I tried to remember what my parents said and understand where they came from, but I wasn't ready.
I wasn't ready to be anyone's mate, let alone the alpha's. The very alpha I had known since I was an early teenager, and the one who sent chills up my spine just by pulling that usual smile.
The thought of lying beside him, marked as his mate and serving as the pack Luna, was enough to make my skin grow cold and to put a rock in the pit of my stomach.
At once, I pictured him putting his hand on my shoulder when I was only thirteen. How his touch made me squirm away, but it returned as his fingers latched around my wrist. The way his eyes—matured with age far beyond my own—willed me to not move so that he could look at me a bit longer.
He wanted me to be his mate. He asked for me, specifically. Even though he knew me as a girl, he still wanted me as a woman.
I couldn't do it. I couldn't.
As the panic filled me to the brim and the shaking of my body didn't stop, I saw only two options ahead of me: give in or run.
Giving in suddenly didn't feel like an option.
Rippling with anxiety, I tore away from the street and ran straight for the woods. That fear triggered my shift, forcing me into wolf form as the idea of being trapped as Jack's mate grew too heavy to bear.
My paws hammered against the ground as I moved quickly, hoping nobody saw me run. Hoping I could get away before Jack or my parents realized I was gone.
I didn't know where I was going or what my plan was, but I just needed to get away. I needed to make that decision for myself, even if my parents didn't like it—even if I didn't know what that decision was.
My direction was unclear as the forest continued to fly by me, but something almost primal within me led the way. I allowed pure instinct to take over and to guide me, regardless of how reckless it may have been.
Even if I turned my brain off for the most part, I eventually couldn't ignore the roaring pain within me and the exhaustion that seeped into my legs.
I stumbled out of the woods and continued through a field somewhere, catching sight of a glowing establishment in what seemed like the middle of nowhere.
A road stretched for miles from one end to the other, but I had no grasp of where I was or what I planned to do there.
Instead, I began to slow, dragging myself along, using the building as a guide.
But before I could reach it, my legs slipped out from under me, only to land in the grass as my heart raced.
Exhaustion lulled my mind to a strange place where nothing made sense, but one constant thought lingered.
Stay away from Jack.
Chapter 2 - Sebastian
"You've gotta be kidding me!" Ethan cried, sloshing some of his beer over the rim of his glass while his eyes remained glued to the old television above the bar.
Levi and Jacob laughed hysterically at Ethan's dismay as Beau hung his head, and Ezra scrubbed a hand down his face in mutual defeat.
"Face it, your team choice was abysmal," Levi scolded, taking a victorious sip from his drink.
Ethan grumbled as he sat back down in his seat, glowering after witnessing another loss of his favorite football team. "They were having a good streak, too—I was sure this would be the one."
Ezra sighed as he leaned back in the booth, shaking his head. "This is the last time I let you convince me to bet on any team."
Despite the mix of dismay and triumphant glee from our section of the bar, the energy was otherwise high. Our nights out were usually that way, but game night made it exponentially so.
However, I struggled to find my stride as I sat in my usual spot, watching the worn-out screen without paying attention. The beer was cold in my hands, but I didn't care much to drink it.
Despite being surrounded by my good friends, I couldn't ignore the lingering loneliness that pricked at my skin and threatened to submerge me in quiet contemplation.
As life seemed to be unraveling well for my friends, especially Levi and Jacob, I couldn't help but find myself wondering when it would be my turn.
I've been an alpha for some time, and even if I had the company of my pack and my sister to distract me most days,the thought of having a mate was becoming increasingly more appealing.