Genevieve
Ryan woke me up at four a.m. I almost got twelve whole hours of sleep, but we needed to head to the next pack. Shawn arrived around midnight. Ryan filled him in on all the talk about the Princess, and Shawn was glad to help the Royal Family.
"Babes!" Shawn shouted when I slid into the backseat of the car. Don't get the wrong idea. Shawn and I aren't together or anything. We are just good friends. We grew up together. My parents, his parents, and Ryan and Jordyn are best friends; so when they needed to have meetings, Shawn and I hung out.
Alpha and Beta bloodlines always become best friends. It's a good thing since they'll be running a pack together. "Coco!" I exclaimed. Shawn pouted at the nickname and Ryan chuckled. "Aw. Did Coco get his feeling hurt?" I imitated a child's voice.
Shawn glared at me. "Why do you even call him that?" Ryan asked as he started the car.
Shawn groaned and I laughed. "Smell him," I told Ryan. He sniffed the air and shrugged. "He smells like coconuts!" I exclaimed.
"But you call him Coco?" Ryan asked. I nodded.
"Coconut is too long," I explained. Ryan shook his head with a chuckle and we fell into a nice silence. I slowly drifted off into dream land.
*****
"You wake her up," a voice said, interrupting my dream. Stupid Shawn.
"Why won't you?" another voice asked. And that's Ryan.
"Does it look like I wanna get punched?" Shawn asked. I'm not that violent.
Ryan chuckled. "Wimp." I heard a smack, then Ryan groaned. "Fine. I'll do it," Ryan said. I heard two doors open and close, then the door next to me opened.
I felt Ryan come closer to me. "Boo!" I shouted. Both men screamed, and Ryan jumped, hitting his head on the ceiling of his car.
"Dammit Eve!" Ryan exclaimed rubbing his bald head.
"Your... faces... priceless," I choked out between laughs.
Ryan and Shawn glared at me until my laughter died down. "We're at the Storm Pack," Ryan announced. I nodded and finally got out the car. Together, we walked to the front door of the pack house. I sniffed around. No mate.
Ryan had the meeting with the Alpha and Luna, while Shawn and I hung out at some café. We were in the pack territory for about two hours, until the meeting was over. Ryan picked us up, and we headed to the next pack. It was a pretty boring day.
Unfortunately, that's how the rest of the trip went for about six more packs. Still no mate. We went through almost half the packs in a week. And I still didn't find him. We left the Amber Wolf pack, and headed for the Blue Moon pack.
The plan was to go to this pack, then back to the castle. Jordyn was getting restless, so we changed the schedule a little. If I didn't find my mate by the time we went back to the castle, I would continue this trip with Ryan.
"What if I don't find him?" I asked Shawn. Ryan left Shawn and I in the car while he got drinks and snacks from the gas station.
Shawn turned around and studied me for a moment before answering. "He has to be out there somewhere. We still have a few more packs, so don't give up hope," he assured me.
My mind was focused on the thought of my mate. I haven't found him. What if he's not alive? "What if he died?" I softly voiced my thoughts. Its practically impossible to find a second-chance mate. The bond isn't as strong. Plus, you only get a second-chance if your mate dies.
Someone who met their mate only to lose that person wouldn't want to replace them in any way. "Stop thinking the worst. Its not healthy," Shawn scolded me. I was about to argue when Ryan entered the car. He gave Shawn a monster and plain potato chips. He threw the plastic bag in the back seat, next to me.
"I got you Orange Fanta, Hot Cheetos, and a pack of gum," Ryan told me.
I thanked him and opened the gum. "How come she got more stuff than me?" Shawn whined as Ryan started the car.
"Cause you're annoying and she's the Princess," Ryan said. Shawn glared at me and I threw a piece of gum at his face.
"Thanks Babe!" Shawn exclaimed and popped the gum in his mouth.
I laughed. "This trip would be so boring if it was just Mr. Grumpy and I," I pointed a thumb at Ryan.
He grunted and glared at me. "I'm not grumpy," he muttered.
"Fine. Mr. Moody," Shawn teased.
"I will throw you out of this car," Ryan threatened. He wasn't serious. He couldn't even act serious about it.
Shawn looked at me and smirked. I smiled and put my head in between the two front seats. "If you throw him out, then I'll have to go with him since we're best friends and all. We gotta stick together. And I don't think that Jordyn would like you leaving me in the middle of nowhere," I said innocently.
Ryan instantly paled. Mates have so much power over each other. Even if they are Alphas. But since Jordyn is pregnant, you have to be very careful with her. Once, someone finished her croutons, and she trashed the whole kitchen. Then she cried, a lot. She bawled her eyes out. Ryan had no idea what to do. She told him to leave her alone, but when he started to leave, she threw a dining chair at him. It was one of the funniest things ever.
