Chapter 4

~ They say the end is coming sooner.                                                                                                                    But the end's already here. ~

Chapter Four

You know in those cliché books where the girl can't be with the guy so they're like, 'my brain says one thing but by heart says another.'

I never understood that. I mean, think about it, your brain controls everything. It stores up all your memories and regulates your will to survive. The brain controls how you talk, walk, think, see, and feel.

Your brain tells your heart to pump the blood through your veins, tells your body to keep breathing, the brain even stops you from biting off your finger because supposedly, it would be as easy as biting on a carrot.

Therefore, without your brain, your heart is useless.

This time I knew I had no choice but to listen to my brain because clearly my heart couldn't be trusted.

I had to move on. Not with another partner, but with my life.

Looking over at the ground, I could hear his quiet snores signaling Greg was still deep in his sleep. His mouth hung open and I swear I could even see a small stream of drool from the corner of his lips down to his pillow.

He looked so peaceful, so cute, it made my heart skip a beat and my stomach feel light. This must be what people mean when they say they feel butterflies. It was nothing compared to the electricity I felt with Hunter, but it still felt nice.

Despite my insistent demand that he should sleep on the bed since it was his house and the floor would have been fine for me, he wouldn't allow it.

I guess underneath that hard mean exterior was a nice guy. A really nice guy. I felt silly for crushing on the first boy I lay my eyes on after being rejected by my mate, but it is what it is. The void in my heart from the disparity my mate has caused was ripping away inside me and I need a distraction.

Not feeling the slightest bit tired, I sit up on the bed and stretch out my arms. That is some mattress he has, I felt revived with that quality sleep it gave me.

I notice the clock on the bedside table flashing at 10:00 AM in bright red. Didn't Greg have something important to do early today?

Looking back at him, he looked so serene, I almost felt guilty for what I was deciding to do.

Gently hopping over his body, I open the white door that Greg had said to be the bathroom. Walking in I look for some sort of cup but came up short. Instead, I took one of the white hand towels and soaked it in water.

Walking out of the washroom and back to the sleeping Greg, I kneel close to his body, practically hovering over him.

I stretch my hand back over my shoulder and swiftly fling the towel downwards and aim directly for his face. As it makes contact a loud splat was sounded.

That surely woke him. I do admit, there are much safer ways that I could have woken Greg up by, but this was far more fun.

Greg abruptly lunged up, and to my surprise, in an attacking stance.

His eyes flutter rapidly as he tries to get familiarized with the bright room.

"Gre-" I could barely finish one word before I was pushed down to the floor with his entire weight upon me.

"Gre-Greg! Y-you're Chok-chok- Choking me!" Greg's large body squashed me to the floor, making it hard to breathe.

"Rose?" his husky voice questions, sounding rough and dry but I still found it attractive. I'm not sure what that bed of his did to me, but after a full night's rest, I was looking at Greg in a different light.

Or perhaps I just fall for anyone who gives me the slightest attention. I blame Hunter.

"What are you doing here?" he asks, confused.

"Umm... You kind of let me sleepover... Remember?" Realization crossed over his face and he finally moved away and relaxed his shoulders. I couldn't help but feel a tiny bit upset that he didn't even remember.

"Right, sorry. I don't often have visitors sleeping over," he says as he gets up and holds his hand out for me to grab onto.

I let his big hand engulf mine and thanked him as he brought me up.

"Well, I didn't exactly wake you in a great way," I say sheepishly.

"So, I guess we're even." I smile.

"Oh shoot, I'm so late!" Greg stares at the clock on the bedside table and I watch as he franticly rushed to his closet. Pulling out some clothes from his drawers, he doesn't give me a second look as he drops his pants to the floor.

I yelp and turn away as soon as I made eye contact with his skin. Did he just forget that I'm standing here? Or perhaps he's just that confident. I envy that type of confidence.

"What exactly are you late for?" I ask while facing the bed, opposite from where Greg was changing.

