Prince Reagan novel Chapter 1

I could hear the smooth voice of Miss. Ava, as she goes on teaching in the large hall some theory Aristotle once came up with. But my mind isn’t focused on her. Her voice fades away as I glare at the black-haired boy sitting on the other side of the room with his fingers softly thrumming on the table. His eyes are focused on the female teacher, possibly listening to the lecture going on while I watch him like a freak from afar.

Brad Benson, son to the Alpha of Lunar pack, and next in line to be Alpha. He’s the kind of guy every girl in town wants for herself and still runs after, even though he’s dumped them before.

Recalling what he did yesterday makes me grit my teeth and glare harder at him. Oh, the nerve of him.

I’ll start from the beginning.

I remember when I first saw Brad on the first day of high school. I was that kid no one wanted to associate themselves with – boring, weird, skinny with freckles painting my cheeks and forehead, and I had practically no fashion sense. I tried making friends, but it didn’t work out.

Then I saw Brad and how he was adored by everyone. He was your typical high school jock – handsome, athletic, charming… Everyone wanted a piece of him. Plus, he’s the son of our Alpha. He had it all, the looks, fame, popularity, power…

I wasn’t so impressed by him at first. I avoided him like the plague and stayed hidden, not making myself too popular. I didn’t really care that no one acknowledged me. I was okay being on my own. Calle an introvert.

But then, at the start of my senior year, I began having this huge crush on Brad. I would sit two seats behind him and ogle him throughout the whole class as every other girl did. I daydreamed about him and even scribbled his name at the back of my notebooks a lot.

I knew I couldn’t have him since he was dating one of the most popular girls at school at that time, Stacy. But it didn’t stop me from trying to impress him by changing my looks. I actually started to read fashion magazines instead of my books and even tried out the dresses I saw. But then, when I showed up at school, Stacy ended up turning me into a figure of fun.

Apparently, I was so skinny, any dress I wore either ended up making me look more of a stick or dwarfed me in them. I was made a laughing stock throughout, and Brad hadn’t even paid me any attention.

It wasn’t common for werewolves to be so ugly like I had been. We are one of the most beautiful and exotic creatures globally, and humans mostly envy us for this. But of course, they don’t know about our actual existence. They’re so unpredictable and might not be able to process that we live among them, especially since we age very slowly.

Anyway, since I couldn’t get Brad, I stopped trying and settled on ogling him from afar. But fate has its way of surprising people.

When I turned eighteen, which is the age of any average werewolf to find their mate, I had been ecstatic to find mine. Of course, not every werewolf sees theirs immediately, but I hoped I would quickly. A mate is someone to cherish and the one you would spend the rest of your life with. They’re usually given to us by the moon but can also be chosen. You feel a pull towards them and can’t help feeling attracted to them no matter what…or at least that’s what I thought.

I had skipped happily to school that day in joy, fantasizing about the special moment that I would finally find my true love. Finally, someone would accept me for who I am and not stare at me like I’m some weirdo. I didn’t care about the weird looks I got for my goofy smiles. All I cared about was finding my mate. I even wore a little bit of makeup to school, just in case I saw him that day.

At one of my free periods, I was walking down the hallway when I smelled this mouthwatering scent calling out to me. My wolf was howling like crazy in my head, and her tail wagging side to side.

I knew then what it meant and traced the scent right away. I found myself on the empty football field with Brad sitting on the bleachers, deep in thought.

My eyes widened in shock when I realized the scent was coming from him. And when he noticed my presence, he stared at me in question with his eyes squinted until I whispered,

“Mate.”

In shock, his eyes had widened too, while I was left confused. Hadn’t he smelt my scent and realize I was his? He had turned eighteen the summer before. So how come he hadn’t noticed? Or maybe he had…

Realization dawned on me as I continued to gape at him in shock.

He knew. He knew I was his mate but never approached me. Every wolf can recognize its mate after turning eighteen, and Brad had been eighteen four months ago!

My suspicions were confirmed when he scowled at me with disgust written all over his face. Then, he grabbed my hand in my dazed-like state and dragged me to an empty closet.

Slamming me against the wall, he dug his fingers into my shoulder, eliciting a whimper from me. I ignored the pain he had caused at my back and stared straight into his eyes.

“Listen, you’re not my mate. I don’t want a weak, skinny she-wolf such as yourself as my mate, so don’t bother trying to be. Get that into your thick skull, and don’t even think about telling anyone else about this.” He snarled at me using his Alpha tone, and I could feel the dominance riding in waves from him.

I couldn’t do anything but watch him storm out while slamming the door shut behind him. I had never seen Brad so pissed before. He was the golden boy of the school; everyone adored him, including the teachers. And to think I, his mate, was the one who brought out the ugly side of him.

But I didn’t understand. From what my parents told me, a mate is someone you can’t live without. The bond will continue drawing you two together, and you can’t resist it no matter what. So how come Brad knew I was his for four months and could stay away from me? Had my parents lied? Or was it that they thought everyone else’s love story to be like theirs?

I had seen my parents together, and they absolutely were madly in love with each other. They had met each other at college and felt the mate pull instantly. Three weeks later, they completed the bonding process after meeting both their parents. A marvelous love story it was. But why was mine different? Was it because I was skinny and seemed to be weaker than your average wolf?

Most werewolves have their first shift at the age of fifteen. I had mine at sixteen. My parents kept trying to console me the whole while, telling me it was okay and that it was usual for some wolves to have their first shift late.

Even when I shifted, my wolf was as skinny as me, and her fur a dull brown like my hair. Don’t get me wrong, I love my wolf, but I really wish she had been as strong, fierce, and beautiful as the rest. I wish I was like the rest…

I couldn’t force Brad to love me, so I decided to leave him alone. If what my parents said was true, then he wouldn’t be able to resist the mate pull and would come crawling back to me. In the meantime, I was left with sighing and giving him longing stares from afar. I did notice Stacy giving me more attention sometime later. And I’m not talking about the good kind.

She would accidentally bump into me, sending my books flying, and taunt me about my appearance. I didn’t know why she suddenly had an interest in bullying me, but later found out she knew about me being Brad’s mate. Brad never did anything to defend me but laughed along with the others. I kept telling myself to be positive. He would come around later. He had to.