He turned back towards me and I was amazed as his eyes turned from their usual hazel to a dark yellow color, but for some reason I wasn't terrified by the transformation.

I woke up the next morning, tired. I pulled on some clothes before trudging through the house to get breakfast. The kitchen was packed with people as every member of my pack got their food. But the moment I entered the eating area, all attention turned to me and a path was made. I avoided eye contact and instead focused on getting my helping of the food. Aleida, a beautiful woman a few years older than me, gave me my plate, her cheeks flushed red. All the wolves in the room waited for me to sit and take my first bite before continuing with their meals. Being the next Alpha in line earned an amount of respect that I was still trying to get accustomed to. After quickly eating my breakfast, I got ready for the day before rushing outside to meet Riley, who was casually leaning against his truck.

"You look horrible." I stated when I was close enough to see his face. His hair was sticking up In random places and his eye bags were dark. He let out a fake laugh before getting in the car and driving us to school since it was the beginning of senior year.

I couldn't get the thoughts of Noah out of my mind all night. It was like he was a fly that just wouldn't leave me alone and I couldn't stop thinking about him. Even though I hated to admit it, I was disgusted by who my mate was and what that would require of me if we were to form a relationship. I had never thought of another guy in that way or wanted to, nor did I have anyone in my life that followed that lifestyle. I could only image what my father would think of me or how upset my mother would be over not having grandchildren- or a blood related Alpha to take the thrown. My head was spinning just from these thoughts of disappointing my parents.

"What if I found my mate last night?" I asked suddenly as I was not able to contain myself any longer, making Riley slam on the brakes. Thankfully, we were already in the parking lot.

"Don't mess with me. Are you serious?" he asked, parking the car correctly. He turned the engine off and turned to look at me with hard eyes.

"Yeah but if I tell you, you have to promise not to hate me or tell anyone." I made sure to exaggerate the last part. He nodded slowly and I looked him in the eyes. I didn't know what his reaction would be. I couldn't have a Beta or a best friend that hated me because he was a homophobe. "My mate is a dude."

I looked up at him the same time he started laughing. "Why would I hate you? So what if your mate is a guy. The spirits don't make mistakes." He calmed himself down before wiggling his eyebrows. "So who is the lucky guy?"

"Noah."

"Oh that should be fun." I gave him a questioning look before he continued to explain. "Just try not to kill anyone 'cus a lot people pick on him." A ping of anger went threw me but I thought nothing of it. If I was being honest, I didn't know anything about Noah and yet, we were in the same grade.

"How about you stick by my side so you can prevent me from killing people or possibly, marking him infront of the whole school?" We grabbed our bags before heading into the school building. The first thing that hit me when I walked inside was the smell of apples and cinnamon. His scent was everywhere and it drove me insane. I already knew trying to keep my wolf calm and not let him take over my being was going to be really hard. If just his mere distant scent drove me crazy, I couldn't imagine actually being in his presence.

When it came to my status in school, I wouldn't say I was popular but I definitely wasn't a loser either. I didn't participate in any sports but I had a pretty face and thats all it took to be known in my school. Many girls giggled as we passed by as a few of my friends highfived me. My popularity would be another reputation that could be ruined because of a possibility of being gay.

We walked to our first class and took a seat in the back with Riley sitting on my left in the corner of the room.

"Don't look." Riley whispered to me but it was too late, I looked. I watched as Noah walked into the classroom, talking to some girl as they sat in the back row as well. I didn't like the way the girl was touching him and I couldn't help the jealousy I was feeling. "Ryder, calm down."

"I am calm." I huffed as I crossed my arms and faced the front of the class, trying to block out their conversation.

"That's Noah's best friend, Sage. She's not exactly flirting, okay?" I relaxed after he said that. You're not gay, Ryder. Stop obsessing over him. I kept telling myself but I just couldn't bring myself to believe it.

"Don't worry. I'll protect you this year. No bully is going to hurt you with me around." Sage said as she tried to convince me that she would hurt anyone that tried to lay a finger on me.

