on't ouch hat's ine."

I stare up in complete and utter amazement as the beautiful goddess in front of me says that I'm hers. That's when I make sense of the yelling in my head.

'MATE, MATE, M—"

So, she is my Mate?! This wonderful creature, divine looking angel, who's currently glaring down a group of boys almost twice her size without an ounce of fear is my Mate?

Sharp gasps and murmurs of shock and surprise erupt from my group of bullies, and one of them even goes as far as asking his question out loud. "He is your Mate?" I hear Dalton's voice asking, and I tear my eyes off the warrior princess — who reeks of extreme power and authority — to twist my neck around and see his reaction. The weight of her magnetic presence almost makes me want to bow my head down in submission.

I suppress the urge to smirk as my Mate drags her eyes off me with irritation and shoots him the deadliest glare known to man. I feel a sliver of real fear—making my heartbeat go wild—at the cold, inhuman look on her beautiful face, at the way her steel grey eyes harden to the point they almost turn to rocks at the harshness and indifference in them. Involuntarily, my knees come up to my chest and my arms automatically go around them, in an almost shielding manner, to protect myself. It's a habitual action that I'd been doing ever since I was a kid when my mother ill-treated me, or worse.

Dalton backs off without a second thought, his eyes going down in a show of submission. My gaze goes back to my Mate, who raises one brow, making them all skedaddle quickly and leave the place. Justin tries to help Chance up by grabbing him by the elbows, but my Mate raises one finger in silent command, freezing him.

Justin nods fearfully at her and releases his hold on Chance, obeying instantly. Mate steps forward and looks Chance down with disgust evident in her eyes, and I watch in morbid fascination as her full pink lips pull back to reveal sharp, extended canines, that gleam in the bright fluorescent lights — a sign that her Wolf is on the surface — and a ferocious growl rips from her throat. I resist my Wolf's urge to submit to the power emanating off of her, watching with wide eyes as she reaches down and grabs him by the collar with one hand. Her slim fingers form a tight fist and she slams it into his chest without a second of hesitation, just below his heart.

Definitely a broken rib.

"Uh!" He falls back to the ground with a grunt of pain and she uses her leg this time, kicking him hard on his ankle. She presses her foot down forcefully, not letting him move his leg as he cries out in pain, his back arching off the ground.

"Don't you dare touch what's mine. You hear me?" She threatens in a low, calm voice, though anyone could sense the carefully hidden fury and violence in it. Her foot presses down harder on his ankle, making him yell harder.

"Ah!"

"You hear me?" She repeats, glaring hard.

"Ah! Y-yes! I-I won't touch him again! I promise!" He hurries out in a series of scared stutters and she glares dubiously at him.

"I'll order everyone else to back off as well!" He vows, looking at her with pleading brown eyes. At this, she scans him with a neutral expression, and finally eases her leg off his foot, slowly.

"If I find out that you didn't do what you promised, you'll be dead within the next five seconds. Don't you dare try to cross me," She orders and he nods with his brown eyes wide in fright. She looks at Justin—who'd been cowering in the corner the whole time, probably scared that he'd be next—and tilts her head in the direction the other guys had run off to. He looks relieved and thankful as he nods politely. He makes quick work of grabbing Chance by his shoulder and helping him limp out of the place.

My Mate once again fixes her intense grey eyes on me once the two assholes disappear, but this time there's no hint of malice or anger in it.

They flash for a second with an emotion so quick, it's indecipherable, and then they just become flat. But to my insecure self, they seem almost assessing.

Assessing whether I'd be suitable for her. This just encourages another set of doubts and insecurities to fill my head.

I don't know whether to be over the moon with happiness or feel completely crushed about this.

Happy to be blessed with such a great Mate.

Or, crushed, knowing that she is definitely going to reject me.

That thought makes my Wolf let out a loud howl of sadness and hurt. I can feel his denial of my negative thoughts though. He's positive that at least our Mate's Wolf will like us.

'What's there to like?' I snap back bitterly at my Wolf.

This shuts him up because it's safe to say that years of bullying and mental torment has brought our self-esteem down considerably.

Sigh, How pathetic I am.

