His Rejection

Nova

Today is the big day, my wolf said waking me up.

The big day indeed. But don't get your hopes up... Who would want us as a mate?

There is nothing wrong with me. Now you, on the other hand, dress like you are in a convent.

My wolf was always criticizing me about my wardrobe and about the fact that I didn't talk to people other than my brother and why should I? My brother was the only one who looked out for me. He stopped people who teased me; he took care of me when both of our parents died; he was my mother and father, my brother and my best friend. He's my rock, and he's the only reason I stayed and endured the pain. I don't know what he would do if I was to just up and disappear, and I never wanted to find out.

Live his life. Just like everybody else would, my wolf joked. I tuned her out and got up to get dressed.

I walked to my stereo case where all my music was held. I looked around for my iPod but didn't see it. It was supposed to be on the iHome console where I had put it last night. It wasn't on my computer charging so that means there was only one explanation.

Alex, I thought. I sighed knowing that he was the only one who could've had my iPod.

I threw open my door and stalked to his room down the hall. When I got to his door, I could hear music being played, not my music, which mostly consisted of soft rock, pop, R&B, and some rap songs, instead, that horrible underground rap stuff was playing.

I banged on the door screaming his name hoping he could hear me over the music. About a minute later he answered his door with one of his dimpled smiles, the one that melted all the girls' hearts at school. I returned the smile as he pulled me to him and hugged me.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIL SIS," he screamed in my ear and over the music.

"Thank you, Alex." I said in his ear holding him as tight as he was holding me. I decided to spare his ear of my screams since I could make him go deaf.

"Your welcome. Hey, why aren't you getting dressed?"

He had finally looked me up and down noticing that I was still in my jammies, while he was in gray Levi jeans and no shirt showing off his stomach and abs. His dark brown hair fell neatly around his ears in curls. It was apparent he had already showered, washed his face and brushed his teeth. His tan skin shone because of the oil he insisted on using. He said it made him super sexy and irresistible. I said it just made washing his clothes a nightmare.

"Well my iPod was missing, and I came to ask you if you had seen it," I asked sweetly knowing that he had it.

"Well, I was going to wait until a little later to give it to you but ugh, fine you wore me down," he said sighing playfully. He walked over to his bed and pulled out a small box wrapped in green paper. Green was my favorite color.

How sweet of him, I thought.

"Here," he said handing me the box.

I took the box and quickly unwrapped it, not caring about the pretty green paper. Inside the already opened box sat a new iPod touch. I pressed the apple button in the middle and it opened to a picture of Alex and me at a beach in California.

It had been just the two of us and none of his friends; we had a lot of fun that week. It was one of the happiest moments of my life. I smiled at the memory. I clicked on the music icon and saw that all my music was there. I smiled and looked up at Alex in approval. All my pictures, music and games were on there. I squealed and looked up at Alex, bouncing.

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you! How d'you get all my things on here," I asked curiously. He wasn't the most computer or technology savvy person I knew. Hell, he could barely work his phone.

"I took it to the Apple store in the mall and asked if they could transfer it all. Oh, and you're welcome. Now go get dressed or we're going to be late. We have people to pick up this morning," he told me giving me one last hug and shooing me off to my room.

I walked back to my room happy and glowing. My birthday was shaping out to be one of the best days of my life. If only it would continue once we got to school. Hell, once we left the house. It was right then that my mood instantly went sour. I knew it would all end as soon as we picked up Alex's friends. They were horribly mean to me even though I never said a word to them.

I sighed to myself. "You have to start standing up for yourself Nova," I said to myself.

It if was that easy for you to stand up to them, then you would have done it years ago, my wolf added.

Maybe, but today's different. Today's is my birthday, which means it is literally my day and I won't let anyone bring me down, I vowed to myself.

Sure. Was all my wolf said before she disappeared in my mind. I happily took advantage of the silence.

Looking at the time, I saw I only had an hour to get ready, so I ran the rest of the way to my room and jumped in the shower. I washed and conditioned my hair. While the conditioner sat, I washed my body and then rinsed my hair and washed my body once more and then jumped out. Tedious, I know. I sat at my vanity and flicked the button to start my hands-free hairdryer. My brother and I were the richest people in the pack. Yes, we were that rich.

