Chapter 3 - Second Mate

Jenna

Baking soda. Eggs. Milk. And some vanilla extract. I throw everything into a bowl and whisk the ingredients around while trying to ignore that sharp sting in my chest.

Sad to say, I can't fight my brain.

Images of Ariel with his arms wrapped around Catherine's body floods my mind, and my heart immediately feels like it's about to break.

"Not again..." I whisper and feel anger boil through me as I whisk faster than I probably should. "I shouldn't care about that guy. He is a stupid billionaire who I have developed an embarrassing crush on!"

My door opens and closes, but I don't pay the sound of someone taking off their shoes any attention. I'm too busy baking in irritation.

"Hello?"

I look up and see Hannah waltz into my kitchen. At first, she seems cheerful and confident, and then she flickers her eyes to my bowl and sighs in that knowing way.

"What's wrong, Jenna?"

I pout at her. "Nothing..."

"You always bake when something bothers you," Hannah glances around my room, grimacing at the tray of cupcakes already on my kitchen table. "And even then, your apartment never looks like this..."

I pull a face. I can't hide anything from my best friend. I met Hannah during my last year of high school, and we have been friends ever since. She is my way hotter sister-by-choice who actually knows how to dress in the latest fashion, but then again, her rich father pays for everything, so I can't be too envious.

"I can't tell you what it is, Hannah..."

Hannah snorts and picks up a cupcake. "Sure you can,"

"Uh-uh," I shake my head. "This is too big of a deal..."

Hannah is licking frosting from her fingers. "Well, whatever it is, maybe I can cheer you up with some good news?"

I arch an eyebrow. "I doubt it, but it doesn't hurt to try,"

"Jake called me yesterday. He is currently on a flight back home,"

I drop my bowl on the floor and turn around with widening eyes. "WHAT?!"

Hannah looks frightened. "Yeah... Jake wanted it to be a surprise, so he instructed me not to tell you anything, but hey, you needed to hear some good news... Though, now I'm not so sure if hearing that made you any happier... Are you okay?"

I freeze, and my breaths come in short little pants.

"No..." I shake my head slowly. "I don't want Jake to come back, Hannah,"

"Why not?"

I find her eyes and shed an unhappy tear. "Because I plan on breaking up with Jake!"

The realization hits her face. "Oh..."

"Yeah..."

Hannah seems to be silently processing my words. I don't blame her. I didn't see this coming either, but since I've been shamelessly checking out Ariel and feeling things I shouldn't do around him, I need to break up with Jake.

I know Ariel won't ever be mine, and I consider my longing for a man I don't even know ridiculous.

But maybe the attraction I feel towards him is a sign I should break up with Jake and find someone new?

"Well..." Hannah takes a seat and buries her face in her arms. "What do we do now?"

I sigh. "I honestly don't know,"

"Do we need alcohol?"

"Definitely,"

Later we are dancing down the pathway while laughing at old memories from high school. I'm drunk, but Hannah is probably in worse shape than me. She has been sympathy-drinking with me on a bench, and now we are walking past trees and lamp-posts in search of freshly baked donuts.

"I swear there was this food truck here yesterday. I think it was owned by witches, and let me tell you, witches know how to bake!"

I laugh. "Are you sure the witches didn't just serve you a potion, or something else, addicting?"

"Nah, I'm certain there was no magic involved!"

"Okay, I will trust you on this one,"

Hannah smiles and looks down at her cellphone. We both freeze and slowly look up at each other.

Hannah is the first to speak. "Jake's flight will land in three hours,"

I inhale. "Yes..."

"Are you ready to break up with him in person?" Hannah asks.

"Nope," I hand her a sad smile. "I don't even know why I'm breaking up with Jake, or I know, but my reason is stupid,"

"You know that you can tell me everything, right?" Hannah says, watching me closely with her concerned eyes.

"You are going to judge me," It's the truth.

Hannah rolls her eyes. "Just tell me already,"

I stare down at the leaves covering the ground as I walk. The leaves are orange, and some are brown and rotten, exactly how I feel on the inside.

"For some unexplainable reason, I'm drawn to my boss. And it's not some normal crush. It goes deeper than that,"

"Okay?" Hannah stops walking then and knits her eyebrows together. "Wait, are you telling me what I think you are telling me?"

Hannah gives me a shy smile. Last year, her father divorced her mother for something the other species refer to as their mate. Her father is a human, but the woman he fell in love with is a witch. And apparently, humans will feel the mate bond too if their destined one isn't another human.

But there is no science behind the mate thing, so I'm uncertain if I believe in it. Hannah isn't sure if she believes in the mate thing either, and since we are both kinda agreeing on that, we both call her father an asshole.

