Oh. Shit!
My senior year at Ridgeback High couldn't have started on a better note. Not.
Everything was going fine. Perfect, even. I was being less clumsy. I mean, I didn't even trip on air once and that is a considerable feat for me.
Well, until now.
I stared in horror at Melanie whose whole outfit was now soaked with my orange juice. I don't even know how the whole damn carton of juice flew out of my hand and landed on her head, drenching her from head to toe.
The whole cafeteria was silent and everyone was staring at us in anticipation of the coming drama. These people seriously needed to get a life.
Melanie, a power-hungry queen bitch was glaring at me. She snarled at me. "You fucking bitch!" She cried and her shrill voice resonated in the walls of the cafeteria.
In a way, I was thankful that it was Melanie and not Amanda who fate decided had to have a bath in my juice. Amanda, the self-proclaimed queen bee of Ridgeback High School is crazier than anyone I have known.
Before Melanie could lunge at me, two hands grabbed her by the waist and pulled her away from me.
Drew was trying his best to keep Melanie from clawing at me and for that I was grateful. With nails as long as hers, she would be able to scrape my skin off. Drew was Melanie's boyfriend, though what did he see in her was beyond me. He was also my best friend Natalie's brother.
Drew and I had known each other forever because we weren't close or anything. We just shared a couple of classes.
And no, I didn't have a crush on him. Sure he was cute with hazel eyes, black hair, and dimples on either side of his cheeks, but he wasn't my type.
Melanie had always been a slut and no, I was not being judgmental here. She had slept with almost every guy here. But everything changed after her eighteenth birthday, exactly when she got together with Drew. That was seven months ago and, she somehow changed her ways. It was as if one day she decided that she had done enough of sleeping around and wanted to settle down, and who better than Drew, the quiet and attractive guy? What changed, I am still not sure.
Melanie had been mean to both me and my best friends for as long as I could remember.
Just don't call us the three musketeers. Anything but that!
"What's happening here?" Ah! Principal Powers. This man has always had impeccable timing. It's like he has a radar for ongoing teenage drama.
"Hey, Melanie, baby. Calm down." Drew cooed in Melanie's ear.
"Calm down?! How the fuck am I supposed to calm down when this bitch purposely drenched me?" She snarled while pointing her manicured finger at me.
"Language, Ms. Simpson." Principal Powers glared at Melanie.
"Now, Melanie. I am pretty sure that she didn't do it on purpose." Drew tried to diffuse the situation.
Melanie struggled to get out of Drew's grasp. "I am going to kill you" she cried. "Let me go, Drew."
Everyone had their cell phones out and were recording this scene and I was sure that it would be posted on all social networking sites before the lunch period was over.
Did I mention I hate attention?!
And where are your best friends when you need them?!
Drew tightened his hold on Melanie and whispered something in her ear. She stiffened with a blush coating her cheeks. She went limp in his arms and leaned back in him. I didn't know Drew had such power over Melanie. What did he even say?
"Ms. Melanie Simpson, care to explain what happened here?" Mr. Powers had moved from his position at the entrance of the cafeteria to beside us.
"Mr Powers, Zara here deliberately drenched me in her orange juice."
I have had it with her accusations. "You know, Melanie, if I had drenched you on purpose, it wouldn't have been with my orange juice. There is more disgusting stuff in the cafeteria." I scoffed. And on cue, murmurs broke around the cafeteria.
"You bitch....." Melanie growled and tried to lunge at me again.
"It would do you good to control your mouth, Ms. Simpson. You're still in school!" Principal Powers said.
"Are you on your fucking period? It wasn't even a good comeback." I snickered. I never talked back like this, what had gotten into me, and in front of the principal too. And judging from other student's expressions they were wondering the same thing. Even Melanie was surprised.
"Girls, enough!"Mr. Powers sighed."Mr. Drew Jenson, I suggest you take your girlfriend away from you and get her changed into some dry clothes. And as for you, Ms. Zara Hemming, you will clean the mess you created."
Clean the mess I created? I suppose could do that. There was just a little orange juice which I could easily mop. Better to concede than argue with the principal and get detention in the process.
"Ok, Principal Powers." I begrudgingly accepted.
"Good." Principal Powers gave us both pointed looks and walked out of the cafeteria.
Melanie smirked at me, picked up her tray, and let it fall on the floor. "Oh, I guess you will have to clean my mess too", she mocked me in a sickly sweet voice.
Her whole posse stood up from the table and one by one, all of them dropped their plates and laughed. Wow, talk about unity.
Drew looked apologetically at me and dragged Melanie away, who, I was sure had much more to say to me.