The pack altogether had at least five million stored away in various accounts, but my brother and I had more than ten million left to us by our parents. That money was an accumulation of her inheritance and ours together.

After my mother died giving birth, Alex said she had left us a large fortune in her will and left our cheating father nothing but her best wishes. Our parents were mates, so every time he went out and slept with another woman our mother felt it and it hardened her heart against him. With my father upset about not being left anything and riddled with grief that his mate was gone, he began to drink.

The drinking turned to drugs and then he started hallucinating, which eventually caused him to commit suicide. I was too young and sheltered by my brother to remember the drinking and the drugs, but I do remember me coming home from school early one day to find him in my room leaving a note on my dresser. I was young, so I thought that he was leaving me a present. I was excited to see what Daddy had gotten me that I didn't see the gun that he held tightly in his hands. I couldn't forget that day even if I tried.

He smiled at me and told me how much I looked like mother and how sorry he was for not being there for me, for us, Alex and I, and that he hoped in his next life, if there was one, he'd be a better father. It was hard to understand him because he was drunk, and slurring his words. He then pulled the gun from behind his back. He quickly brought it up to his chin and pulled the trigger before he could second-guess himself, or before I could even think to beg him not to do anything too rash.

Blood splattered everywhere, including on me, all over my face. It took me a while to register what had happened, and then the screams started. I sat there for hours trying to remember why I had come home from school. I don't remember when I had stopped screaming or when Alex had come in the house. I had lost track of time, only to find it again when Alex was in my doorway screaming and calling for help. He found me in the corner of my room, far away from the body.

"Nova, what happened," he asked me in a panicked tone. All I could do was shrug my shoulders. I couldn't talk. I didn't want to. I didn't know what to say. My mind was all over the place. I could think straight.

"Nova come on, you have to tell me."

Alex pleaded with me to open my mouth and say something, anything. Everybody from our pack walked in and looked at the grotesque scene and then looked at me. Alpha Ellis looked at me with a stern face and a serious tone.

Alpha Ellis had always been a stern and heartless man, even with his own son. All he cared about was how strong the pack fighters were. Using the Urathi as his own personal army. He would make them raid packs all over and take all the women, children and other Urathi.

Alpha Ellis wanted to have America's strongest pack, which would've happened sooner if a portion of the Urathi in the pack hadn't began a rebellion within the pack, spreading discord throughout the Urathi camps. Instead of wasting his time trying to negotiate with them, Alpha Ellis had them killed in the middle of the night. When the angry family members asked him about it, he said he had no time for a rebellion, and they would all get the same fate if they tried to rebel.

"Did you do this," he asked.

Everybody waited for my answer, but I didn't give one. People started whispering, and the Alpha's face turned bright red from anger. No one had blatantly defied him in front of so many people before. Well, at least not since I have been born. He grabbed my arm and dragged me to the body, shoving my face close to the body.

"Let her go! She didn't do it," Alex shouted as people held him back.

"Answer me!"

"No! I didn't do it. He did," I whispered the last part.

I pointed to the note on my dresser and snatched my arm from his hold and ran. I could hear Alex and everyone calling my name, but I ignored it and ran. I couldn't remember where I was trying to go but before I could even get there Alex caught me and brought me back to the house. Trying to soothe me and make sure I was OK, but it was already too late for that. It had already changed me.

"Nova! Come on we are going to be late," Alex shouted into my room, wrenching me from my thoughts.

"OK. I'm coming," I shouted back. I grunted knowing that I was going to have to just throw on clothes instead of plan them out as I had wanted. Today was a Urathi day, and I wanted to look like an eligible mate.

I pulled my hair into a messy bun and threw on my Levi blue jean shorts and a green tank top. I wanted to be casual but still, look good enough to impress my mate. Plus, no one has ever seen me dress like this. I would normally cover up my body and frump myself up so I wouldn't draw the attention of anyone. I wanted to wait for my mate. I mean seriously, what was the point of dating if you knew on your seventeenth birthday, you'd find your fated mate? I wouldn't want to put myself or anyone else through that pain.