"No, no, no!" I shake my head at her. "It's nothing like that. Ariel isn't my mate,"

Hannah lifts a skeptical eyebrow. "Ariel?"

Fuck, I told her his name. "Yeah... Ariel, the sole owner of Ariel hotels... You know, the billionaire whose face is on the buses driving around town,"

Right now, Hannah's eyes look like they might detonate. "His face is on the buses?!"

"Yeah, I noticed that yesterday..." I mumble.

"And you are his mate?!"

I blush and hold up my hands to quiet her down. "No, no, no! We aren't mates! I just have this huge crush on him and," I groan at the growing smile on her lips. "Please don't call him my... Mate again, please?"

Hannah is smiling ear to ear. "Oh-my-god, he is totally your mate!"

I growl at her and start sprinting away from her, which is rather challenging when you aren't sober and wearing high heels.

"Jenna! Come back!" Hannah is laughing. "Don't run away from me!"

I shake my head. "Not before you stop calling him my mate!"

"Jenna! You should stop thinking so much and let yourself feel! You feel too little! I've never seen you so red before!"

My cheeks flame. "Stop saying embarrassing things!"

"But it's true, though! You were with Jake, and never once did it seem like you were happy. You stayed with him because he was in love with you, not the other way around!"

I stop to glare at Hannah. "You're drunk,"

Hannah laughs at me. "You've never been in love before, Jenna! This is wonderful news!"

"Not if he doesn't like me back..." I mumble.

Hannah hugs me from behind, almost choking me. She smells like vanilla and candy, and her fingers connect across my chest.

"Even if it's one-sided, it's still good that you are finally letting yourself feel things,"

I look ahead with a small smile. "Maybe you're right..."

We end up finding the food truck when it's already dark. Apparently, we aren't the only ones who shared the same idea of eating donuts. There is a gang of leather jackets standing further down the pathway. Every member wears glasses even though night has fallen, and most of them are laughing or smoking.

I frown. Somehow I don't think these people are friendly or even human.

"Oh-my-god, who is that hottie wearing that beanie?!" Hannah whisper-yells at me.

I stop eating my donut and let my gaze wander over the street to a shirtless man who looks swollen with muscle. Tattoos are decorating his arms, and his chocolate-brown hair looks disheveled like he has run his hand through it multiple times. He isn't as tall as Ariel, but damn, he is definitely wider and about a hundred times more intimidating.

"He is so hot..." Hannah is gobbling her donut, almost eating her own nails. "Look! He is turning around! He must have heard us!"

"More like he heard you..." I mutter.

The enormous man turns around, and I resist the urge to roll my eyes when I unwillingly catch his gaze. Surprise reflects in his eyes, and I grimace at the familiar feeling rising within me. Here we go again. My insides flutter like a million doves taking off for the sunset, and this sudden, painful dizziness wash over my head because suddenly it feels like I'm flying.

"Fuck my life, honesty..."

"Say what?" Hannah asks questioningly.

I stand still, startled, my mind racing. I glue my eyes on the man before us, and I'm pathetically trying to gather as much air as I can into my lungs. He is studying me, his gaze dark and animalistic enough for me to take a step back.

I'm taken but also afraid, and while something is pulling me towards him, there is also a voice telling me to run.

"He is sexy, right?"

The man smiles then, but it's the farthest away you can come from friendly. It's feral and mysterious, and when I notice Tony and Mac from the train station standing behind him, I finally connect the puzzle pieces together. This man is a werewolf, and we shouldn't be standing here!

"Hannah, I think we should leave," I take her hand in mine and pull her into the opposite direction of the werewolf gang.

"But why?" Hannah follows me but looks back at the shirtless man with longing in her eyes. "I want to say hello and hand that guy my number,"

"No," I tell her strictly. "We are not giving that man your number. He is someone you should stay away from!"

"Why?" Hannah gasps then. "Oh, don't tell me he is another mate of yours?!"

I bury the sudden urge to growl at her and remind myself that she is very drunk, way drunker than me. While I'm slowly slipping back into full consciousness, Hannah can barely walk. She is currently using my arm to keep herself standing straight, and it takes every ounce of strength to help her. I'm short and frail, while Hannah is tall and wearing a jacket with pockets filled with alcohol bottles.

I drag Hannah back the way we came from. I can hear thunderous howling in the background, and color me surprised when I glance behind me and catch the shirtless man smirking at us with his glowing eyes.

I shiver. Nope. I don't do werewolves, especially not one with glowing eyes.

I quicken my pace and lead us through a neat pathway with hauntingly beautiful trees stretching out their arms to reach for the moon above us.