"Moving day."

"What do you mean, moving day?"

Without thinking, I turn back towards Greg. "What's mov-" I stop mid-sentence when I realize Greg is half-naked.

"Ugg, for the love of chocolate! Cover yourself." I could feel the warmth on my cheeks as they redden.

Greg laughs loudly before replying, "Oh come on, Rose. You're a werewolf, you should be used to seeing other werewolves naked.

"Just cover-up," I mutter bitterly, still avoiding his direction as he calls me a prude.

Greg's laughter reaches my ears yet again making goosebumps rise on my arms. It was a beautiful sound.

I didn't understand why I felt so much attraction to Greg, especially since I know who my mate it. After all, since Hunter has marked me, I should be repulsed by just the thought of another man. Well, at least that's how it goes for a normal mating bond.

Clearly, Hunter and I don't have a normal mating bond. Rubbing the area where Hunter had bitten, I felt the soreness but refused to take a look. I'd prefer to suppress that matter for now and hope that no one will notice the mark since we haven't fully mated.

Coming back to reality, I heard Greg telling me to turn back around. Slowly, I follow his command but still squint my eyes.

Seeing a little bit of his covered torso through my squinted eyes, I opened them fully.

"Oh, come on. It's not like you've never seen a naked body before." His laughter dies down once he sees my expression.

"No way!" He screamed, truly looking surprised.

"It's not that big of a deal," I bark back, then cast my eyes away from embarrassment.

I'm sure I look like a tomato right now.

"Of course, it is! You're a 20-year-old werewolf that's still a virgin."

"Hey, I'm not 20. I'm 18." I stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

Greg's mouth nearly hung out from shock.

"That doesn't make sense," He said after minutes of thinking about it.

"Umm, I think I know my own age. I'm 18 years old in my senior year of High School and ready to graduate in a few months."

It was quite obvious by Greg's expression that he doubted me.

"I'm 18, Greg. Trust me. What's the big deal anyway?" 18, 20, that's only a 2-year difference.

Was he embarrassed to be with a minor? I mean 18 is basically an adult.

"It's just the Alpha said-" Greg cut off his sentence mid-way.

"I'm going to be late, let's go," He states, his whole posture changing. He became stiffer and more on guard. There was something he was going to say before and it killed me with curiosity not to know.

"Not until you till you finish your sentence," I say.

"I'm serious, Rose. Let's go." And serious he was. Though his mouth was closed, I could tell his teeth were clenched. His hands in fists, and his eyes meeting everything but mine.

"I'm serious, Greg. Tell me." I refused to back down.

Greg's eyes finally met mine. I'm startled by what I see. So much sadness pooled in his eyes, on the edge of bursting.

"Please, Greg. Whatever it is, you can tell me." I spoke softly, afraid that the big muscular man in front of me will break down at any moment. Though barely knowing this man, my heart pained to see him internally struggle.

He sighed, then took a seat on the messy bed. I'm such a bad guest, I didn't even make my bed.

"Rose." Greg's voice rang.

"Yes?"

"I'll tell you, but it's not easy for me."

"Alright." I felt the uneasiness in my stomach in anticipation of what he is about to say. Greg told me to sit down, and compellingly, I sat right beside him.

His big brown orbs met mine. I nearly choked on my saliva from all the emotion flickering on his face.

"You're the Alpha's mate but when we first met, the thing is... Well, I thought you were, but you're so young." Greg couldn't control the words that were spiraling out as his breathing became erratic.

I froze at his statement. "Where did you hear that I am the Alpha's mate? And I'm not that young."

"Nowhere specifically, I just had a feeling. Although now you basically confirmed it."

"You're wrong. He is not my mate." Deciding to change the subject I turn towards him and ask my own questions.

"Greg, why did you hate me so much when we first met? Why are you being so nice to me now? What's with your Alpha? and what's wrong with my age!" I had so many questions running through my mind I felt as if I would be the one to break at any given moment.