I grabbed my mother's necklace that I always wore and slipped on my high top black and white Converses, grabbing my bag and iPod. I barreled down the steps and out the door and into the front passenger seat of Alex's car.

"You ready - whoa. What's with the normalcy today," he asked as he gave me the once over. I'd usually wear jeans one or two sizes too big and a giant hoodie that on me could have been mistaken for a dress.

"It's my seventeenth birthday and the day I meet my mate. The day when everything for me changes, so I figured I'd jump into my senior year with a new look."

"Uh huh. Well, good luck with that and just because you're smart enough to skip grades doesn't mean you can talk to me like I'm stupid," he said playfully pushing me. I laughed and ignored his statement as he threw the car into gear and drove to the packhouse.

During the ride, Alex kept glancing down at my clothes with a grimace on his face. I had to hold my breath to keep from laughing out loud. Alex always said he wished that I would try to put myself out there and get friends. He said it wasn't healthy to stay held up in my room by myself for hours. He always made me get normal clothes when we went out shopping, not to change me but to help me. I always took his advice and promised that one day I would give it a shot, but I think now he is wishing that he would've let me pick out my own clothes.

"Anything wrong Alex," I asked. A smile was teasing my lips, and laughter was threatening to spill from them.

"Nope fine. I just know that by the end of the day I'm going to have to kill a few people."

"Yeah right, Alex. No one's even going to notice me and if they do, they're just going to call me fat," I told him with a nonchalant attitude.

His friends and the people at school calling me fat didn't bother me anymore. I knew I wasn't fat. It was just that my metabolism wasn't as fast as theirs yet, so I still had some baby fat left.

"Keep believing that Nova," he said ending the conversation. The ride to the packhouse was a ten-minute drive from our house, so I decided to put in my headphones and drown myself in music.

While yes, Alex and I where part of a pack and didn't have any parents, we opted out of staying in the packhouse. After what happened with our father and then the Alpha, Alex didn't want to take any chances with me having a meltdown. So, he purchased a house a few blocks down the street but still on the packs' land. After we were tested positive for the Urathi gene, we were able to leave, but we had to be in attendance to every pack meeting and all the Mate Mixers we held with the neighboring packs (the ones that made peace treaties with Alpha Ellis).

I tossed my ear buds in and started my iPod on shuffle. Rihanna's S&M blared through the headphones and I lip sung the words with her. When we reached our destination, I turned my music down and stopped singing. Becoming the mousy girl everyone knew me to be. A part of me knew I wasn't going to be able to stand up for myself and I just proved that part right.

The first to get in the car was Alex's girlfriend (girlfriend not mate). She had come to the passenger side and saw that I was there, and she immediately put on the puppy dogface for Alex.

"Baby, how come she gets to sit in the front with you," she asked putting harsh emphasis on she, like I was an animal. Well, I mean I was, but I still had a human half just like she did.

"She was here first Nat," he replied calmly.

"You can sit here Natalie," I told her unbuckling my seat belt and opening the door. Alex grabbed my arm and whispered, "You sure?" I nodded and continue to move out of the way so she could get what she wanted.

"Thanks, fatty," she said. Her sickly nasal laugh grated on my brain, making me wish I'd stayed in the front.

"Natalie!" She flinched and looked at my brother.

"Apologize to her. Now," he screamed at her.

"Ugh. Do I have to?"

"You do if you want this relationship, that is my little sister. She comes first always, now apologize," he lectured her.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. I ignored her and continued to move out of the way and get it the back seat.

"Wait, what are you wearing," she asked sounding shocked as she took in my outfit.

"Clothes," was my one word replied as I hopped in the back seat.

Alex pressed the horn signaling for the rest of the crew to hurry up. Not one second later they walked out the door. Emery with his mate Annie, Juan with his mate Vanessa, and then Maxon. Maxon was the Alpha-to-be and had no mate.

What would it be like to be mated with him? I would love to know, my wolf whispered longingly.

Yeah well keep dreaming, I told her.

Maxon opened the door and stopped dead in his tracks. I cringed waiting for it...

