Keenan's POV

I fucked up, I admit it, I fucked up.

I’ve had to do some major damage control these last few weeks. I've marked Britney in a state of aggravation and impulsiveness, and it came back to bite me in the ass, hard.

Of course, Britney openly paraded around her mark to everyone and it wasn’t even a couple of minutes before Vivienne found out.

Second, was that people were now coming up to me and asking if Britney was my mate. What the hell do I say to that? Huh?

I just told them that I think she could be my mate but because she wasn’t 17 yet there was no way of knowing for sure. That was it, that was my grand explanation.

Yeah, that excuse did not fly well with my parents.

As I tried to stop Vivienne and Britney from eating each other alive, I felt the presence of my mate watching from somewhere in the crowd.

“How could you do this to me, Britney!?!”

“You wouldn’t understand! I love him! And he loves me! You’re not his mate!”

“You’re not either!“

Mate. My eyes instantly locked with hers. My mate.

Her eyes peered at me with mild surprise and they were bloodshot with purple bags under her them, I froze when I saw that her cheek was swollen and her right eye was completely shut.

I flinched, in my head, my wolf was thundering with anger, he wants to punish us.

She looks like she’s been through hell and back. But what was more abundantly clear was the fat and very much alive bond chaining me to her, It didn’t work, the bond was not broken. I failed.

Meaning I marked Britney for no fucking reason. Great.

Immediately my gaze shifted down to her neck where my mark would’ve been, a large gauze bandage covered the side of it.

Damn, I knew she’d feel it but I didn’t think she’d suffer such a physical reaction because of it.

In that second I completely forgot about Vivian and Britney and I just felt...shame?

Nah, that’s impossible.

In my brief moment of distraction, the sisters take that opportunity to swing at each other again.

Aw hell.

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The mark on Britney’s neck didn’t even last 24 hours, it only lasted five hours max. She begged me to mark her again and even promised to refuse her mate for me but I knew that Britney is just an average shewolf with an equally average will power. She wouldn’t be strong enough to resist the pull of her mate despite what she’s saying now.

When tension became too high, I had to stop a stupid amateur civil war from breaking out against the girls. Another brawl broke out between Vivienne and Britney’s friends, but this time within the pack. Even old flames joined in and started attacking each other, all of them absolutely sure they were the next Luna.

Needless to stay my parents were not happy with me. They called me into my dad's office and basically ripped me a new asshole.

“What were you thinking Keenan Zachariah Hallin’s?! I know you know that it’s incredibly stupid and reckless to mark someone who you don’t know is 100% your mate! We also know you’ve been sneaking around with Vivienne again after we specifically told you not to! Your behavior as of late is unacceptable young man! Unacceptable! Did you know that principal Anderson informed us that you’ve been harassing some human girl as well? This is not how a future alpha conducts himself!“

Then they went on a spiel about how dating before finding your mate is dangerous and a huge disrespect to both your future mates and blah blah-fucking-blah.

Whatever they’ll get over it.

It didn’t help that some of the older pack members started to secretly refer to me as “the young alpha that can’t keep his pecker in his pants“ which is completely intolerable.

I make a mental note in my head to remember to banish or euthanize these disrespectful wolves once I become official alpha.

——————————————————————————————-

As punishment for my supposed “unreasonable” behavior, my parents now keep a short leash on me. I can’t party anymore, I can’t fuck anymore, my dad took me out of school for two weeks. He’s been taking me on “pack business” so I can “learn to be a responsible alpha for once”.

By pack business, it wasn’t even the fun kind but the actual legal and filling out paperwork kind.

Fuck my life.

My wolf was agitated, day by day the aggression pent up inside us like boiling water, rising to the brim until it toppled over.

Not even Tanner wanted to spar with me in training anymore. It’s not entirely his fault though, I used training as an opportunity to physically vent out my frustrations. I’m not gonna lie, I beat the ever living shit out of anyone brave enough to be in my combat partner, which was usually Tanner.

——————————————————————————————————-

I can’t sleep, I spent this whole night tossing and turning, unable to sleep. I was either too hot or too cold, no position was right, and the annoying buzz in the back of my head won’t grant me any peace.

Giving up on sleep, I grab my gym bag and head downstairs to the training room. I need a workout.

I stop by the kitchen first to fill up my water bottle, but I’m cut off guard by the faint scent of my mate, a calmness washed over me like a wave of cold water distinguishing a raging fire.

And suddenly I understood.

I understood why I was so irritated all the time, my wolf hasn’t seen his mate in weeks.

The clever girl took advantage of my distracted state to avoid me, not for long though, there was no escaping me.

I followed the scent into the kitchen where I found the source, it was rolling off of Jean in waves, meaning Jean was with her not too long ago.

Meaning she disobeyed me.

Jean was sitting on the kitchen island, eating a donut, when she turned her head to glare at me was judgmental eyes.

Who the hell does she think she is looking at me like that?

“What the fuck are you-"

“I know your secret,” Jean interrupted, I stopped.

“I don’t know what the hell you think you’re talking about.”

“You know she can feel you every time you’re with someone? She can feel every kiss, every touch, every time. It’s agony for her. I was there, I had to witness one of her attacks... and it was awful.”

“Shut. The. Hell. Up!"

“She told me she wanted to kill herself, that she hates herself more than you ever could."

“She should," the words felt rancid in my mouth.

“Bastard! You don’t know how lucky you are! A mate is a gift, I will never be able to have what you have. And you’re just throwing it away!"

“Lower your fucking voice! And mind your own damn business! You don’t know anything,” I snapped at her.

“You’re the one undeserving of her Keenan, not the other way around, what you’re doing isn’t right. You need to stop-”

In one stride I have my hand was firmly around her throat, squeezing. “Listen here you nosy little bitch, you’re going to keep your mouth shut. You tell anyone, and I’ll kill you. I promise you I’ll kill you.”

“Your commands…don’t mean…anything," she choked out. “You aren’t…the official alpha…yet. You don’t… scare me. I see you…for what…you really are...and what you really are… isn’t anything to be scared of."

I let out a laugh, “go ahead and tell, even if what you say is true, no one will choose a side of some human girl over the future Alpha.”

Immediately shadow of doubt cast over Jean’s expression.

“Exactly, you know it’s true as well, and believe when I tell you that the first thing I do as alpha will be to cut your lying tongue out.”

“You’ll never be my…alpha, I’ll go rogue…before I let that happen”

I snorted, “if you think you can last a rogue, be my guest.”

“I will… take my chances,” she rasped out.

I let go of her throat, “I mean it, by the way, if you tell anyone, anyone at all, I’ll make your life a living hell. What I’m doing now will be nothing in comparison.”

She said nothing, just continued to glare at me.

I’ll teach her a lesson when the day comes, but as of now, there’s a bond that still needs breaking.