Rejected Mate

Chapter Two: The Lycans

“Love will find a way through paths where wolves fear to prey.” Lord Byron.

Five Years Later.

"Damn, she talks a lot!" Ezekiel breathed out a huff as we took our usual seats at the back of the classroom.

"And whose fault is that?"

I tried to sound annoyed, but a small grin betrayed me.

He smirked. "I had to escort my lady to her class and Ruth is her best friend. . .I’m taking Rachel on a date after school.”

He had that goofy, stupid smile at the mention of his mate. His brown eyes would always brighten when he talks about her, looking silly yet happy.

“She looks exceptionally cute today, doesn’t she?”

“Ezekiel, you’re scaring me with that gross smile.” I joked. “I’m not used to you being this sweet.”

“Only to the one I love.” He had a mischievous grin, eyes narrowed as he slyly remarked. “Are you jealous, Jon?”

“Pff, you wish.”

“Love, while she’s the love of my life and my mate, you’re my best buddy and guy crush.”

I gasped when he kissed my cheek, being so shameless. We were being stared at by our classmates, some girls had creepy smiles and heart eyes, yet he didn’t care.

“You idiot.” I smacked some sense into him, blushing, which made him bark out a laugh.

"You guys are in big trouble!” Lucas said as he walked in, and he looked really worn out.

“She sucked the life out of you, huh?” I laughed, and he grumbled.

“She’s insane! One thing she’s talking about the project, the next, she’s naming our kids.”

Ezekiel snorted. “Ruth likes you, and she’s not hiding it.”

Truth be told, Ruth is a stunning girl, but she’s an egocentric maniac. The kind of people who think they’re entitled to get anything and everything they want. This attitude of hers is what repels people around her.

Lucas made barfing noises, exclaiming. “I hate her condescending tone and how she thinks she’s above all. Besides, I’m waiting to find my mate.” He whispered the last part for the rest of class not to hear him.

Since we didn’t have a supernatural school nearby, we had to study amongst humans. Of course, they didn’t know what we are, and we weren’t planning to let them know.

Only a few humans know of our existence, and we’d like to keep it that way.

"Anyway, she told me that Mr. Gillies had a minor accident, so they're bringing a sub."

Ezekiel fake gasped. "What happened to him?! I mean the guy is a jerk, but still."

I rolled my eyes at his response. I know for sure he hated the old man, unlike me. I’m called the teacher's pet in his class; not like I mind. History is my favorite subject, and Mr. Gillies is a great instructor.

I hope he's okay.

"I don't know. Ruth said that he’s been admitted to Northern Hill hospital, and that it’ll take time for him to recover.”

Ezekiel shrugged and smirked devilishly. "Serves him right for giving me an F."

Seriously, he can be a dick sometimes.

I ignored him and looking back at Lucas. “Maybe we can pay him a visit after school?"

From the corner of my eye, I could see Ezekiel roll his eyes, and I did my best to ignore him.

“I can’t today. Ruth decided to hold a meeting after school hours, given that we’re starting the internship tomorrow. Retrospect, I would’ve declined when Mason asked me to join the homecoming committee with him.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me of the internship we’ll start tomorrow. I can’t believe that I’ll have to end my date with Rachel early tonight to catch some sleep.” Ezekiel huffed. “The things we’d do for our special friend.”

They both looked at me in mock grudge, and I chuckled.

In wolf packs, those who are nominated to be the future Alpha and Beta of the pack are required to go through a certain training. This internship is part of it. It’s supposed to be a humbling experience in which we learn how the source of the pack’s income is run and managed.

To keep it fair, the elders are the ones to decide which company each group of supernatural students should intern in, to avoid being treated differently and ensure similar experience for all. Hence, we’re not allowed to intern at my father’s company.

The only issue here, I shouldn’t be the Alpha. Although I’m my father’s only son and rightful heir, I wasn’t a wolf. I do have access to my inner witch powers, being that my mum is one, but to be qualified, you need to be a wolf. But I guess this doesn’t matter in my tolerant pack, as they all believed in my father and me, trusting in my abilities to be their future Alpha.

Nonetheless, this is troublesome for me.

Silence fell upon everyone in the classroom when a young man walked in. He looked in his early twenties, big hazel eyes stared at us nervously as he coyly smiled. He placed his laptop bag on top of the desk and cleared his throat.

