Scarlet's POV
I staggered back from him, my lips quivering as I burst into tears. He scooped me into his arms and I buried my face in his chest, ashamed to let him see how broken I was.I cried for minutes, pouring my heartache out. I didn't think a rejection would hurt so much but it felt like a knife was stuck in my chest. My wolf’s pain as she cried with me was so devastating. It was a soul crushing anguish that gnawed at my heart intensely."Listen, I've got class to attend. I’m sorry to disappoint you but we can talk about this later." He whispered, stroking my hair and cradling my trembling body. My sob quieted as I gathered myself and pulled away from him."Please don't reject me, Brad." I begged, as I clung to him. "If you reject me, I will be a rogue wolf. Don't you at least care about me? Do you really want the pack to banish me forever?”There were a lot of things accepted in our pack but a rogue wolf wasn't one. A rejection like mine, especially from the Alpha's son would be made public and I would be banished from the pack. That was the fate of every rejected wolf. That would be my fate if Brad pronounced his rejection completely.Brad was silent for a while, contemplating if I was worth it. I knew that I was nothing compared to his girlfriend, Valerie, who was perfect in every way. And it hurt so bad. All I wanted was a way out of my heartache, a way to avoid the painful reality that I was rejected."Our rejection has to be sealed, Scarlet. Don't you know the consequences of not doing that?" He touched my arm and I felt ripples of electricity on my skin."No but–""There you are!" I turned sharply to see Valerie sashaying toward us with a sneer smile on her face. I quickly withdrew and took steps back from Brad. When she got to him, she wrapped her arms around him. "I've been looking for you everywhere. What's going on?""It's nothing important." Brad avoided my gaze as he answered. Nothing important? Really? A part of me wanted to scream as I heard those words but I remained mute."Then what's she doing here?" Valerie glared at me with disdain. "I didn't know you're hanging out with freaks now."Unlike me, she was an epitome of perfection. With her shiny blonde hair, perfect sculptured nose and hips, she was considered the most beautiful she-wolf in the entire pack. Her dad was also the beta of the pack, earning her respect and great recognition. I was nothing compared to her, absolutely nothing."It's not a big deal sweetheart." Brad planted a kiss on her lips and my stomach twisted into a knot. It was nauseating to watch him kiss the girl he rejected me for. "Let's get to class.""I'll be right behind you." Valerie said and waited till he disappeared into the hallway. On her signal, three of her friends, Tricia, Zoey and Mia, came up behind me. They worshiped her like a goddess and seeing them rounding me up, I knew I was in trouble.My heart was hammering in my chest as Valerie took steps closer to me. Her eyes glimmered with hatred and disgust as she pinched the tip of my hair. "A little birdie saw you wrapped up in Brad's arms. You must feel very lucky to have him as your mate, don't you?"I contemplated lying, but there was no point. I had no explanation for being with Brad alone at the back of the cafeteria especially on my eighteenth birthday. She would still hurt me whether I had good reasons or not. To her, Brad was off limits."You don't have to feel threatened. He doesn't –"Valerie erupted into a maniacal laughter, her voice tiny and fake as always. "Me? What makes you think I would ever feel threatened by you? That is the most absurd thing anyone has ever said to me.""Isn't that why you're here?" I swallowed. "If you don't feel threatened by me, then you should let me go. It doesn't matter because Brad already–""Rejected you." A cold grin settled across her face. "He doesn't want you because you're nothing important. It hurts, doesn't it?" I fought back the tears that threatened to fall freely from my eyes."I need to go to class." I didn't want to be reminded of how pathetic I was. I tried to walk past her but Valerie was ready to make my day hell. She grabbed my hair and pulled me back while her friend, Tricia, tripped me.I landed on my back and my head hit the ground. I cried out in pain, my vision turning blurry. Valerie bent toward me, grabbed my hair and lifted my head up to face her. "Nobody walks away from me, you red haired freak. And now, I'm going to teach you a lesson for attempting to steal Brad from me."Before I could beg, she slapped my face and pushed me back to the ground. Despite the array of stars dancing around my eyes, I tried to scramble to my feet but Zoey's foot collided with my waist, sending me back to the dirt."You little whore!" Valerie screamed before stamping my head with her boots. I choked as blood seeped from my mouth and a deep cut on my head. I couldn't fight them, especially Valerie who was very strong and angry.In tears, I curled up on the ground, my hands shielding my head from more blows. There was nothing I could do but endure the torment and insults from them. In my pain, I cried to the moon goddess to help me."Hey!" In the midst of the commotion, I heard a deep voice. "What the hell do you think you're doing to her?"The torment stopped and I could sense the presence of an unfamiliar being. A wolf too but he was different. His aura washed over me and I could feel his power settle