Chapter 5

The first to speak was my father, who turned to Seth, the Alpha Zev, and stated that I was his mate. My father screamed in rage, "You are incorrect.

If I'm not mistaken, she is mine, Levi said to my father while narrowing his eyes.

My dad countered, "She's a kid. Before he appeared to comprehend what my father was saying, Levi turned back to face me and gave me another quick glance. 

He asked me, appearing to come out of his protectiveness, "Damn, how old are you?" When I opened my mouth to respond, my father spoke before me.

He yelled, "She's sixteen; she hasn't even Shifted. She cannot be your partner because you are old enough to be her father.

Not nearly, but sure, I get your argument, snorted Seth. He let out a loud sigh and looked concerned as he ran his fingers down his face. I wasn't really sure how to approach the whole thing. I had not yet Shifted, so I had not experienced the mating link. But I couldn't help but feel a strong attraction to Seth.

Levi looked at me once more and continued, "Perhaps I made a mistake. "She's not old enough to be my mate."

Dean sighed, "You don't misunderstand the mate bond." She is undoubtedly your friend, guy.

I pinched the inside of my cheek, unsure of what to say, as Alpha Peters scowled, "There is a fourteen year ago gap. Has anyone ever heard of an age gap that big between mates before?" No one spoke. The fact that Levi was thirty astonished me since it looked incredibly old to me.

Levi hissed fiercely, "Mates are supposed to be similar in age, this is not right."

"You don't want me as a mate?" I scoffed in irritation before the question was uttered. Levi gave me a cold, wary look as he turned to face me.

He yelled at me, "I'd prefer not to have a child for a mate." His anger against me was a little startling.

Dean chimed in, "Dude, chill out." "The age difference is not her fault."

Levi exclaimed angrily, raising his hands in protest, "This is wrong." Many of the Wolves stood up straighter and grew more wary in response to his rage and power. I had forgotten, in the midst of all the mate business, that Levi was one of the strongest Alphas in the nation; it was apparent why he was feared. Levi yelled, "This is so fucking awful.

My father concurred, saying, "Damn right it is."

Levi said, "I need some quiet time to think."

Having no idea what I was going to say, I started with "I--". Levi interrupted me before I could say more than one word, so it made no difference.

He hissed at me, his eyes gleaming menacingly, "Away from you goddammit." He quickly swung on his heels and rushed away from me as my eyes started to start to water. The front door banged a little while later. Everyone was silent for a little period of time. The only Wolf in the room I hadn't met before then turned to Dean.

He advised the third in charge to pursue him because "he might listen to you."

He said as he passed me, "Will do boss," and winked at me. "Until later, kid." 

Everyone was staring at me while I wiped my eyes with the back of my palm, making me feel pitiful. My mother was the one who eventually broke the ice. "Howard, I'm taking her home," she said, moving close to me and putting her arm around me. My dad agreed and nodded.

I let my mother tow me outside because I was too bewildered and upset to continue. I walked home sniffing while trying not to cry. As we strolled silently, my mother put her arm around my shoulders, but that didn't help my mood.

When we reached home, my mother said, "Here, sit down, honey."

I told her, "I think I just want to go to bed."

"But Mabella,"

I interrupted her and said, "I need to think," at her. I struggled to keep my emotions under control as my voice cracked a little. I wasn't really sure of my true emotions, but I think I felt rejected the most.

I turned away from my mum and hurried up the stairs without letting her dispute. I leaned against the door of my bedroom after locking it. I took a moment to stand there before descending the rear of it. My partner was the Alpha of the largest Pack in the nation, but he didn't want me, so I had no idea what was going on.

Levi was really beautiful, and I had no doubt that girls had been swooning over him all day. Not only was I an unpleasant teenager, but I wasn't even a very rude teenager, so it shouldn't have come as a surprise that he didn't want me as a pal. The guy was thirty and I looked like I was twelve. I shouldn't have been shocked when he rejected me.

However, I felt as if I had just received a sucker punch. I hadn't given the prospect of meeting my soul mate so young much thought, but when I did, I was older and my partner didn't give a damn about how I looked. My partner ought to have accepted me for who I am and not cared that I wasn't as attractive as most She-Wolves. 

