"So Friday night?" Micah says as we stop underneath the tree I sit at waiting for Henry. The bell had rung just as we stepped outside into the vacant area and I was thankful that people didn't see us together in the halls. This area is commonly quiet, its the reason Henry and I have sat here without fail for almost every lunchtime.

"Friday night," I answer, nodding my head still a safe distance away from him.

"I'll come by and pick you up around six, did you want me to just come collect you in case I'm late?" He asks and I think about the last time my family opened the door to be met with him.

"No!" I rush out, and he'd be a fool to not notice the evident fear in my words but he disregards it nonetheless. "I'll just wait outside the apartment."

He furrows his brows at the idea. "It'll be dark by then, I don't like the idea of you having to wait out on your own," he says and the comment hurts me slightly but I know why he's made it. I don't exactly live in luxury. "Do you have a phone? I could just text you when I am on my way," he suggests and I nod, pulling out my phone from my pocket and passing it to him.

"Unlocked?" He asks, amused and I shrug.

"I'm not really trying to hide anything," I comment and he laughs.

"I guess not," he says before typing into the phone, sending himself a text I presume. He hands it back to me with a smile and stands awkwardly in front of me, one hand in his pocket and the other moving to scratch the back of his neck. I half expect him to try and give me a hug goodbye though I know he wouldn't.

"I'll see you Friday, Athena," he says and my name coming from his lips makes shivers travel up my spine.

"Good luck with practice, break a leg," I joke and he smiles giving me a strange look.

"I think that's just a theatre thing," he laughs and I wince, heat rising to my cheeks from the embarrassment.

"Right, that makes sense because you need your leg. To... play." My wince doesn't disappear and he laughs.

"If I break a leg now Mennison I'm gonna be expecting someone to keep me company," he jokes.

"Good thing you're a wolf," I answer and he smiles, knowing the likelihood of him breaking a leg is near impossible.

"Thea?" Both of us turn around to see Henry stood with his leather bag slung over one shoulder and an apprehensive look in his eyes. I take a subconscious step away from Micah and Henry moves to stand next to me concern evident on his face.

"Henry," I say to him but his stare soon turns too Micah, holding a look that could get him into trouble, "hey."

"What is he doing here? Are you alright?" He asks, his body stance becoming defensive.

"Of course she's alright," Micah says with a scoff, the idea of me not being so in his presence seemingly unfathomable. But from the way Micah returns Henry's hostile stare, I can tell he doesn't appreciate the implication one bit. "Who are you?"

I tense next to Henry, Micah's tone holding more than just a question. It holds an underlying threat. Despite what the school shrink may believe, I did listen in the classes about mates and I know how a newly mated wolf is when another male poses a threat.

"He's my friend," I answer before Henry has the chance. Micah looks back to me and though his stare softens I can see the darkness they contain, the possessive edge that hasn't disappeared.

"This is Micah, we were just talking," I say to Henry before turning to Micah and pointing to my best friend. "And this is Henry,"

I didn't expect them to bro hug, overjoyed at their introduction but I at least thought they'd maybe shake hands. I despise the silence that ensues between us, it hangs in the air and makes it thick with tension.

"I'll see you later," I say too Micah with a closed lip smile and he smiles back to me.

"See you later," he replies, not bothering to continue the fight which I appreciate. I give him a smile and he turns, beginning to walk to the fields.

"We still on for movies tonight at yours?" Henry asks and Micah stops in his track, his back tensing. I shoot Henry a look and whatever edge of jealousy that he held disappeared at my stare.

Micah turns around and looks at me and then too Henry, staring between the two of us as he begins to draw conclusions in his mind. I'm going to kill Henry, slowly, painfully torture him to death for this. That's if the wolf in front of us doesn't do the job for me. My stomach coils with nerves.

"Friends," I reiterate, taking a step away from Henry to prove my point and prevent whatever it is that Micah may do.

