The coronation.

Less than a week left to make this the best event of the year, well in the pack. Not only was my best friend becoming Alpha, I was becoming a fucking Beta, officially. After Friday, my parents wouldn't be able to question if I really should have the position. It'd be mine.

I walk through the school hallways with a slight skip in my step, I'd been planning this for months and somehow managed to keep things steady when they announced it was a joint coronation. I was one of the many who were against it, it was a horrible idea. Stupid. Ridiculous. But who could go against their alpha's last command, especially when they were Roger and Micheal.

I smile widely when I see Beckett talking to Julian about the coronation, the talk that took all werewolves' lips. He shouts his excitement loudly as Julian just digs in his locker neutrally. I almost wanted to join the conversation but I couldn't, that wasn't an option.

I focus on my own problems instead wondering where on earth Aiden would be, kicking a tree probably instead of in the school like he should be. And then he wonders why he's failing everything but the sciences he unconsciously worshipped.

"So I'm thinking pink confetti rains from the sky as I walk onto stage to become a warrior and then I announce my homosexuality to everyone with Beyoncé playing in the background." Mickey says dramatically appearing out of nowhere.

"You are not ruining this for Aiden. He already has to deal with Julian's bullshit and I won't let anything ruin this day for him. No matter how fucking beautiful that would be, especially if I was a back up dancer or something." I reply making us both burst out into fits of laughter as we lean against my locker earning a few stares I couldn't be bothered with.

"I got to go hun, are you coming over tonight or are you ditching me again for that fine piece of ass?" He questions with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm coming over." I say with determination, I refuse to become one of those assholes who ditched their friends for their mate or girlfriend or whatever.

"Good. I'll see you later." He says blowing me a secret kiss before walking away. The bell rings for class making me groan loudly as I head for mathematics, my old nemesis that's been beating my ass since adding Integers, whatever the fuck those were.

---------------

I smile as Beckett places a small piece of apple that he cut for me into my mouth. I nibble on it slowly as he smiles up at me, I was sitting in his lap in the little closet that had become our little hideout. The stench of all the cleaning chemicals blocking out our own so no werewolves knew we were together.

"How are things on your end?" He asks brushing my hair out of my face. "Everyone gone ballistic yet?"

"Not quite, but we have a couple more days so there's still time." I say laughing along with him, I press my head against his as we continue to chuckle before we settle in silence. I sit up a bit after a while resting my hands on his shirt as I play with his collar a little bit.

"What is it?" He questions as I keep my eyes focused on the white thickened fabric that was my little distraction.

"I guess we won't be able to talk anymore." I mumble sadly. By talk I meant do anything, we wouldn't be able to hang out or make out or even just spend time like this when the war started between Julian and Aiden once they became alphas of our packs.

"What makes you think that?" He questions, his voice sounding slightly hurt but not nearly as much as what I felt at the thought of losing what we had.

"Well I know we all joke about the war out break, but we both know shit's going to hit the fan when our friends get their hands on the means to eliminate each other and we're their betas." I say sighing as I lower my head not wanting to see his reaction, he however had different plans as he tilts my head up by my chin. "We can't go against them a-"

"Emitt..."

"And being together is going against them." I finish as I look at him, a flash of guilt running over his eyes as I'm sure it did mine. "Every second we spend together is a knife in their back."

"Emitt." He stresses, the sympathy he felt for me evident in his voice as he gently rubs my cheek. "We aren't doing anything wrong. We're in a very weird position and dealing with it as best as we can, that's all. There's nothing wrong with spending time with the person you l-"

My heart slows down steadily until it's nothing more than the gentle thump that I could barely hear against his racing one. His eyes wide, those green orbs swirling with obvious panic as he stops short as the word sticks on his tongue.

"The person you?" I ask hopefully.

Say it. Beckett, please just say it.

"Nothing. I um, wrong words. Just forget about it." He mumbles as he shakes off the topic that I clearly took my serious that him.

I stand from off of him without another word, he follows sensing the depression that took me quickly without my permission.

Of course he didn't like me. A fairy tail dream was all it was. A fact that hadn't sunk in until he made it clear that that's all it ever was. A fairytale dream. One that guys like me don't get with guys like Beckett.

A dream I shouldn't be getting with any guy at all.

"Emitt." He calls knowing that I'd stupidly already dug myself twenty feet deep with thoughts that probably weren't even accurate. I hated myself even more for being so dramatic. So quick to run. But what else could I do, sit in his lap knowing he didn't feel the same. I couldn't. I wouldn't.

"It's fine, I get it." I say throwing my bag over my shoulder as I avoid his eyes.