Maxon was my number one torturer. Whenever Alex wasn't around, he would literally make up for the lost time. One time, he had teased me so bad that I started crying and I cried so hard that I hyperventilated and had to go to the hospital. He made me swear that I wouldn't tell on him. I didn't. I don't know why. I just didn't want to be labeled as a snitch on top of everything else, I guess. I didn't dare look at him today though. Today was my day, and he wasn't going to ruin it.

Nova

"Alex! What the hell man? How the hell are we all supposed to fit back there," Emery asked, looking at me pointedly.

"What's up with the fat jokes today? Leave. My. Sister. Alone."

To show them how serious he was, his eyes changed from the golden hazel color that we shared to a deep black. They all turned away, they had to. Looking in those eyes, his wolf's eyes, made you feel like you would be falling forever into a dark abyss. That's how intense his eyes were.

"Dude. Chill it wasn't a fat joke. It's two seats and five of us. I know you suck at math but jeez... Why didn't you drive that truck you got yesterday," Emery asked.

Alex tried to shush him before he finished but it was too late, I had already heard.

"You bought me a car?"

"More like I bought you a truck. I remember you saying you wanted one for our next road trip," he replied to me. I scooted forward and hugged him from behind the seat.

"Thanks, Alex," I shouted as I hugged him tighter.

Maxon cleared his throat; still not turning to look at him I sat back and leaned against the window. I inhaled deeply and came across a manly musk and a sweet vanilla smell. I shrugged it off thinking it was just my perfume and Alex's mixed together.

Can we get to school now? My mate is probably there waiting for me, my wolf commented.

I blocked her out and tuned back into the real world. They were still trying to figure out how we were all going to fit. I had already had an idea of how we were all going to fit, but I was going to let one of them figure it out on their own. They were all waiting for Alex to make up his mind on what to do. I sighed. At this rate, we were going to miss homeroom and be late to first period. But just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, they did.

"Why don't we just lap up," Maxon offered.

Everybody looked at him like he was the smartest person in the world. I'm sure if I had suggested that then I would've been trying to make a move on Maxon, and then would have been horrible. I inhaled and exhaled.

There it goes again, I thought. That damn smell. What is that? It smells so good.

"And who are you lapping up with Maxon," Vanessa asked.

I rolled my eyes as she, Annie, and Natalie shared a small giggled that Alex quickly ended. I knew she was trying to be funny, but I didn't care, I wanted to hear his answer too, and by the looks of it, so did everyone else that was around the car.

"Who else do you think? Nova," he replied like it was an everyday thing that happened but was that a hint of a struggle somewhere buried in that statement?

I watched as Emery and Juan looked at him with cocked heads like the dogs they were, but I knew that they didn't and wouldn't say anything to him. What with him being Alpha and all.

"No funny business Ellis," Alex said from the front.

Alex watched my face through the rear-view mirror trying to make sure I was cool with all of this; I knew he'd bail on everyone if I wasn't and I was in no mood to be the public enemy number one today, so I nodded.

I watched cautiously as Maxon jogged around to the drivers' side and opened my door. I was still leaning against the window, so as soon as he opened it, I started to fall out of the car and before I could catch myself Maxon caught me.

My heart was beating fast and the strange smell was burning my nostrils. It was Maxon. He was what I was smelling, and God does he smell good, I told myself moaning in my head.

What? Just because he is a jerk doesn't mean I still don't find him attractive and sexy. Still, the fact remained that today was my day, and he wasn't about to ruin my day. I refused to even look at him or thank him for saving me from a nasty fall; I just stepped out of the way and allowed him in first. The others were piling in as I took my bag off and climbed in the car and onto Maxon's lap.

We were so close, and his smell was intoxicating. I just wanted to lean back and bury my face in the nook of his neck and claim him as mine. Wait, what? What was I saying? I shook it off ignored the feelings he made me feel. Feelings that I knew I shouldn't have.

He was the high school jock that made it his life mission to treat me like crap and ruin my self-esteem. I mean he was the one who had everyone calling me fat. I wasn't even that big. I wasn't chubby let alone fat. Yes, I had a small amount of fat still on my stomach but that was from baby fat. I mean get real before today I was sixteen. By werewolf law, I was still a child. I haven't been able to shift for my body to take on the changes my wolf brings.