in my vein, stirring my wolf into silence.Valerie motioned to her friends. "Let's go. She has learnt her lesson." I could hear their quick steps as they dashed away in fright. Still curled in my position, I wondered who my savior was.Then I heard him draw closer, his footsteps heavy against the earth. The nearer he got, the more his scent enveloped me like an umbrella. His scent washed over me like a strong wave, it was a combination of rosewood and musky leather. I stiffened, my heart thumping at my sudden ability to feel his every move.When he reached me, he lowered himself and rolled me slightly to face him. I slowly opened my eyes, squinting from the scratches and pain all over my face.Deep blue eyes cut straight to mine as I stared at the boy squatting beside me. He was different from other boys in every way. He was majestic, and superior. But it wasn't just his chiseled jawline or golden hair that made him breathtaking. It wasn't just his height or his broad shoulders.It was the ruthless intensity of his blue eyes. It was the curve of his sensual lips and his hawkish nose. A shiver went through me as he touched my face."Help..." I whispered, blood dripping from my bursted lips."Hang on." He scooped me into his arms, my body pressing against his broadened chest. I winced at every step he took, the pain from my aching ribs and joints jolting through me. "I need you to keep your eyes open." I vaguely heard him say as I blacked out.Brad’s POVWalking back into the boy’s changing room, I slammed the door behind me and collapsed on a bench.Rejecting Scarlet turned out to be more difficult than I prepared for. She wasn’t the typical mate I expected to have, yet, the bond between us tore through my heart like a spear.Scarlet wasn’t my type. My girlfriend, Valerie was sleek and sophisticated. She lavished hours at the salon and gym as though it was her full time job. She knew how to keep her lips red and to welcome me in her room wearing nothing but silk lingerie. And most importantly, she was easy to control.Scarlet, on the other hand, was beautiful—maybe. But she was attractive in her own way. She wore no makeup and clearly saw her hair as a chore. In her constant baggy shirts and jeans, she obviously had no interest in fashion, or even showing her figure to any guy.She was so unguarded, so innocent, and I thought it would be very easy to reject her. But when she stared up at me with her large and luminous eyes
Scarlet’s POV"She is losing her healing abilities. The medicines are only going to help her temporarily."My eyes weakly opened and I glanced around the room. The dimly lit room and the stench of disinfectant told me that I was in the school's clinic.My head was wrapped up with a bandage as I laid on the bed."What could be the reason she's not healing?" I heard the stranger ask the nurse. I turned my head slightly to see them, but I winced in pain and drew their attention instead."Oh, she's finally awake." The nurse said, drawing closer to me. She narrowed her eyes as she tilted my head to examine my wound. "This should have healed by now but it's not."She was right. My healing abilities as a wolf was supposed to seal up my wound after some minutes. I wasn't supposed to be wrapped up in bandages or feeling pain with every breath I took. What was suddenly wrong with me?"What's wrong with me?" I whispered, weakly."You suffered a mild concussion and have some fractured ribs," she
SCARLET'S POVI was dumbfounded and couldn't seem to process what was going on. I sank back into the bed, trying to decipher what was happening but it was all a fuzzy dream in my head. Two mates? What on earth was Brad talking about?“What—what are you talking about?” I managed to ask amidst my confusion. Brad chuckled and pointed to Elias. “He didn’t tell you, did he?” He licked his lips. “I’m guessing he didn’t tell you that he is your mate. And he has known for years! He has watched them bully you for years and he did nothing!” “Brad!” Elias' voice rang in the room and I flinched. “That’s enough!” I could detect the anger in his voice and his eyes were glimmering with fury.Elias turned to me. “You don’t have to listen to him.”My breath faltered and I could hear my own heart beat. I lifted my gaze to Elias, unable to believe what Brad said. Could he have known for three years? He had watched them bully me for three years and he did nothing. “You knew…” I started but the words w
BRAD'S POVDamn it! How could Scarlet shun me like that? Some minutes ago, she was literally begging me to accept her but all of a sudden, she can’t make a choice? I don’t blame her anyway, it’s not everyday an omega like her gets the attention of an Alpha and Lycan Prince. As I drove back to my house, I couldn't control the anger that was running through me. Irritation pricked my skin each time I remembered the look on Elias' face. "Why didn't she pick me? Did she think he was better than me?” I couldn’t help but ponder over these questions. I could barely keep my concentration on the road and it felt like the car was closing in on me. I took a deep breath and decided to take a break.I parked the car at a corner of the road, turned off the ignition and began to think. I couldn’t let Elias have her. I didn’t want or care about her but Elias would not take her from me. I would lose my respect in the pack and in school. This was a fight, one that I was willing to do anything to win.
