Thanks to careforbooks for the beautiful cover on the side=)

Chapter one

“Spending that night with you was the worst mistake that I have ever made.” He snarled in my face. All of his friends laughed at my red face. Everyone around me was watching in amusement at my own embarrassment.

The hot tears dripped down my face. The glasses on my face were fogged up, but I couldn’t find myself to focus on anything but him. My heart shattered into pieces at those words. My wolf made no comment, but I could feel the rejection burning my soul.

How could he do this to me? He tells me he loves me and then he says that I was the worst mistake he had ever made.

I felt like I was about to throw up. My legs were shaking and I felt as if I was going to fall any second. As if he would care. It would just add to his case even more.

He turned around and strolled over to his group. Among them stood a perky red head that was standing there eyeing him like a piece of candy. He wrapped his arms around her slim waist and smashed his lips against hers. She gladly obliged and pulled him closer.

By this time I was practically crying my eyes out while making a fool out of myself. All I could see was the blurry picture of Carter and that slut lip locking.

I hightailed out of there. I pushed through the crowd and ran into my safe haven, the janitor’s closet.

*Earlier that day*

“Kimberly! Get up; you are going to be late!” My father called from the bottom of the stairs.

I groaned and smashed my pillow to my face.

“Do not you cover your head up Kim! I will drag you out of the bed if I have to!” He yelled again.

I cursed. How does he know me so well?

I threw the pillow off my face and it landed with a soft thud on the ground. I pried myself out of the warm comfort of my bed and into the chilly air. I guess my dad turned on the air conditioner again. Even though it is December.

You see, my dad and I are werewolves. Yes, we can shift into wolves. Werewolves get overheated quite quickly considering all of the fur, the same goes for our human forms.

We don’t belong to a pack. We live in the Night territory. We weren’t considered rogues since we went to all of the pack meetings, but we weren’t really part of the pack.

My mother and father had settled down in Seneca Falls after they married. They made peace with the alpha of the Night pack and proved they weren’t a threat. My parents decided they didn’t want to join the pack, but they did want to live here.

My mother died from a car accident when I was two, so I never really got to know her. My father has raised me by himself ever since then. The peace treaty between my father and Alpha Nate still stands.

I picked out some baggy sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt, but immediately re-thought my decision. Maybe something a little more… fitting would be better.

I blushed as I thought of the reason. This weekend my cousin, who was a part of the Night pack, had dragged me to one of her boyfriend’s house to attend a party. The party wasn’t my scene. Usually I stayed in my room and did my homework or read the entire weekend. Instead Charlene had dragged me to the party saying how I needed to get out more.

The sad thing was my dad even encouraged me to go to the party. For the sake of my dad, I went to the party with intentions of sneaking out once I had lost Charlene in the crowds.

Instead I had found my mate. He was tall, and brooding. He was as handsome as he was dangerous. Carter Night was the bad boy of Liberty High School.

He had all of the girl’s falling over him, it’s not like I could blame them. He had black hair with ice blue eyes that I could just melt in.

The thought of what we did Saturday made a dark stain on my cheeks. Charlene had convinced me to drink some type of shot, and let’s just say I was a total lightweight.

The next thing I knew I had woken up beside Carter, but it wasn't like you thought. I guess we had just kissed and fell asleep, because I was still very much in my clothes.

I didn’t want to wake him so I was getting out of the bed when his hand shot out and grabbed my arm.

“I love you.” His soft voice echoed throughout my brain. My heart stopped and my eyes widened. His eyes were still closed, so I had to assume he was only sleeping.

I picked his hand off me trying not to wake him. He doesn’t know what he’s saying. He is just asleep.

After I had put my clothes on I had ran all the way home. I told my dad that I ended up staying with Charlene who would probably just agree since she wouldn’t have remembered in her drunken state from the night before.

I decided on a pair of regular jeans and a short sleeve shirt that was a little tight since I had never worn it. Charlene had bought it for me a year ago for my sixteenth birthday. She had tried to get me to wear it, but I had always just stuck to my baggy clothes. I guess she will finally get to see me wear it.

I took a quick shower and put on my clothes. I dried my long black hair and let it fall into its natural waves. I decided to leave it down instead of my usual bun or ponytail. I look at my boring brown eyes and decide to outline them in some black eyeliner that Charlene had also got me to try and bring out my ‘inner girl’ as she liked to call it. I brushed my teeth until I was sure my morning breath was gone.

Instead of wearing glasses like I usually did, I decided to wear contacts. I had tried to wear contacts before, but I always found them so uncomfortable. Might as well try again.

I nodded at my appearance. It was amazing how a little effort made me look completely different. I looked more like a seventeen year old girl and not some hobo living on the street.

I walked back into my messy room and dug around the pile of clothes until I found my back pack. I checked to make sure I had all of my papers and things for school before heading down the stairs.

I walked into the kitchen and saw my dad who had his back faced towards me reading the paper.

“Bye dad! Charlene is picking me up today.” I said.

He set the paper down and turned to look at me. To say he looked shocked was an understatement. “Are you wearing jeans?” He asked surprised.

I looked at him weirdly. “Yeah.”

He looked at my attire and smiled widely. “You have finally become a teenager!”

I rolled my eyes as he came up and hugged me. “Dad you don’t have to be so dramatic.”

He pulled back but still kept his hands on my shoulders. “Is that make-up is see you wearing?”

I shrugged off his hands and walked towards the door. “Goodbye dad!”

“But-“ I cut him off by slamming the front door.

Geez. Wasn’t he being a little dramatic? He acts as if I got plastic surgery or something!

I saw Charlene’s car sitting in front of the house and I jogged down the hill and climbed into her car. She was putting on some make-up in her mirror when she spotted me.

He jaw dropped as she looked me up and down. “Damn girl! You look fine!” She gave me a wink.

I slammed the door and fastened my seatbelt. “Shut up and drive.”

The whole way to school she was asking why the sudden urge to change my appearance.

I just shrugged. “I felt like I needed something new.”

She nodded approvingly. “I agree. I like your shirt.”

She parked in her usual spot and got out of the car. All of the attention immediately went to her. She was always what boys went after.

She was curvy with blonde hair and blue eyes. Not to mention that sassy attitude of hers. Everyone loved her; she was easy to get along with.

She had met her mate Travis, who was just the cutest thing. He was always nice to me no matter what his friends would say.

When I stepped out of the car, everyone’s shocked faces and stares turned towards me. I felt as if the whole world was staring at me, and being the center of attention was not something I wanted.

Charlene noted my expression and yelled, “What are you looking at fools?”

Everyone turned their heads and started chatting amongst each other. For some reason I knew it was about me. I chose to tune out the harsh comments that I could hear with my super hearing thanks to being a wolf.

I said my goodbyes to Charlene and walked into the school. I headed towards my locker, which unfortunately was beside where the popular group hung out. I guess you could say I was their favorite target. For some reason they weren’t there today.

Oh, well. Less torture for me. I opened my locker and got all of my things for first period and stuffed it in my bag. I shut my locker to come face to face with Carter.

My heart immediately sped up at the sight of him and my wolf was howling mate! My breath sped up as if I had just run a marathon.

He kept his face calm and collected. He just stood there staring at me, which started to make me feel uncomfortable.

I shifted on my feet and looked at the ground. “Um, yes?”

I guess you know what happened next. Humiliation from what he did burned bad enough, but the rejection sent a deep scar across my heart.

I sat in the janitor's closet crying my heart out for the loss of a mate I never had.