Poor guy. It must be his first teaching experience, or so I thought, because when I looked at Zeke and Lucas, they looked anxious as well.

I glanced back at the teacher whose eyes never left our own which got me wondering.

Could he be a wolf?

"Hello everyone."

He finally greeted with a forced smile. Contrary to his hardened looks, he has a gentle and warm tone of voice; it had all girls in class swoon over him already.

“I guess you heard of what happened to Mr. Gillies, and if you didn't, well, umm. . .he got into an accident."

Few gasps around the class and faint whispers could be heard.

"But don't worry, he's fine and doing well. He'll recover, and soon enough, he will be back teaching you guys."

He looked at us again. His eyes lingered for a few seconds before he continued.

"My name is Daniel Barrus, you guys can call me Mr. Barrus. I’ll be your teacher until Mr. Gillies gets back. . . I’m looking forward to know each one of you."

“Me too.” Bri mumbled with dreamy eyes, to which he chuckled heartily.

He did a roll call, stopping at each name to ask a personal question. He seemed so eager to know all about us, especially about Ezekiel and Lucas.

“Ezekiel Reddy?” Mr. Barrus said with a raised eyebrow. “Are you Eric Reddy’s son?”

Stiffly, Ezekiel nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“He was a nice man.”

“He is a nice man.” Ezekiel gritted his teeth at what was implied, and Mr. Barrus chuckled.

“Sorry, poor choice of words.”

I patted Ezekiel’s shoulder, given that he was so tensed and whispered. “Chill, dude. It’s obvious that he’s trying to provoke you.”

I stared at the sub teacher, who indifferently moved on to talk to another student, wearing a disgusting smirk. I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I’m sure what he said was intentional.

“He’s a wolf, isn’t he?”

“He is.”

I figured. That explains why they’re on edge. Wolves are territorial, which makes Mr. Barrus' presence unwanted. Well, he could be dangerous, and he does give off a malicious vibe.

"You guys, can I see you after class?"

Mr. Barrus said calmly, looking back and forth between Ezekiel and Lucas. They both nodded reluctantly.

He smiled faintly at me. His expression softened.

“And you, buddy, did I call your name?”

“Umm, no?”

“Weird.” He mumbled, going through the list of names he had on hand. “I’m pretty sure I called all the names on the list.”

“Yes, Jonathan has recently joined our class.”

Lucas explained to which the sub-teacher smiled. He rested the list on his desk and sighed. “Mr. Collins must’ve forgot to give me the updated list. . . Well, tell me about yourself, Jonathan?”

I shrugged as an answer, bowing my head and avoiding his glare. I’m not a fan of introductions.

“Anything?” He chuckled slyly. “No need to be shy. Can I at least know your full name, Jonathan?”

I glanced at him with a disapproving glare.

“Okay,” He slowly stated, a bit of agitation in his tone of voice. “It’s my turn, then. You know my name, I’m twenty-five, married.”

Bri whined. He just smiled, adding.

“This is my first teaching experience and hopefully not my last.” He frowned, tapping his fingers on the desk. “I’m from Richmond. . . umm, what else?”

“Mr. Barrus.” Sam raised his hand, and he nodded for him to talk.

“You came all the way from Richmond to teach here?”

The teacher chuckled and rubbed the back of his head.

“It’s not like I was given a choice. I mean, don’t get me wrong, your city is beautiful, and I always wanted to visit it. Greensboro has so much history.”

“History?” Mason snorted. “The only thing that’s close to history in this place is the three-year-old pizza slice that’s wedged behind the soda machine in the cafeteria.”

I snorted while the rest of class snickered.

“Good one.” Mr. Barrus laughed.“But, seriously, you do have some sites that are lush with history.”

“The Blandwood mansion?”

A gentle smile tugged on the teacher’s face as he elaborated.

“Not only Blandwood mansion or the museum. Your city is rich with history, just some of it wasn’t documented. One of the strongest and oldest tribes had settled around here.You must’ve heard of it.”

“Are you referring to Uktena?” Sarah pushed her glasses up in defiance, showing a derisive smirk when the teacher nodded.

“Uktena is just a child tale. No evidence was found to confirm they existed.” She chuckled. “Besides, who’d believe in the fallacy of people who shifted into wolves.”

The guys and I tensed at the mention of this old tribe and wolves. I’ve read about them in books I’ve found in my father’s study. They were believed to be one of the original packs, ruled by one assertive and fair Alpha.

