CHAPTER TWO - PUSHED AWAY

Jayla

As cliche as it sounds, I hate parties. Especially the ones that include my parents or relatives, because the moment I know that there will be relatives at a party, I know what is going to go down. But it's not like you can really turn the party offer down with it's your own birthday.

"Oh my God! Is that you, Jayla? Wow! It's been so long!" My aunt, Martha, gushes as she squeezes me in one of her bone-crushing hugs. "Awww, look at you, getting demonstrations already. You have grown up so much!"

What the fuck are you talking about, woman? You just saw me last week, and the only thing I have managed to grow within that interval is the hair on my legs which I shaved earlier today.

"So where is your mate?" she asks, her eyes darting around.

She knows I haven't found my mate but she still likes to ask every time just to rub it in. She's a little bit of a bitch sometimes.

"Haven't found one yet," I whisper lowly, the disappointment and sadness evident in my tone.

I have always wanted to find my mate. After the dreamy stories I have heard about mates, after seeing how my parents are together, after seeing my school friends fall in love so easily, it was difficult not to hope. And I was hopeful.

I know my mate will love me, and I will love him. That's what this whole mate thing is supposed to be like, right?

I excuse myself to get a drink because Aunt Martha's annoying questions are suffocating me. She is not exactly a bad person but she is way too proud of herself and her family.

Her son is at a good post in the pack army and her daughter has gone out of the state to study. Perfect, right? Well, that's what she thinks. In reality, her son is running an underground gang in the pack and her daughter is too busy whoring on the streets of California.

I'm getting closer to the drinks table and I decide to go with simple lemonade today, even though it's my eighteenth birthday, and you're supposed to get drunk as fuck on that day but I'm not interested.

I'd rather stay sober and remember the day than get drunk and pass out. Not that I feel like something memorable is gonna happen anyway.

I'm a few steps away from the bar when the lights suddenly go off. I hear groans and shake my head, trying to find my way out to the moonlit night. On my way out, I unintentionally bang into someone and they hiss at me. I can tell it's a man considering how strong he appears.

Also, when I slammed into the person, I felt a hard chest instead of soft curves so I know it's a man. He hisses at me and I immediately go red in embarrassment, even though everywhere is dark.

"Oh my god! I'm so sor. . ." I gasp when my hand touches his and my tongue fails me.

Sparks. Sparks like never before ignite all over my body and I feel my wolf stir inside me.

I have just turned eighteen so my wolf hasn't come to me yet. I haven't even shifted, but within a fortnight after turning eighteen you shift for the first time.

I shake my head to get rid of the unnecessary thoughts and decide to rejoice at this moment. I have found my mate! Finally!

Instinctively, my hand reaches out to touch his face. I'm already desperate to feel those tingles again. When my skin touches his again, he draws in a sharp breath. I do too.

My fingers caress his cheek and I love the feel of his rough stubble. I want to see his face so badly. Why did the lights have to go off now?

I start to lean in, trying to make something out of his face when the lights come back and a part of me goes happy. I lift my eyes to see the warm eyes of my mate. I anticipate seeing love in them. I'm hoping he'd give me the same look I have seen my father give my mother throughout my entire life.

But I don't get it. All I get is an icy glare and a disgusted snarl from a person I have known my entire life.

"You?" he bellows in anger, his Beta voice reverberating throughout the hall.

I want to say something. I want to ask what's wrong. I want to tell him that I'm his mate and that I'll love him forever, but he never gives me a chance to do so.

He pushes me away from himself so hard that my body falls backward. I land butt-first on the floor and stare at him in shock and confusion.

His palms curl into fists as he glares at me again. "Keep your hands off me, you bitch!" he says before walking away.

The little feeling of my wolf I had initially gotten is long gone now and is now replaced by a feeling of agony and loss. After lying there in shock for a few more moments, I get up and scramble off to my room.

Closing the door behind me, I lean my back against it and slide down to the floor. As the reality of the situation starts sinking in, a bizarre pain in my chest starts increasing.

Soon it becomes too much. It's like someone is constantly stabbing your chest and you're screaming at them not to. I squeeze my eyes shut and throw my head back, screaming. My eyes well up with tears and one drops down, followed by another, till my face is a complete mess of water and salt.

Suddenly my entire body gets exhausted. My heart aches to an extent when I feel stabbing it would be less painful. I sniff and whimper, slipping onto the floor. I lay there with my head on the cold marble for a good while, contemplating what happened today.

So much for asking for a mate. So much for just hoping. I guess that's how fate works then. Happy birthday to me.

***

The next day is school, of course. This world has something against me. First, my mate doesn't want me. Second, I can't feel my wolf, which makes me question whether I'll even shift in a fortnight or not. And third, my best friend is not at school.

Her name is Jessica Drew and she's a moving ball of energy. I already knew she wasn't going to come today. She texted me this morning saying that she has to urgently leave for Spain to visit her grandfather and honestly, the fact that she isn't here ticks me off. She is gorgeous and her accent is beautiful. Her mate will be so happy to have her, unlike mine

I shake my head to get rid of these thoughts. I didn't tell her about what happened on my birthday. This damn pain in my chest won't just go away. I sigh, slamming my locker shut. I'm not going to think about him. He obviously doesn't care about me, so why should I care about him?

I clutch my books to my chest and walk while looking at the floor. I don't want to look up because I might see him, and I don't want to catch even a glimpse of his face because the sight might be enough to bring me pain enough to make me fall to my knees.

Gosh, why am I so weak? I think to myself when someone's arms themselves around my waist from behind and I'm pulled into yet another chest. Goddamn, so many chests.

I turn around to see my other best friend, Edward Carter, standing there with a grin on his face.

"Eddie!" I exclaim, throwing my arms around his neck and hugging him tightly.

"Woah!" he whispers hugging me back nonetheless.

"Where were you in the morning? I checked your locker and you weren't there," I mutter, my voice muffled by his thick shirt.

He starts to say something but his voice is cut off by a loud growl that comes from behind me. I shiver in fear. That growl is authoritative.

I turn around almost immediately to see a livid-looking Tyler watching us with dark eyes and curled fists. His eyes are focused on Eddie's arm around my waist and he growls again when Eddie pulls me closer to protect me.

At his second growl, I quickly peel myself away from Eddie and stand there awkwardly. I really don't want to create a scene.

His face turns into a satisfied one when he notices the distance between me and Eddie and soon his eyes return to their normal color. With a last menacing glare at our side, he walks off like nothing just happened.

My jaw drops at his behavior and I gasp. Okay, what the hell?