Her posse of fellow cheerleaders walked out of the cafeteria, swaying their hips, their skirts barely covering their asses, just as the bell rang signifying the end of the lunch period.
My hands balled into fists. I just couldn't believe that they did this.
I was not a pushover but the cafeteria was already empty and I don't think going to Mr. Powers and whining like a child would do me any good.
I sighed and rubbed my temples. I am going to kill Natalie and Samantha for leaving me alone and getting detention for coming in late.
Everyone must already be on their way to their lockers to attend their classes and here, I would be cleaning the mess I "supposedly" created. I could just leave whatever mess Melanie and her followers created but I didn't want to give them another reason to get on their bad side and get detention.
I sighed and walked out of the cafeteria. Instead of walking towards my next class, like I wanted to, I walked in the direction of the janitor's closet.
The famous janitor's closet where half of the sluts in our school had lost their virginities.
I could hear grunts and moans from inside the closet.
Just my luck!
No shocker there. They should sterilize every surface in that closet. Poor Mr. Janitor who has to touch the supplies daily.
I was in a hurry to get to my class, well whatever was left of it, anyway and I didn't care whose baby-making I interrupted.
After taking a deep breath, I turned the knob and opened the door, and inside, I found Harper Cain hooking up with his girl of the week. Or day. Or hour.
Harper Cain, the obnoxiously good-looking playboy of the school. With green eyes, soft brown hair, and a height of 6'3", he was every girl's dream. The only problem was that he knew how damn hot he was and he took full advantage of it. Almost 80% of the girls here lost their virginities to him.
What an absolute clichè, a bad boy who never settles down with one girl, broke the hearts of all his hookups and girls still pined for him.
And the rate with which he was going, I was sure he would run out of girls to have sex with. But yeah, there was another high school not too far from here, so I don't think he was worried much about that. Ew.
Oh, and I hate him. Shocker! If only he could respect girls more and not treat them like shit. He slept with my sister two years ago when she was a senior and we were sophomores. He didn't even have the decency to stay the morning after they had sex. I mean, how did he even get to score with a senior? Nothing is impossible for the high and mighty Cain.
Harper didn't even have the decency to lock the door and they didn't even notice me. I mean, hello, people don't want to open a door and walk in to see a live session of p**n.
The victim of the week was Maria Wilson, who was supposed to be a goody-two-shoes nerd. Again, I'm not judging anyone, I'm just saying what I see. Is there no end of Harper's charm?! Not.
His body was a work of art if only his ego wasn't too big. His body was lean and muscular as if all he did was play with weights. And I could see a six-pack too. Is he on steroids? I mean, can seventeen-year-old boys even have such chiseled bodies?
His dick was still inside her and he was rocking his hips none too gently. Maria cried and moaned in pleasure at every thrust. Her back was arched and her eyes were closed. He was gripping her ass so hard that I was sure her ass would have his hand imprints. His other hand supported her by gripping her lower back. His abdomen muscles flexed at every thrust. I had a full view of Maria's backside and it was a sight I will never be able to forget. I am literally, scarred for life.
For a second, I forgot why I was here and wondered what it would be like to hold Harper's arms when they flexed when he was inside me and I moaned in pleasure.
Wait, what?
I shook my head to clear my head of these thoughts. I needed to control these traitorous whore-mones.
He sucked her breast as if they were just going to ooze out the drink of the gods. He bit her already pink nipple which made her moan so loud, I was afraid it would bring everyone out of their classes to check out the source of the sound.
Awkward much.
I cleared my throat but I got no response. They were still going at it like rabbits. Disgusting.
I cleared my throat with more force. Harper opened one of his eyes and looked at me. He still didn't let go of her nipple.
He raised an eyebrow but didn't stop thrusting.
Oh God!
"I, um, was j- just l- looking for some cleaning supplies."
He didn't stop, instead just grabbed Maria and wrapped her legs around his waist.
Okay?!
Maria was still in her bliss. I don't think she even knew that lunch period was over and she had to get to class.
Leaving her nipple, he grunted and looked at me. "What the fuck are you waiting for? Grab whatever you need." And went back to sucking on her other boob.
Great! Just fucking great!
I gingerly entered the already crammed closet and grabbed whatever I needed to clean the cafeteria floors. They didn't stop even once and I bumped into them so many times. I wondered if I had contracted a venereal disease by just being in the same room as Harper Cain.
I gathered all the supplies, maintaining as much distance as I could from the horny couple.
"Get out, already. And close the damn door." Harper growled.
Wow, Harper could not have been more of an idiot.
If I wasn't so out of my wits, I would have given him a witty retort.
Instead, I just grabbed the cleaning supplies and closed the damn door.