He shrugs. "It's fine," he says, shaking his head. "You don't need to defend yourself or anything. I just wanted to say um it might be cold on Friday so bring a jacket." It's a clear cover up of the true feelings going on beneath his cool facade but I appreciate it nonetheless. He looks hurt, and I can tell, even if he isn't explicitly showing it- that the thought of me alone with Henry makes him livid.

"Thanks," I mumble and he waves before walking off.

The second he is out of sight I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and turn to Henry, bringing my bag down on his chest. "Were you trying to piss him off?" I yell at him under my breath, still wary of supernatural ears lurking by.

Henry holds his hands up in surrender. "Sorry, I just asked a damn question," he says, somewhat annoyed himself.

'Don't act dumb. Don't be dumb. He's a wolf with Alpha blood and things are already tense enough as it is do you want him to kill you?" I say and he doesn't have a response, guilt seeping onto his face. "Do you want him to turn into some possessive freak and never let us see each other again because he can Henry. Don't you get that?"

"But he didn't, he wasn't even mad," Henry rebuts but I shake my head.

"But he could've. You know what our parents have taught us, what people have said about mates. I can't believe you'd be so reckless,"

His eyes turn back to their steely front. "It shouldn't be reckless for me to come over to your house and watch movies for god's sake. He shouldn't have any say over what you do, who you hang out with," he replies, his anger entirely evident.

"But he does. He's about to become the leader of this pack let alone everything else, we both know what that means for me. We can't just leave to South America now, that isn't an option anymore," I say and the second it passes my lips I think back to the decision my parents had all throughout my childhood.

We didn't have to be under this system, we could've left but we didn't, each time it became an option something else came up.

"I'm sorry," he confesses. "It was reckless of me and I wasn't thinking, I was just," he lets out a frustrated sigh. "I was just mad."

"He's not... I don't even know right now okay? He's not forced me to do anything or made me feel like this bond is my only choice. He's been nice," I say and Henry gives me a confused look.

"Thea... you think the arrogant, cocky son of the Alpha is nice? He is showing you the side of himself that he wants you to see. You might think he is being nice and I'm sure that this method is a better alternative to the other but his goal is still the same. I can guarantee you that there is one thing and one thing only that this guy wants from you," he says and I roll my eyes.

"You sound like my dad," I reply, folding my arms across my chest.

Henry scoffs. "Okay, what were you both talking about before I got here?" He asks and I narrow my eyes at him.

"It's none of your business and I can hold my own thank you very much. I don't need you controlling my life too," I rebuke but he doesn't back down, both of us as stubborn as the other.

"Go on, tell me. And you can patronise me all you want Thea but I know I'm right in this. Micah Holt wants you to be his, his mate, his Luna, his to have and to control," he says and I laugh dryly.

"Jesus Henry he just asked me to go out! He wants to get to know me, just as friends-I mean believe it or not but he is just trying to figure this out with me."

Henry's expression turns blank and he folds his own arms. "Why'd they call you up to the office?" He asks and I furrow my brows.

"What?"

"I said why did they call you to the office?" He asks again, slightly firmer this time.

"The councillor wanted to talk with us and we both found it insanely intrusive and wrong," I reply, not seeing his point.

"So you are forced to see a shrink with your new mate, a shrink who has likely dealt with mates before, and the experience was that bad that you both bonded over it and decided to plan out a little date instead?" He asks and I recoil at his tone.

"It's not a date," I clarify but he doesn't take the revelation to be useful.

"Tell me, Thea. Do you really think a shrink who has years of experience with this kind of thing would be that bad? Just—help my curiosity, please. Could it not be the case that perhaps the big golden boy Micah planned out giving the two of you a common enemy to make himself seem better? To convince you to take the option of going out with him not just as a last resort but as something actually somewhat appealing?"

I shake my head, removing his stringed together logic. "It's not that deep. You are just drawing out wild conclusions now Henry and you sound like an honest mad man. He just wants to get to know me and that's it," I say but after his rant, I'm not so sure anymore.

It doesn't seem like Micah is holding some ulterior motive I mean its pretty obvious his likes me and I'd be a fool to think it wasn't because of the bond. But he has been nice and I can't just ignore that.