He looked straight ahead, towards the door.

"There's nothing wrong with your age- I just assumed that you were older. Alpha Hunter is one of the best Alpha's out there," he started.

"He would do anything for his pack, and because of that, he has all my respect. To everyone outside of the pack, he looks like the devil's son, but it's all just an act. I mean the killings and fightings are real, but he has his reasons."

"So, Hunter is a good guy, not the devil. Got it. Now on to u-You." I merely blushed as I almost said us.

Is there even an us? Just yesterday he hated my guts and hasn't even given me an explanation yet. Maybe I just need to chill. But one thing for sure, I don't need to sit here listening about how amazing my mate is, I need to move on from him.

"You despised me yesterday. What changed?" I ask directly.

"I never hated you, Rose. However, I admit I did want you to think that I did. Yesterday wasn't the first day I saw you."

I couldn't help but gasp at his confession. "What do you mean? I didn't know you even existed before yesterday." I tried to make sense of the situation.

"Formally, yes. Yesterday was the first time you knew of my existence. But I had seen you before. About a year ago, my pack took over the River Mill Pack. As the delta of the pack, I'm the second-hand man for both the Beta and Alpha." He pauses, making sure I'm comprehending his words. I nod and he continues.

"Alpha Hunter was showing me the territory, outlining the borders."

I remember the River Mill Pack. They were a small pack with a big territory. I even remember the boys in my grade having bets on when the Dark Moon Pack would be taking down River Mill Pack. As cruel as it sounds, people were making money off their misery.

I remember the day that they were attacked vividly.

There was a big warning in my pack, we weren't sure if they would come to attack us as well. My sister and I were taking a walk at the time, I was showing her this cool pond near the borders.

"And that's when I smelled it." Greg's voice became soft, his eyes wandering to the painting on the wall, trying his best to avoid my direction.

"It was the best scent I have ever had the privilege to consume. Like a mash-up of fresh chocolate chip cookies and coffee. The perfect combination. And then I saw her."

Is Greg talking about his mate? I didn't know Greg had a mate! An unsettled feeling formed in my gut.

"Her long brown hair, her big brown eyes. Just her sight alone made me freeze. She was the definition of beautiful."

Long brown hair, big brown eyes... sounds familiar.

"When her eyes met mine, she froze. At first, I thought she recognized me as her mate. However, that wasn't the case. Her eyes scanned over mine before stopping completely on Hunter."

"And that's when Alpha Hunter described a smell. The smell of fresh-baked cookies and coffee. He said it was so powerful, so intoxicating, that he fell in love with just the mere scent."

"Wait so-"

"She was his mate." Greg stated motionless.

But... I'm Hunter's mate.

"So why didn't he go to her?" I question.

"Because at the time Hunter already had a mate."

"Impossible!" I screamed hastily. "You only get one mate. That's it."

"But here's the thing, he met his first mate many years before the other. They were friends since childhood, they were always together. When Hunter first announced that she was his mate, we were all shocked. I mean, we all assumed they would get together. But the chance of them actually being mates?" Emily.

I wanted to suggest that Hunter was lying, but Greg talked before I could.

"And I knew Hunter believed it. He truly believed that they were mates. He smiled around her, they always talked and had dinner together. She soon started taking on tasks for a Luna. No one dared question their bond because we assumed the only female that Alpha Hunter would tolerate would be his mate. He had quite a daunting reputation when it came to being nice to other girls. "

Hunter and Emily believe that they are mates. So, what am I, number 3?

"But, that day by the border, that was the first time someone had caught my attention like that."

Greg continued, "but it was also the first time I had seen Hunter caught off guard. He looked vulnerable. He showed all the signs that he had found his mate. Signs that he never showed with Emily, but people never bothered to point it out."

"But you said I'm his mate. If you think I really am his mate, then what about that girl?"

Greg sighed sadly.

I don't pity Greg, but I think he deserves better. He thought he found his mate, and then suddenly she's gone. I know the feeling.

