Chapter 5
“Anything?” Hadley asks, wriggling her eyes at me as she joins me and our friends at the concrete stairs outside D Block.
“No, nothing yet,” I admit.
“Greg was disappointed,” Frances says with a sly grin.
“He was not,” I say, throwing a chip at her.
“He was. He came into the room, sniffed the air, then looked over at you with a glum face,” Frances says. I shake my head.
“If my mate was here, I’m sure I would have smelt him already,” I reply. It’s been two hours of school, and no mate yet. I think my friends are more disappointed than I am. Just because my mate isn’t here doesn’t mean he’s not out there, somewhere. Or that he’s not a pack member. I’ll meet him when I’m meant to.
“How are you coping with the whole werewolf thing?” Tara asks, lowering her voice at the last two words.
“I feel different,” I admt. Tara nods. She shifted a month ago, the first of our small friends group.
“You can see clearer, right?”
I nod. Tara wore glasses before her first shift, but now she doesn’t need to, thanks to being a werewolf. Some of the popular girls spread a rumour that she wears contacts, stating proof when Tara’s eyes change colour (thanks to her wolf, Helen, coming through). Those in the know understand why she no longer wears glasses, but the rumour went viral quickly when it first came out.
“And the smells. Oh, my goddess,” I add.
“The smells are certainly stronger,” Tara agrees.
“Yeah, but the scent trails are another thing altogether! It’s weird!” I add.
“Scent trails?” Frances asks, looking confused.
“Yeah… you can see them, right Tar?”
“A little. Everyone has a scent trail. But they fade about a metre or so from each person,” Tara agrees. I look at her but don’t respond. That’s not what I notice… I can sense scent trails over long distances. I keep that fact to myself, just in case I’m odd or confused, but I’m sure I’m not… anyway.
“Well, I can’t wait to get my wolf and meet my mate! I swear I’ll probably end up dying a virgin!” Hadley states, folding her arms across her chest.
“You’re not a virgin,” I smile back at her, making her laugh.
“Shut up, bitch!” Hadley giggles, giving me a shove.
“Well?” Mum asks when I meet her in her classroom at the end of the day.
“No, Mum. My mate is not here,” I sigh. I dump my bag on one of the tables and sit down to finish my homework.
“The odds that my mate will be around my age is pretty low anyway,” I comment.
“You never know. He could be a teacher,” Mum says.
“Mum!”
“Cole Daynes is pretty cute. Apparently.”
“Mum!” I cry out again. Mr Daynes is one of the Maths teachers. If my mate was a teacher, did he have to be a friggin Maths one? Couldn’t he be a cool teacher, like an Art one or a language teacher? Maths? Yuck!
“He’s twenty-three and hasn’t met his mate yet. I could invite him over for dinner, so you can make sure…” Mum says. I look over at my mother, who is looking at me with a serious expression.
“Mum! He teaches Maths!”
“So?”
“So? It’s Maths, he’s good at numbers and shit. It would be, hi honey, how was your day? Good, yours? Today, I taught my students how to solve the quadratic triangle!” I mimic, making up the sound of his voice.
“Quadratic Triangle?” Mum asks. I shrug my shoulders.
“I don’t know, that sounds pretty Mathy, doesn’t it?”
“I don’t think Cole’s a nerd, sweetheart. From what I’ve seen, he’s popular with the ladies. Very cute.”
“Mum!”
“What? He is cute. Pity he looks like a twelve-year-old.”
I laugh at that statement. Any man younger than Dad looks twelve, according to Mum. Mr Rigby, the human who owns the corner store down the road, looks too young to have a baby and looks twelve, according to Mum. But I get it. Dad is tall and built and has aged well, whereas most young males, like Cole, still have lanky post-teen builds and young faces.
“Well, Cole Daynes is not my mate, so sorry. My mate will be tall and strong, with muscles like Dad,” I tell her.
“Oh, really?” Mum mocks.
