclaimed as I walked into the kitchen.

Something about the mention of the king set my heart racing.

As I got closer to the room, the scent became stronger, and I tried to keep myself from being knocked out by it.

As soon as I walked into the office, I looked around for the cherry tree, but instead, my gaze was drawn to a pair of blue eyes that were already staring at me.

Alpha Tristan aggressively cleared his throat, jolting me back to reality, and I immediately bowed my head in submission and set the bottle of whiskey down on the table where the nearly empty bottle sat.

I was about to leave when someone grabbed my hands and pulled me into him, burying his nose in my hair and squeezing me tightly.

"Mate!" He yelled.