They say when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade, but what if the lemons are rotten? What then? A more optimistic person would find something useful to do with rotten lemons, but not me. I was fed up of being dealt awful cards.
“What the hell is this?” Noah growled, his eyes alight with spite. “You’ve got to be kidding me. What kind of sick, awful joke is this!?” He shouted, drawing attention to us. “You wench, what did you do!?” He glared at me with reddened eyes that I could not avoid.
“What’s going on?” People around us whispered as the alpha’s son cursed at me, his eyes alight with so much malice it seemed he wanted to bury me underneath it.
“Babe, what’s the matter?” The blonde bombshell attached to his side asked with a pout, trying to get his attention back on her.
“Get off me!” He shrugged her off and stalked forward, taking purposeful strides toward me.
My legs trembled as I tried to flee but my body had gone into lockdown. It did that a lot when it sensed danger. I’d become a frozen rabbit withdrawing into an artfully carved shell perfected over the years, a shell that I entered at the first sign of danger to save myself.
“You can’t be my mate.” He hissed the words into my face, spittle flying everywhere. “You’re not good enough to stand beside me.” His words were inaudible even to me. He spoke them as if he feared someone else would hear. He was ashamed of me and I didn’t blame him. I was ashamed of myself too.
I was a shameful person. It was shameful that at twenty, I didn’t have a wolf and it was even more shameful how I let these people toss me about without fighting back.
“I can’t accept you,” Noah growled into my face, his breath reeking of alcohol.
“Okay,” I answered with a shrug that hid the anguish wrenching my insides apart.
It was my worst nightmare playing out right before me. I’d dreamt of finding my mate for so long but without a wolf, I knew the chances of rejection were high. However, it didn’t mean I did not hope. Mates are two parts of a whole. Fated mates did not reject each other but my life had to be a contradiction.
“I know I am not good enough,” I muttered to Noah who was still breathing in my face. “I understand.” He reeled back in surprise at my calmness.
‘What? Did you expect me to fall at your feet and beg to be accepted? I have a bit of pride, you know? I may be an orphaned, wolfless omega but I still have my self-respect, no matter how small,’ I thought.
“You –“ Noah stuttered and in a minute, his pale face turned red. “You’re not –“ His alcoholic breath irritated my nostrils.
“Baby, what’s the matter?” Bella came forward and grabbed Noah’s arm, clinging to him.
He gave me an irritated look before he grabbed Bella by the waist, pulled her into his chest and smashed his lips against hers. The girl gasped in surprise but she pulled him closer, her hands tangling into his hair. The people behind whistled and hooted but Noah kept his eyes fixated on me as he kissed another girl.
No matter how much I pretended to be fine on the outside, my insides were turning and twisting. My heart felt as if someone was stabbing into it with a blunt knife, stabbing and wrenching. My heart slowed for a moment and breathing because impossible. Through blurry eyes, I watched Noah’s eyes light up before they closed as he got fully invested in kissing another girl while I, his mate, watched.
No blow ever hurt this much. No slap, no kick, and no harsh word ever caused me this much pain.
I swerved on my heels, my heart too heavy to continue watching the scene playing out before me but as I turned, a loud voice halted me.