"Thea you've known him for a day. We've been friends ever since we could walk just trust me on this, stay away from him. Do as much as you possibly can to avoid him until we can figure something else out, please," he begs and I look at my best friend, the guy I've known my entire life and trusted for every second of it.

"You are overreacting," I say, shaking my head. "Can we just drop this, please? I just want to hang out with my best friend and eat some damn lunch."

Henry furrows his brows but I walk up and punch his shoulder playfully. "I'll give you half of my Moms famous egg sandwich," I propose with a smile and he sighs in defeat.

"Fine, but I get to choose which half," he says with a tight smile and I laugh.

"Deal."

-

"What do you mean?" I ask, completely offended.

"I mean the first one is far better, I mean come on," Henry says a large smile on his face as he switches the dvds over.

"But how? Honestly dude you have got serious issues. Like I'm really considering getting you some help," I say through mouthfuls of popcorn.

He puts the disc into the player and comes back to join me on my bed, taking the bowl of popcorn and holding it out with his long ass arms, a smirk on his face as I gape at him.

"I think we will just have to agree to disagree," he says and I mumble something under my breath that he ignores. "Did you hear about that opening on the school paper?" He asks and I shrug.

"I saw it," I respond and he bumps my shoulder with his.

"Anddd?" He eggs on with a smile. "Come on, you have to take it. You always said that you wanted to give journalism a shot and you have the grades to do it."

"I dunno, I mean it looks fun and all but I just..." I start and he gives me a look.

"The only reason you didn't want to before is because you wanted to stay under the radar, I get it. But that doesn't exactly matter anymore does it?' He says and I send him a glare. "It's true," he says with his hand up in surrender.

"Besides, you aren't going to be editor in chief, just write some fun articles and put your name next to it in tinsy insy little writing. Plus, it'll be great for some extra credit I'm sure," he says and I have to remind myself I'm best friends with probably the best student on our schools debate team.

"I'll think about it," I say with a smile and he beams, pride coming off him. He hands me back the popcorn and reaches down beside the bed, pulling up our secret box filled with candy.

"To celebrate?" He asks and I laugh just as the movie starts playing.

We finish nearly all of our candy and somewhere between the middle and the end, when I was far too engrossed in the amazingness of Back to the Future, I forced Henry to go get a refill of popcorn. When the movie ended it was nearing eleven and the both of us were just chilling, him laying down with his face near the end of the bed and me sitting cross legged, versing him on a level of the new fantasy game we'd been playing recently.

"Move! Move! No dude your gonna die there's a dragon!" I yell at him, my fingers moving furiously on my controller as I try to get to his location and slay the creature before they confront each other.

"I'm trying! I can't decide which sword to use!" He yells back and I let out a frustrated sound.

"That doesn't matter! No! Look out! He's about to-" a let out a groan of frustration and drown the pillow next to me into the back of Henry's head as flames take over the screen and we lose the round.

A series of taps sound from the door to the attic, likely my mum and her handy broom stick. "Athena!" My mum yells and Henry and I go deathly silent, like we weren't just shouting the house down. "You two need to get your butts down here, your hot chocolate that you demanded is going cold," she says and the two of us rush off the bed, scrambling to the hatch before pulling it down in a race to the sweet liquid.

We are both trying to contain our laughter as we run down the hall into the kitchen and each claim our designated cups, bringing the drinks straight to our mouths.

"You two seem to be having fun," my dad announces from the couch in the living room currently playing advertisements. He sits with his arm wrapped around my moms shoulders and I swallow the drink in my mouth.

"Sorry for being loud," I say and my mom scoffs.

"Loud is an understatement. It's getting late are you staying over sweetie?" She asks Henry, both of my parents looking at us in the kitchen together.

"I better get going home actually, I promised I wouldn't be back too late and I think I'm pushing that already," he says with a wince as he looks at the time on the kitchen clock.

"No problem, your mom asked me to get her some things from the markets today and they are in that bag on the counter, don't forget to take them with you," she says and he nods.

"Will do, thanks for having me," he says, smiling at them both before turning to me. "See you tomorrow?" He asks and I nod.

