A Cheating Mate

I guess I distracted him as he got hit on the jaw by Maverick. 

This, of course, didn't stop him from looking at me again. This time, a lot of people looked in my direction. 

"Come on Kiara. I think we need to go." I muttered underneath my breath. 

However, Kiara, who was excited about meeting her mate, didn't want to leave without acknowledging him. 

"Why do we have to leave?" She whined. 

"His stare is attracting attention. I hate basking in the limelight." 

This time, I didn't wait for her to respond, as I quickly ran away. 

Not long after I ran off, I heard the sound of running footsteps behind me. I hid behind a pillar and watched him glance around with a calm expression. 

Just when he was about to walk towards it, one of the pack warriors, Cage Sandler, Marcellus' best friend, ran up to him. 

"Bro, you suddenly took off in the middle of the duel. Everyone will think you're scared of Maverick." Cage said. 

Marcellus didn't look at him, but had his eyes pointed towards my direction. "I already proposed a truce. The fight will continue tomorrow." 

"I know you did, but the Alpha is very upset and he demands to see you as soon as possible." 

Marcellus glanced in the direction of the pillar again and walked away with Cage.

"I think he knows you're here. Why don't you reveal yourself?" Kiara said excitedly. 

The burning sensation and need came again, but this time, I was determined not to let it get to me. 

I pulled back my head and replied her. "Forget it. I don't think I'm good enough for him." 

"Don't do this. You can't deprive me of my mate!" 

"He's also my mate!" 

Although Kiara protested and I acted like I didn't care, I still felt a warm glow in my heart thinking of him. 

I went home to see my mother preparing food. Due to my heartache, I only mumbled a few words of greetings to her before stomping off into my room.

Evening came and I felt terrible. Not only was Kiara not talking to me, but my mother's weird anger has also kicked in. 

I got up from my bed and walked out of the room. Just like before, my mother was gone. Where she often disappears to is what I don't know. 

"Now you're in the kitchen, how about making a meal for Marcellus?" I heard Kiara say. 

I nodded instantly, partially because I was scared she'd snub me again and also because that was what I had in mind to do. 

"It's also my birthday today, so we'd celebrate it together." I smiled to myself. 

I finished preparing pasta with a lot of meat in it an hour later and tidied up the kitchen. Before I left the house, I put on the same mask I wore to the duel earlier this morning. 

I remembered he often sat by a lake reading, so I headed there. My guess wasn't wrong as I saw him at the lake, but when I was about to call out his name, I saw Willow Baker beside him. 

The cold-hearted Marcellus smiled heartily at something she said. Then she leaned over and they kissed. 

The sight of it caused my heart to tighten in pain while Kiara kept shouting angrily in my head. 

"This is exactly what I was trying to say! His father wasn't faithful to his mate. What do you expect he, a product of his father, would be?" 

"It's not that." I muttered heartbroken, my eyes fluttering as I gazed at the two who were about to make out beside the lake. 

"Pull yourself together and don't let this get to you! He's a scum who doesn't deserve you!" Kiara rasped. 

I smiled, albeit tearing up inside, and glanced down at the lunch box I had thrown on the ground. 

"I think something is wrong somewhere." I sniffled. Thankfully, I was putting on a mask. Hence, no one saw I was crying. 

"Yes, your mate is having sex with another person that's not you!" 

I was rendered speechless. How could she be so quick tempered? 

"That's not what I mean." I chuckled. "Although your logic might be true, Marcellus isn't someone who'll cheat on his mate. For a fact, he hates it and detests men who do it because that was the same way he was born. Recalling how he was treated, I doubt he'd ever do it." 

"Haven't you heard the phrase, change is constant?" Kiara scoffed. 

Once again, I was rendered speechless. "You just appeared in my life today, how is it that you know all these things?" 

"I'm in your head. And in the short time I've been here, I've gone through your memories. I've also gone through your so-called collection of quotes." 

"Seriously?" I laughed lightly. "That must be so much fun." 

"It's not." Kiara replied almost immediately. "I badly want to transform. What do you say?" 

Due to the matters earlier, I had totally forgotten about shifting into my wolf. Quickly, the scene of Marcellus and Willow got thrown to the back of my mind. 

"Sure." 

I dropped the lunch box somewhere and ran into the woods. 

I found a nice place and undressed, then I waited for the usual pain that came. I thought I could handle it, but when it came, I figured out I wasn't prepared. 

Shifting came with a pain that made me want to die, but when I transformed fully, I figured out the pain was gone. 

"How does it feel being overshadowed?" I heard Kiara giggle. 

My consciousness was slowly leaving me. It was my first time transforming and I guess I also used up the little energy I had accumulated over the years. 

I was beginning to really fall asleep until I heard Kiara's panicked voice. "Ashley, I think we're surrounded by rogues." 

I tried pulling myself together but couldn't. Just when I was about to lose hope, when I smelt the familiar masculine, vanilla wafted into my nostrils. 

For reasons vividly known to Kiara, she decided to quieten down and stop resisting.