Chapter 3

I know my mate must attend the school. Which means my chances of avoiding whomever it is for the next few years are pretty low. Hell, my chances of avoiding him for the rest of the week are probably pretty slim. I have no delusions of that.

Still, for some unexplainable reason I continued to actively avoid my mate, going in the opposite direction whenever his scent drew near, sometimes having to go out my way to avoid him. My friends clearly noticed this but known of they asked about my rather odd behavior.

If only my birthday party were as easy to avoid. The moment I parked my truck in my driveway Alex dragged me upstairs and shoved me into the shower.

I took longer than necessary to shower hoping to delay or even stop my attendance at the party.

No such luck. When I finally did step out wrapped in a towel they were waiting. Alex and my mother. They spent a good twenty minutes just forcing me into the dress. It was black. The dress was a high-tie waist, off the shoulder loose sheer sleeves down to my elbows with black lace trim, and it stopped just above my knees.

I couldn't believe my mother condoned me wearing this, let alone was forcing me too. "I hope you both know that I hate you right now," I grumbled as Alex clip the front locks of my freshly curled blonde hair in a silver clip in the back of my head.

"I'll live," Alex said chipper, "and you look amazing." Alex herself was wearing a red mini-dress. "Also it is for your party.""

"A party that I specifically asked, begged really, to not be thrown," I replied bitterly.

Alex huffed while my mother dutifully finished the last of my makeup. "Would you seriously rather spend your sixteenth birthday all alone up in your bedroom rather than go to a party that's being thrown in celebration of you?"

"Yes!"

Mom laughed but Alex shook her head. "How are we friends?" she asked.

My mother answered. "When you were babies your mother and I agreed that if we forced you two together often enough you would entertain each other and we could take turns sleeping."

Did I believe that story? Yes, I did. It sounded very much like something our mothers would do. "Huh," Alex said to herself, she believes it too. "Well anyways you're getting the party, Deanne." She forced me into a pair of black sandal wedges and dragged me downstairs and into the backyard where the party had gotten into full boom while she and Mom worked their evil magic.

Alex left me in the middle of the crowd to go hunt down her next boyfriend. She said she was getting a drink but I know the truth. Everyone wanted to talk to me. It was exhausting. An hour later and Alex still hadn't return, my feet hurt from the shoes and I was tired of talking to people.

I was waiting for the moment the back door was clear so I could escape to my room. My chance had finally come. I darted towards it.

"Where do you think you're going?" I jumped at the voice.

"Tyler!" Dammit. I was so close!

My little brother smirked at me. "Nice try Dee, but a couple of friends would like to wish you a happy birthday." Hadn't everyone already done that? I feel like I've talked to the entire school at this point. "Come on," he said pulling me away from the door.

"Why do you hate me?" I asked as he dragged me along.

I didn't really hear Tyler's reply. The scent was here. My mate was here. It must be someone I know. I quickly flipped through everyone I've seen today.

"Tyler," I said. The scent grew stronger as he led me. My mate must be one of the friends he was taking me to. "I just want to go upstairs and get out of this dress."

Tyler laughed, "You know there may be a few guys willing to help you."

My nose crinkled in revulsion. "Ew. That's disgusting. God, why did Dad have to drop you on your head when you were a baby?"

We were reaching the edge of the crowd and the scent was overpowering. We broke through the last bit of the crowd and my eyes immediately locked with a set of familiar brown eyes. No. No. Anyone but him! My body was frozen and my mind was screaming at me. Mate! Mate! Mate! Of all the people it had to be him?

My mate was none other than Ethan Benson, the future Alpha of the Silver Moon pack. "Mate," Ethan whispered his eyes never leaving mine.

His voice broke me out of my trance. "No way!" Tyler said unbelieving next to me. "You guys are mates?"

"Shut up," Ethan and I hissed together. Our eyes jerked back to each other and I shook my head.

"I can't do this," I whispered and took off back into the crowd. The shoes were slowing me down. I paused for just a second to step out of them and went back to shoving me way through the crowd. I made it into the house and scurried up the stairs to get to my room before I started hyperventilating.

I had nearly made to my room when something slammed into me and pinned me to the wall of the hallway. Ethan. My skin tingled where he touched me. It was almost like static electricity. Sparks. No, no, no. this can't be happening. Ethan sniffed my neck before placing an open mouth kiss on it.

I gasped in surprise at his actions. What the hell is he doing? His teeth scraped against my skin. He was going to mark me as his. I struggled to break out of his hold. Then he lift his head so his lips brushed against the edge of my ear. "I, Ethan Benson, reject you, Deanne Iris, as my mate. Sorry babe, you just aren't my type."

I felt the mental snap of a bond I didn't even know was there. It was an actually physical pain, almost like a bone breaking. I held my chin up in defiance. "Get. Off. Of. Me," I growled and he stepped back in shock. This was so very out of character for me, to be growling at my future Alpha. "I don't care about your rejection. Do me a favor though, don't tell anyone about this. The last thing I want is for people to know that I have any connection to you."

"You don't care?" he repeated my words confused.

"No," I confirmed. "Could you leave now? I'd like to change out of this dress and you aren't hot enough to assist me." I entered my room and slammed the door shut in his face.

I took a deep, shaky breath as his stomping footsteps faded away. I heard a commotion out back and went to my window just in time to see an angry Ethan shift into a pure black wolf. I shut the curtains and slid down against the wall to the floor and hugged my knees. "What am I going to do?" I asked myself as frustrated tears leaked from my eyes.

There's no way this would stay a secret. I know if I asked Tyler wouldn't say anything but what about anyone else who witnessed us downstairs? And even if it did stay a secret, what then? Would I really be able to be the Beta of this pack? Would I be able to work with Ethan every single day for years and watch as he searched for a girl that was his type all the while knowing that I was the mate he rejected?

I sighed and resigned myself to changing into sleep clothes and leaving this ordeal to be dealt with in the morning. If I was lucky no one would find out about any of this.

Unfortunately I wasn't lucky. The next morning I was summoned by the Alpha. Tyler said he would come with me, I wasn't sure it was a good idea. He was beyond angry that Ethan had rejected me. I still hoped that this was about something else. "Just don't say anything," I told Tyler as I parked in front of the pack house where all official pack business was conducted.

"I should punch that ass in the face," Tyler grumbled as we got out. "How could he?"

"Tyler," I hissed. I really shouldn't have let him come. My hope wavered when we enter the large building and everyone of rank were in the lobby. Including our parents. Oh God.

Alpha Holden and his mate were waiting along with Ethan. I made a point of not looking at him and exposed my neck to Alpha Holden as a sign of submission. "Alpha," I greeted. "You requested my presence."