Bella:
It was the first day of school, and I tried not to let Ryder or the Lycanthal twins bother me. When I put on my uniform, I stood in front of the mirror to check myself. The skirt was a little tight, highlighting my curves.
“Where are you going, dressed like that?” Ryder asked, and I looked in the mirror to see him standing behind me, his brow wrinkled.
“School?” I raised an eyebrow. “What is the big deal?” “You are not my mother.”
“Yes, babe, what is the big deal?” The blonde girl asked, grabbing his collar, but he drew her hands away.
“You have been placed in my care, and you will not leave this dorm in something so short!” He stormed away angrily, leaving the blonde staring at me with squinted eyes.
After that brief encounter with Ryder, I ignored him and wore my skirt out of the room to the dining hall, using the scroll as a guide.
As I walked down the hall, people looked at me, murmured, and pointed to their screens. Some made hand job gestures with their hands, while others spat in my direction.
At first, I thought it was my skirt, so I ignored them and went to the dining hall. Things did not get better because the students stared at me, making me wish I could disappear. I made my order and rushed to an empty table at a corner to eat my fresh breakfast of oats, fruit, and pancakes, but before I could take a bite, someone dumped a whole cup of yoghurt down my hair.
“That will teach you to stay away,” she said.
Before I could protest, my head was pushed down into my tray of food, and the entire dining hall burst into laughter. I looked up and saw Ryder, Finn, and Kai in a corner with the blonde girl and two other girls. The girls were on their phones while everyone laughed at me.
Shame enveloped me, prompting me to stand up. I dashed out of the dining room as everyone laughed and pointed fingers, heading straight to the restroom in the class area. This was because I could not risk returning to my room, because the classroom doors would close before I finished cleaning up.
I tried to hold back my tears in the mirror, but they just flowed freely. I paused for a moment when I heard the door open and turned to see a brunette wearing glasses.
“Are you here to make fun of me, or something?” I asked, tightening my fists.
“No, I am here to help. My name is Hazel, and I apologize for what happened to you; I witnessed everything. I have been a victim countless times, so I know how it feels,” she explained.
I relaxed my fist, allowing her to assist me in cleaning up while she explained how Ryder was the hottest guy in school, and the fact the girls thought I wanted him prompted them to pursue me.
“What makes them believe I do?” I asked, wondering if anyone had noticed the mate bond, which was impossible because the triplets didn’t even know we were mates.
“You haven’t seen the blast on Fangtastic Diaries?” she asked and I stared at her wide eyed.
“What’s that?”
“A blog that documents everyone’s mishaps as they happen,” she said, showing me a video of me moaning to the triplets’ names and attempting to kiss Ryder. Knowing who did it made my brows wrinkle immediately.
“The blonde with a ponytail!” I exclaimed.
“Fae Stormclaw? Oh, you do not want to mess with her. She is Ryder’s girlfriend, and her fairies will come for you.” Hazel said, but I could not care less.
I stormed out of the bathroom.
My prayers were answered when I collided with her.
“Watch where you are going, Ms. Sluttiness,” she said, and the girls behind her burst into laughter.
I grabbed her by the collar right away, but before I could do anything, my mother called out to me.
“My office, Ms. Runestone!”
I released my grip on the Fae’s clothes and followed my mother to her office. She slammed the door hard when I got in, resting her back on the table.
“I am tired of your nonsense, Bella, and it has to stop now. It hasn’t even been up to twenty-four hours, and you are already acting up. Are you out to disgrace me?” Mum yelled out.
I looked this woman in the eye, a tear escaping my eyes. I had found my mates and I couldn’t even share the news with my mum because she was unbelievable. There was a rumor making rounds, and she couldn’t come to my rescue.
“And this news of you being a slut that I hear?”
“Mum, it is fake.” I cried out.
“Are you sure? Ryder is going to find his mate at the ball this weekend, and I advise you to avoid him, because I will not let you ruin anything. You are too young for all this.”
