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Alex: "FUCK! HOW DOES EVERYONE IN SCHOOL KNOW ABOUT THE FIGHT? DAMN IT! THAT JAMES WILL PAY FOR THIS!" I shouted.
"Relax, Alex. You should be grateful he didn't kill you for touching his mate," Daniel, my beta, said.
"How the hell was I supposed to know she was his mate? I'm an alpha—he couldn't have killed me!" I replied.
"You might be an alpha, Alex, but James is older than us. And let's not forget—Alpha Levi's pack, Leo's father, is the strongest, and they were royal warriors before building a pack," Daniel explained.
"He's right, Alex. James might be a gamma's blood, but he's strong and is being trained to fight," Ezra, my gamma, added.
I looked at both of them and sighed. I may be angry, but they were right.
"I know, but I'll get revenge on James," I said.
"We never said you can't, but not right now. If Alpha Michael finds out, we'll be in big trouble," Daniel warned, oblivious to my darkening glare.
"Stop telling me what to do! I'M YOUR ALPHA, not you!" I shouted angrily.
Seeing my expression, they both went silent. We've known each other since childhood, and I treated them like brothers… but no more. No one tells me what to do except my father.
I started walking, knowing they would follow, while thinking of ways to make James regret what he did.
"You will pay, James. Just wait," I muttered darkly.
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James: As I stepped into the school hallway with Leo, I was excited. I had gotten my wolf last night, and now I could start training with Leo—he had received his wolf a month ago on his 16th birthday.
"Finally! Now we can train together," I said.
"Yup! Your wish will finally come true," Leo replied, laughing.
"Honestly, I don't understand why you're so excited. We train every day after school," Henry, Leo's beta, asked.
"Oh, please. That training is just combat basics. Now, I'll be trained for battle. And you're just annoyed because you can't train with us yet—you haven't gotten your wolf," I said, laughing. Henry scoffed.
As Henry was about to say something, I smelled the most delicious caramel scent I had ever encountered. I started following it, and my wolf, Hunter, grew excited.
"Where are you going?" Leo asked.
I ignored him and continued following the scent. As I rounded the corner, I saw Alex cornering a girl. I shouted, "MATE!" and charged forward, grabbing Alex and throwing him aside.
"HOW DARE YOU TOUCH MY MATE!" I yelled, beating him mercilessly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Henry helping the girl and Leo standing beside them.
After what felt like forever, Leo stepped forward. "James, stop! You'll kill him!"
"What else do you think I'm doing?" I snapped, swinging for another punch, clearly intent on ending him. But Leo grabbed my hand, stopping me.
"Stop! You can't kill him," Liam said.
"Why not?" I demanded, going for another hit.
But Liam stopped me again—this time using his alpha voice.
"FUCKING STOP! I know you're angry and you have every right to be, but you can't kill him," Liam said, glaring at Alex, who was crying on the floor.
"Yes! I can kill him—it's the rule: anyone who hurts your mate can be killed!" I fumed.
"I know, dummy. You've already beaten him badly. But look at your mate—she's terrified. You should be with her," Liam said, pointing to the girl.
I immediately calmed down, cursing myself for not realizing it sooner, and walked toward her. She was trembling, truly terrified. Seeing her like that made my heart ache, and I realized she was younger than me.
"Hey! Relax. You're safe. I'm here now," I said, kneeling in front of her. She backed away, and I tried to hide my hurt, but she seemed to sense it and stopped.
"You're safe. He won't hurt you—not now, not ever. So relax," I said, sitting beside her. She seemed to notice something in my eyes and gradually relaxed.
"May I ask your name, beautiful?" I asked, smiling.
She blushed but replied, "Bella is my name."
"Well, Bella, my name is James. I'm from the Lakeside Pack, and you're my mate," I said.
"I know, but I'm an omega," she said, shocked.
"So what? The Goddess has made you my mate, and I'm happy to have such a gorgeous mate," I said, winking. She blushed again.
"Stop it! Someone will see you," she whispered, hiding her face.
"So they should know now that I'm your mate," I replied, grinning.
"But you don't look much older than me. How do you know I'm your mate?" she asked curiously.
"My beautiful, intelligent mate, I got my wolf last night on my 16th birthday," I explained, watching her.
"Oh! Happy birthday and congrats! So… we're mates?" she asked hesitantly. I smiled and nodded.
"We'll take this slow, so you don't have to worry," I said, kissing her hand. She blushed. Just then, I heard a cough and remembered my friends.
"Oh! Bella, these are my friends, Leo and Henry. They're from my pack." I introduced them.
The bell rang. "Okay, guys, class has started. You both go ahead—I'll meet you there," I said, taking Bella's hand.
"Where are you going?" Henry asked.
"Where do you think? Of course, I'm walking my mate to her class," I said, smiling like an idiot. Henry made an "oh" face while Leo laughed. I ignored them and started walking with my mate.
"You really don't have to," Bella said.
"I absolutely have to. Now, lead the way, beautiful," I replied.