PROMISES

Noah p.o.v

-3 years ago-

It was Physical Education class, and it was kinda boring for me since we usually would go out to play football or anything. This time, the teacher told us the lesson will be in the classroom. I sat next to Ethan, while Natasha, Alia, and Chris were right in front of us in a different row. I glanced over at Alia and Chris, who looked extra friendly with each other. I did not know when it started. All I knew the first time they met each other, they fought with each other like cats and dogs.

A breathy laugh got out of me as I remembered that, and the teacher finally entered the classroom. I like this teacher, Mr. Walker. He knew we would prefer playing around during his lesson and it showed on his face that he was forced to teach today.

"It's a mandatory lesson. You guys should know about this." He sounded lazy, and I looked at Ethan who also turned to look at me, having the same thoughts. We grinned before listening in to the lesson.

"So today's topic is regarding what had bestowed upon us as Werewolves since Eons ago by the Moon Goddess; mates." Upon hearing that, I saw many others that were lazing around at the table and looked more attentive to the class. Even for me, this topic is quite interesting.

"Mate is practically another half of you. Once you meet your mate, a strong bond is created between you and them." I tried to remain unaffected, but the thought of mates bubbles up in me. It made me how it feels to meet them, and wonder who could it be.

"As a Werewolves, females especially, in order to grow stronger, there is this instance called 'marking', where the male would mark the female, and there you're halfway to your bonding. To do so, it acquires you to bite down in between the neck and shoulder of your partner." He tilted his head a bit and pointed at where it was supposed to be. The talk about markings made the classroom rowdy a bit, and even I felt excited about the topic.

"Calm down, it's not even the exciting part yet." Mr. Walker smiles, and everyone became even more excited. Everyone must have known of this, and this lesson felt like a joke. As he said, it was mandatory.

"Back to the topic. Once you marked them, or you're marked, you'll begin to share your feelings and thoughts. If you feel immense happiness, your partner will too. If you're in agony, so does your partner. Although, if you decided to prevent the other to feel your feelings or read your thoughts, you can by building a wall in your mind." Now that's new. I never thought you could do that. I would only hear my dad speaks into my mind and I could not even reply back.

"I forgot to mention that you'll have to mark your mate approximately a month after the meeting, or you're going to enter the phase of 'heat'. The female will feel the excruciating pain and will seek the male partner to be marked."

I would not want my partner to enter that phase. I could see myself seeking my mate as soon as I meet her to be marked. Although I would need to be careful since it's important to ask permission first, that's what mommy used to say.

"Alright.. then we're entering another related topic called, 'mating'." The boys began to make obnoxious sounds while the girls squealed. Ethan and I just shared amused smiles. Even Mr. Walker smiled.

"Just for that, I'm cutting this short." He said, pointing at all of us. The groans from the boys were obvious.

"Mating is an act of turning your souls into one. At this point, you're inseparable. Your thoughts and feelings all could be felt, and your partner can tear down your wall even when you build it."

Everyone kept laughing and giggling while the teacher speaks of the mating. However, I felt more eager to know who would be my mate in the future. We were going to start shifting soon, and it was a rare occasion where you would meet your mate before 18. From what Mr. Walker explained, it made me feel like in anything, I would protect my mate. That was what the bond was for, right ?

"It isn't important, and this is only coming personally from me. The bond was made even before we were created, so there was no way you could have change of heart, but please refrain from cheating on your partner. Once mating, you're to become one. Therefore, when you cheat, your partner will experience excruciating pain and in some cases, they could die."

My heart thumped at that statement. I have always been a bit in disagreement with people that cheat on anything, but I would never try to put myself in their way and make my life more complicated, maybe to friends. But to even hurt the other ? That sounds horrible.

"That sounds horrid, right Ethan-" I turned to look at him, and I immediately stopped speaking when I saw how petrified he looks. His face hardened, his jaw tensed and his knuckles turned white from clenching them. His face loses color and I got worried. Though, I did not dare to speak to him at the moment.

When the class ended, we walked alone when I sensed that Ethan needed space. The three venture the other way and I was trying to find a good moment to ask what had happened. He was quiet, unlike just before the class when he would talk about how annoying it was that the class was not in the field.

We ended up underneath the tree where the five of us would hang out. He then stopped walking, and I stopped a couple of feet behind and awaits for whatever going to come next.

He turned around, and his face looked troubled. His face showed that many unpleasant thoughts were running in his mind.

"Noah, can you make a few promises with me ?"

It came out of nowhere, but I knew he needed it right now, so I nodded. I saw him relaxing, breathing a low breath out before he continued.

"Promise me that when we found our mates, we will tell each other."

That seemed easy enough for me, so I nodded. I thought he would ease up, but instead, guilt washed over his face, and his eyes swerved away from mine.