Just thinking about all he's done to me caused me to become angry.

Calm down. Remember, today is our day. We won't allow them to ruin it, my wolf soothed.

I smiled and nodded inwardly. She was right. We rode in silence and every once in awhile, I would catch Alex looking back at me, making sure I was OK. I always nodded, which helped him relax. Maxon wrapped his arms around my waist, trying to keep me stable from all the constant bumps Alex was hitting.

"You're my mate," Maxon whispered. It was just low enough that I was the only one to hear it, and even with wolf hearing I barely caught it.

"I'm not joining in your games today Maxon. You are NOT ruining my birthday," I whispered back. He sat silently for a moment, most likely trying to think of another angle to trick me from.

"I'm serious. You smell good. It's like a mixture between roses and vanilla," I froze instantly.

No one knew about my wolf's scent but me because I haven't shifted yet. It was going to happen tonight, in front of the whole pack. That way they could become familiar with my scent and wouldn't get it crossed with anyone else's or a rogues' or another pack. I turned to face him, instantly becoming lost in his crystal blue ocean eyes.

Mate, my wolf screamed at me. Great. She was right; I would never live this one down...

He can't be my mate! He has teased me for years, I told her refusing to believe it.

All the while, I never took my eyes off his. We stared at each other with everybody else completely oblivious to us. Emery and Annie and Juan and Vanessa were making out, and Alex and Natalie were engrossed in some conversation. It was just us.

Un-mated wolves wouldn't be able to understand. Having a mate is a lifetime commitment. Your mate is your literal other half. You're exact opposites but completely the same in the same breath. What you can't do your mate can and vice versa. When you find them and your eyes meet, for that moment nobody else matters. It's just you and your mate. The wolf in you wants to get loose and complete the mating process by marking one another, and then finally mating will seal your bond.

What your mate is you are. If your mate has an Alpha bloodline, through the mating process your blood from then on becomes Alpha blood. If your mate is one of the Urathi, then you can tap into their extra abilities. If your mate is killed or died, then you will die too...

Once you meet and mate, one cannot live without the other. There are things one could do to rid oneself of a mate, but it could kill you while most definitely killing the mate.

As I looked at Maxon, all those worries and fears sprang into my mind. Having an Alpha as a mate was one of the worst things that can happen to a young, she-wolf. He is overprotective, jealous, territorial, and has anger issues and not to mention Hunters and rogues always wanted to take out the Alpha's mate; that was the easiest way to kill him...

Even with all that in my mind, I couldn't help taking my hand, lifting it to his face. He nestled his face into my hand and smiled. This was a different Maxon, a Maxon I had never seen before. He pulled me tighter against him.

"Mine," he whispered in my ear. I blushed and looked away.

"Mine," I whispered back at him.

Wait, did he just skip a breath and smile?

Maxon

Alex blew the horn, signaling us to hurry up. I called the rest of the gang and headed out the door. I was excited about today. One of the Urathi that belonged to my pack said that today was the day I found my mate. I had been waiting for this for the two years since she had foreseen it. I was taking over as Alpha soon, and I couldn't do it mate-less.

I needed a Luna, no scratch that I wanted a Luna. We rushed outside and saw that Natalie was already in the front seat. I wondered if she made 'The Blob' get out of the front seat. I giggled to myself, causing my wolf to growl.

What, I asked.

You should be a little nicer to her. You never know when you going to need her, he replied. I laughed.

It's not like she's my mate, I thought.

I opened the door and froze instantly. The smell hit me first, it was full of roses and vanilla. I inhaled deeply again and sighed softly, careful to not draw any attention to myself. The scent did things to my body, made me feel calm and excited at the same time. I didn't know if I wanted to shout or just sit outside and listen to nature...

While Emery joked about Nova's weight, I searched for the source and came face to side with Nova. I felt a slight pull of gravity just looking at her. I didn't know if it was from my wolf's strength or hers'.

