Before going to school this time, Blaine told me Rosie wanted to see me off in the morning.

Being in the pack house left me extremely unsettled. I never used to feel anxious whenever I was at the pack house until my father passed. Bad memories surround this place, but there are happy ones. Silas destroyed anything that resembled my father or anything that made it known we were here first.

He alienated me from my own pack and I was a stranger here.

"Blaine! Eddie!" a young girl's voice called out, having me smiling uncontrollably. Rosie was running towards us, her rosy cheeks amidst her brown skin, and her big innocent eyes sparkled with happiness. She's only the reason why I'd come here, risking seeing Silas. As long as I could see Rosie with my own two eyes being happy, I could breathe a little easier.

I knelt down so she could hug me. For a 6 year old, she could hug really tightly. She could also cling to me like a leech. Rising up with her iron clad grip around my body, I laughed as she pulled her small head back to look at me.

"Are you going to eat dinner with us tonight?" Rosie asked me. Innocent enough question. Blaine was watching Rosie and our eyes met. You can't tell a pup that her father is a psychopath and would beat me if I came to dinner uninvited.

"Er, no, I have a ton of-of- homework to do," I half lied to her. Rosie frowned.

"What homework?"

"Math- you know, numbers," I stick out my tongue. "Gross."

Rosie giggled, "Ew that is gross! Can you play tea pot with me?"

"Some other time, Rosie," I promised her. "I have to go. Love you so much Cuddle Bug." Rosie looked defeated and my heart melted as I set her down. Silas didn't allow his daughter to play with anyone else or make any friends, so Blaine and I are the only actual ones to play with her. A 6 year old needed to have someone there. I can't wait until she gets put into school so she could make actual friends.

"You always have to go," Rosie pouted. I kissed both of her cheeks. It wasn't fair that she looked so cute. I ruffled her hair, and Blaine told her to get her nanny to come so we could leave.

Stepping outside, the weather scorned us with it being cloudy and not sunny.

"A group of random strangers have been here recently," Blaine suddenly told me. I furrowed my eyebrows. "I don't feel comfortable leaving Rosie alone with her nanny with them around."

"Any idea which pack they come from?" I asked. Blaine shook his head.

"See, I don't think...they have a pack." My gut was telling me something was really wrong. "It could be nothing though." Blaine's voice was weak when he said this. He didn't believe his own lie.

"Tomorrow we are definitely going to try out for the cheerleading squad," Penelope was telling me as I grabbed my books in our locker. Courtesy of Penelope, our locker is decorated with a mirror and flowers everywhere. She's been keeping me up to date in who is who at this school. So far, I think I got the gist of which people to avoid. I wasn't planning on making friends or joining any clubs. Especially cheer leading. I can't be that happy all the time. It'd be exhausting.

"P, how many times do I have to say-"

Penelope sighed as she finished my sentence, "You won't join the squad. Yeah yeah, whatever. That's cool and you can have your opinion, but you're so cute in thinking you have an option."

"Har har," I deadpanned Penelope.

"We can shake the status quo," Penelope grabbed my shoulders and playfully shook them. "Just think about it."

"I'm thinking about jumping off a ledge than trying out."

"Wow you're so dramatic, you should join the drama club."

I closed my locker and opened my mouth to make a comeback, but stopped when the alluring scent hit me again. The ocean and sandalwood. Not again. Panic seized up my body.

"Edith? We going to lunch or what? My favorite subject."

"G-go without me," I almost choked out. The scent is getting stronger. Meaning I'm screwed. He's coming closer to me, and I needed him not to.

"Are you okay?" Penelope looked at me with concern.

"Just go, I'll be fine, just need some fresh air," I lied, patting her on the shoulder and trying to rush out of the building before my mate finds me.

I push past the werewolves that were either late for class or didn't care enough, and just as I was about to turn the corner, I hit a hard body. Sparks ignited and I cursed the entire world. His hands found my waist to steady me and his low voice murmured, "You okay?" which made me pull out of his hold on me.

Finding my mate right now at the worst possible time. Why did I find my mate? I would happily wanted to go on my life without one.

And if you ever find yourself a mate, if you ever show his face here, I will ruin everything you have.

Silas isn't known to lie.

I forced myself to look up at him. My lungs almost gave out when I recognized him. His face is on the huge poster in our grand hall where all the school trophies are. Penelope warned me about the "top" people to look out for, and he was one of them. The picture on the poster didn't do him justice. His square jawline was carved out by marble and prominent.

He was also my godmother Ava's son. When I was a small child, I used to play with him and his twin all the time. That was a lifetime ago, it feels. I haven't spoken to my godmother or seen them for years. Especially after Dad died.

West Stryder.

We both were in a trance- his hazel eyes turned more into a glowing emerald green. Which made me realize he's fighting with his wolf. Which isn't good. Without thinking too much about it, I grabbed his large hands, needed to get us to a secluded place, away from prying wolves' ears. Thankfully, he didn't even protest and went along with me as we stepped outside into the cloudy afternoon. It wasn't supposed to rain. Hopefully it didn't.

When I see that there are no prying wolves and we're safely alone in the courtyard, I stopped and whirled around to face him as I let go of his hand.

The splat of hazel eyes and his slick back styled hair makes him look dangerous. But the way one of the corner of his mouths lifts up as he looks at me makes my heart wrench weirdly. My wolf is fighting with me. But it has to be done.

I know he's not going to take it well. No one would. I crossed my arms and raised my chin, "You can't tell anyone I'm your mate." Straight to the point.

"What?!" he asked incredulously like it was the most absurd thing he's heard in his life. I poked my finger at him. He starts to smile a little wider at me like I'm giving him the greatest joke out there. "That's so--"

"You can't," I cut him off. He's not taking this seriously. "You can't tell anyone."

His smile is flickering, "But you're my-"

"Promise me right now or I'll reject you."

A flash of lightning lit up the sky.

The lightning illuminated his face for a moment, exposing the look of devastation. West physically bristled and his entire body stiffened. The weight and heaviness of rejecting your own mate isn't something to be thrown around lightly. My words are thrown at him like daggers. Plain and simply, it was cruel. It was completely unfair to him, this ultimatum that forced his hand. But it had to be done. This is the only way I know how to keep him at arm's length from me....from Silas. The only way it seemed for him to get it. I hated to hurt him intentionally.

I realized we were both breathing heavily, staring at each other. His entire demeanor changed within seconds, but there is anger brimming in his hazel eyes and he's now sizing me up.

Thunder cracked loudly.

My hands twitched to run inside, but for some reason I stayed glued to where I was. I had an inkling this weather reflected West's feelings. Like he was the cause. Was he....?

His jaw ticked. "Fine. I promise I won't tell anyone," West's voice is icy, "since it clearly means so much to you." He saunters off past me, going back inside the building and the rain starts to pour. I let out a deep breath. Why couldn't I just never find my mate? I've watched my mom as she became a shell of what she was when my dad- her mate- died. She died along with him. I've seen what a weakness a mate is. How burdensome it is. I don't see anything good about it. It'll only leave you hurt. And I'm only going to hurt West either way. Rejecting him or accepting him.

Except for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to just flat out reject him.