My age or appearance should not have been of concern to Seth. Though he did.

For over an hour, I just sat there facing the door, contemplating all that had happened in the five minutes I had spent inside the Alpha's home. How swiftly everything had transpired was farcical. As soon as Levi saw me, he wanted to reject me.

In my thoughts, I had a small voice telling me that he hadn't rejected me and that perhaps he would run back to me, apologize, and tell me that my appearance and age didn't matter since I was his mate.

However, he did not rush back.

Before getting into bed, I took a quick self-pity cry in the shower. I laid my head down and pondered whether there was anything I could have done better when I first met Seth. But as soon as he saw me, I realized it didn't really matter because our relationship was doomed. I was simply a kid to him. In contrast to him, I spent my days attempting to dodge bullies and became irritated when soccer practice had to be cancelled. He also had a Pack to run, a War to fight, and real life responsibilities. He was an extremely strong Alpha when I was just a young child.

I must have dozed off at some time since Levi was not there for me when I awoke. My curly hair was sticking up in every direction as I hopped out of bed. A light knock on the door was followed by a voice asking, "May, you in there?"

When I opened my door, Dean—Seth's second in command—was standing there. He gave me a smirk and asked, "Did I wake you up?" I had on an old pair of Batman pajama bottoms with holes, a black tank top, and my hair still had the appearance of having been electrified.

I sighed, my voice scratchy from crying when I woke up the previous night. "Yeah. What do you want?"

He shrugged, softly grinning at me, "Came to see if you were alright. I was attempting to brush my hair down while I squinted my eyes in irritation.

I gasped, "My parents let you in?"

He smiled brightly, "No, your father wouldn't let me in, so I waited until everyone had left before climbing in the window. I studied him to determine whether or not he was telling the truth. I was astonished that he had broken in and even more shocked that my parents had agreed to give me the day off from school when I realized he wasn't who he claimed to be.

"I'm good. Leave. I stepped back as I prepared to close the door. His hand quickly turned to face the door and stopped it. I attempted to push back against him, but he only gave me a mocking glance.

He smirked, "I've got super power, kid, and you're wearing batman pants.

I yelled at him, "Dean, get out of here. I don't want you here." I let go of the door to my bedroom, and he immediately became more alert.

You have to understand that he's thirty and you're still a kid. He wasn't anticipating it, he said, so please forgive him for how Levi behaved yesterday.

I cried out, "Uh-huh, and why isn't he here explaining himself?"

He wants to but...

I interrupted him with "Oh bullshit" and rolled my eyes at him. "He doesn't want me as a mate," said the Alpha of the largest pack in the nation. "If he wanted to be here, he would be."

No, he does want to be your mate, but he is...

I told Dean, "Please leave, you're making me feel worse." Before I could close the door once more, he halted it.

He looked at me gravely and said, "Look just get dressed and let me take you to him. No matter what happens you need to at least speak to him." I considered everything while rubbing my damaged cheek with my palm while cringing.

I groaned and said, "Fine, let me change," understanding that he was correct. Even if he was going to reject me as his mate, he still needed to come right out and tell me that. I wanted to finish it quickly. Dean expressed his gratitude before leaving my room and going downstairs. 

I rapidly searched through my wardrobe in an attempt to find something fashionable to wear, but I lacked any items that would instantly make me appear more attractive. Looking at my figure in the mirror, I made the decision to wear a tight outfit. My body, I mean, was fine. I've spent my entire life participating in sports, therefore I'm a muscular man with broad hips and strong thighs. I had little weight at the top and was bottom heavy.

I next put on my tightest, ripped-knee denim before donning a simple white blouse. No matter how much product I used, my hair simply would not behave, so I hastily braided it and slipped on my go-to baseball cap. I quickly sagged in defeat in front of the mirror after that. I didn't really change much in appearance.

I briefly considered utilizing some makeup from my mother's room but quickly rejected the idea because I knew I would never be able to use any of it. I muttered to my reflection, "May, get a hold of yourself." You're not that weak, you don't need to cry in front of him, therefore whatever he does, just don't do it.

I gave one more nod of approval to myself before leaving the room