Chapter One - The Twist In Our Fate
The early summer humidity hung heavily in the air as Harmony walked through Midvalley High School, bringing a sigh to her lips and a grimace to her face as beads of sweat formed along her forehead alongside the occasional blemish dotting her skin and the heat swelled under her sweatshirt. The suffocating insecurity of her thicker form ensured that a dark sweatshirt was also draped over her paired with an oversized tee shirt. She peered down at her beaten, out of date phone held loosely in her grasp while her other hand was occupied by a homemade coffee that had long since lost its steam, her focus centered on the text messages she exchanged with her best and seemingly only friend, Michael.
Since the age of about thirteen, it had become increasingly difficult for her to find companionship amongst her fellow small town inhabitants, particularly with the rising desire to establish dominance and higher rankings as the younger generation grew older. It was over a free online video game where Harmony ran around as a goofy looking character following a less than impressive quest line that she ran into Michael. They immediately established a friendship as they bonded over obscure mutual interests and later on, they bonded over the feeling of drowning in their own stress and expectations.
A small smile danced gently across her lips as her focus remained on the cracked screen shining their never ending conversation but her mind drifted to the overwhelming sense of gratefulness she felt having met him when she did. It was in this same moment that her shoulder was struck by someone walking in the opposite direction from her, sending her off balance and her messenger bag sliding off her shoulder to the floor, landing in a geyser of papers and books. After regaining her balance, she stood staring at the mess sprawled across the linoleum in disbelief before glancing over her shoulder to see who had brought this misfortune to her only to see they were long gone among the few teenagers standing along lockers, chatting about their usual nonsense. Releasing a frustrated groan, she sent a quick text to Michael complaining of yet another "bag explosion" as she had come to call the all too common occurrence before kneeling onto the cool ground, gathering her possessions are quickly as she could.
The eyes fixating on her as they passed could not go unnoticed by her nor could the chatter and laughter she knew was directed at her situation, an overwhelming heat filling her cheeks as she picked up her pace. Anxiety curled itself into a knot deep in her chest as she pushed herself to complete her task faster, willing herself to take deep breaths to loosen the knot only to be startled by the vibration of her phone beside her. Releasing a sigh, she scooped the dusty remnants of her school work into her bag, she stood up and opened her phone.
"You shouldn't have to put up with them, Mony. You don't deserve the way they treat you. My offer still stands," read the response from Michael, dotted with an angry emoji icon between each sentence.
She gnawed at her lip a bit as she read over the message/ The offer her referred to was his suggestion that she abandon her current home and family behind to live with him, an offer she knew he was very serious about. Hearing of her situation made no one more angry than Michael as he accused her people of being corrupt and that a pack should never bully a fellow member. He insisted that this was not the way of werewolves to live and certainly not how they survived so long. However, this is how things had been for so long, she did not know any other way of things being.
Another sigh passing her lips, she gripped the strap of her bag tightly as her thumb hovered over the keyboard of her phone but no words came to mind. The idea of starting things over and being part of a group that accepted her regardless of her flaws and reputation seemed too good to be true but she also could not bring herself to imagine leaving the place she had grown up in. Her mind drifted to unrealistic possibilities of change over time and imaginary fantasy places as she approached her locker only to come to a halt as she glanced up from her phone and saw her locker neighbor, Marissa, pinned against both of their lockers. A gleaming smile spread beautifully across her perfectly ample, rose tinted lips as her long, elegantly tanned arms were draped around the broad shoulders of the tall, well built Archer.
Where could she even begin with this absurdly stereotypical couple? Marissa Sinclair was the typical teen story cheerleader with the otherworldly looks and popularity despite a poisonous personality that so many would kill for. Regardless of the season her skin held it's perfect golden glow and no matter what she was seen consuming, her form never lost it's perfectly shape consisting of wide hips below a sculpted waist, features that were nearly out shined by her plentiful chest seated in a perky manner atop her chest. A figure she most likely kept through her rigorous training as a cheerleader. The fair toned curls always hung perfectly against her shoulders and down her back and the sweet expressions she made in the sight of those she sought to impress were mesmerizing with her glinting forest green eyes. An extremely dramatic contrast to the dull form Harmony saw on herself which she considered to be much "lumpier" and unattractive, a comparison she found herself constantly fixating on.