If it was possible, Maria's moans got even louder. How in the world had no one heard her yet?
If Maria's moans were anything to draw my conclusion from, I was sure I now knew the reason why girls pined for him even after he left them hanging.
I cringed at my thought.
A guy who looked like a Greek god and fucked like one too.
Ah, cafeteria, here I come.
My life is so much better than Harper Cain, anyway. Not.
I was more than twenty minutes late for my English class. And my English class was at the other end of the school. Great. The universe hates me!Don't get me wrong! It wasn't like I was dying to get to class, it's just that I had never been late to class before and the thought somehow disturbed me, even if being late wasn't entirely my fault. Scratch that! It wasn't my fault at all.I ran all the way, as fast as my legs would carry me, and guess what, Ms. Wilson wasn't even there, and here I was, huffing, so I could catch my breath. Wow. Talk about being responsible.As I walked into the classroom, the chatter ceased and everyone looked up. When everyone realized that it was just me and not the teacher, they redirected their attention to whatever they were doing before.I scanned the classroom for an empty seat and the only seat available was the one in front of Harper Cain, who was busy sucking some girl's face off.This guy has some serious hormonal issues, I tell you. His behavior
I wouldn't say that the town I lived in was some kind of booming metropolis. Quite the contrary. The town I have lived in since I was born is a quiet little town situated in the hills. It was not one of those small and remote towns too, where everyone knew everybody.Arada was a moderate-sized town and had two high schools three primary schools and several kindergartens. There was also a small prestigious college on the outskirts of Arada, which didn't accept many applications, and thus had fewer students compared to any big University.Arada was surrounded by thick woods on three sides. The forest was shaped like a crescent moon if you were to look from above, high in the sky. The abundance of trees in the area made the town colder than other nearby cities and made it rain quite often. The nearest city was almost six hours away and was more industrialized with big businessmen and buildings and a bigger population.The second nearest city was half a day away and was more of a quiet l
"Why is Harper Cain staring at you?"whispered the girl sitting to the left of me, for what felt like, the hundredth time.I groaned inwardly. "If it had not been for you, I wouldn't have known he was staring at me. And for the last time. I. Don't. Know." I gritted my teeth.The redhead gave me a death glare and went back to texting on her phone in the middle of the class.I took a deep breath and prepared myself to check if she was right like I had already done the past twenty times. I knew that he was looking at me because I could somehow feel his intense stare at the back of my head.Nonetheless, I gathered my courage and turned my head around. And there he was, in the last row, in the corner of the room still staring at me with a stony expression. I don't think he had looked at any other person in the class because every time I turned my head around to look at him, he had his eyes right on me. I met his intimidating gaze for a few seconds, raised my left eyebrow, and telepathical
I was numb. Just completely and utterly dumbfounded.My brain was taking a lot of time to process what the fuck just happened. Throughout the ride home, I replayed the kisses over and over in my mind. How they felt and how they drove me to peaks of desire and ecstasy.After I reached my home, I walked like a robot to my room, all the while ignoring my parents and brother. I plopped down on my bed and that was when it hit me.HARPER CAIN KISSED ME! AND I KISSED HIM BACK! AND I LIKED IT!TWICE, if you leave that last peck.After I freaked out for half an hour, I decided I needed an expert opinion on this matter and that's why I called my two best friends on a conference call and told them everything.Silence reigned for a few seconds on their ends and then they screamed. I could feel cracks beginning to form in my room's walls and my eardrums being shattered. They were that loud.They giggled for some time, fangirled a lot, and fought over who was going to be my maid of honor in my wedd
When I stood on the pavement, at night, I realized that I had no ride. I didn't want to go back inside and face Natalie and Samantha with tears streaming down my face and smudged mascara. So, I took the only option I had, I started walking while furiously wiping my tears.At this point, I didn't even know why I was crying. Was it because Harper just stole a kiss from me when I didn't even want it? But that couldn't be the reason, because it had already happened in school today. It wasn't with the same forcefulness, but still.Was it because he thought it would be okay to kiss another girl before me and he thought I would never know and that I was just another one of his hookups? Was it because the kisses we shared did something to me whereas Harper just thought of me as another girl he could have sex with? I was so confused I don't even know the answer to my questions, right now. And I was not sure I wanted to know.I heard the sound of a car honking beside me. I ignored it at first a
