Mated By Mistake

RHETT

Angela’s breath comes in ragged gasps beneath me as I withdraw and roll to the side. I tie off the condom and toss it into the trash.

I sink onto the edge of the bed, resting my elbows on my knees and letting my head hang low. Angela tugs the duvet up and places her hand on my shoulder. I shrug it off. I don’t want her touch lingering on me any longer than necessary.

“Hey, are you okay?” she murmurs.

I nod, my jaw set tight. My fingers twitch with the need for a smoke.

“I’m stepping out for a smoke,” I inform her.

I pull on my sweats and grab my cigarettes. I need to escape this room. It feels suffocating now.

“Hey, you did really fucking well for your first time!” she shouts as I head for the door. “You’re not a virgin anymore!”

I mutter a curse under my breath and storm out. Leaning against the wall, I place a cigarette between my lips and light up. I feel like shit. I’ve just had sex for the first time. I should be walking out of that room with my head held high. I should feel like a fucking king.

But, I don’t.

I feel like absolute shit. At the time, it felt good. Really good. I know I’ll be doing it again, probably in five minutes. I don’t understand why I feel like this now, though. The moment my orgasm faded, guilt crept in. I know what I’m feeling guilty for. I just don’t understand why. I lost my virginity, but it wasn’t to my mate.

You should have waited for her.

I curse the nagging voice in my head. I don’t have a mate. That’s what everyone keeps telling me. It’s all I’ve heard for years.

Why the fuck would the Moon Goddess give a screw-up like Rhett Tiercel a mate?

A small part of me feels guilty. I should have waited for her, just in case the Moon Goddess makes a mistake and gives me one. The rational part of me knows that she isn’t out there. I don’t get to have a mate. I’m not one of the lucky ones.

I take the final drag and head back inside, ready for round two. This is what I do; I fuck things up.

BRIA

In the end, Rhett doesn’t return for just over two years. Although the alpha was willing to welcome him back after one, Lorenzo said that he was enjoying the West Hemlock Pack.

I don’t keep tabs on him, but when we turned eighteen, Sage discovered that her mate is Lorenzo, and she relays all the Rhett-gossip back to me.

We’ve finished school. I’m now eighteen and on the lookout for my mate. In other news, Rhett’s back. A lot has changed in the time that he was away. I became Head Girl, much to my parents’ delight.

I moved into the pack house. Living with my four younger siblings was becoming way too overwhelming. I’m currently training to become a nurse in the pack clinic. I work there four days a week. The rest of my time is mostly spent in the library, where I assist Ms. Meadows, the librarian.

I haven’t changed much from school. I’m still the golden girl that gets along with everyone. Sickening, I know. I hate myself sometimes. I know some people resent me for being a goody-two-shoes. Despite what they may think, I don’t believe that I’m any better than them. I’m just trying to be a good person. I don’t have a superiority complex. I just want to make my family proud.

I had a boyfriend, Benjamin, for about a year. We had agreed not to go all the way because we’re both waiting for our mates. I know he was disappointed when I turned eighteen and he was not my mate. We broke up shortly after. I try not to think about him.

This pack has always been successful, but it keeps growing and improving. We now have over five thousand members, meaning I don’t know everyone in it. I still keep my circle small, only Sage and Annie. I’m always welcoming and friendly, but I’m guarded around people. I don’t know why. I guess Rhett and I are similar in one way; we’re both hesitant to let people in.

I don’t even realize that Rhett is back until Sage tells me. He works with Lorenzo. They are prison guards in the cells. No one seems to be happy that he is back. I’ve heard the mothers gossiping about him, saying they hope their children never turn out like him.

My father simply shook his head when he heard he’d returned. He told me he wishes Rhett had stayed in the Hemlock pack. Lorenzo is Rhett’s best friend, so by hanging out with Lorenzo, Sage hangs out with Rhett. She fills me in on everything they do and complains about him to me.

“He smokes. Like, seriously? I know we can’t get cancer and all, but it stinks; it’s so gross. And he should be careful around humans. It’s such a bad-boy cliché.”

She likes to rant when I’m studying. She’s venting about Rhett smoking while I’m practicing how to bandage wounds on a dummy. To be honest, out of all the things she’s told me about Rhett in the last week, there was one story that was by far the worst. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.

Rhett, Lorenzo, and Sage were hanging out at some diner, when Carol, this mean girl in Rhett’s year, approached them. Apparently, she said she hoped he’d got himself arrested, so that he never had to come back to our pack. She told him she felt sorry for whoever had him as a mate, and she hopes that whoever she is, she rejects him. For some reason, his reply made me feel ill, even though I heard about it second-hand.

He responded with, “Not if I reject her first.”

Who would reject their mate other than a loser like Robbie Yates?

***

I push the cart, loaded with books, down the aisle. Stopping at the right bookshelf, I return the book to its rightful place.

“Bri!” I jump at the sound of Sage’s loud voice, echoing around the silent hall of the library.

“Sage, sh!” I whisper-shout as she runs over to me. “We’re in a library!”