"You two suck!" Ryan childishly pouted.
Shawn grinned. "You swallow." Ryan slammed down on the brakes and we burst out laughing.
Ryan glared at us, before he started driving again. "It wasn't even that funny," Ryan frowned. Shawn and I stopped laughing, but whenever I looked at Ryan, I started laughing again.
*****
"Are we there yet?" Shawn asked after half an hour of riding in the car.
Ryan glared at him. "Does it look like we're there?" Ryan snapped.
"I was just asking."
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah. For like the twentieth time in the past ten minutes!" I said exasperated.
Shawn mumbled something about me and Ryan being jerks. "How long till we get there?" Shawn asked.
Ryan stopped the car and pulled out his phone. "This is Alpha Hayes. We are at the pack lines" The other caller said something too low to be heard. Ryan ended the call and started driving again. About fifteen minutes later, we pulled up to the pack house.
Once the door opened, the most intoxicating smell entered my nose. 'Mate!' Ingrid shouted. I inhaled the scent of citrus and grass, before getting out the car. I walked faster to catch up to Ryan and Shawn who were already at the front door. I can't believe that he's here!
"Took you long enough," Shawn said. I jammed my elbow into his side. "Violent," he grumbled as he rubbed his side. The door opened and a guy around my age came into view.
"Alpha Hayes," the guy asked. Ryan nodded and the guy stuck his hand out to shake. "I'm Beta Brian."
'BB' Shawn said through the mind link. I bit my lip to keep myself from laughing in front of the Beta. Shawn definitely brings out my childish side. I think he also brings out Ryan's childish side- although that isn't a hard task to accomplish.
"This is one of my warriors and my niece. Shawn and Genevieve" Ryan introduced us. The Beta shook hands with us and opened the door wider so we could step inside. My mate's scent got stronger when we stepped inside.
"The Alpha has some personal business to take care of. He should be back in a hour or two," Brian explained. "I can give you a tour in the meantime," he offered.
"Sure. Thanks," Ryan said politely. Ryan isn't the rude type. Even if Brian is younger and a lower rank, he still treats him with the same respect he gives everyone else.
Brian lead us around the first floor, but I couldn't focus on anything except the smell of my mate. We went upstairs, and the smell got stronger. I found myself inhaling as much air as I could. It was addicting. Ingrid kept begging me to look for our mate; but much to her annoyance, I started to block her out of my mind.
"Eve." Shawn gently elbowed me. I looked around and saw that Brian, Ryan, and Shawn were staring at me.
I froze. "What happened?" I asked confused.
"Brian asked you where you got your jacket. His mate wants one" Ryan explained.
"Oh! Uh... Nordstrom," I said. Brian nodded and we continued to walk.
'What's wrong with you?' Shawn asked through the mind-link.
'I was day dreaming,' I lied.
'Were you having fantasies about your mate,' Shawn teased.
'No. I was having fantasies of getting away from you.' I blocked him out before he could reply.
"So, Ryan," Brian started.
"So, Brian," Ryan replied. Ryan's demeanor definitely changes depending on who he's with. He's more laid-back with younger people. But with the older ones- the ones his age- he's more professional. All work, no talk.
"Oh my gosh!" I exclaimed. All three men turned to me. "Your names rhyme!" I shouted. We all laughed and finished our little tour. When we left upstairs, I could finally focus on something other than my mate.
We learned a little about each other, and Brian was pretty cool. He is 18, he found his mate, and he likes to argue a lot. But it was entertaining to watch him and Shawn bicker back and forth. Ryan went to a guest room to rest, while Shawn and Brian played video games in the game room. I stayed in the kitchen and played on my phone. I shot out of my seat when the front door opened, and my mate's scent filled the house.
I walked to the door and my eyes landed on the hottest guy I have ever seen. His dark hair was stylishly messy, and his tight black v-neck showed off his muscles. His blue eyes met mine and we stared at each other. Something flickered in his eyes before he started walking to me. I stayed glued to the ground, until he was right in front of me. He towered over me and looked straight into my eyes. I thought he was gonna kiss me. But I couldn't be more wrong.
"I, Alpha Asher Reed, reject you as my mate and Luna" he didn't blink. He didn't show a spark of remorse. He just walked away.
He didn't look back as he walked up the stairs. 'No' Ingrid whimpered. This physically hurt. Being rejected. The one person that is supposed to love me for eternity, rejected me. It felt like someone ripped my heart out, turned it inside-out, and stabbed it fifty times with a knife. I couldn't hear Ingrid anymore. It was like she disappeared.
Is this how mate rejection feels? It hurts more than anything the whole world. I felt worthless. Nothing could compare to this pain. Like I just lost a part of me. I shut my eyes and reopened them countless times, wishing that this was some twisted dream. But it wasn't.
My mate just rejected me.