I scoffed as she said this.
“You lost everything because of a boy, and you want to do it again here. Bella, you are young, and I understand that your feelings of attachment are all over the place, but please…”
“Enough, Mum; the fact you think I am a slut is enough for me. That is all I wanted to hear, and I won’t have this conversation again,” I said, grabbing the door handle.
“I do not intend to have this conversation either, and let me tell you something: as the principal of Howlstone, it is my responsibility to protect the students. You are a vampire, and even the slightest slip will cause the entire school to drive a stake through your heart, and I won’t object. So keep your guard up, Bella.”
“I am doing it perfectly, thank you, ’mum’.” I opened and slammed the door with my heart in my throat.
My mother just threatened to kill me.
I walked into the hallway, trying to hold back my tears, but I ended up on the floor, with the entire hall laughing.
Then I noticed a banana peel near me.
The bell for classes went off at once, but students didn’t stop filming.
“To your classes!” Mother yelled at the students.
Tears welled up in my eyes as my mother tried to assist me, but I slapped her hands away, limping away as quickly as possible.
This school was a nightmare, but I guess I was paying for murdering my best friend in cold blood..
Bella:The day of the mating ball had arrived, and the school was abuzz with a mix of nerves and excitement. I lay sprawled on my bed, music blasting through my headphones to drown out the rest of the world—particularly Ryder and Fae’s incessant make-out sessions on his bed.I wasn’t just battling the heartache of my mate being with someone else; I was also swamped with school work, having transferred mid-semester. To top it all off, the entire school despised me, so the ball was the last thing on my mind.When my aching heart stopped, I knew they had finished, so I took off my earpiece and got to my feet.I needed to get away to breathe, so I went to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water, and Fae appeared, smug as ever.“You might want to start looking for another place,” she sneered. “After tonight, Ryder will officially be mine, and as the future Luna, I cannot have you around.”Her words stung, but I held back my response. “Thanks for not gracing the ball with your presence,” she
Third person pov:“I can not believe the moon goddess would do this to us,” Ryder said, breaking the silence between himself and the twins.It had been hours since Bella fell from the roof, and they still had not gotten over it, let alone the fact that she was their mate.“I do not know how to feel or how to control my emotions. What if she dies, and we have to go our entire lives without a mate?” Kai said, pacing around the room, as Ryder and Finn looked at him. “We are horrible people, and we will live without mates. How will we carry out our duties if...?”“Kai, you are overreacting!” Ryder stated, and Kai paused to stare at him.“Overreacting?” He inquired in a raised tone. “Says the person who signed us up for this. It was your idea to bully her, and Finn and I agreed because we were supposed to be best friends; however, if she dies, we will throw away everything we have worked for, and...”“No one is dying, Kai,” Finn, who had been sitting calmly on a couch in the Alphas’ living
Bella:“Why didn’t you say something all this time?” Ryder asked in a loud voice, and I shrugged with a frown.“Are you going to yell at me for remaining silent after falling off a tall building because of you?” I asked, raising my brow.He was about to speak when the twins placed a hand on his shoulder and told him to calm down.I did not care because all I could think about was rejecting them, regardless of how many good things they did for me.“Look, Bella, we apologize for what we did and hope you can forgive us. I know it almost cost your life for us to apologize, and I sincerely hope we can move on,” Finn said, and I stared at him silently.Their words sound inferior to me because the last time Ryder attempted to apologize, he spilled the food, and they all mocked me. The thought of it caused untold pain in my heart, but I was not ready to talk about it.“Thank you for the gifts,” I managed to say, and everyone fell silent for a few moments.Someone knocked on the door, then ope