It’s true that evidence of their existence was never found, but I trust my father when he said they existed. He told me how they lived in the deepest parts of the local forest.

I’m a curious person, and I always wanted to investigate this, but my dad opposed the idea. People who went into those parts of the forest never made it back, so I understand his concern.

Mr. Barrus laughed. “You’re right, but how many myths were later proven to be true? How can we achieve knowledge if we don’t perceive and be open to other ideas?”

Dreamily, Kate sighed. “I believe that vampires exist. At least, I hope so.”

Sarah scoffed at her. “This is another misconception derived from the book Dracula. Only a few know that Dracula was inspired by Vlad the Impaler, a cruel ruler. . .”

“Dracula is real. Whatever you’ll say won’t change my mind.” Kate left no room for discussion, making the whole class erupt in laughter.

“Okay, how about we do this? You all work in pairs to research about urban legends and historical myths, and we can discuss it in the next class?”

And just in time, the bell chimed to declare the end of class. I gathered my stuff to leave, but Ezekiel stopped and asked me to stay with them, so I did.

I knew that they felt obligated to involve me in wolves or the pack's matter, but I didn't care. I’ve grown out of feeling any sort of pity and remorse for what happened. . . what I did.

What’s done is done. I moved on, so should everyone else.

I hate those pitiful and careful looks they'd always give me, like I was so fragile that anything could break and harm me. I wanted to tell them that it annoyed me, and that nothing reminds me of what happened than their careful gazes and forced smiles.

I lost my mate and wolf, nothing can change that.

We walked towards Mr. Barrus, and he looked at me hesitantly. I just looked away and at Ezekiel, who introduced me as a friend of the pack. Although Mr. Barrus seemed suspicious, he went along with it.

"So, which pack you belong to? Lucians?"

There was this lilt of conviction in his voice, leaning on his desk to face us. I stayed behind the guys, not wanting to be part of this conversation.

"Yeah, and you are?" Ezekiel states with a huge sense of pride I wished I could have when talking about my pack.

"Lycans." Mr. Barrus said with the same confidence.

Now, here's the thing. Us and Lycans aren't in good terms and it has been this way for years now. Some say that my father started the conflict, while others claim that their young Alpha made some stupid decision which resulted to this feud. Whatever it was, it seems incorrigible that it was carried through generations. Silly, if you ask me.

Learning that Mr. Barrus is a Lycan sparked anger in Ezekiel, balling his fists to rein his wolf as he muttered.

“You shouldn’t be here. The treaty clearly states that none of us step on the other’s territory-”

“Unless said otherwise.” Mr. Barrus cut in. “I know the treaty by heart, Ezekiel. I was sent here by my Alpha who got the consent from the elders.”

“Even though,” Lucas argued. “You know the rules, and you should’ve sent us words of you coming before getting here.”

“I know the rules, Lucas. It was so sudden, and I’ve already sent someone to alert your Alpha.”

“What’s so sudden that brings you to our town.”

Mr. Barrus grinned and winked. “Shh, it’s a secret.”

Before my friends could say anything more, I got hold of their arms and dragged them out of the room.

"We'll be late for our next class." I gave the Lycan an awkward, nervous smile.

“See ya.”

I swear I heard him mumble something along the lines of ‘soon enough’.

What a creep.

Ezekiel acted as if I slammed his ego on the ground and stepped on it, pushing away from me. He kicked a locker to vent out his frustration, scaring some kids, cursing under his breath.

“I fucking hate Lycans.”

“Why, though?”

He looked at me as if I grew two heads. “Why?!”

“I mean, it’s a feud between Alphas, why should we butt in?” I shrugged. “I think the whole thing is silly, to be honest.”

“Silly! This whole thing-”

“Zeke!” Lucas stated firmly, stopping him from saying whatever was on his mind. “Let’s just go to our next class. See ya later, Jon.”

“Laters.” I frowned at their awkward behavior. It must be a wolf thing, I guess.

Shrugging, I head towards my next class, all while brooding about the situation that just occurred.

I mean, I can never get the wolf packs loyalty thingy. It seems that once an Alpha hates or loves someone, the rest of the pack soon follow suit without questioning if their actions were right or wrong. So what if two pack leaders were not in good terms? They shouldn't drag their packs along to fight. If it was up to me, I would ask both leaders to settle their differences themselves.