"Ok, you have stalled long enough. Now you will tell us what happened!" Samantha's voice was determined like her whole personality. Samantha and Natalie sat down across from me on the cafeteria table.I cringed. I had been trying to escape my inquisitive friends since yesterday night. They had no idea why I left them at the party when we were supposed to have fun. They had no idea who dropped me and why I ran away in the first place.I didn't pick up their calls yesterday night, hoping they would think that I had fallen asleep. And in school, I evaded them in the two classes I shared with them.But now I had no choice. I had to tell them. I have never hidden anything from them in all the years we have been friends and the guilt had been weighing me down. Taking a deep breath, I looked up from my plate of spaghetti and meatballs to meet the eyes of my two best friends.They looked at me expectantly and I started telling them everything. About Aiden telling me where to find Harper, to
It has been two weeks since Harper's birthday and everything had returned to the way it used to be.Harper had gone back to his ways of groping and sleeping around, with anything that walks and has a vagina. He has an insatiable appetite, I swear. He has been ignoring me. I had no idea why, though. Before he was just oblivious to my existence, but now, he was avoiding me. He practically ran the other way whenever we happened to be in the same hallway.I didn't miss the way he looked at me when he thought I wasn't aware he was around. Well, whenever his mouth wasn't attached to someone else's.I had realized that Harper was not the man for me. Man-whore is not my type. I think I got upset at his birthday party because he took me for granted and while I was sure he felt nothing during the kisses we shared, I did feel something. The kiss was passionate and the best kiss I had ever had. But I was happy that things were back to the way they were. Uncomplicated and simple. I had started
I took my bag and changed out of my uniform as Stephanie took charge behind the counter. I sent a quick goodbye to Monique and Antony. I thought I would be at Natalie's house for the sleepover by 8 but I was running a little late.I wasn't worried about the fact that I didn't have clothes with me, I would just borrow Natalie's. I got in my car and started driving towards Natalie's house. I had to give my details to the security man posted at the gate of the colony Natalie lived in. The same colony where Harper lives.Why does this colony even need security guards?! It was not as if Arada was full of cutthroats and criminals.I parked in Natalie's driveway.Her house held a modern yet conservative touch to it. With light cream walls and two huge pillars supporting the patio, the house was simply magnificent. The wide garden wrapped around the house and gave it a soothing aura. The house consisted of two floors and many rooms, all brilliantly furnished.I knocked at the door, waiting f
Bonus Chapter: Natalie's POVI knew something was wrong when I didn't get my period for two months. I never had a smooth cycle so I wasn't troubled when they didn't happen the first time but their absence in the second consecutive month got me worried. My body had undergone certain changes I knew weren't normal and I was worrying myself to death, thinking about some kind of deadly disease that would kill me in a few months. Even though I knew that my immunity system was way better than a normal human's, I couldn't help but entertain such thoughts. I didn't tell anyone of my concerns as I didn't want anyone to worry because of my baseless concerns. Nonetheless, I booked the first possible appointment with the pack gynaecologist. I had prepared myself for everything, a tumour in my ovary, internal hemorrhaging of my uterus that would result in an immediate hysterectomy, or even breast cancer which would again lead to a complete mammectomy. But as I sat in front of the doctor and she ex
Bonus Chapter: Ethan's POVWhen you grow up as a werewolf, all you ever hear is the word 'mate', because people around you can't stop talking about them. Some elders talk about mates with a dazed but happy look in their eyes and you can easily tell how much they love their mates. When young people talked to mates, you could practically feel their longing and the love they had for their mates. When teenagers talk about mates, you can feel their desperation to find their mates and be one with them. Rejections in my pack were extremely rare and every werewolf lived happily ever after with their fated mates. There were no doubts, no questions asked because your mate could be the exact fit of your soul, your second half, and the one who you are supposed to live as long as you live. Growing up and watching my parents and pack members, this is all I had watched and learned, that a mate was for you to love, hold and protect till the end of your days. When you're brought up like that, the ide
EPILOGUE 3: HARPER'S POV (TEN YEARS LATER)It was three years ago when Mason was first teased by a classmate about the unusual arrangement of his parents. I had always known that as he was growing up, he became especially attuned to the fact that the way his family lived wasn't exactly normal by usual standards. There were so many unusual factors that they were bound to seem different to him and I wasn't exactly prepared for how Mason was coping with how different his family seemed to be from any other family in the pack. As the future alpha, it was essential to be a part of the pack because other people were often intimidated by the power you had and by the power you would have in the future. My father always taught me to be a part of the pack but always remember that you could never essentially be a part of the pack. And this is exactly what I had taught Mason to do; I had asked him to play with all the other wolf kids but always remember that in the future, he will be responsible