"Also, promise me... if we ever thought of cheating or already cheating on our mate, we would be there to stop and knock some sense into each other."

I tried to study his emotions, but he was avoiding my eyes. I did not expect such a request came from him. I knew he had many girlfriends in the past years already, but I never ought him to be a cheater. He would break up and find another girl a week later, but I thought it was just a phase.

I just nodded to calm him, and sure enough, that calms him down. His face remained the same with a weak smile, but I was still worried. His reaction in the classroom earlier was still vivid in my mind.

-

There was only one place that came to my mind, and it would be his room. I put all the manners aside and just slammed the door open as fury was swirling in my heart again. I saw Ethan sitting at the edge of the bed, his eyes instantly moved toward me in shock. I marched towards him, grabbing his already disheveled top and striking him in the face.

He fell to his bed, but I did not stop there and went at him again and again. I saw how his face contorted in anger, and his canines shown involuntarily, but I was not wavering a bit.

After a few moments of him being taken by surprise, he kicked me in the stomach, throwing me off of him. I was waiting for him to attack me as well, but he just weakly raised up from his bed, hissing in pain at his now bruised lips and cheekbone. I realized that he actually knew that this was coming.

However, I stood up and clenched him by the collar. There was another, more serious situation at hand.

"You fucker, you broke our promises."

"I know, I'm sorry-"

"Come with me. Amelia is critical." With that being said, his eyes widened. He looked petrified at my words as if he did not know what he had done.

"What... ?" He said, and I let go of his collar with the most upset look I had ever worn.

"Your mate is critical !" I growled, feeling the anger eating me the more seconds wasted while he continued to daze around in shock.

"Where is she ?" He stood up, begging for an answer with his eyes.

"At the hospital." I told him, and he pushed me aside in the process when he began to run. There was quite a reaction for someone who had been cheating, but I followed him nonetheless.

-

Diana p.o.v

I continued to stay by Amelia's side while she was still unconscious, holding onto her frail hand. I rested my forehead on my forearm on the bed while my thumb did a circular motion on her.

What happened to her was horrible. I could not begin to think how one could resort to cheating while knowing your partner would be in pain. I, for one, just found out of this natural implication between mates and I ought to know of this sooner. Ian decided to not teach me this subject back then.

As I thought of that, my emotion began to surround me with fury, and it was too much that I even growled silently. There should be no way I would be this angry before seeing the person that hurt Amelia. Where could this emotion come from ?

"Diana ?" I heard a voice, and I turned around and saw Ian flinching.

"What ?" I asked him, but he did not say anything and instead, beckoned me to walk out of the room. I gave Amelia a last glance before I followed him outside.

Once I closed the door, leaving it ajar, Ian began to speak.

"Control your anger. I could sense your aura from the outside. Your eyes are changing."

Only when he mentioned it that I started to breathe again. The emotion was out of control and now I began to calm myself again. I blinked a few times to fuse the magic to my eyes again, maintaining them to magnificent blue eyes.

"I don't know where it comes from. I'm not sure how I could get this mad out of nowhere." I explained to him, not knowing the real source of my immeasurable anger. Ian nodded.

"That's probably Noah. It is inevitable, but I must teach him to control his emotion more. He will risk exposing you to the public." I glanced at him and nodded softly.

"He's not that careless, you know." I tried to slip some words to back Noah up, and he chuckled.

"No, but he should know who his mate is and what he signed up for. There are more to consider than you think." Ian told me, and I looked away from him. As always, he would look far into the future and all to make precautions of me. I pursed a smile at him and he smiled back, ruffling my hair.

"Everything will be alright, okay ?" He reassured me, and I nodded more enthusiastically now. There was no word to describe how I would never doubt his judgment. I would not know how to go through all of this if it was not for him.

Ian offered to get us some drinks and I agreed and went back inside the room to wait for Amelia to wake up. About ten minutes later, footsteps from the outside could be heard rushing and the door harshly opened, making a loud sound that could disturb Amelia. I turned around and saw Ethan and Noah, by the door, heavily panting.

I was glad to see Noah again, but then my eyes fell onto Ethan, whose eyes were laid down on the unconscious Amelia.

In shock, I distanced myself when Ethan walked to the bed, looking down at Amelia. The look he had, was outrageous. He had a sad look all over his face, even daring to hold Amelia's cheek while knowing all this time, the one that put Amelia in that place was him.

I began to growl in his direction, and I could see his body frozen. As soon as I saw Ethan turning around, I felt my body pull into a hug, facing myself toward their body. I gripped Noah's shirt as I closed my eyes, holding back the anger in me.

"Calm down, Diana. Calm down." He whispered into my ears, and it worked. I rested my forehead on his chest, trying not to think of anything while inhaling his scent which continued to calm me.