"You bet," I say with a smile.

'And think about that newspaper thing!" He says a little louder towards the end.

"What newspaper thing?" My mom asks from the couch and I glare at Henry, knowing that she will pester on me this too now.

"Nothing!" I yell back to her maintaining my glare towards Henry.

"You'll thank me later," he says, picking the bag up and walking towards the door. "Bye!" He announces and my family replies from their spot on the couch.

I let out a sigh and take out cups, putting them both away in the dishwasher before walking towards the bathroom to brush my teeth and then get some rest.

"Thea," my dad calls from the living room as I am about to enter the hallway.

I turn around, a hand on the threshold. "Yeah?" I ask and he turns the tv off. That can't mean anything good.

"Your mother and I want to talk to you," he says and I walk over near the living room, plonking myself down into the free chair to their right.

"What's up? I ask and they give me a serious look.

"We don't want you going out alone with the Alpha's son. We quite frankly don't want you anywhere near him for that matter but Athena, I am serious when I say that you need to stay away from him," my dad says, his tone slipping into full father mode.

"Well that's basically impossible, I go to school with the guy for a start and I'm his mate. I'd have to be Houdini to avoid him," I reply and his eyes turn steely as he gives me a firm stare.

"Then tell him that you don't want to see him. Pack laws on human mates state that you are within your power to," he says.

"For mates of Gamma and below," I correct. Pack law didn't account for Alphas or Betas because the likelihood was extremely slim. And also because I guess they thought ahead.

"Athena rules on dating in this household are pretty clear and whilst you live under this roof, you'll have to abide by them. If he has a problem then tell him to speak to me himself," my dad says, becoming angrier with the thought.

"Who said anything about a date?" I ask, shooting them an incredulous look and at their sudden silence it clicks in my mind. "Did Henry talk to you?" I ask and they remain silent.

"That doesn't matter, what your father and I are telling you is for your own safety. Nothing good is going to come out of seeing him," my mom tells me, her tone matching my dads.

"Nothing good will come out of me not," I reply. "You really think trying to just pretend it never happened is going to solve all my problems? I'm trying to work it out with him, to wrap my head around the entire situation and the fact is, he isn't even pushing me for any of that. He has made it clear that nothing is going to come of the bond unless I want it to and until that changes I don't see what all the fuss is about," I say, raising my tone to meet theirs.

"He's the Alpha's son, a werewolf. You can't seriously be considering befriending him," my dad says and it takes me aback.

"What does that have anything to do with it?" I ask, shocked at his indifference. I've always known he doesn't like them but painting them all with the same brush is wrong.

"It has everything to do with it. You know what he is going to expect of you, what the pack will expect of you," he replies and I gulp. Luna. I shake the thought from my head.

"I know you both want to protect me but it doesn't matter now. I can't just keep hiding from the world, I'm going to figure this out but I can't do that if I'm banned from speaking to him. I'm not particularly fond of the idea but acting out like this won't help anyone. I don't want the two of you getting involved in this-you know what happens when parents do," I say and my moms eyes become hurt.

"He won't take you from us," she says, her voice pained and my dad comforts her with his arm.

"No, you're right, I don't think he will. If it isn't pretty clear to him already that you don't like him," I say to my dad. "Then I really have no problem on my hands."

"It's not right," my dad says and I see the guilt in his eyes, the shame that he couldn't protect me.

"It's the reality we're in," I reply. "Look, this could... maybe it's not even going to be an issue, we don't know yet," I tell them, standing up and my mom rises from the couch and nearly tackles me to the floor with her embrace.

"Mom," I say as she clutches onto me. "Mom, I'm fine," I say and when she pulls back she has tears welling up in her eyes.

"Your mom and I only want what's best," My dad says, moving over to the both of us.

"I know," I say moving to give my dad a hug.

My dad pulls back and scruffs my hair like he used to when I was a small child. "Go get some rest kiddo, we'll talk more about this later," he says and I smile, saying goodnight to both of them and walking down the hall.