Bella:Seeing the triplets in pain pricked my heart, but I braced myself because they had treated me like an animal earlier.“This is very cruel of you, Bella, and—”“You know my name is Bella?” I cut Ryder short before he could finish his sentence.All this time, he had only called me names or, at best, my surname, but for once, he realized I had a name.I watched the three of them, fuming on their knees, trying to mask their pain with anger. A part of me prayed they would reject me too, and the other part feared how much pain I would go through when they did.“What are you waiting for? Too chicken to reject me?” I questioned, trying to push them to their limit.Ryder was about to speak when Finn grabbed his hand and stood up.“We know better than to reject you back, Bella, and that is the only way the mate bond can be severed. Even though we are in pain,” he paused, grabbing his chest with a frown as he tried to maintain a firm tone, “We won’t reject you.”After he finished, there w
Bella:I took Hazel back to the room as fast as I could, then I dumped her on the couch, returning to get a couple more sachets. After that, I went back to my room, got into bed, and decided to finish my snack of chilled blood sachets for the night.My mind pricked me as I looked at Hazel peacefully asleep, and I hoped that one day, when she found out, she would forgive me and know that what I did was right.“I came about thirty minutes ago, and I searched for her, but I couldn’t find her…”My mother’s voice trailed off.I pulled the sachet out of my mouth, tossing it under my bed, just as she pulled the door open.“Oh, she is here,” she said, ending the call and rushing towards me with a worried face.“Where have you been, Bella?” she questioned, placing her hand on my head to check my temperature, which was fine now because I had fed.“I’m fine. I had to get some fresh air,” I said, frowning.No matter what she said or did, she was the same person who wanted me dead.“Please do not
THIRD PERSON POV:Fae and Ryder lay side by side, his thoughts drifting back to Bella’s rejection. He hated his life at that moment, especially the fact he had to stoop so low for Bella’s attention.“Who does she think she is?” he muttered aloud, sitting up abruptly.Fae, lost in her own thoughts about what she had done to Bella, barely registered his words. She knew that once Bella spoke up, there would be an investigation, and there would likely be witnesses. That fear gnawed at her, but she kept her focus on Ryder.“I wish I could make her disappear,” Ryder said, flopping back onto the bed in frustration, his arm brushing against Fae’s chest by accident.The touch startled Fae, pulling her out of her thoughts. Seeing the frustration etched on Ryder’s face, she climbed on top of him, hoping to distract herself and him. She pressed her lips to his neck, but he stopped her, grabbing her hands.“What are you doing? We only have about thirty minutes before breakfast, and I don’t want to
Bella:I hated them so much, but why did it hurt again seeing him with Fae? She was the person who had attempted to murder me, and yet he showered her with love.“Fuck you!” I groaned, slapping my chest for the pain it felt.I walked as fast as I could to Hazel’s room.When I grabbed the handle, Hazel caught my left hand.“Bella!” she called out. I turned to face her with tears shimmering in my eyes. “You do not have to keep doing this to yourself, please, Bella,” she pleaded. I swallowed hard, pulled the door open, and threw myself onto the bed.She shut the door and walked towards the bed.“I’m fine,” I muttered. She tried to hold my hand, but I withdrew, because I was ashamed that she had to see me this way.I wiped away my tears, then I took a deep breath, turning off my emotions. I was a fool for switching them back on, and I didn’t care if I was running from my problems. This seemed better, and I had better things to waste my emotions than some boys who didn’t give two shits abo
Bella:After Ryder was suspended in front of the entire school, I couldn’t pay attention to classes for the entire day. He had so much effect on me, and it bothered me a lot because I switched off my emotions, but he still found his way to bug my mind.“Turning off your emotions doesn’t affect me,” my wolf spoke, answering the question which had been bugging me the entire day.The last bell went off.Students rushed out of the class while I packed up my books after wasting an entire day for nothing. Maybe I should have stayed back, I reasoned, but then it was too late to cry over spilled milk.“Hey, do you know what extracurricular you want to take now?” Hazel asked, and I looked up to see her never-ending smile plastered on her face.I sighed, slapping my forehead because I had forgotten I needed to take an extracurricular to boost my credit units.“You cannot be sad all the time, and you know that.”“I’m not sad, I just feel guilty for what happened to him, and...”“Isn’t that what