Wrapped tightly in Marissa's arms and captivated by her bright smile, however, was the equally stereotypical Archer Haven, known amongst the youths within their small town as Mr. Popularity of Midvalley High. He stood tall and fierce with an unwavering pride, practically radiating a stubborn confidence that she knew she could never hope to possess. A top this overly masculine form was a mass of thick, chocolate curls blending nicely along the toasted hazel tan of his skin framing his firmly toned muscles straining against his fitted tee shirt almost too perfectly. Unnaturally handsome, charming when desired, an unbelievable body and a status that could grant him the world with a single command made Archer an all too real dream boat. The man in nearly every young girl's fantasy.
He was so unreal, in fact, that Harmony often wondered if she simply imagined him being her mate, soulmates drawn together by desire and as many said destiny. More than once he had tried to convince her that it was merely a dream of hers but she could never forget when they were young, only nine years old when she felt the howl within her as her spirit, her very soul bonded with his and declared that she would be his and his alone and he felt the same. She could never forget their afternoons spent running through the forest, barefoot and filthy, their laughter filling the wind before they fell to the ground breathless and he whispered that they would reign over the land together. That the two of them would fight alongside one another and protect their people and she could never forget the joy that brought tears to her eyes and she promised she would ensure that dream came to life.
However, they were only children then and now eight years later she stood alone, watching as he now promised himself to another and she had become certain that it was only her spirit that ached with the sadness of this now. He was not hers to claim, he had rejected her almost immediately after they entered high school and she knew this and she had made no pursuits since to change his mind. This made it difficult to understand why he chose her locker to have his make out sessions with Marissa each morning, as if to punish her or remind her of her place as she saw their entangled forms, saw the marks along her neck and heard the sweet words he whispered against the skin of another. She figured that the pain would ease with time but it seemed to only be growing and she was certain he was well aware of the cruelty he was inflicting.
Normally she was able to ignore the affair and turn the other way, going about her day and just as she was about to turn the other way she was struck with the realization that she had her assignment in her locker. With a grimace and a reluctant groan as she cursed all the gods regardless of religion for her horrid luck, something she found herself doing quite often, she turned to the pair completely engulfed in one another and took a few cautious steps. An air of awkwardness filled the hall as she stood beside them facing the wall across the way to avoid witnessing their passionate exchange but the motions in the corner of her eye made her stomach churn sickeningly. With as much motivation as she could muster, she quietly cleared her throat and the two parted with heavy breathes and glanced at her with glazed eyes.
A long moment of silence passed before Marissa uttered with a panted breath that still could not mask her smooth, honey like voice, "Can we help you?"
"I just need to get to my locker," Harmony muttered, her eyes avoiding them by gazing down at her worn out baggy, denim jeans hanging loosely over old black Converse.
"Well no one is stopping you," Archer snapped, his deep, velvet voice laced with a sharpness that seemed to drip with hatred towards her and making her flinch, shrinking back a bit into the collar of her sweatshirt.
"Except the slut laying on it," she muttered under her breath, the words falling from her lips before she could think to bite her tongue.
"Excuse me," Marissa hissed, pushing herself from Archer to face Harmony.
"N-nothing," Harmony uttered quickly, keeping her gaze away from them as her grip on the strap of her bag twisting the material tightly as her nerves began to consume her.
"When your Alpha Female asks you a question, you answer it truthfully," Archer snapped, his aggravation hanging in his tone and she could feel his piercing, emerald gaze burning into her.