“I know that, silly,” she whispers back, “but I wanted to tell you there’s a party in the woods tonight, a bonfire.”

“Um, sure, I’ll come,” I reply hesitantly.

I don’t really like alcohol and I certainly don’t do drugs, but parties bring lots of people in the pack together. There’s a chance I’ll meet my mate.

“Amazing, I’ll go pick us out some outfits!”

She dashes out of the room, her auburn curls bouncing. I smile at her retreating form, grateful that she’s willing to dress me. One less thing to worry about.

My best friend, everyone.

***

I arrive late to the party. Sage got impatient and went ahead with Annie. I told the girls I’d meet them there. I check over my outfit, heeled boots, jeans, and a sparkly top.

This will have to do.

My honey-blonde hair falls in soft waves to my waist. I run my fingers through it to comb out any knots. I’ve only put on some light makeup. I’ve never really been fond of the stuff. No amount of foundation can hide the freckles on my nose, so I don’t bother with it. Sage does wonders with contouring and concealer, but I’m clueless.

My cerulean eyes are filled with hope and I mutter a curse under my breath. I can’t look so damn hopeful. I’m setting myself up for disappointment when I don’t find my mate tonight. I’ve been eighteen for three months. I’m so eager to meet him already.

I grab my phone and walk across the green to the trees. I can hear the music as soon as I step foot into the foliage. I follow the sound further into the forest. The trees become thicker and then clear again, revealing a large bonfire.

There are hundreds of people surrounding it, dancing and laughing with their friends. A couple of people say hi to me as I try to find Sage and Annie. I try calling them, but neither of them answer their phones. Instead, I go over to the drinks table and pour myself a lemonade.

I find a quiet spot by the edge of the trees and decide to people watch for a bit. The music isn’t as loud here and I can actually hear myself think. I check my notifications on my phone so I don’t look quite so much like a loner.

Three guys stumble into the clearing, quite obviously drunk already. I recognize Lorenzo immediately. I don’t know the other guy, but the middle one, I realize, is Rhett.

Two years have only added to his allure. His features are the same—those brown eyes, that black hair. But he’s shed the boyish charm and now, he’s all man. He must be around nineteen.

Dressed in black jeans, a black T-shirt, and a black leather jacket, he’s the epitome of the bad-boy image. I spot a few new tattoos peeking out from his shirt collar.

As he turns his head, I can’t help but gasp. There are tattoos on the back of his neck, extending into his hairline. The thought of a needle on the scalp makes me wince. His ears are adorned with piercings, glinting in the firelight. There’s one on his nose and eyebrow too. He raises a cup to his lips, revealing inked knuckles. I can’t help but wonder if there’s any part of him that remains untouched, save for his handsome face.

A gust of wind sweeps past and I instinctively wrap my arms around myself. A tantalizing scent is carried with it, enveloping me, filling me with warmth.

Oh, Goddess, no.

Please, no.

Could Rhett Tiercel really be my soulmate?

I stand there, frozen in disbelief, watching him laugh and joke with his friends. He’s completely unaware of my presence, just ten meters away, hidden in the shadows. My mind is a whirlwind of thoughts, desperately seeking any explanation other than him being my mate. He just can’t be.

A girl approaches them. I don’t recognize her. She has turquoise hair that falls to her shoulders and a few tattoos on her bare arms. She greets the guys. Rhett takes her hand and pulls her close. Their lips meet and my stomach churns. I can’t look away. It’s self-inflicted torture, watching them make out. Rhett’s hand slides down her back and grabs her ass.

I feel nauseous. I manage to get up and stumble into the trees. The only sound I hear is my heart pounding in my chest. I make my way back to the pack house and into my room. I collapse onto my bed, burying my face in my hands.

How can this be happening?

Every time I close my eyes, I see Rhett and that girl kissing. It fills me with a sickening jealousy. My phone vibrates. I see Sage’s name on the screen, but I ignore it. My heart aches as I recall Rhett’s words about his mate.

Not if I reject her first.

BRIA

Oh, Bria, what have you done?

Rhett’s words kept echoing in my mind, his declaration that he’d reject his mate.

Sleep was a stranger to me last night, and by morning, I’d made a reckless, spur-of-the-moment decision.

I sought out Molly, the witch who resides on the fringe of our territory.

Witches are a rare breed, and Alpha Byron prefers to keep Molly within reach, just in case her services are required.

Molly didn’t bat an eyelid when she found me on her doorstep at the crack of dawn.

I spilled my guts, telling her everything, pleading for her assistance.

She can’t weave love spells or alter someone’s thoughts, but she can grant me a little breathing room.

I compensated her for a suppression spell.

For a fortnight, Rhett will be oblivious to our mate bond.

I have fourteen days to familiarize myself with him, to see if he truly intends to reject me as his mate.

Perhaps I’ll even scrutinize him, to determine if he’s mate material.

If he falls short, I can beat him to the punch and reject him first.

As if you could ever do that, Bria.

I know I won’t reject him.

I have faith in the Moon Goddess.

She doesn’t err.

If she’s paired me with Rhett, there must be a purpose behind it.

All I can do is trust her.