“Yup, really.”
The next morning, I stumbled into the kitchen, still sleepy. The smell of coffee had woken me up.
“Good morning,” Mum greets.
“You could say that”, I agree.
“Didn’t sleep well?”
I shake my head. No. No, I didn’t sleep well. Pandora has been restless, and I don’t know why. I’ve asked her, but she doesn’t know why either. I wander over to the cupboards and get a bowl before filling it with Weetbix.
“Dad won’t be returning until next week now,” Mum tells me as I wait for the microwave to heat up my breakfast.
“Really? I miss him,” I reply.
“Me too, sweetheart. Me too. He’s sending some recruits ahead, and they should be here tomorrow,” Mum says. I nod.
“Blue Moon?” I ask.
“No, he’s at Garden Woods now. There’s a young wolf there he’s trying to recruit, apparently,” Mum says. I nod again.
“Okay.”
The rest of the day is uneventful. Mum drives me to school, and afterwards, I go to my music room to play while Hadley and the rest of the teen Deltas go to the gym for training. I envy her for this, but I know if push came to shove, I could defend myself, thanks to Dad.
Dad calls me when we get home, asking if I’ve met my mate yet and sounding pleased that I haven’t. He then tells me he’ll be back in a few more days and that he misses me. I say to him that I miss him too… but understand that it can’t be helped that he’s not here.
When I finish my conversation with Dad, my phone rings again.
“Hey Hadley, what’s up?” I answer.
“Guess what?” Hadley says excitedly.
“What? I don’t know.”
“The new recruits your dad’s sending up are coming tomorrow!” Hadley tells me gleefully.
“Oh yeah. That.”
“Oh yeah, that. I can’t believe you didn’t say anything!”
“And? What’s to say? It’s not different to any other time my Dad has sent recruits to us.”
“Yeah… but this is the first time you’ll be eighteen. Who knows, you might find your mate!” Hadley tells me excitedly. I roll my eyes.
“I might not, though.”
“Whatever. Anyway, there will be lots of eye candy for you. Milos has organised welcome drinks for them at the pack house tomorrow night, and this year, we seniors are invited!”
“Cool,” I reply.
“So, you’re going to come?” Hadley asks.
“I don’t know. Should I?”
“Yes! Stupid! It’ll be fun! It starts at seven, so I’ll pick you up at seven-thirty, okay?”
“I’ll ask Mum if I can,” I reply, knowing full well my mum would probably let me. She wouldn’t let me miss the chance of potentially meeting my mate, I don’t think.
“Mum!” I call out as I head downstairs.
“Yes, honey?”
“Tomorrow night, Milo will host welcome drinks for the new recruits who arrived today. Should I go?” I ask, hoping she’ll say no.
“It’s Thursday tomorrow…”
“Okay! I’ll let Hadley know I can’t make it!” I interrupt, turning around and hiding my smile.
“Hold on one minute, Georgiana!” Mum calls out. Oops. My full name. I turn around, wiping the smile from my face.
“I think that’s a good idea, you can go,” Mum says, smiling.
“Sure?”
“Yup!”
I sit in the living room on Thursday night, waiting for Hadley to pick me up. Pandora has been more restless today, and in the past few minutes, I feel her anxiety shoot right up. When the doorbell rings just before seven-thirty, Pandora and I sigh in relief.
“Ready?” Hadley asks when I open the door. She scans me up and down and rolls her eyes.
“Are you going out like that?” she asks. I look at what I’m wearing compared to her. Hadley is wearing a mini-skirt with a cross-over crop top that looks like a bikini top. On her feet, she wears Vans, highlighting her long legs. Me? I’m wearing jeans and a tank top. Comfortable.
“Yeah?”
“But what about…”
“If my mate is there, he won’t care what I wear. If he’s not, I’ll still feel comfortable in my own skin,” I reply.
“Fine.”
“Fine.”