Epilogue 2: Zara's POVI could feel everyone's eyes on me, which instantly made me nervous. I hated feeling this way but I wasn't sure I could help it. I hated being the centre of attention and walking down an aisle and standing in front of all the pack members to take part in the Luna ceremony was exactly that, being the centre of attention. Harper had told me that since I was the true luna of the pack, the ceremony would be a little different and I wasn't sure how that would affect me as I hadn't exactly attended Natalie's ceremony. I weakly smiled at all the pack members assembled in the pack grounds and started walking down the aisle towards the raised stage at the front of the pack. I was barefoot to pay homage to the natural aspect of the pack and to respect the raw nature of the wolves. The grass was soft beneath my feet and I immediately compared the softness to the grass in the spirit world where I used to meet the moon goddess. Harper had instructed me to not look around an
Epilogue: Zara's POVA blush immediately coated my cheeks as I slowly woke up from my deep slumber. The bed felt too cosy and I couldn't help but snuggle against Harper's body. His amazing body heat and the tingles that danced all over my skin whenever we touched made me let out a deep, sleepy moan. I felt Harper stir beside me and felt his arm settle on my bare hip, eliciting a heady warmth to settle deep in my belly. His thumb gently caressed my hip bone and I moved closer to him, determined to have as much skin contact as possible and leave no space between us. Harper's scent surrounded me, which brought an involuntary sleepy smile to my face. Even with my eyes closed, I could picture Harper's slightly upturned nose as he slept. It was too hard to resist his adorable expressions so most of the time, I didn't even try. My head rested on his shoulder and my face settled in the crook of his neck. Without needing to open my eyes, I leaned forward and planted an open-mouthed kiss on Ha
I thought about it for so many months, because the act of being marked by Harper seemed final. It felt like a full stop and in a way, it was final, an end. I knew the meaning of being marked even before I had decided to go away when I had learned of Natalie's pregnancy. I had asked him to mark me so many months ago and he had refused. It seemed so long ago, Aiden's birthday party when he found out that Samantha was his mate. So much has happened since then, things that have made me value the most precious things in life, let go of grudges, and the importance of relationships. After all, I have been through, I believe I have grown as a person. Not just me either, I know that all of us, Harper, Natalie, Samantha, and Aiden have grown up and matured in a way that most eighteen-year-olds don't. Well, Natalie is nineteen years old and so is Harper, as of today. So, I want to stress the fact that the decision to mate with Harper wasn't a light one even though I know most people wouldn't s
I think what the moon goddess said somehow helped me get over Ethan's death. I was still wrung and grieving about him for weeks, don't get me wrong but thinking about how must be at peace somehow made it easy to bear his loss. If I were to believe the goddess' words, Ethan wasn't happy in his life and was lost because he had no apparent purpose. I like to think that he got the release he so desperately wanted and needed. Even after knowing all this, I still couldn't cope with the fact that I won't be seeing him every day. He had been my source of comfort and strength for so long, he was someone I could lean on. He had begun to understand me in ways I'd never thought possible. And his absence felt left like a big void and I wasn't sure I could fill it. I didn't know if it was possible to fill it. When Harper told me that Ethan wouldn't be getting a funeral like the pack members because he was a rogue, I had been so infuriated. I knew that what Harper was saying was a part of who he w
~ Harper’s POV~"You do realize that to break the bond between us, either one of us will have to complete the mating process and mark our mates," I remarked and watched as Natalie nodded her head in acknowledgment. We had just gotten back after performing the final rites of the pack warriors who had lost their lives from the battle with the rogues. Needless to say, we needed some time to regain our bearings before we mingled with the rest of the world. I had done it before when my father was fighting for his life and I still found it jarring to my being, to perform the final rites of the werewolves who lose their lives. I couldn't imagine how Natalie must be feeling as it was her first time dealing with this ceremony. And hopefully, the last time. "I know," she said and we didn't speak for a few moments. I sincerely hoped that it would get easier with time, performing this ritual. It certainly hurt more when I knew that the pack members were paying for the mistakes my father committe
When I came to my senses, I immediately knew that Harper wasn't in the bed with me. I had lost consciousness when I was engulfed in his body heat, with his arms wrapped around me. The loss of his presence was so pronounced that I didn't want to open my eyes. It felt like he was the only reason I wasn't emotionally breaking down right now. A very big part of me wanted to be near him right now and the fact that he wasn't here with me disappointed me a lot. Even in my dreams, I had expected him to be here with me, helping me get over my loss. I wanted to never open my eyes and I was glad the room was shrouded in darkness. My neck prickled in awareness and I became aware of someone sitting in the room and even though, the threat of the rogues was over, I suddenly felt unsafe. "I know you are awake, Zara." I recognized that voice and the fear immediately abated. I opened my eyes and got up in a seating position. I leaned against the headboard and regarded the figure of the soft figure of