Sage has been my best friend since I was in seventh grade. Her purple and black hair and blue eyes attracted many people and I was shocked when she chose me as her best friend.

I rolled my eyes and started walking to my first class, English. "I'll protect you, my little baby bear." she cooed as she pinched my cheek. I slapped her hand away and dragged her to the back of the classroom.

"So how was the party last night that you didn't seem to invite me to?" She asked. I rolled my eyes at her in response.

"I wasn't invited either. I was dragged." I sighed, replaying the memory of Riley dragging me out of my bed. "Besides I left before any damage was done."

"Anything exciting happen?" she asked, narrowing her eyes as they scanned over my face. My cheeks felt hot as a mild brush crept on them. She could always tell when I was hiding something and right now, I was hiding the fact that I liked Ryder Linn. "Oh now you have to tell me. Tell me the dirty deets."

"I'll tell you at lunch, okay?" she nodded before concentrating on the teacher that just walked into the room. I looked at the students infront of me and realized I was surrounded by idiots - otherwise know as the popular kids that always picked on me for my sexuality.

I guess the phrase 'pick on' isn't appropiate. I cringed at the memory of last time I was 'picked on'.

I looked to my right and took a double take. Of course, Ryder was in this class. He must have felt my stare because he glanced at me, meeting my gaze. I gulped loudly before resting my head on the desk and counting down the minutes until the bell rung.

+++++

"I'll catch up with you later." I told Sage. She hesistated before nodding and walking to the cafeteria. The bell rung and the halls became empty, except for my existence. I began to walk towards the cafeteria until I was suddenly pushed into the lockers. I fell to the ground on all fours and looked up to see my usual crowd around me.

"Well if it isn't the little fag Noah. We missed you over the summer." the leader, Brad, said, glancing around before looking back down at me. "I guess we'll just have to make up for lost time." Without pausing, he kicked me in the stomach and I fell completely to the ground as they all became to beat me. I curled up into a ball as in to protect myself but it barely helped. A foot eventually struck me in the mouth and I couldn't hold back my cries any longer.

My eyes opened for a split second and to my surprise, Ryder was running towards us. He pushed Brad and the others away from me and I swear I heard him growl like an animal. He punched Brad in the face, causing him to collapse on the ground, and the rest of the group ran for their life. Ryder turned back towards me and I was amazed as his eyes turned from their usual hazel to a dark yellow color, but for some reason I wasn't terrified by the transformation. He reached out his hand to help me up and out of reflex, I shrank back and covered my body, waiting for him to hit me.

"I won't hurt you." I heard him say with security. Despite my fears, I took his hand and the tingles went through my arm again, a gasp coming out of me. I cringed inwardly at how my gasp sounded, so unwanted and shy.

Before I knew it, I was pressed against the lockers, my hands pinned above my head and Ryder's face buried in my neck. He kissed my sweet spot and a moan escaped from my mouth, which pretty much encouraged him to continue. I was in complete shock and confusion and slightly violated.

He started placing soft kisses along my jaw, making my breathing irregular. When he reached my mouth, I was anxious for him to kiss me but instead he ran his tongue along my bruised lip, not that I'm complaining. "You smell so good." he whispered as he went back to kissing my neck but my whole body shuddered when I felt his teeth graze my skin. I felt a need for him to do something but I didn't know what.

I normally wouldn't respond this way to unwanted touching and kissing from a random stranger. But there was a power of me, something controlling my body and its reaction. I couldn't resist his touch, I was powerless. My mind was foggy and unable to make decisions for itself. My body worked on it's own and worked only towards getting closer to the strange man on me.

I tilted my head back, giving him more access. "Ryder!" I heard someone yell. I opened my eyes, that had closed on their own, and saw Riley running towards us. He pushed Ryder to the ground and looked at me with serious eyes. "Go."

It took awhile for my mind to unfog and to realize what was happening. Weirdly enough, I wanted to stay but apart me knew that I should listen to him so I did. As I was running, I could have sworn I heard more growls but chose to ignore it and ran to the cafeteria to sit next to Sage. She looked at me with questioning and worried eyes but dropped it, probably planning to interrogate me.