“Let’s go then. See ya, Kara!” Hadley yells from the door.
“I can’t wait till she gets her wolf. Have fun, Georgie,” Mum links me.
“Bye, girls! Be good!” Mum calls out.
“We will!” I yell back.
Hadley giggles and grabs my hand, leading me to her car. It’s not a long drive to the pack house, about forty minutes away, and on the way there, Hadley and I take turns singing along to the radio.
“You should sing professionally,” Hadley sighs between songs.
“Nah. No thanks,” I reply. I love to sing, but I want to be a violinist. At least, that’s what I tell myself.
“You’re so good; it’s such a waste,” Hadley complains. I just shrug. She’s brought up this conversation before.
“I’m good at lots of things. Singing is just one,” I reply.
“Don’t say that too loud. I know it’s true, Georgie… but you have skills, man. You could be famous.”
“A werewolf that’s a famous singer. That sounds about right,” I scoff. I watch as Hadley pulls her car into the pack’s parking garage.
“There are famous singers who are werewolves, you know,” Hadley states, turning her car off.
“Just not from the Swan Moon Pack,” I reply. My pack is famous for churning out Deltas—not musicians, not singers. That fact tears at me. I get my talent for music from Mum, but it’s because of my Dad that my pack has excelled at training Deltas.
“Let’s go,” I sigh, opening the car door. Pandora seems to perk up as I get out of the car. I’m unsure if it’s normal, but she seems more ‘aware’ since we’ve headed closer to the pack house.
Swan Moon Pack House started off like most pack houses, as large mansions that housed the whole pack. Over time, as the town of Swan Valley grew, the pack house itself transformed. Now, the building looks more like a business block than a house. We run the pack house like a club, with the bottom two floors open to the public with restaurants and ballrooms. One section of the club has pokies, where we tend to glean the most money off unsuspecting humans. There is also a gym and some training rooms on the ground floor, and several community rooms scattered throughout the building, like libraries, a theatre, a playroom and a nursery reserved just for pack members.
The next two floors are run like a hotel, where we house some of our Deltas and recruits. The top floor is the Alphas suite, which I’ve never seen because I’m not a high-blood wolf. Above that is a garden rooftop with a bar open to pack members.
Two hosts greet us in the foyer, and we nod to them as we tap our cards on the console island in the middle of the room. That’s another thing our pack members have. Because our pack house is run like a club, at least to the outside world, each member has a card that allows us entry. The pack house is busy tonight, being Thursday, with many humans and werewolves coming here for dinner. Hadley and I pass the throngs of young families and head for the Noval Room, one of the lower rooms on the ground floor.
Again, two Deltas stand outside, nodding at Hadley as we approach them.
“Hi Hadley,” one of the Deltas, Matt, I think his name is, greets.
“Hey, Mike. Hi Tony,” Hadley nods at them. They nod and then look pointedly at me.
“This is Georgiana Athentree. She’s with me,” Hadley says as I smile weakly at them.
“Alright then,” Tony says gruffly, opening the door for us.
“If only they knew,” Hadley whispers in my ear. I nod, not replying.
“Mate! Mate! Mate!” Pandora cries as we step into the room. The world fades when I see him standing beside Emil in the centre of the room. He leans towards Emil and asks him something, his eyes remaining on me. I smile and walk towards him like I’m on autopilot.
“Conner, this is Georgie. Georgie, this is Conner, one of our new recruits,” Emil introduces.
“Hi,” I say, smiling.
“Hi,” he replies.
“Hi,” I say again.
“Hi,” he repeats.
Goddess. He’s the most gorgeous specimen of a man I’ve ever seen. He has sparkling green eyes and dark brown hair that is cut so that strands fall sexily across his forehead. I just want to run my hand through those locks, tuck them behind his ear and smile forever at him as I do.
“Would you like a drink?” Hadley asks, breaking the spell I’m under. I reluctantly break my focus from Conner to look at my best friend, who gives me a strange look.