With that, I stand up slowly, putting more effort into my hands and balancing myself with them, to push myself up. I wince in pain, feeling the brutally bruised flesh on my things aching painfully at the movement I'm putting it through.

I feel a set of delicate fingers wrapping around my biceps, supporting me to stand up. Warmth sizzles down from my arms to my fingertips, her soft touch almost making me shiver at the feel of it. My breathing comes out shuddery, and I try not to show my pain or let out any whimpers that would show how weak I am.

Maybe if I prove to her that I am not weak, she won't reject me.

Hell, who am I kidding? She'll probably see right through it. There's no denying it.

Once I'm steady on my two feet, she lets go of her tight grip on my arm and puts a foot of distance between us. I almost whimper out loud at the loss of her touch, at the loss of pleasurable tingles and sparks.

"Careful," She whispers softly, and I shiver visibly in delight, at the first word — besides 'mine' — that she's ever said to me. I stare dumbfounded as her face—the face that was hard and cold moments ago—softens ever-so-slightly and her eyes crinkle at the corners, betraying that she's feeling at least a tiny bit concerned for me.

The conclusion makes my heart leap, a feeling of happiness I haven't felt in a long time enveloping my heart like a warm blanket. I grin goofily and she looks at my face, the small wrinkle in her forehead between two delicately arched brows showing her confusion.

"What's so funny?" She asks, and one brow arches up in question. My breathing comes out shallow and my heart goes into overdrive at the expectant look on her face as she awaits me to speak.

Me!

"I, uh. I . . . um. I-It's N-nothing . . ." I mumble, too embarrassed to say anything.

"No. I want to know." She calls on me with authority, the look in her steely eyes challenging me to go against her.

"W-well, I-I'm just h-happy that you are my . . ." I drag out, my cheeks growing warmer, "Um, Mate," I cough out the last word, unable to meet her eyes.

"Really?" She questions and I can hear the surprise in her voice—the voice that sounds melodic like the hum of a cuckoo. "But . . . I thought you'd reject me," She mumbles the last part almost nonchalantly, and I can see her shrugging her shoulders in my peripheral vision.

My head snaps sideways so fast, I thought it would break and fall off my neck. I stare at her, gaping with my jaw almost dropping to the ground, unmoving. She walks ahead, but when she realizes that I'd stopped, she turns around and raises an inquisitive brow.

"What?" She looks unperturbed.

"Y-You thought that I would r-reject you?! W-Why?!" I inquire in a shocked stumble of words, completely flabbergasted.

"You know who I am, right?" She queries, placing her hands on either side of her hips.

"Um," I stutter, my brain racing with incredible speed, thinking if I have seen her anywhere, or if I'm supposed to know her. "No," I say truthfully, looking down.

"I'm Alpha Seneca Mordecai." She announces her name as if that alone explains it all. Well, I'd had a sneaking suspicion that she might be the one the whole school was talking about. But I'd dismissed it, thinking that such a powerful Alpha couldn't be my Mate. The news, no doubt, does frighten me, but it's not bad enough that I would reject her, Hell, I would never reject my Mate even if she is Satan, as long as she is ready to accept me wholeheartedly.

I give her an unsure and confused look, beguiling her to explain more, but she just stares at me blankly.

"What d-does that have to do with a-anything?" I clarify and she still doesn't move a muscle in her face.

"You don't mind that I've killed a lot before? That I'm a monster?" She asks casually as if discussing today's weather.

"I-I, um. I d-don't think you are a m-monster," I affirm, observing her reaction carefully. I'm pleased to note that she looks shocked by my words. The first proper reaction I've ever gotten from her, besides nonchalance and insouciance. "You don't?"

"N-No, I can't j-judge you without k-knowing you f-first." I answer, "But, I k-know t-that you wouldn't w-want someone as w-weak as me. So, g-go ahead. R-rej-" My voice breaks, "Reject me," I mutter, and ignore the painful yelp from my Wolf. I brace myself to hear those words, the words that would break my heart.

Instead, I'm met with silence. I peek up through my lashes and push the rim of my glasses up the bridge of my nose. She's once again staring at me emotionlessly, her lips set in a thin, hard line.