Usually, I would find the scenery quite breathtaking, but a group of strangers is standing in the middle of the road ahead of us.

They are wearing gothic clothes and dark makeup around their eyes. And as they approach us, I realize all their faces are snowy. Their faces shine with extraordinary beauty, and when they catch me staring at them, their eyes unnaturally flicker as if they had just awakened from an everlasting slumber.

"Hello there!" One of them is waving their hand, while the others are snickering, licking their lips, and looking like they are preparing to dive into a steak.

I grimace. This isn't good. Meeting vampires in the dark isn't a good thing, and as I glance to the right, I catch a familiar face. Dana, from the restaurant, is glaring at me from behind lashes thick with makeup.

"Is your friend drunk?" Another one asks. It's a woman, one who looks hungrier than the one before. "We could help you find a cab,"

"No, thank you," I mumble and turn around. Hannah is barely conscious, but even she seems to understand what is going on. Her eyes glisten with fear when I quicken our pace.

"Jenna..."

I look straight ahead. "Walk faster,"

Hannah nods, and we round a corner, sprinting when we hear the vampire gang chortle behind us. They are still following us like a tail, obviously liking the chase.

"Hey, come back here! We only want to talk with you!"

I shiver. Something tells me these people will do more than talk if I let them catch up with us. I recall reading about a problematic vampire gang earlier this morning. The police can't find or catch them, and the vampire gang keeps on taking new victims. Young girls are their favorite food. There was something about the taste of their blood I didn't read well enough to remember.

"Princess? Oh, Princess! Where did you go?"

The belt of laughter that follows the mocking voice makes me slip behind a tree. Hannah seems to have recovered too. She leans against the trunk with me, and we both carefully listen for footsteps.

"I think they can smell us..." Hannah whispers.

"Maybe," I breathe slowly to calm my beating heart. "But we wouldn't be able to outrun the vampires either,"

"True,"

We stand deathly still when the vampire gang passes our tree, intent on not letting them find us. Hannah closes her eyes, and I do the same. Silent prayers fill my mind, and I hold my breath, begging the vampires won't find us.

"There they are!"

I swiftly open my eyes to the sound of the voice, and then everything happens so quickly I barely get time to register what is happening.

A vampire attempt to lunge for me and I brace myself for the impact, which never comes. A wolf more immense than any horse I've ever seen jumps out from the bushes and goes straight for the vampire. It growls ferociously with pissed off eyes, tackling the shocked vampire to the ground before biting into the vampire's throat.

An ear-piercing scream echoes between the trees as a sudden bolt of pain seems to jolt through the vampire's body. It fights for a while, and then it turns entirely still.

I shoot Hannah a swift glance to make sure she sees this, only to inhale when I catch her staring straight back at me. Her eyes are wide with fear, skin slick with sweat. She looks terrible, but as I gaze into her dark eyes, I can see my reflection and confirm that I look way worse.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Hannah asks.

I nod. "Yes..."

Frightened and shaken, I turn back to the wolf. The vampire turns to dust before my eyes, and the enormous wolf lifts its head.

My stomach ache and my legs weaken under its glowing eyes under the full moon. It's such a beautiful creature, but blood soaks its mouth, and I'm confident the memory of its brown coat will later dissolve into my deepest nightmares.

And yet, something within me whispers that I don't need to fear this animal. Never.

I keep my eyes on the wolf, daring to breathe when it shape-shifts into a familiar, shirtless man who wipes blood from his mouth on the back of his hand. I hate how the action makes my pulse skyrocket.

Silently, he drags down a pair of pants hanging on a branch and turns around. There is barely enough time to remove my eyes from his neither regions and bring them up to his smug face.

His eyes focus entirely on me while he puts on his pants, and I frown in response. The man looks arrogant and emotionless at the same time. He isn't glaring at us, but he definitely isn't smiling either.

"Is there any price for saving your life?"

I snort. I don't know why, but something about the tone in this stranger's voice presses every button in my mind—anger and irritation sweep over me in an instant. I'm not some sort of damsel in distress, thank you very much.

"No," I challenge his authority by glaring into his eyes. I don't care if he is taller than me. "We didn't need your help. We could have made it just fine,"

The shirtless man doesn't look convinced. He silently examines me, and right when I think he is about to scold me, he gives me a killer smile.

As wrong as it is, I'm attracted to this man too. He differs from Ariel. This man is darker and far more feral, dangerous even, and while I could call Ariel beautiful, this man isn't here to win any beauty contest. He isn't pretty; he is disturbingly handsome in a way that makes my pulse race for two utterly different reasons.

1. I fear for my life.

2. I wonder if I could get away with kissing his lush lips.

Both reasons are entirely disgusting. I shouldn't fear this clown, and neither should I think of him as attractive.