"Let me explain." He begs as he goes to touch me but I jerk away slightly. "Just listen for once Emitt! Stop running away like a coward."

I stare at him in slight shock. He wasn't wrong. I was being stupid. A coward. Getting hurt by someone who didn't promise me anything, I was in the wrong.

"I didn't mean t-"

"Don't apologize. Please don't." I say as he sighs in frustration. Frustration I was causing him. "You didn't do anything wrong Beckett. You're right but I still need a minute, I'll talk to you later."

"We need to talk about this now, not later." He says as my hand clasps itself around the door handle.

"We will, I promise. I'm not running. I j-just need a little time. I call you tonight." I say trying to keep my voice steady, I give him a weak smile that he didn't believe before slipping out of the closet and walking down the hall quickly.

It was lunch break I think, but I didn't have an appetite. I was contemplating skipping the rest of the school day and crashing at Mickey's house when I walked straight into someone sending me on my ass.

"What the hell!" I exclaim in annoyance. This had been happening way too often to be a coincidence. I look up only for my eyes to widen in shock when I see my best friend.

"Sorry Emitt." Aiden says offering a hand which I gladly accept, jumping to my feet.

He was mad. No the better word would be homicidal. I didn't take a genius to see that he was pissed and the nearby sent of a certain wolf told me more than enough.

"Let me guess, Julian." I ask making him growl in clear agitation that confirmed my beliefs. "Okay, how about you forget him and let's head to class." I say pushing him towards the dreadful school labs. Of course I sucked ass at the sciences and wouldn't go there willingly but I knew he loved them in his own way and it was our next class anyway. So I'd sacrifice my happiness just this once.

"I hate biology." He grumbles as he we enter the empty classroom. Yet to be filled by our other classmates that were probably stuffing their faces with food or sleeping on a toilet.

"If you hate biology so much, why is it the only subject you get straight A's in?" I ask crossing my arms as he sinks into his usual seat in the back of the class. "The sciences are like your bitch, yet you hate them all."

"It is what it is." He replies with an uninterested shrug that makes me sigh as I sit down in the seat beside him. "The coronation's in a few days bro, it's going to be amazing!" He says shaking my shoulders vigorously. The energy he was delivering was unusual for him and I wanted to take advantage of it, but the conversation was Beckett was weighing heavily on my mind.

"Cool down Incredible Hulk." I reply shaking him off making him frown. If I wasn't careful, he'd pick up on my mood. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy too, but I'm more worried about the bloodshed that will take place. You and Julian together on a day like that, it has catastrophic written all over it." I reply with a shaky laugh while scratching the back of my head hoping the mention of Julian would shake him. "My first day as a beta and it'll be drowned in your blood."

"Stop being so dramatic, it won't be that bad." He replies sinking back into his seat.

"Why are you so calm about this?" I ask with studying him a bit, "what the hell are you planning?!"

"Nothing!" He says with his hands raised. "I'm trying the optimistic approach, ma said if I tried a lighter approach on life I would probably be more relaxed."

"One could hope." I mutter as the bell rang, I sigh as the deafening sound settles. I watch the door blankly as students poor in, I didn't pay any mind to when Julian walked in but when I saw Beckett my heart stopped.

A low growl escapes Aiden's lips as he glares at his nemesis while mine just raises when Beckett's eyes connect with my own. Filling with clear concern as he walked beside his best friend while I sat by my own.

"Group projects everyone!" Mrs. Maxine hollers making everyone groan loudly, Aiden's being the loudest like always. "Stop your whining it's giving me a headache, I'll be fair, you'll work in pairs. Come to the front and pick your numbers, who ever has the same number as you is your partner."

When I realize that Aiden wasn't going anywhere, I slide out of my seat and made my way to the box before pulling out a number.

Seven.

Everyone was pairing up quickly while I searched a little before I felt a tap of my shoulder. I spin around freezing when my eyes land on the six foot two model of man that I had my lips attached to merely hours ago. My mouth lies slightly open as my brain struggles to deal with the situation at hand. Did he even realize that both Aiden and Julian were in the room? If they saw us we'd b-

"Looks like we're partners." He says with a weak smile as he holds up a ripped piece of paper with the same number as my own.

"Oh." I say letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"I'll sit with you." He says going to grab his bag leaving no room for discussion. I quickly return to my seat followed by Beckett who slides into the Aiden's seat, the owner currently arguing with Mrs.Maxine.

"Oh God no!" He complains bringing everyone's attention to the two. He started whispering but every wolf in the room could hear. "Look, Johanna, I'm like your top student. Do me a favour and switch me with someone else, I can't be with that idiot! He can't even label a cell!"