I took in everything about her. Something was different about her today. I knew today was her birthday, and it was also the day she shifted for the first time, but it was more than that. She was dressed differently, and it was like everything on her shone brighter than it ever had before.

Mate, my wolf shouted. His voice rang through my mind so loud that I could feel it bouncing off the walls in there.

You have got to be kidding, I told him. There was no way it was her.

I would never kid about our mate. And I told you to be nicer. If she hates us it's your fault, my wolf threatened.

Yeah right, like she would reject my face.

My wolf huffed as I tried to catch a glimpse of her eyes, but she refused to look my way whether it was on purpose or not. Emery had just let out the secret about Novas' new truck. I laughed and continued to try to catch her... Nothing. Not even a glance my way.

As everyone tried to figure out how we were all going to fit, Nova leaned against the window looking bored and playing with her earbuds. She was probably wanting to get to school for homeroom. I knew how I would get her to look at me, but how would I explain it to everyone else. Then as an afterthought, I figured that I'm going to be Alpha soon, so I didn't have to explain myself.

"Why don't we just lap up," I offered. Sadly, taking my eyes off her. I slightly heard her inhale again and immediately became excited she can smell my scent, and she likes it.

"And who are you lapping up with Maxon," Vanessa asked.

She and Annie along with Natalie shared a slight giggle, causing Alex to give them the evil eye again. I was upset too. How dare they joke about my mate? I had to calm myself down. No one knew she was my mate, and I didn't want anyone to know until she lost a few pounds. But I had to keep her around. I couldn't be without her. I knew that much.

"Who else do you think? Nova," I replied easily.

Emery and Juan looked at me with cocked heads but didn't say anything. I knew what they were thinking... Had he lost his mind? Was this some cruel joke he was about to play and didn't let them in on it? Did he still want his football career? Her weight was likely to hurt my legs. OK, so in retrospect, she wasn't as fat as we made her out to seem; it was just that she hadn't shifted yet and still had her baby fat, which when compared to every other she-wolf in the pack that was seventeen and older, was fat.

"No funny business, Ellis," Alex said from the front. He was watching Novas' face through the rear-view mirror, probably trying to make sure she was cool with this. I growled inwardly.

She was my mate, why would I hurt her?

They don't know she's your mate yet idiot, my wolf scolded.

Sometimes he was a real prick. I caught her nodding as I jogged around to the drivers' side and opened the door. I knew she was still leaning on the window so as soon as I opened it, she started to fall out of the car and before she could get the chance to catch herself, I caught her.

My heart was beating fast being this close to her and her sweet smell filled my nostrils. It was her. She was what I smelled and with her being in my arms I could smell her body giving off sex pheromones.

Goddess, those smells together smelled good. What? Just because she is a fat loser doesn't mean I still wouldn't tap that.

Still, the fact remained that to be fully sure she was my mate we needed to lock eyes. She still was refusing to even look at me or thank me for saving her from a nasty fall; she just stepped out of the way and allowed me in first.

The others were piling in as I tossed my bag on the floor and slid in the car next to Emery and Annie, who had already begun to make out... again. I turned my head, so I was watching her take off her bag. I looked at her stomach and how it slightly poked out, and I became disgusted as he climbed in on top of me, and even though it pained me to say it, she truly wasn't even that heavy.

We were so close, and her smell was intoxicating. I just wanted to lean forward and bury my face in the nook of her neck and claim her as mine. We rode in silence and every once in awhile, I would wrap my arms around her waist trying to keep her stable from all the constant bumps Alex was hitting.

After ten silent minutes, I was tired of being ignored I decided to try addressing her.

"You're my mate," I whispered. It was just low enough that she was the only one to hear it, I didn't want to take the chance that anyone else would hear it. Talk about embarrassing.

"I'm not joining in your games today Maxon. You are NOT ruining my birthday," she whispered back. I sat silently for a moment, trying to think of another angle to get her to trust me, and for a quick second, I was planning on buying her a gift for her birthday.

Maybe a promise ring, I thought. I shook the thought out of my head. I wasn't going to mate with her if she didn't lose weight.

Jackass, my wolf growled. I laughed it off and dragged my attention back to Nova.