"I'm sorry, but you look as harmless as a kitten; I had to step in. You should thank me. Without me, both of you would have turned into minced meat,"

I glare at his cocky eyes and make a mental note to never date a guy with tattoos. This guy is just as dangerous and gorgeous as Ariel, and they both got muscles and tattoos. Coincidence? I think not.

"Well," Hannah nervously looks between us and licks her lips. "Thank you,"

"You're welcome,"

The shirtless guy doesn't give me a break. His eyes are roaming over me like I'm this rare exotic bird he just found in his backyard, and I frown. I hate how gorgeous he is. Guys like him hardly deserve it.

I take Hannah's hand in mine. "Let's get out of here,"

I shoot the shirtless guy a glare and then walk forward. As I'm walking, I'm hyper-aware of his penetrating gaze like daggers into my back, and before I make it any further, I hear his voice.

"Do you want me to walk you guys home?"

"Yes, please!" Hannah answers way too quickly.

Bitterness strikes me when I find the man catching up with us. I glare at him, but he looks unphased. He offers to carry Hannah's bag and then looks expectantly at me as if he for one second believed I would show him mine.

Not in a million years.

I walk past him, which earns me a rough chuckle. He is laughing at me. The realization makes me walk faster with burning cheeks. I pray he won't follow us the entire way back to my apartment. I can already barely stand him.

I learn many things as we walk through central park. The guy currently escorting us goes by the name Blaze, and I believe he is antisocial.

"If you like donuts, try Jenna's cupcakes. She is excellent at baking and makes this creamy frosting that just melts in your mouth!"

Blaze silently glances down at me, and I swallow the urge to grimace. I hate how my head barely reaches up to his chest. It makes me feel weak, and trust me, it's enough knowing this dude is some sort of super-duper werewolf. I mean, I knew werewolves were giant in wolf form, but really? This guy's wolf was more extensive than a horse...

"So... You like baking?"

I'm too caught by his honey eyes to notice my feet straying further off the path. I almost crash into the side of his formidable chest, but Blaze plays it cool. He slowly moves aside, careful not to touch me.

Blushing, I pretend I just didn't accidentally bump into him. "Yeah, I love baking,"

"I see..."

I nod. I don't know what else to say, and Blaze doesn't seem good at starting conversations.

When the silence gets too awkward, I glance at Hannah, and seriously, I've never felt a more vital need to facepalm. She is currently busy wagging her eyebrows at me, basically telling me to check out Blaze without directly spelling it out for me.

I swear I can hear her voice say, 'look at his naked chest!' inside my head, and the air suddenly turns more humid. I'm sweating because I don't trust Hannah. She is a living, wandering pervert, and there is no changing that!

"NO!" I whisper-yell at my grinning friend and gain unwanted attention from Blaze.

"What was that?" Blaze looks worried.

In the corner of my eye, I can see Hannah muffle her laughter with her hand. Her eyes look ecstatic. I have to get back to her later.

"Nothing," I fake a smile, and Blaze keeps on walking.

We walk for quite some time until the werewolf suddenly stops and looks down at me with watchful eyes, eyes that speak volumes. Blaze seems concerned, maybe even curious, when he leans forward to look into my face, but the emotions wash away quicker than sand from the ocean. And I realize this is a man who doesn't like to show himself vulnerable.

"The road from here is safe," Blaze says. "I have to return to my pack,"

I look into his eyes and feel this deep burn awaken within me, but Blaze avoids my gaze thoughtfully, and I swallow hard, for his face is back to looking dark and dangerous. To think I let my guard down for even a minute...

"Okay," I stare down at frozen grass pressing up from a crack in the pavement. It's now or never. I should thank Blaze, no matter how much it stings my pride. "And thank you... For saving us earlier..."

I don't dare lift my chin; I can already tell Blaze got a satisfied smile on his face. I simply stand there, still like ice, until Hannah grabs my hand.

"Thank you, Blaze!" Hannah beams and pulls me towards the streetlights. "You are the best!"

"Don't mention it. I would do anything for my mate,"

Mate?

Blaze tilts his head when I turn around to find his eyes. Determination crosses his features, and the brief gentleness in his honey eyes makes my bones turn soft.

"You don't have to worry. We will meet again, Princess. I'm certain," Blaze says.

I glare at him, angered by the nickname. "Who said I wanted to meet you again?"

Blaze walks away from us with a chuckle, and I mechanically crane my neck to stare at Hannah, who looks as shocked as I feel. A million questions flash in her eyes, but she settles for a smile and one sentence.

"It seems Ariel got some serious competition,"