This all just some testosterone flexing, I tell you.

The school ended, and we’re waiting outside the principal office for some papers to be signed, to authorize a temporarily leave from school. I was so excited about the internship, especially when I learned it’ll be in a well-known gaming company.

I’m a sucker for video-games, which is why I’m bubbling with excitement right now.

The office door opened, and I expected to see Mr. Collins, our principal, but instead, Mr. Barrus came out, holding a file.

"Mr. Collins asked me to hand you this and help you with any questions concerning your internship."

“Why you?”

I elbowed Zeke, smiled and took the papers off Mr. Barrus’ hand, showing my gratitude.

“Thank you, sir.”

Mr. Barrus stared at me with a frown. “I didn’t know you’re a wolf.”

“I’m not.” I grinned, nodding for the guys to leave, but Ezekiel was adamant to get his questions answered.

"Why did Mr. Collins ask you in particular?"

Nervously, I chuckled, trying to mend the hostility in the air. Ezekiel just ignored me, raising an inquisitive eyebrow at Mr. Barrus, who in return smirked.

“This is the reason why I was sent here.”

“What do you mean?” Lucas wondered, and what Mr. Barrus said next left us all baffled.

"Well, I'm sure you won't like this. . .The owner of the company is a friend of mine.To be more precise, he's our Alpha."

"You know, you don't have to go, Zeke? I can ask my father to speak to the elders and change your internship."

I tried to calm my raging tall friend, who since we left school held fires in his eyes and an ugly frown.

"He's right. We don't have to go. I’m sure they can find other places for us to intern in, so don't be afraid or worried-"

I shook my head at Lucas, indicating for him not to continue and fuel the fire, but I was too late.

"Afraid?!" He snorted furiously. "Me? Afraid?! Who said I'm worried or afraid? Huh?! I don't care if their Alpha owns the company, that's my internship! I earned it, and I will go, and so will you!"

He snapped, startling Lucas a bit. I just sighed, aggravated, meekly smiled at an annoyed couple we walked by.

“Chill, dude. People are staring.”

“Fuck them!”

“I don’t wanna go, though.” Lucas mumbled, and his concerned glare seemed to change Ezekiel’s fury into worry, as he nodded defeated.

It was suspicious, to say the least, especially when I caught their secretive glares. Besides, no one changes Zeke’s mind. Ever. Well, except for Rachel, but that’s beside the point. Something isn’t right, and if my intuition is right, they’re trying to stop me from going there.

Well, tough luck. I’ve already made up my mind.

“I think you’re right. Let’s all turn down this internship.”

“You can’t be serious?” I interjected. “I’m still going. It’s G-Deviant what we’re talking about here; one of the best game design and development companies out there.”

“We can get other opportunities.” Zeke argued.

“Not as cool as this one.” I countered.“You guys can back out, I’m not.”

He stopped me with a good grip on my arm, holding an intimidating glare yet somehow fearful.

“I thought we decided to do this thing together?”

I hated how his voice trembled, which happened only when he’s hiding something from me. I couldn’t help but pry my arm away from him, glowering at both of them.

“Well, that was all before I heard that the company is G-Deviant. You guys know how much I love video games.”

“More than your friends?”

“Oh, please. Don’t use the friendship card on me, Zeke. Not now!” I snarled. “You were being adamant on us going, that until Lucas hinted something.”

“He didn’t. I just thought it’s best for us not to go there and get into some unnecessary fights with the Lycans.” He denied.

“If you act like a grown up, there won’t be any fights.”

I resumed walking, and soon enough, I heard them following. Zeke dropped his arm around my neck, pulling me to his chest.

The tall bastard!

“If you’re going, we are too.”

I looked up to meet his grinning face, and I spontaneously smiled. Lucas bumped my shoulder and nodded.

“Like we’d let you have the whole fun to yourself.”

I chuckled and stared at my best friends. Maybe I’m reading too much into it. Maybe they’re not hiding anything from me. Instead of being grateful, I’m being ignorant again.

I reached home and head straight to my room. My father is at the pack house, and my mum goddess knows where she is again, which meant I have the whole house to myself for the weekend. I turned on my X-Box to play some games while waiting for food delivery; some good, hot and cheesy pizza.

Pizza is the greatest invention there is and the best comfort food.