"I'm serious. You smell good. It's like a mixture between roses and vanilla," I said.

She froze instantly in my arms. No one knew about another wolf's scent but until they shifted for the first time, and that was in front of the entire pack. She turned to face me, and I was instantly becoming lost in her golden hazel eyes; they both had green flecks in them.

My heart rate quickened, and I silently prayed that no one was able to hear it through the smacking sounds and random conversations. It was just she and I. No one was paying us any attention. She shifted to face the side better making it seem like she wanted to look out the other window rather than me. Rather it was on purpose I don't know but she seductively rubbed against my best man downstairs causing him and my wolf to stir while I fought to hold in a moan.

As I looked at Nova, I could see all those worries and fears sprang into her mind. Having Alpha mates were hard, but it wouldn't be that bad with her.

She's chubby, nobody would want her, I told myself. I think it was more for my sake that it was said because we haven't even mated, and I was worried about all of that now too.

Or maybe all her fears were of me and how I have been treating her... I looked away slightly. Even with all that was most likely on her mind, she didn't hesitate to take her hand and lift it to my face. I nestled my face into her hand and smiled. This was a different me, a version of me that no one had ever seen before. I pulled her tighter against me.

"Mine," I whispered in her ear. She blushed and looked away.

"Mine," she whispered back.

She did it again. She made my heart quicken again but faster than it had before. I skipped a breath and smiled hoping she didn't notice the skipped breath. Being in school and not being around her was going to be difficult. I want to watch her; I wanted to make sure no other wolf ever looked at her. I had to admit that even with the weight, what she was wearing was hot on her and there was bound to be a couple of un-mated wolves sniffing around her.

For the rest of the ride we sat still; enjoying each other's' smells and warmth. I was devising a plan to get her to be around me all day. Nova was abnormally smart, so she had skipped a grade. She was a senior like the rest of us and she was just seventeen.

Maybe I can use that to my advantage, I thought to myself.

Who, out of the three guys, could I trust the most with this? It wasn't my Beta, Alex. Nova was his baby sister, and he was going to go berserk if he knew I wanted to keep her a secret from everyone. It wasn't going to be Emery... he couldn't hold a secret if his life depended on it. So the only one left was Juan. He was the best choice anyway, with him being able to hack into the school's system and put me in all her classes. Now all I had to do was get his attention.

Juan, I called in my Alpha tone. I noticed him jump slightly and open his eyes, looking my way. Never breaking the kiss with Vanessa.

I need to tell you something in confidence.

I'm all ears and no lips, he replied jokingly. I looked at him sternly causing him to straighten up.

Nova is my mate, I told him looking away embarrassed.

Congrats man! I'm so happy for you. You know she's a–never mind. Congrats though, he replied excitedly. I looked at him confused and lost.

Congrats? Didn't he see the fat on her?

"We're here," Alex shouted from the front seat as he turned the car off and looked at Nova.

Once again, Nova donned her stoic face, void of emotion and opened the door jumping from the car and into the school not even looking my way. That hurt, but I had to suck it up and figure out my plan with Juan. I had to make sure that one: we were together, and I was able to watch her and two: nobody knew we were mates. This was going to be hard; especially with Nova not knowing about our mating arrangement...

Maxon

"What do you mean you don't want anyone to know," Juan shouted at me.

We had excused ourselves from the rest of the group and went for a walk in the woods behind the school, so we could talk about my problem and he could hack into the school's computer system.

Once I had told him my plan, he had blown a gasket and refused to help me. I didn't want to use my Alpha tone, but I could see that's where this was heading.

I didn't like using the Alpha tone on my friends but I sure as hell didn't like for anyone to tell me no... I loved being Alpha-to-be, but for situations such as these being the next Alpha was plain amazing.

"Juan, come on you've seen her... she's fat. No one will know until she loses the weight," I spoke calmly.

"Maxon. She's young. It's baby fat for Christ's sake, get over it. As soon as she shifts and goes for a couple runs the weight can fall off, maybe she'll wake up and it'll be gone. It's not that serious."

