Chapter 3.|Can't Deny It Anymore|

j.u.s.t.i.n.’.s....p.o.v.

All I saw was red. Every day, all the time, 24/7. And it was all because of him. Stupid Toby Connors thought he could come into my pack as a rogue, get access in, and then take the thing most precious to me? Really?

Of course, like any good backstory, we started out as friends. The pack had found him on the streets just outside our territory, hungry and lost. My father had suggested raising him as one of the pack’s own, and before we knew it, he was one of us. I spent time training with him, and sometimes just hanging out. Now, though, we were anything but close.

The one real thing that set us apart was her. Harper Morris - the girl I had been best friends with since the early years. We used to be really close, well, that was until I had to take over my dad’s duties as Alpha. From the age of sixteen on I began getting intense training on being the ruler of the pack.

That was the same year I shifted and was able to identify who my mate(soulmate) would be. And on that very day, I discovered that Harp was my key to happiness, that she would one day help me rule the pack. One problem - she was a human and knew nothing of my world.

I never told my parents exactly who my mate was, only the predicament I had found myself buried in. They had suggested to let her develop her feelings for me, and on my eighteenth birthday share my world with her. Things just hadn’t gone according to plan.

Since I was so busy with the training, I slowly drifted away from my mate, something that hurt both me and my wolf, Seth. We started hanging with different crowds, and just when I realized I couldn’t let go of her so easily - she had come through the door, announcing that Toby had asked her to be his girlfriend. Seth, of course, wouldn’t have it. She was ours after all, even if Toby was our friend.

I couldn’t let her be sad, though, or make her hate me if she thought I broke them up, so I went to Toby. He couldn’t take the hint, so when I finally told him to stay away from her, he went berserk on me, saying she could belong to whoever she wished. Of course, to him, it looked like a big brother act. But if he really knew the truth, that she was my mate, he could go through her to hurt me. Something I wasn’t about to let happen.

Now, since I can’t spend time around my mate, both Seth and I were constantly hurting every day. My pack had begun to worry about me, wanting nothing more than their Alpha to feel good and be strong. But right now, as I watched Harper and Toby walk through the halls, hand in hand, I couldn’t help but feel weak and crushed.

“Justin,” Casey called, running down the hallway to catch up to my brisk pace. “I know that the crowning ceremony is coming up, and-”

“And what?!” I hadn’t meant for it to come out menacing, but my mood had turned sour this morning when I saw him enter the building with Harper. Of all the girls he could have, that was the one he chose?

“Well, Justin, I was hoping I could attend, as, as your Luna.” Her voice got weak at the end, but her confidence still radiated in sheets. I turned to her in disbelief, and after a moments examination realized she actually meant it.

“You think I would take you as my Luna?!”

“Of course, your mate has rejected you, so-”

"Rejected me?! How dare you!” Her eyes grew wide as she realized she had overstepped the line. “She may not know I’m her mate, but she never spoke those words.”

“S-sorry, Alpha. But please consider my offer.”

“Trust me,” I spoke through gritted teeth, “your offer will be considered when hell freezes over, understood?”

She nodded, letting out a slight whimper, before scurrying down the hallway to class.

At the end of the day, when we were supposed to be reading a book titled “The Classics of Old Literature”, I heard voices behind me. Using my werewolf hearing, I was able to identify this as Harper, and her good friend, Carmela. Deciding that it would be a better use of time than reading this book, I trained my attention on them.

“Anyway, you have to admit he is hot,” I smirked, picking up on the fact that Carmela was talking about me. “Admit it, though.” My smirk grew as I realized I may just hear a confession about how my dear mate feels about me. Although I’d never say it out loud, I could feel my heart rate speed up in my chest as Seth waited in anticipation. Would all the pain of the last few months suddenly drift away, or would it haunt me for years?

“Well, Toby doesn’t look that bad, either.” I had to bite my tongue to prevent myself from letting out a feral growl. Not the thing to do in English. But I couldn’t help the bitter taste that formed in my mouth once his name was spoken. Seth whined the feeling of someone stabbing our heart over and overcame with those words.

“Harp, I know you’ve known him forever, but please just admit that Justin is hot. That’s it.”

“Sure, whatever, he’s hot.” A smirk returned to my face, and Seth howled in joy. He couldn’t get over the fact that our mate was into us. Well, sort of into us. “But that doesn’t mean I’m necessarily into him.”

“Sure, sure. Whatever you say.”

I turned around, the ever-growing smirk still on my face as I stared at her. Once Harper’s eyes met mine, they widened in surprise, realizing that I had overheard the conversation.

A rosy blush painted her cheeks as she tried to look away, shyness suddenly washing over her. I smiled, knowing I had that effect on her.