SCARLET'S POVAfter Elias returned after paying the medical bills, he stood by my side in silence. I could feel his intense gaze on me but wondered why he didn’t say anything. "Why are you so quiet?" I asked in a low voice as I stared into his eyes.He managed to smile at me but it didn’t quite meet his eyes. "Nothing. I just don't have anything to say." He ran his fingers through his hair. “Or maybe I’m just worried about Brad.” “What about him?” “I’m just bothered about what he’s going to do next.” He answered. “I’ve never known him to play fair.” “But this is not a game. I am not a game.” “True.” He nodded. “But Brad will do anything to win. Anything.” I felt cold shivers run down at my spine at the intensity of his words. I didn’t know much about Brad but I was fairly certain Elias had reasons for his worry. Elias didn't take his eyes off me for even a second, and I could feel the bond between our wolves. It was faint, sorely because I hadn’t rejected Brad and he wasn’t my
**SCARLET'S POV**When I opened my eyes, I was on my bed in my room. I groaned heavily as the lights from the window blinded my vision slightly. My head was fuzzy with pain, and every movement sent sharp waves of pain through my body.It felt like the entire world had just come crashing on me, my breath catching in my throat as if each exhale amplified the pain. I tried to get up, but a searing pain shot up from my chest, spreading through my body like fire.“Scarlet, for goddess sake, rest on the bed.” I turned to see my mother dashing into the room with a glass of water and some pills. She looked pale with worry, and I could guess she was the one that found me.“What’s happening?” I groaned. “I can’t feel my head.”“Sorry, baby.” She placed a damp towel on my head. “I was scared when I found you at the end of the stairs. I thought something terrible happened to you.” She choked back her tears. “Do you remember anything that happened?”“I remember coming home and searching for you. T
ELIAS'S POVAs I drove back to the pack, I couldn't get Scarlet out of my head, no matter how hard I tried. The way she gazed into my eyes left me in awe. I had never felt that way before but it was soothing to the soul.Such beautiful eyes she had with a low, sexy voice that left me breathless.I remembered when I first met her; she couldn’t even remember that day as I narrated it to her. She was at the store with her sister, shopping for a birthday dress. I could vividly remember how beautiful she looked with her wild red hair. I wanted to claim her the instance I saw her but her excitement over finding her mate once she’s eighteen stopped me from doing that. Since then, I had watched her like I was her personal bodyguard. It still amazed me that she didn’t ever notice me, lurking in the background, following her to every store and her favorite places. Well, she was Scarlet, unique but quite clumsy. My heart was filled with anger as well as a great feeling of irritation, but it w
SCARLET'S POVI jolted up from my bed, panting heavily like I had just completed a marathon. I stared at the whitewashed ceiling as I tried to catch my breath.I had a nightmare, a gruesome one. I didn’t want to even recall what I saw but it was too scary to forget. What could it mean? I couldn't wrap my head around it, no matter how hard I tried.I opened the bottle of water sitting on my desk and gulped it down. I wiped my forehead which was dripping with sweat and exhaled. The door to the room flung open seconds later. My mother stood in front of me, looking concerned."Honey, are you okay? I heard you screaming.” She inched toward me and placed her hand on my forehead. “You’re burning up.” I shook my head slightly. “It’s nothing really serious mum. I just had a nightmare.” "Are you sure you’re okay?”“Yes.” I breathed. “I guess it’s normal with everything that’s been going on. It was just really scary.” “Everything is going to be fine, okay?” I nodded. “Now, get ready. You