"Hey mama," I said in a tired voice as I walked into my parents kitchen after school. My legs still felt slightly shaky, like they had all day, and I knew I'd have to pull out a good set of acting skills so my mother didn't get suspicious as to why I looked a little less tanned then normal.

"Hi honey! How was school?" She smiled, pulling me in for a hug. I breathed in, feeling content and safer with her then I had in two days. I held her for a moment longer, then pulled away, half smiling.

"Same as always. Algebra's a bitch, and lunch is the best period."

"Language," Mum scolded, but had a tiny smile on her face as she did so. "Where's my other daughter?".

I rolled my eyes and smiled. "Emeli's with James, remember?"

Mum's mouth formed a small 'o', and I laughed. Setting down the dish towel in her hands, mum came over to the kitchen island where I was sitting and leaned on it with her elbows, her chin in her hands, eyes sparkling with excitement.

Uh oh, I thought. Here we go...

"So what's he like? Is he cute? Hot? Funny? Do I need to talk to him about anything-"

"Mum!" I laughed, leaning back on my stool and shaking my head, "He's a nice guy. He's also our physics teacher,"

She waggled her eyebrows, "Kinky."

"Oh my god, you did not just say that," I moaned, covering my face with my hands. Mum's laughter reverberated around the kitchen, and I felt my face heat up.

"I can't wait until you find your mate, honey." Mum sighed, and being the hopeless romantic she is, completely zoned out and stared out the window, smiling dreamily.

It's good she was so prone to daydreaming, because she missed the wince I couldn't stop from appearing at the word 'mate'.

"If it happens, it happens." I shrugged, and mum spun to look at me with narrowed eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"Well...mum, we don't know my descent. What if my mate rejected me because of it?" I asked in a quiet voice, looking down at my hands.

Hers appeared over mine a few seconds later, and there was determination and love in her eyes, shining straight into mine. "Katie, that would never happen. If it somehow did, he obviously doesn't know what he's missing out on, and quite frankly, doesn't deserve you. And your descent will make itself known sooner or later, your father was a late bloomer too."

I rolled my eyes at the last part. "We're not talking about puberty here, mum."

"I know, smart ass." She grinned, and I smiled back, even though I could tell it didn't quite reach my eyes. If only she knew that Kade rejecting me had already happened.

Another jolt of pain hit my chest when I thought about what happened this morning. I'd been like a ghost for the rest of the day, and Max and Emeli had been really concerned, but my main concern

But in order to do that, I'd have to go back to the pack house, and the very thought of bumping into Kade again made me want to hide away and never go back.

But it made me want to prove him wrong, too. That I wasn't pathetic, and weak. That I wasn't just someone he could flick to the side and forget about.

"Hey mum, can I stay here tonight?" I asked, and her face lit up for about three seconds before it fell again.

"Oh, sweetie, I'd love you to! But we've got guests from out of town tonight staying." Mum frowned, and I sighed in defeat.

"It's okay, maybe tomorrow night?" I asked, standing up and straightening my shirt. Mum nodded, and I walked around the kitchen island to give her a kiss on the cheek. Her hands settled on my shoulders gently, and by the look in her eyes I stiffened, trying to put on a nonchalant face.

"What's wrong honey? I knew the minute you walked in something was up," she asked, and I looked down at my brown ankles boots and her bare feet.

"It's just...a lot's going on at the pack house at the moment, and drama's not really my thing," I shrugged, hoping it came across as convincing as it did in my head.

One glance, and I knew she hadn't bought it.

"Is it that Hanah girl again? I never liked her, or her mother. I mean, if you want to set a good example for your child, don't wear mini skirts at forty. Seriously." Mum muttered, getting lost in her own little land again.

God, I loved my mum.

"I can deal with it anyway," I smiled quickly, giving mum one last hug before letting go of her completely and stepping out towards the front door. "Talk to you tomorrow?"

"Sure thing. I love you, Katie." Mum said, sincerity and pride shining in her eyes. I smiled wider, glad to see someone that was actually happy with who I was.

"I love you too, mum."

As soon as I'd shut the front door and stepped out into the humid, hot afternoon heat, dread replaced the warm feeling that was in my heart. Each step I took down the footpath made it heavier and heavier, until I wanted to just turn around and never go back to the house.

What would I find inside anyway? A bunch of pack members who mostly got along with me, with the exception of Hanah and her plastic crew? Bumping into Alpha Davis or his son again?