Something within her twitched at his statement and a rage surged within her, snapping her gaze to meet his as her lips parted on their own and she shouted, "You are no Alpha and she is not Alpha Female of mine."
A stillness hung in the air as Marissa and Archer stared at her, a few gasps were uttered by passing students who had now come to a complete halt to watch them and dread washed over her upon realizing what her own traitorous mouth had made her say. The stillness was drowned out by a deep, inhuman growl emanating from within Archer's chest and a piercing rage filled his gaze as it fixated on her with hatred that sent a cold pain to her heart.
His lips parted to carry his words laced with an anger he evidently struggled to control, "You listen here, you little bi-"
"You can't sway my opinion, Archer," she tried to state firmly and with confidence but her voice shook as she uttered the words meekly but she refused to bow down to him and his cruelty.
All at once, his anger seemed to engulf him then explode outward as he shouted with the rage pushing his voice to boom loud enough to make the halls tremble, "Just because you still have the grotesque delusion that we are mates does not mean you can disrespect me!"
The venom dripping from his words sent her stumbling back a step as she stared at him wide eyed in pure disbelief at his outburst. "Archer, I-"
"No," he snapped, his voice seeming to shake the linoleum beneath her feet. "No more of this absurd obsession of yours and this delusion that we are soulmates because we are not and have never been or ever will be."
She suddenly was aware of the large crowd gathering and snickers from the audience and whispers being passed around them causing a deep blush of embarrassment to engulf her face as she sunk back into her sweatshirt and utterly quietly, "A-Archer, please. I-"
"Stop calling me that," he bellowed, his voice practically oozing with such anger and a searing hatred that made her shake. It was all getting to be too much, too much was happening too suddenly and far too many words hung in the air as she gazed at him wide eyed and for the first time ever, with fear. "I am your Alpha, your superior, your patriarch. You. Listen. To. Me. You are born to submit to me. Yet you refuse to submit because of this bond you have imagined between us and it has to stop right now."
The frustration and anger that she held subdued deep within her for much too long began to bubble up and her eye twitched as she straightened herself and met his burning gaze, this words falling from her lips before she could catch them. "You can deny that we are mates as much as you want but you're only lying to everyone and yourself."
His fists shook as he clenched his fingers into his palms, turning them a troubling pale shade and his eyes darted around, seeming to just notice the crowd that had gather, his lip beginning to twitch in aggravation before his gaze fell back to her. Dread fell into her stomach like a cold, hard lump within her as she shrunk back a bit under the icy stare, his face suddenly relaxing as he righted himself up and raised his chin.
"I would kill myself before accepting you for a mate," he spat, his voice eeriely cold and calm despite his repressed anger trembling in demeanor.
A long moment passed as Harmony felt all her emotions and warmth drain from her and she just stared at him, a stillness fell over the crowd as their audience awaited the response.
When she gave no response, the corner of his lips curved upwards and a smugness came over his expression as he raised his chin higher. "Now," he began in the most arrogant tone he could muster. "What do yo-"
Her palm made contact with his cheek full force before she could even register the motions of her own arm, sending a loud, hard slap echoing down the silent hallway and an intense tingling sensation shooting through her had. All at once her anger and frustration fell from her with the breath that followed her action and her rage filled tears trailing down her cheek seemed to go cold immediately. The satisfaction of the action was the most euphoric thing she had experienced in her few years but incredibly fleeting as a chorus of gasps exploded around them and the reality of what she had done set in. She raised her eyes to meet his which were filled with as much surprise as her own as his hand slowly lifted to the red mark on his cheek, pressing his fingers into the tender spot as his lips fell open in disbelief.
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This is the rewrite so far, there's still some editing and tweaking that needs to be done before I begin publishing the (most likely) final results. I still haven't settled on the site I want to use. I've had a couple sites reach out to me including Dreame and FicFun with offers to purchase the digital rights. I also had Taptas in mind but if you have any suggestions for which site you feel is most fair to readers and writers, please let me know!