She's my mate

Jade's point of view:

"Okay, fine! I'm leaving… Take your time… Perhaps, re-think if we're even good for each other!"

The same sentence kept repeating inside of my head, causing my wolf to go crazy. Did he reject me indirectly? I can't believe it.

Think if we're even good for each other - I mean, why he would do such a thing. What's wrong would me? What am I even missing?

I pulled myself up and left the bed. It's already three days, yet James keeps ignoring my presence.

Once I was facing my reflection in the mirror, I couldn't recognize who I was.

My face was the same…

The same green eyes blue shades, yet, I don't remember when they became that lifeless and dull.

My tan skin used to be shiny and breath taking but just like my eyes, it's so dull. My hair was still messy, but I believe I can fix it into a bun since I wasn't feeling like straitening it.

I'll apply some makeup on to make my face look more alive and light.

I started with my eyeshadow and some brushes. I felt lost choosing between the light brown or gold colors, which might have made my face look fine.

My nose is quite pointed, so I needed no contouring. I picked a red lipstick then applied it to my full-shaped lips.

Was something still missing? Oh, I see. Some black mascara.

My eyes widened as realized what was missing inside of my eyes, and it was the mascara as I thought previously. My eyes broke into tears when I found out what was missing – it was happiness.

I wasn't happy as I used to be, and it had nothing to do with make-up or clothing.

I whipped the tears from my eyes. Then picked one of my favorite dresses – a black tank top and a black short skirt. Then I ended up picking a black kitten heel.

I know, too much for black. Perhaps it's because of my mood. But I can deny that I was looking hot even in such a situation.

I decided against the messy bun… So instead; I strained my light brown hair, then put on the perfect smile I could ever fake. Yes, it wasn't a real one. I don't feel like belonging anymore. I feel replaceable by any and everyone.

I breathed in and out, then made my way out of my room, then down to the packhouse hall. With a smile on my face, I greeted the pack members with a smile such as the one my mom skillfully applies on her face when she's not up to smiling.

The preparation for the ceremony was mostly over, and I would be a liar if I claimed to be in the mood of celebration.

It's only a matter of hours and my brother will be announced as the new alpha. It should be a small ceremony in which the alpha declares moving his title toward his son. Then the rest will be partying wildly, dancing, drinking, and going for a run with the new alpha. Yet, the entire thing didn't seem quite like it should be. It shifts to a classy ball boring party, in which the Alpha King – who's not even invited is making an appearance.

Yes, the Alpha King invited himself without waiting for an invitation. He is going to be here in a matter of hours, then steal my brother once in a lifetime moment.

Just as I was thinking about my brother, who made an appearance as if he was listening to my thoughts. He was making sure that everything was as it should be. Something about him didn't seem fine, and I wasn't going to let him feel alone.

"Tristan!" I called while keeping the smile from a while ago, then I waved for him.

"Jade… Finally, I was looking for you!" He surprised me with his statement.

"For what?" I asked while still making my way toward him.

"Up for a run?" He asked, and without thinking twice I nodded my head, not hiding being excited about such a moment.

"The last to arrive at the pack's lake is loser…" I shouted as I started running toward the pack house's door.

Another lovely outfit was torn apart, but who cares? At least I get to spend some time with my brother before the so-called alpha ruins the night.

My wolf runs in its highest level of speed, but it seems not to be enough since I was able to hear my brother's wolf getting closer.

I forced my wolf to run even faster than it normally did, but I wasn't a match for an alpha. His wolf outruns mine even when I was the first to start the run.

It was a matter of minutes before both of us reached our destination. Of course, since he was ahead of me, he reaches there first.

Matter of fact, he was already in his human form, wearing blue jeans that he found behind one of the trees. He was also holding other black jeans and a white t-shirt for me.

"I found this for you … Loser!" He state not hiding the pride in his voice, which was of course mixed by a teasing smile on his face.

I growl, declaring to him how much I hated being called by – Loser. Then I took the clothes from his hands and shifted back to my human.

Once I was fully dressed, I made my way toward Tristan, then sat next to him facing the lack.

"What is Jade? You're not yourself since the incident..."

He started, but I cut him off.

"I'm fine… You don't have to worry about me."

I know I'm just lying, but sometimes a lie can be significantly better than a hard truth. I mean, what I should tell him. My mate's up to rejecting me because I'm not wanting to fight you about your rights.

"Is it James? Did he do something that annoys you?"

"No!" I snapped, preventing him from reaching to where lays all the ugly truths. "It's not him, it's just me…"

"Stop!" He interrupted me, causing me to stop for real." You don't have to keep covering for him. I know everything, and I'm not blaming you for covering for him. He is your mate, after all, I'm not blaming you for doing so. I just want to tell you that I'm your brother, and I'll be always by your side, having your back so that you never fall on the ground."

Call pathetic, but I couldn't keep my tears from falling. For a while, I was sobbing like a child. His hands lingered around my shoulders, and I was feeling the warmth of his embrace.

I laid my head over his shoulder and felt as if all my worries vanished as if they never existed. But then, I've also noticed that he wasn't himself too. So I asked, hoping to figure what's wrong with him.

"Tristan!" He raised his head toward me, then I took it as a hint to speak. "You are my brother, and you're having my back!"

"Always." He says which encouraged me to ask.

"I want to have your back, same as you're having my back."

"You are already." He exclaims while not having any eye contact with me. Which exactly proved that he's hiding something from me.

"You're not yourself, I can feel it… I want to know what's wrong with you!"

I've tried my best to deliver my sincerity through my voice, and to my surprise. He didn't seem like avoiding my question. Instead, he breathed in and out, then started narrowing.

"The female vampire!"

"The vampire's princess, you mean?"

He nodded, and all of a sudden, everything that happened that exact day went back into my mind as if it was a movie that I was watching. Without waiting for him to say what he was about to think, I started.

"You know, I was thinking about it all those previous nights without falling asleep. I mean… I know, we're talking about vampires. Yet to kill your sister for a throne? Just a throne, which is a meaningless thing compared to even a stranger's life – how for your sister. You know, the entire situation makes me grateful to have you as a brother."

His eyes darkened, and a growl escaped his mouth. I was able to feel his irritation, but for what I didn't know. Perhaps, he was blaming himself for hurting me that day.

"If it's about what you have done that day, I'm not blaming you for a thing. You were trying to save my life after all."

"I wasn't!" he shouted while shaking. "I wasn't trying to save you."

I didn't know what I was missing, so I waited for him to explain it all without uttering a word.

"I was saving her, not you! She's … She's my mate. My mate is a vampire!"