“Uh, sure…” I say. Hadley nods at Emil, and they walk off to get drinks.
“May…” I begin, finishing halfway when Conner presses a finger across my lips. Tingles and warmth flow through me, and I melt. Wow, if this is what having a mate is like, I want more of it. In my head, my plans change. I’ll finish this year, and instead of going to Fraser Academy, I’ll stay here or move with Conner to his pack. I can teach music part-time or become a teacher like Mum. I look up at Conner, hopefully.
“Can we talk?” Conner asks huskily into my ear. I nod, allowing him to grab my hand and lead me out of the room. His hold on my hand heats the veins in my arm like molten lava, and I’m in a daze of euphoria.
“Georgie,” Conner says, stopping. I notice we’ve walked past the bathrooms and down a hallway leading to the service area of the floor. It is quieter here, not a soul around us.
“Georgie,” Conner speaks again, taking my hands in his. Sparks explode from his touch, his calloused fingers feeling so good against mine. I nod, acknowledging I’ve heard him.
“Wow. I didn’t know it would be like this,” Conner mutters, looking down at where our fingers touch. Suddenly, he lets go, leaving my fingers hanging in mid-air. I whimper at the loss.
“I… I can’t do this,” Conner begins. I attempt to look into his eyes, but he avoids me. When he does look up, I can’t read what I see.
“Look, I don’t want a mate. Not yet, anyway. And… you’re beautiful… just not for me,” Conner says. I open my mouth, trying to form words to respond.
“We’re too different. I’m a Delta—the top Delta of my pack. Did you know Dixon came to my pack specifically to recruit me?” Conner asks proudly. I shake my head. No, this isn’t happening. No.
“You play music. Classical music, I’m told. And your hands, so soft…” Conner comments, looking down at my hands again.
“I need, I want an equal—a werewolf like me—one who doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty…” Conner begins.
“One who knows her way around a bow and arrow, not a bow and string,” I say, the words spilling from my mouth. Conner nods in agreement.
“Yeah. I don’t know what the Moon Goddess was thinking… I mean, you’re hot, definitely. But I’m not ready. I don’t want to be shackled in a relationship with one person and have pups and start a family…”
“Who says that’s what I want?” I ask. Pandora is speaking my thoughts with me.
“But it is, isn’t it? I bet on the way here you’ve thought about your life plan now that you’ve met me.”
“No…” I disagree. Before that, actually.
“I… don’t want this. I don’t want you.”
“Is there someone else?” I squeak. Conner smiles, his lips making him look even sexier.
“There’s a room full of lovely she-wolves,” he grins. I feel sick.
“Let’s just get this over with, huh? I, Conner Albert Bradford, reject you, Georgie…”
“Georgiana,” I correct.
“Georgiana…”
“Georgiana Evangeline Athentree,” I supply when he pauses for my full name.
“I, Conner Albert Bradford, reject you, Georgiana Evangeline Athentree, as my mate from this day and forever,” Conner says. I feel a tug on my chest as if someone is ripping a Band-Aid off my skin in one go. Clutching my chest, I buckle in the pain.
It still hurts when I look up at Conner, who seems largely unaffected.
“I, Georgiana Evangeline Athentree, accept your, Conner Albert Bradford, rejection of mate.” I manage to speak out as more threads rip from my body. I hear Conner grunt, and when I look up, I notice he is now on his knees, in pain.
Although it hurts me physically, I stand at my full height. Conner is still on his knees and clutches his chest. I shake my head once and turn, leaving him in the hallway.
I open the door to the bathroom, heading straight for the sink and mirrors. I look fine on the outside. But on the inside, a burning pain emanates from my chest. When I breathe, my chest hurts as if I’ve punctured it. Is this what it feels like to be rejected? I hear the bathroom door creak, so I run and open a cubicle door, rushing inside and locking the door behind me. Happy voices travel in the air, and I listen to the girls do their business before leaving.