Juan pulled his hand through his hair. His face, that was usually a tan color was red from frustration. I knew I was asking a lot of him, hell, I was asking a lot of myself too. To go against the Fates design could also go bad at any moment, but there was just so much at stake that I was willing to take that chance.

"What if it doesn't? I don't want to be seen with that. That could be taken as a sign of weakness. The Alpha with the FAT mate," I said harshly.

My wolf was growling at me on the inside. He didn't appreciate how I was talking about his mate, but I wouldn't stay quiet about this. Her not being in shape could literally kill us. And I don't want that.

If I was being honest, I was more worried about Nova than I was about myself. I knew that I could fight off 20 wolves, but if I had to worry about Nova, I'd most likely be hurt. She hasn't even shifted yet so she would be very vulnerable. I wouldn't be able to take care of my Alpha duties if she had to be stuck by my side. Even though she was due to shift tonight, she still had to train and learn how to fight in wolf form; she had to train her wolf.

Maxon. That is YOUR mate! How could you not want her? Do you even know who or what she is, Juan shouted into my mind. My wolf was trying to control himself, eUrathily since Juan was on his side, but being yelled at was something an Alpha didn't take lightly.

Everyone knew what Nova was, well almost everyone. The Urathi Rebellions had been protecting her and keeping her powers a secret for years. My father, his lower in commands and the council had no idea that some of the rebellion still existed. Hell, I wouldn't have known if it wasn't for the Urathi who told me about my mate. The day Alex found out that Nova was Urathi; he immediately took her to an old pack doctor and asked her to help him keep her a secret. He didn't want my father to use her for war.

Luckily for Alex the old pack doctor had a son that my father had slain so she was willing to help. She and the others in The Urathi Rebellions helped block her powers until she had her wolf to help control it. They also made sure that she would never know she had powers until the right time came. They said that Nova was something Urathi, something that our race needed to help us win the war with the Vampires and Hunters.

"I didn't say I didn't want her. I just said I didn't want to be seen with her, and what makes you think she wants to be with me after all I've done to her," I asked him.

I was torn on the inside. While yes, she was my mate, and we were meant for each other, I couldn't help feeling like I had been cheated somehow. Why would the Fates make her my mate? The girl I had teased into the hospital, the girl that made herself the social outcast that she is now. Was this my punishment? I didn't think she would be able to forgive me for everything I had done to her. I was afraid that I would be paying for my mistakes for the rest of my life.

"Is THAT your problem with this," Juan asked.

Maybe asking him to help wasn't the best idea, I thought to myself.

"Just forget it, man. Are you going to help me out or what?"

"No," he replied walking away.

"Juan. Get back here," I commanded with my Alpha tone. He froze in place. You could see the struggle he was having between doing what he wanted and doing what nature commanded.

"So, you're going to force me to defy the Fates with you," he asked angrily. I could hear the struggle in his voice.

"All I'm asking is that you help me," I said aloud.

By now I was practically begging him, which was hard for my wolf. I tried my best to put on my puppy dogface for Juan. I was two seconds away from getting down on my knees and folding my hands in front of him. I don't think that would have really happened but subconsciously it was so close to happening that I could see it. I was really torn about the whole situation. I only wanted what was best for both of us.

By the way, Juan was staring at me I knew he was close to giving in. He was just about to sigh and say yes until we heard the crackling out leaves and twigs. Juan and I quickly turned defensive and let out a warning growl. Thinking it was a Hunter I began to lose control; with Nova this close in school, Hunters didn't need to be here and by the look on Juan's face I could tell he felt the same.

With our mates so close we needed to make sure there was no threat, and whoever was in the woods hid their scent so we couldn't smell them out. But whoever they were they were angry. I could hear them breathing hard, struggling for control. Even without being told Juan shifted and ran into the forest, but it did no good because as soon as he disappeared, she appeared.

Nova...

Her face was stained with streaks of tears. Her hair had most likely fallen from the messy bun that it was in before. She had a serene, devastated beauty about her presence. I sighed heavily knowing that she had to have heard the conversation between Juan and me. If I was thinking I would have put a block up.

"Damn it, Nova. How much did you hear?"

"Enough," she spat at me.