Don't Leave Me, Mate

7

I was confused at the beginning about the unknown feeling I had for Ian. But now I could understand that it was because he was my mate.

We were bonded by fate. It was fated that I would fall for him.

My wolf was delighted to have found her mate. I felt the heaviness in my heart that had been building up over the past few months vanish.

It was always him.

I was relieved that it was him. Because I was in love with him without even knowing that he was my mate.

However, the mate he had been waiting for was actually me. It was as if I were dreaming.

On the other hand,

Ian was staring at me, not saying anything. His glowing red eyes had turned black. His eyes became cloudy, as if he were thinking something.

I took a deep breath before stepping toward him. He was a little distant from me. I glanced around us. Other boys and girls were staring at us in surprise.

I assumed they had only heard Ian's loud growl and not my whisper.

I came to a stop in front of Ian and shifted my gaze to him.

"I-Ian. You are my mat–."

"SHUT UP!"

I flinched at his loud and harsh tone. Everyone behind him gasped in terror.

He grabbed my arm tightly and drew me close to him. He glared at me and muttered in a low voice so that the others could not hear us.

"What did you think? I am pleased to have found you as my mate?"

"B-But Ian, it's our fate," I mumbled in reply.

He scoffed at me. "Fate? You are right. Fate. I f**k this fate."

The way he spoke and behaved caused tears to scramble in the corners of my eyes.

I blinked, and tears rolled down my cheeks.

"Why are you crying? Are you trying to play the sympathy card in front of everyone? Don't try to talk about this nonsense to anyone else; otherwise, they will only make fun of you."

"W-Why are you saying this?"

He let go of my arm and turned around to the crowd. He looked at everyone and asked,

"Ladies and gentlemen, this girl over here wants to be with me. I mean, like, forever. What are your thoughts about it?"

I lowered my head to hide my tears from others.

Everyone was shocked when they heard him, but then they burst out laughing.

People started to talk about me loudly.

"She is Ava Adler! What a shameless s**t! How could an ugly girl like her want to be with Alpha Ian?"

"Oh, hell no. He said forever. Does that mean this little b***h wants to be our Luna?"

"Take a look at yourself, nerd. You are a disgusting girl."

"She doesn't even have a class, and she wishes to be with the future Alpha, the hottest boy in this pack? What an i***t!"

I tightened my fists while staring at the floor.

My mate had just made fun of me in front of the whole university.

How was I supposed to feel right now? My whole body started to feel numb.

I felt like I was going to collapse on the ground. The humiliation was too much for me. All of my life, I wanted to run away from attention but ended up being a nerd. People used it against me, and now my own mate had made me the center of attention, or, I should say, the center of humiliation.

Ian turned to me and asked,

"Did you hear them? I hope you got your answer."

I did not raise my head to look at him. When he noticed I was silent, he turned around and walked toward the crowd.

People moved away to make way for him to go out. He left the locker area, leaving me alone to let them insult me more.

I felt a hand grab my hand and pull me harshly. "You w***e! How dare you offend him? He had never done this before. You want to stay with him forever? He even turned down the most beautiful girls in our pack for his mate. Only his mate can be his Luna, and you are a dirty b***h who does not even have the qualities to date a handsome guy, asking him to be with you forever?"

It was our pack's beta's daughter, Nova, who had just spoken out.

I did not respond to her. My whole world turned upside down.

She frowned at me and raised her hand to slap me. But someone grabbed her hand.

I raised my chin and noticed Debra glaring at Nova.

"How dare you bully me, friend?" Debra yelled and hurled Nova's hand away.

"Ask your friend about what she did today. She is dreaming of becoming the Luna of this pack," Nova said.

Debra turned her head toward me. To keep my sobs under control, I bit my bottom lip.

"What is she talking about, Ava?" Debra asked with confusion.

I rushed to the crowd and pushed them away from me.

I could hear Debra calling me from behind, but I was not in a condition to hear anything.

All I wanted to know was the answer. Why did he do that to me?

I wiped my tears and turned my head left and right, looking for the man who had mercilessly shattered my heart.

"Where is Ian?" I asked a girl.

She looked bewildered by a face that had turned red from crying.

"I saw him going to the rooftop. Why?" Another girl said.

"N-Nothing," I replied and shook my head.

I dashed to the stairs and climbed them to reach the roof.

I noticed that the door to the rooftop was slightly open. I went inside, and I saw him.

He was gripping the railing tightly while looking down.

I closed the door behind me and asked him,

"Why did you do that?"

He turned around and glared at me.

"You dared to come to me?"

"I want an answer, Ian. Why did you humiliate me like that? What have I done wrong to you? What was my fault?"

His eyes turned gloomy. His face appeared to be more fierce. His furious expression startled me. He started to walk toward me. His move caught me off guard.

I looked into his eyes. People always said that he was desperately waiting for his mate. He never dated because of her. He would give all of him to her. But why was I seeing only hatred in his eyes?

He stopped in front of me and grabbed my chin.

"A nerd like you can't be my mate."

His words sank deep into my heart. So what if I was a nerd who was not classy like other girls? Was that really an issue to dislike your mate? How could he say that?

"You are nothing like the girl I want. You deserve a nerdy boy as your mate, not a big bad wolf like me. I can not even think of you in that way," he said before releasing my chin.

I took a step back. He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair in rage.

"How can my fate make fun of me? How can it choose you for me?" He asked while pointing his finger at me.

I could not stop my tears anymore. They gushed out with his each statement.

I recalled my mother's words. She stated that my mate would love and protect me. But how could my mate act like this with me?

"It is not just about your face or appearance; it is also about your rank. A weak omega who can't even protect herself can't stand with me."

"I-I thought you saved me when they were trying to bully me," I said, recalling the day he stopped the boy outside the basketball court.

"Yeah, I only showed sympathy that day. But by just that, did you think I was interested in you?"

How could a girl hear such things from the man she loved?

I remembered the night he kissed me in the dark, but I did not let out anything about it because he would only get another chance to insult me. He might have forgotten about it already.

He believed I did not deserve him.

He may have imagined his mate to be the most beautiful girl in his pack, with a high rank to fight in the war and the potential to become his Luna.

I failed to meet his expectations.

I wanted to tell him that it was not my fault that I was an omega; it was not my fault that I was not as attractive as other girls; and it was not my fault that I fell for him.

But before I could express myself, he did something that destroyed my life completely.

“I, Alpha Ian Dawson, reject you, Omega Ava Adler, as my mate.”