Bring it on, my wolf snarled, and I stumbled slightly, shocked at her aggressiveness. Don't get me wrong, my wolf taking on the whole I-Am-Sasha-Fierce persona was pretty awesome, but she was thinking about challenging an Alpha and his son. Who just so happened to be my mate.

"You're crazy," I muttered, and my wolf grumbled in reply, settling back down.

Five minutes later, I was staring the pack house's front door in the face.

All I had to do was grab the handle, and twist. So why was my stomach filling was a foreboding feeling?

Shaking my head in reaction to my ridiculousness, I opened the door and swung it open, about to take a step inside when something stopped me dead in my tracks.

Hanah had one hand slithered over one of Kade's shoulder, the other holding his bicep in a firm grip. The sound of the door opening brought Kade's eyes to me, and for a moment, I pictured it perfectly.

Him pushing Hanah off him, maybe kicking her for my benefit. Then walking over to me in that sexy stalk he seems to have and grabbing my face, then-

He kissed Hanah.

All the while keeping eye contact with me.

And that was when the real pain kicked in.

My breath stopped completely, and not in the excited way it sometimes did, this way was suffocating, my throat constricting until only tendrils of oxygen could get through. All my muscles froze, like they do right before a spasm. Not even my eyes were moving, they were glued to Kade, who was still kissing Hanah, his eyes on me the whole time.

And I knew he was thinking, do you understand me now? Because I did. Oh, I did.

Stumbling back a step, my vision becoming blurry as I clutched at my chest momentarily, thrown off by the pure physical pain in my chest, I gasped a shaky breath then stared at Kade one more time, directing a thought right at him as hard as I could, as if I could send him something down a mind link.

I get it, I said, repeating it one more time. Kade froze, his eyes sharpening on me, his forehead creasing as Hanah pressed herself closer to him again. He looked as though...he'd heard me. But that wasn't possible because only mated pairs or pack members could mind link.

Hanah's hand curled into his hair, and my eyes saw red. I wanted to rip it right off her wrist, and without me even knowing, I'd taken a step forward, but I managed to get a grip and glance at Kade one more time, trying to show him exactly what I was feeling right at that moment.

Rage, was first. Then the mourning heartbreak. Hate was last, it always was.

Then, I just didn't want to be there any longer. Turning, I walked as calmly as I could, straight towards the forest that outlined the roadside opposite the pack house.

The minute my feet hit the plush under-footing of the forest floor, I felt my wolf surge forward and suddenly, the incredible, excruciating feeling of changing between one form to the other took over me. I landed, panting, suddenly seeing and thinking through my wolves eyes.

And she wasn't in a stellar mood.

Growling as more of her tried to push past my subconscious, I fought to keep control. There was no way I was letting her gain control and do something stupid, we didn't need to be seen as any more weird then we already did.

Run, she panted, her chest heaving up and down. Run.

The trees were no longer solid, unmoving objects. We were weaving around them, dodging them like bullets, leaping over fallen ones and gaining more and more speed the longer we ran. I tried to forget for a few moments, forget the kiss I'd just witnessed, the pain I'd just experienced, tried to settle more into my wolf. But she felt it too. There was no escaping the simple, plain fact that Kade was serious when he said he didn't want us.

The reality was crushing, not only on me, but on my wolf, because what was she without her male?

Alone, forever. I could, If I wanted to, find someone I could eventually love and marry, but my wolf would never be happy. I'd heard of some people's wolves leaving, or dying, in a sense, when situations like mine happened. Like the wolf just fades away, then is just gone one day.

I was more angry about that, because she didn't deserve this. She deserved someone who could make her happy, make her feel special every single day.

But the only person who could do that for her, was our mate.

My steps slowed, until we were almost walking again, and the feeling of defeat was a physical weight on our shoulders.

We didn't belong to anything, now. Just like my damn descent line, we'd always be unknown.

A branch snapping halted me in my tracks, and I froze, my eyes swinging up and I tensed immediately.

Standing between two thinner trees, was an unbelievable beautiful girl with haunting, dark violet eyes, staring straight at me and grinning.

"Hello, Katie. I was wondering when you were going to show up."

* * * *

What do you think? I'm just starting to build the plot up now, so the exciting stuff can happen :) Hopefully you guys reading will stick around to see what happens :)

Vote? Comment? Either would be LOVE-A-LEEE  :D

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