"And if we hear anymore of that game it'll be taken off you!" My mom yells after me and I wince.

"Yep!" I reply, walking into the bathroom to get myself ready for bed. It takes me about half an hour but after the conversation with my parents it is around midnight when I pick up my phone and stare at it from under the covers.

I scroll through the notifications on my phone-almost all of them from my apps and a couple mentions from Henry that I never got around too but the second my eyes find a message from a contact with Micahs name, accompanied by star-eyed emojis.

I look at it and furrow my brows in complete confusion.

I thought we were taking it slow?

I click on the notification and go to the message app, wondering what on earth warranted that response and I find the message that he sent himself today on my phone, my cheeks instantly blushing as I read it.

Have I mentioned that you are the hottest person I have ever laid eyes on?

My mouth gapes open. Sure, it says that the message is from my phone but he wrote it. If my parents even glimpsed at that... Sneaky little bastard. My fingers move on their own and I bite my lip as I reply.

Sorry, that wasn't meant for you, wrong number.

I stifle a laugh as I send it but the laugh soon turns to a wince as I think through what I've just said. What if he isn't into sarcastic humour? Or he takes it as like some weird wolf threat thing and tries to murder me for it? Okay that might be a little extreme but I don't know. I hardly hang around people let alone supernaturals.

...

I throw my phone on the bed and cover my mouth as dread begins to pool in the pit of my stomach. So maybe most of my confidence came from the assumption that a person getting straight A's, playing as captain of the football team and being the school captain got an early nights rest.

I didn't expect him to be a normal... teenager. I put my face in my palm, muttering curses to myself. Of course he's a normal teenager-why wouldn't I just think about that before being a freaking smart arse and-

My phone chimes and I go silent, as if he can hear me via text. I could just pretend I'm asleep or maybe- it chimes again, a few seconds later. I pick it up tentatively, hoping to just read the message on the home screen but my finger id opens the phone to the app, leaving a nice fat old 'read' on his screen no doubt.

You wound me, Athena Mennison. How can my pride ever recover from this?

This is Athena right?

He sounds nervous. Over text. If that makes any sense at all. Like he sent the first, confidence booming and is now wondering if I gave him a faux phone. I'd love to say I have the finances to have a second phone so that I can give it to strangers when they ask me for my number but unfortunately, I don't.

...

Yep, this is she.

This is she? Who even writes that. It doesn't even sound nice, in the slightest. I sound like Yoda.

...

What are you doing up this late at night?

Great, just what I am perfect at. Small talk.

...

I was playing a video game

...

A video game? What's it called?

...

The new Fire and Fear series. It's like about dragons and stuff.

...

Dragons and stuff? That's a sad way to describe such an epic game.

I furrow my brows at the screen, surprised.

...

You play?

...

Of course. Me and my friend usually play it together but he's got us stuck on level twelve. Been trying to get past it for weeks.

...

Me and my friend are still stuck with the stupid dragon.

...

Yikes, that's tough. Do you usually play?

I nearly scoff into the screen. So he thinks that I am the reason we are still stuck on level three with a dragon that ends us every time? Like I would be stupid enough to try and use a pickaxe to kill a dragon.

...

It's my friend who is the problem.

...

I don't doubt it. A girl who can fit through a bathroom window, parkour and run would be a formidable opponent for any dragon.

...

Ha. Ha.

...

We should play together some time, make a new game and see if our combined skill can get us to the end.

I put down the phone like it burns my hand. This is what my parents have just warned me of, what they don't-in any way-approve of me doing. I shouldn't be texting him like this, so friendly and all. It might give him the wrong idea...

Maybe, anyways I better get some rest

I wince, hoping that it isn't too harsh of a rejection for him to take. He probably expected it.

Yeah it's getting late, I'll see you around Mennison

See ya :)

The smiley is good, soften the blow or whatever. Or maybe it seems too-ugh I need to stop thinking.

I shut my phone off and lay it on my bedside table, burring my head into my soft pillow and letting sleep consume me. 

a/n 

writing instead of studying is an addictive drug at this point.