"I'm not that big of a monster to reject what the Goddess gave me," She utters in the same flat tone I've come to realize she always uses. That's why it takes me a few moments to understand the meaning of her sentence.

"D-Does that m-mean that you won't r-reject me?!" I exclaim hopefully, not making an effort to hide the emotion from my eyes or words.

"Yes, and you're not —"

"Mike!" A familiar voice calls from a distance, interrupting Alpha Seneca mid-sentence. Crap! Now, I'll never know what she was about to say about me 'cause I'm sure she wouldn't repeat it and I wouldn't have the courage to ask.

I hide my annoyance and turn around slowly, so as to not bring more pain to my injured muscles. I see Nora bounding down the hallway at full speed, her blonde ponytail bouncing behind her as she runs towards me, her bright green eyes wide with alarm and concern. Just like always, she launches herself into my arms, her body slamming into mine with full force. Her bony hands go around my neck as she squeezes the life out of me, burying her face in the crook of my neck. I hide my wince and soothingly pat the back of her head, assuring her that I'm alright.

A low, possessive growl resounds through the hall, surprising us both for different reasons. Nora's back stiffens as she pulls away, her arms still resting loosely around my neck. She turns and looks at Alpha Seneca—who's standing right there with her arms crossed and a threatening glare plastered across her face—and then glances at me with dubious uncertainty as if to ask, 'Who the heck is she?'

"Uh," My face reddens as I think of a way to explain my Mate's possessive behavior. "This is—" I start, but get cut off by the glowering Alpha.

"Alpha Mordecai. And he's my Mate." She announces, her glare intensifying at Nora's disrespectful behavior; as it's common practice to lower your eyes a little or bow slightly in the presence of Alpha Wolves, even if said wolves are not the leaders of one's own pack.

A shiver of unmistakable desire races through me when she claims me as I'm hers. I resist the urge to drag her to an empty room and let her have her wicked way with me, swallowing down the thick fog of attraction choking my insides.

What the hell's wrong with you, Micajah! She would never want you! I chide myself, pushing away those improper thoughts.

I watch uncomfortably as Nora's face drops in shock at the name, and even more when my Mate introduces me as hers. Fear and hurt cross her big doe eyes, but she quickly masks it behind a brave mask. I'm lost at her reaction, but don't get to dwell on the fact too long as I'm more preoccupied with worry over the first exchange between the two most important people in my life.

"Oh. Um, Nice to meet you," Nora mutters, looking down finally.

"Too bad, I can't say the same." Alpha Seneca rebukes, her tone snarky. Her stormy eyes are fixed in a fiery scowl, burning on the arms that are still around my neck. Nora follows her line of sight and pulls her arms back hastily to her sides when she understands why my Mate is behaving so rudely.

To an outsider, the intensity of my Mate's possessiveness might seem surprising, but as part-wolf, our emotions and urges are far baser than normal humans at times. The most important of such times is the meeting of soulmates, and while I certainly hadn't expected that the stories I had heard about Alphas and their Mates would apply to me, I couldn't exactly fault my Mate for letting her emotions get the best of her when I, being just a normal wolf myself, didn't know how I'd react if the situation was reversed.

"I'm sorry," Nora mumbles in a small voice, but being her friend so long, I can easily detect the insincerity in it. Alpha Seneca pays no heed to her half-assed apology and steps forward, wrapping a possessive arm around my shoulders and pulling me back in a quick tug closer to her warm body. I yelp in surprise and turn to gape at her with wide eyes, but she ignores me, continuing to focus her hot glare on my poor best friend.

Despite my being thin and scrawny, I'm not too short at 5'11 and she easily matches my height in her flat boots, which is quite tall for girls. Goosebumps break out on my arms and shoulders and my inner Wolf purrs in delight, enjoying being in his Mate's arms. I stifle a groan of pleasure at the last second and try to pay attention to the situation in hand.

"I said it already, and I'm saying again now, Don't touch what's mine."

⇥⇤

Dedication: JasleenKaur330

If you enjoyed this chapter, PLEASE DO, VOTE COMMENT AND FAN!