"Think hard, Rosalyn. Where were you that night?"

I don't understand what Greg is referring to, it couldn't be me. I would have remembered.

I recall being by the river with my sister. Right by the border of our land, but I would have sensed them. I would have smelt them or noticed the shadows lurking behind the trees. Shadows...

"Oh my god!" I screamed when memories flooded my mind.

"I remember." I remember the two wolves in the forest. I remember their large stance and the fear I felt as I held onto my sister's hand tightly.

I also remember the feeling. The most amazing sensation known to werewolf.

The feeling of finding your mate.

That day I had taken my sister's hand, turned, and ran home. Not once looking back. The wrong move to make against two large wolves but for some odd reason they never came after us like I expected.

When I got home, I told my mom about seeing my mate, and she laughed.

She said I was too caught up at the thought of having a mate, that I imagined it. She then read the statistics that said 99% of werewolves who do find their mate, find them after the age of 17.

When I kept arguing, my father asked me to prove it. Said that it was one in a billion to find your mate that young, that I realistically was not that special.

"Where is this so-called mate of yours then? No true mate would have let you get away." He had asked.

After I explained how I didn't actually know who he was, as they were on the other side of the border, she started yelling at me for putting both my sister and my life in such danger.

I remember the emotions running through my head when I looked at the huge grey wolf. He was not only the biggest wolf I had every seen, but also the only other fully grey one.

My father dismissed me as delusional, stuck in my head daydreaming too much, and thus pushed me down a road of constantly feeling inadequate. Like most traumatic incidents, I had suppressed the memory, eating into my father's theory.

But if Greg's story is true, then Hunter genuinely has mate-like feelings for Emily despite also admitting I am his mate. Also, the fact that Greg thought I was his mate. Nothing makes sense.

"Let's say for argument's sake that Hunter and I are mates, not that we are, but why would we feel something for someone else?" Greg looked taken aback by my question.

"You feel something for someone else? For me?" He asked disbelievingly.

I blushed, looking down. "Not much that day by the border, but right now I felt something. It's not as strong but it's still there."

I thought it was feelings that one would have for a friend or a playful crush, however, there's no denying that at times I felt more. I wanted more.

But it couldn't compare to the stupid strong feelings, the useless tingles, and the unfortunate warmth the Hunter gave off.

Greg smiled. "Well, that's something."

Hunter pretty much rejected me. Made me feel like crap. Maybe, just maybe, I could find happiness with Greg.

"Hunter and I are not mates." There's no need for everyone to think we are. Especially if Hunter is planning to reject me or keep me on the side.

"Right. If you are not his mate, then I guess Emily is." I knew he didn't entirely believe me, especially since he knew that Hunter has also been distracted by my scent.

Maybe I just smell really good. There is no absolute assurance that he is my mate, at least not in Greg's mind. The fewer people who know the truth, the better. But this changes everything.

If Greg doesn't think Hunter and I are mates, then he will give in to what his wolf is feeling for me, and try to claim me as his mate. This has gotten more complicated than I had even anticipated.

"Greg-" I started but was soon cut off by a loud ring tone.

Greg and I both jumped at the sound, and he quickly scrambled to grab his phone. Maybe it was my mom checking to make sure I was still alive; I haven't spoken to her in two days now.

"Who called you?" I ask Greg as he blankly stared down at his phone.

"Alpha Hunter. I'm super late; he's going to kill me." And just like that, we both rushed out the door and to his car, leaving our heavy discussion on pause for the moment.

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This was a pretty important chapter! I hope it isn't too boring and confusing.

Any Questions?

What do you guys think about Greg?

Hunter wasn't really in this chapter, but don't you fear! He'll be back! like the terminator ;)

And he'll start showing his possessive, jealous side ;)

I worked really hard on this chapter, IT'S 2:12 AM RIGHT NOW!

Please VOTE --------->

xoxo-Jada