"At least I can spell cell!" Julian screams back, Beckett just chuckled at the statement while I smiled proudly at Aiden who flipped him off without paying him enough attention to turn around.

"I love you Aiden, I really do, you're one of the best students I've ever had. That guy needs the help, desperately, I'm sorry but you gotta stick with him." Mrs. Maxine apologized to Aiden.

I hand Aiden his bag before he takes a seat besides Julian. Both their faces down-struck and disgusted. Their hatred ran into new lengths.

"The project is pretty straight forward, I will send guides by email because ain't nobody got time to be printing all of those. You have to choose an animal in our region and study it closely, I want to know every little thing about it, no detail is too small. It would be better if it was in our town so you can study it visually as well, make sure to put your all into this, it is a large percentage of your grade. You can spend the rest of the class picking a subject." Mrs.Maxine says before pulling out a magazine to read, the class erupts in conversation. I check Aiden one last time to see him sitting with crossed arms, back slightly facing towards Julian who was doing the same thing.

They'll be fine.

"So what animal do you want to study?" I ask as I turn to Beckett who just frowns at me, clearly not in the mood.

"I don't care what animal we study. I want to talk about us." He says absentmindedly making my eyes almost roll out of my head.

"Are you insane?!" I whisper harshly glancing down at our friends quickly to see them arguing, no surprise there. "What if they heard?"

"I don't care." He says in annoyance. "I don't care if they heard. I want for once to talk to you without worrying about who might see us."

"Bu-"

"But nothing." He says sliding his hands into my own, the action making me jump in surprise as I try to pull them away before anyone saw but he held them tightly. "I like you Emitt."

The words make me still as I stare at him in disbelief. My eyes stuck to his own that were filled with nothing but honesty and a warmth I'd grown familiar with. His hands caress my own as the world around us faded away from me, my only focus on him.

Beckett Stone.

The guy who I've had a crush on for twelve years.

The one who just said he liked me.

"Well say something." He replies nervously.

"But in the closet you.."

"I panicked." He says groaning slightly as he shut his eyes. "It's hard enough trying to wrap my head around why I like you so much, saying it was much worse. Especially when we're both werewolves, it doesn't make sense."

"What doesn't?" I question as he glances around a bit before leaning in closer to whisper something.

"The things I feel for you, towards you. They're how people talk about being with their mates. The feeling I get when we touch." His eyes trailing down to our intertwined fingers. "The shocks, the heart racing, the scent that drives me mad. They're all mate feelings."

"But weren't not....we couldn't."

"I know that." He says with a sigh matching the despair in my heart. "I know that's not even a possibility but it's what I feel." He says with a frustrated sigh as his eyes trail down to my hands. "Emitt, before I met you, I never wanted a relationship because I just wanted to be with my mate and my mate alone. I never wanted to feel anyone else's lips but theirs or other skin on my own. But now......I hope I never meet my mate."

"Beckett..." I whisper with wide eyes as his green ones met my own.

"I don't want to lose you. I can't lose you donut." He says rubbing my knuckles as my heart thumps to the same rhythm as his. "I like you Emitt. I like you a lot."

The bell for the next class blares again making the sound of screeching chairs follow as everyone rushes out quickly including our teacher while we stay planted in our seats. My eyes unable to leave him, my hands now melted with his own along with my heart.

He opens his mouth to say something but I jump into his arms before kissing him aggressively making him fall back into the other chair. We were far in the back so if anybody came in they wouldn't be able to see. I dig my hairs into his hair as I dive my tongue into his mouth, he kisses me back hungrily with clear enthusiasm as our tongues dance together followed by heated bodies. His hand grabs my thigh tightly as he brings it up higher allowing us to grind against each other, a low moan escaping my lips, I swear I heard him growl because of it.

I pull back making him grunt angrily as he pulls my lips back to his making my him against his lips to let go. I try against but his tight on me was deadly, i managed to break free eventually, keeping him down barely as I tried to catch my breath.

"I like you too." I say panting slightly. His attempts to retake my lips come to a speedy halt as he looks at me with an emotion I couldn't recognize.

"Much." Kiss. "Much." Kiss. "Much." Kiss. "More than you could ever imagine." I say smiling as I looked down at him. "And I hope I never meet my mate either. I want you. Only you."

A smile tugs its way onto his lips before he hugs me tightly making me chuckle in surprise. I thought we kiss again but he just hugged me, his addictive warmth flooding into my veins along with his emotions that took over me like a tidal wave.

I hug him back as we stay there engulfed by the emotions of the other.

Fuck you Beckett Smith.

You're fucking perfect.

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