bChapter /b10

Caleb’s POV

I watched as she moved around the bustling diner, tending to customers, and felt myself grit my teeth in annoyance at her meek and pathetic behaviour.

Aurora was not exactly the most pleasing to look at. She was no eye candy by any means–pin–straight yet unkempt hair falling to her shoulders like a fence, dark circles around her eyes almost like a panda. There was absolutely nothing special or unique about her.

But for some reason, I couldn’t help but follow her with my eyes.

She was short, and somebody’s grandma probably had more charisma than her. Everyone knew how miserably pathetic her life was, and no one wanted to be her friend, as she was definitely not the model of optimism.

Especially with her father cheating his way through half the town and gambling his life into debt, no one even dared to look in her direction in fear that even that would make their money disappear.

So why…?

I nearly jumped in my seat when she turned around, and our eyes identally met. Thankfully, I had a frown permanently etched onto my face, and I looked away in irritation, my lips curling in an unfriendly manner. Damnit!

Not wanting to be caught staring again, I returned my attention to the conversation happening at the table.

“You’re finally going to be of age!” Caroline eximed excitedly, clutching my arm. “The celebration should be grand; the party of the century! I wouldn’t have it otherwise. And I’m sure Alpha Caden would agree with me!”

Tadmired her enthusiasm, her jolly personality and her contagiousughter. So…why wasn’t it Caroline?

“Anything special you want to get on your birthday?” Shane asked me. “Any present you got in mind?”

Jade was as quiet as usual, sipping his milkshake without engaging in the conversation, but it was clear that he was listening; that was just how he is.

“I couldn’t care less about how extravagant your party is,” Mia/joked with a yful roll of her eyes. She had an affectionate hand on Shane’s arm. “All I care about is booze!” Sheughed. “Besides, Caleb’s already got everything he wants; he’s got Caroline. I don’t think he needs anything else.”

At that, Caroline and I exchange nces, smiling awkwardly, but we say nothing back. We were already used to such assumptions. Her father was our pack’s current beta, which is why Caroline and I have been attached to the hip ever since we were born.

As a result, everyone expected us two to be mates.

We grew up as best friends, and continued to be best friends all our lives. But for me, Care was too precious to loseb, /bso I had wanted to wait until my eighteenth birthday to make sure that we really were mates, so that I could finally be with her as more than just a friend.

After all, I thought it was a given; that it was the most obvious thing in the world that we would end up as mates since we had been in each other’s entire lives for a reason.

But, recently, even though I wasn’t of age yet, I already had a strong feeling that this wasn’t the case, because I had started to feel a budding connection with a certain someone that I wasn’t very fond of.

In fact, I disliked that person so much that I didn’t want my feelings—these hunches–to be true at all. It waspletely against my nature! How could such a thing even be possible? After–all…she was human!

When I first started to feel these hunches, the heightened sense of smell that only seemed to follow one scent in particr, I was in absolute

denial. I hated it; hated her. I was the son of an Alpha–I myself was going to be the Alpha of the DarkWater pack someday–1 just could not be bonded to a human mate!

I would be aughing stock, a disappointment, and my own pack members would lose respect for me. They would see me as a bad omen, tainting our pure bloodline,

It would be absurd, ridiculous! Uneptable! Even more so considering that her father wasn’t exactly a likable person in society either.

Even if she was thest person left on earth, I would never ept her as my mate. I have no doubt that dying alone and mateless was better than being bonded to her, that pathetic scum of the earth.

No…even if this was the moon goddesses will…I wouldn’t allow this bond to form. It was against my will!

“Caleb,” Caroline whispered into my ear, bringing me back to the present. “Are you okay? What’s wrong? Why do you look troubled?”

It wasn’t until she pointed it out that I realized that my eyebrows had been drawn together in an intense frown as I stared at the food on my te, unable to focus on anything else.

I immediately rxed my expression to ease her concerns, managing a small smile.

Suddenly, I felt like my heart was being crushed by an invisible fist as I realized that, yet again, my wolf caught a whiff of that familiar, alluring scent–the scent that told me my mate was near.

My eyes instinctively darted toward her, before I caught myself and angrily turned my head, pretending not to see her.

“I’m fine,” I muttered to Caroline, and she patted my shoulder reassuringly before returning to the conversation with the others.

And it was at that moment that I made a promise to myself, a vow of sorts, a vow I wanted to keep at all costs.

That girl was not going to be my mate; I won’t allow it. I was going to reject her as soon as I turned eighteen.

There was no need for me to form unnecessary mating bonds with anyone, especially not her. And when I was finally free of her…I was going to take control of my own fate, and choose my own mate.

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