A new pain radiates down my arms and back as I walk out of the stall. As I look at myself again, I notice discolouration appear on my arms, like bruises. I panic, rubbing my arms, but the tissue is sensitive; it hurts.
I have to do this. I have to show my face. I can’t spend the evening in the bathroom. I have to be strong. I quickly run cold water into my hands, wipe my face, and then exit the bathroom.
The room is more crowded than when I left, and I scan the room, looking for Hadley or any of my other friends. My eyes are drawn towards Conner, who stands there, an arm around a brunette and a shot glass in one hand. Conner catches my eyes and winks before leaning over and placing a kiss on the she-wolf’s mouth. Pain radiates from my lips, and my mouth fills with an acidic taste. I think I’m going to be sick.
I see Hadley standing next to Tara and make my way over to them.
“Hey, Georgie!” Tara greets me, giving me a hug.
“Where were you?” Hadley asks, shouting over the noise of the music.
“I wasn’t feeling well, so I went to the bathroom,” I lie. Tara nods but looks uncertain.
“Well, I couldn’t find you, so I drank your drink. Sorry!” Hadley grins, not looking remorseful at all.
“Are you okay, Georgie?” Tara quizzes.
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” I respond.
“Of course, she’s fine! She hasn’t had anything to drink yet, that’s all!” Hadley shouts. I nod in agreement.
“Are you sure?” Tara asks me. Again, I nod.
“Drinks! Drinks!” Hadley says, grabbing my hand and pulling. I hold Tara’s hand and let Hadley lead us to the bar.
“Three Fireballs!” Hadley orders the barkeep, tapping her member card on the panel. When served, she passes us our drinks.
“To friendship!” Hadley toasts.
“Friendship!” Tara replies. We raise our glasses and I down my drink as quickly as possible.
“Another! Another!” Holly grins, ordering more shots from the bartender.
“To all the new recruits!” Tara cheers.
“Yes! To the hotties!” Hadley grins, downing her drink. Again, I keep quiet, sculling my drink in one go.
The drink burns my throat, and I feel sick again. As I turn, I see Conner kissing that she-wolf again.
“He’s cute, huh?” Tara says when she notices who I’m looking at.
“Yeah…” I say softly. I can’t help but watch the train wreck in front of me. When Conner pulls away, he looks at me, his eyes gleaming, before returning to kiss the she-wolf again. Acid fills my mouth, and my lips burn.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” I complain, covering my mouth. I run out of the room and head back to the bathrooms.
The stall door bangs behind me as I spit saliva into the bowl.
“Georgie, are you okay?” Tara asks.
“Yup, fine,” I reply.
“Do you want me to take you home?” Hadley then asks. I shake my head.
“No. I’m okay. The drink mustn’t agree with me,” I complain. I turn and see my two friends watching me, concern on their faces.
“Oh, my poor baby, are you sure you don’t want a lift home?” Hadley asks.
“No, I think I’ll take the courtesy bus,” I admit.
“Are you sure?” Tara asks.
“Yeah. You two go and enjoy yourselves,” I nod.
I walk my friends back to the ballroom, hugging them before the door.
“Fill me in on all the gossip tomorrow, kay?” I say to them.
“Yup, will do,” Tara says.
“Love you!” Hadley adds.
“I love you too,” I grin. I watch them walk through the door before I turn and let the pain show on my face. My stomach hurts, my lips hurt, my arms hurt, and the need to vomit is strong.
I make it down to the pack house foyer, where the two hosts from earlier stand, waiting.
“Can I get the courtesy bus home?” I ask the she-wolf, Briana.
“Yup. Should be ready in ten minutes,” she assures me.
“I think I’ll wait outside,” I reply, clutching my stomach. Briana nods, and I turn and head for the doors when I hear Briana comment under her breath, “Bloody pups, can never hold their liquor before they shift
