Chapter 7

Dean yelled, "levi, dude, Alpha Peters is here." As my hand immediately rose to cover my neck, levi pulled away from me with blood covering his face.

levi responded by calling back, appearing both anxious and out of breath. "I'll be down in a minute." I got out of bed as we heard Dean go. levi and I were both still shirtless, but I didn't feel exposed. levi murmured, "I'm sorry, I should have asked before claiming you.

I sighed, "It's okay...I'm glad you claimed me, but...did you really want to claim me? Do you really want me to be your mate?" My neck was no longer bleeding, but it was still hurting. levi frowned when I withdrew my hand since it was covered in blood.

He ignored my query and said, "Wait there." He entered the en suite bathroom and emerged moments later carrying a damp towel. Before wiping his own lips and neck, he cleansed the blood from my hand, neck, and shoulders. 

I made a self-conscious remark like, "You didn't answer my question."

He frankly stated, "Because I don't know my answer yet." You're my mate. The mark has been approved; no matter what, we are tied for life. I just need a little time to adjust, May. He didn't seem overly happy.

Do you now regret having claimed me?

Stop asking so many 

questions, he screamed, getting up from the bed. "I don't know, May, I simply said that. He crossed the room to a duffle bag on the opposite side and took a shirt out of it. Before throwing it my way, he opened it up. "My instincts are going to be all over the place with you today, so please wear my shirt and just stay with Dean," it said as it landed on the bed next to me.

I said, pulling on the shirt, "My father isn't going to be happy with this. It dropped to my knees since it was so big. 

levi shook his head and put on a fresh shirt, saying, "I don't want to talk about that right now." I'll see you later. I need to depart.

I asked, feeling like a clinging moron, "Will you?" levi exhaled loudly and turned to face me. He hurried up to the bed and quickly grasped my face.

The phrase "You're my mate" He gave me a short kiss on the lips before turning away and leaving the room. A short while later, I went downstairs with him after leaving the room. levi had departed with Parker and his Beta, whose names I hadn't even learned yet or with whom I hadn't actually spoken.

Dean asked someone from the kitchen, "Where's the jailbait?" Despite my disapproval of the latest moniker, I entered the room while nervously fumbling with the bottom of my shirt. "Oh hey kid," he said with a smile. 

I frowned and told him, "levi said I have to stay with you today." In the kitchen, Ollie and Jenson were also seated and enjoying breakfast. Dean approached and removed the collar from my neck after inspecting the blouse I was wearing. I subconsciously pulled the shirt over my claim mark after slapping his hand away.

I yelled, "Fuck off Dean," at him.

The group chuckled as Dean turned to his mates and said, "Ten bucks levi's in jail for statutory rape by the end of the week."

I yelled at them, blazing reddened, "That's not funny." 

It's kind of hilarious, child. You're levi's real jailbait. If he's not careful, playing around with you could harm his future.

I snarled at Dean, "Why are you being such an ass?" He simply grinned broadly at me.

"Because it makes me happy,"

Dean received a deadly stare from Ollie as he said, "May be you hungry?" He quickly got a plate and brought me some eggs and bacon after I nodded. I ate in silence because the stillness was unsettling and made me wish I had gone to school.

The fact that levi had finally claimed me as his mate made me pleased, but I wasn't sure whether he actually wanted to be my mate. I was uneasy and felt used. levi made me feel unattractive and immature; a partner should make you feel appreciated, but levi gave me the opposite impression. He saw me as a burden, one he wasn't even attracted to.

Jenson remarked, "You've hardly touched your food," as I set my fork down and slid my chair back. 

I said as I got up and left the room, "I'm not as hungry as I expected.

I disregarded Dean's summons to "jailbait" when he called after me. He followed me as I left the house, laughing, "Jailbait, come on," finding something funny. Nothing struck me as being funny.

Dean, leave me alone.

Asking "Where are you going?"

I yelled at him, "Home. Somewhere you can't come. If you follow me there, I'll call my dad, and he'll kick your ass." Dean, who called me Jailbait and followed me all the way home, infuriated me, so I yelled at him and slammed the door, "Go fuck yourself." Fortunately, he chose not to follow me inside.

He was outside talking on the phone while walking up and down the side of my house, and I noticed when I peeked outside. I quickly went to my bedroom and gently opened the window so I could listen in on the talk.

Dean moaned into his phone, "levi, I'm not a babysitter." I scowled in irritation. He said, "Well, you obviously do care about her if you marked her. Dean retorted, "Well, even if you don't want her to be your mate, you've marked her." Rejection swirled around in my stomach.

I said quietly to myself, "Am I really that bad?" Dean looked up at my remarks, regardless of how quiet they were. He sighed when he spotted me sitting at my bedroom window and gave me a sympathetic look. 

Dean hung up, saying, "I have to go, levi. I'll see you later." He briefly kept his hands on his hips as he peered up at me before arching an eyebrow. "Are you letting me in or am I going to have to break in again?"

I remained silent for a short while before returning downstairs and opening the door for him. I was a confused, dejected, angry, and sad mess. levi blew hotter and colder than the outside temperature. I wanted I knew how he felt about me, but I didn't think levi really knew, and that was the root of our biggest issue.

Dean flipped the TV on while flicking his feet up onto the coffee table, and I sat motionless in my living room. While discreetly observing, he was typing on his phone, occasionally casting a glance my way. He had to check to make sure I hadn't abruptly vanished because I was being so quiet.

Dean finally observed, "You're awfully quiet," after nearly an hour of mindlessly watching TV. I merely gave him a shrug in response. Although I don't know you well, I can tell you aren't usually this silent.

I shouted at him, "What are you a damn shrink?" 

He grinned at me and said, "I like you kid, you've got spunk and attitude. And I'm all for the whole brooding teenage, I don't give a fuck, vibe - but whether you like it or not, you're going to be the Equinox Luna and I'm the Equinox third, meaning I'm going to be your guard. So why don't you drop this whole pitbull act you've got going on and talk to me?"

I regarded him intently for a while before speaking. "I guess you want me to braid your hair and paint your nails while I tell you about my feelings."

"Yeah, we'll get along just fine, kid," Dean laughed once more.

When noon rolled along, my father checked on me and was not pleased with what he discovered. He snarled, racing over to me and yanking the collar down to reveal my claim mark. "I can smell him all over you," he yelled. "How could he touch you in such a way."

Dean said, "He's an Alpha, you're lucky he hasn't mated her yet," drawing a frown from me that incensed my father even more.

My father growled at the third in command, "She's sixteen.

Dean explained calmly, pushing aside his jovial demeanor, "I get that, but all I'm saying is that levi is an Alpha. You're a Beta, surely you understand how possessive Alpha's are - especially one as strong and dominant as levi. He's claimed his mate, you should be counting yourself lucky that is all he's done."

She is too young to be mated.

They are mates; neither Alpha Ethan nor May are to responsible for their acts. They share a close bond that is stronger than that of most mates because they both come from powerful families.

I listened in silence, believing that although we were friends, it wasn't levi's fault and that everything else was because he was a dick. a gigantic dick.

My father turned to me and asked, "mabella, what do you think of Alpha Ethan?" with serious dark eyes.

I yelled, "I detest him."

He gasped with disbelief, "Really?"

"No, I don't hate him, I just...no, yeah, I hate him," I sighed as I shook my head.

Slowly nodding, my father said, "Right, I see. I need to go back to the Alphas...I need to speak to Alpha Ethan in particular." He moved toward the door and scowled while turning to face Dean and I once more before opening it.

I yelled after my father, "Tell levi I detest him.

Yes, you and I will get along fine, Dean screamed with laughter