Emma's Mate (ON HOLD)

Chapter 2

Emma Smith

My best friends, Ashton and Abigail Williams, were waiting for me in their jeep. They are the only twins in our pack.

"Hey, bestie," Ashton greeted me. He is the kind of guy that girls are drawn to, finding him attractive and popular. As the captain of the football team, he is highly sought after by the girls at our school, and he revels in the attention.

In contrast, Abigail and I are quite different from Ashton. I am known as the school geek, while Abigail has a mix of outgoing, shy, and introverted traits. I am more reserved and tend to keep to myself at school, with only these two as my closest friends. There is also Charlotte from my history class, whom I get along with. That's pretty much it. Ashton is definitely the star of our school.

"Hey Ash, hey Abi," I greeted them, giving Abigail a hug and Ashton a high-five as he was seated in the driver's seat. I settled into the back seat of the jeep, and we headed off to school.

We have been friends since we were babies, and our fathers are also close. My father is friends with Charles Williams, the alpha of our pack, as well as Ashton and Abigail's father. Dorothy Williams, our pack's Luna, is also close with my mother. We are all very close family friends.

Not only are Ashton, Abigail, and I close friends, but we also share the same birthday. We are all set to meet our mate on our 18th birthday.

"We need to pick up Olivia on the way," Ashton mentioned.

Oh, how could I forget Olivia Davis, Ashton's incredibly attractive girlfriend? They've been together for a few weeks now.

One thing about Ashton is that I think he's dated almost all the popular girls at our school, our pack, and even some of our neighboring packs.

Olivia is not a werewolf; she's a human. We live in a community that includes both humans and werewolves. We attend school and work together, and our ancestors made a pact to maintain a peaceful relationship, which we all adhere to. How did that agreement come about? That's a story for another time.

"I don't understand how you can date her, Ash," I told Ashton as we drove down the familiar streets of our small town.

"And I don't understand what's wrong with her, Emy," Ashton said, his eyes focused on the road ahead. I could see the frustration in his expression through the rearview mirror.

"I am not sure why you can't wait for your mate, you idiot," I said, feeling a pang of concern for my best friend.

"And why should I, idiot? You know I am not interested in having a mate or settling down," he said, a hint of defiance in his voice. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at his stubbornness.

"You stupid boy, don't give me that look. Not every girl is the same," I said softly, trying to reason with him.

He has undergone significant changes since a difficult breakup two years ago. It's not that he wasn't popular in school or anything. He was. However, he was never a player. We used to discuss finding a mate, our future aspirations, and the qualities we desired in a mate.

But ever since Emily Brown shattered his heart, he has been afraid of committing to a relationship and falling in love.

He let out a sigh. His eyes briefly showed pain, but it was gone in an instant. I might not have noticed or understood it if I hadn't known him for so long. "I don't want to dwell on something that's not relevant."

"And so," he added cheerfully, "I should just enjoy my time with others. Everyone just wants to have fun and then move on, so I'm simply following suit. I am content this way."

I observed Abigail putting on her headphones to avoid this conversation. She disagrees with Ashton, but she never speaks up to him. She stopped doing so after a few attempts in the beginning, two years ago.

Nevertheless, I am persistent. I don't want Ashton to give up on something as beautiful as love. Love is a beautiful thing. How can he be repulsed by the idea of love?

I felt a lump form in my throat as I struggled to comprehend what Ash was telling me. "That's absurd, Ash, and you know it. This isn't you. You're just pretending to be someone else," I said, my voice filled with disbelief.

Ash looked at me with a determined expression. "No, I am being myself Emma. This is me now. So, please, just drop this subject," he said firmly, his eyes unwavering.

I couldn't help but frown, feeling a sense of sadness wash over me. "What are you going to do when your mate enters your life? Our birthday is in two weeks," I asked, my voice tinged with concern.

There was a moment of silence as Ash seemed to contemplate my question. "I will definitely reject her," he declared, his tone resolute.

I couldn't hide my disappointment as I stared at him, feeling a mix of emotions swirling inside me. "I feel sorry for your mate," I muttered under my breath, unable to shake off the feeling of sadness that lingered in my heart.

I can empathize with his pain. He was hurt at such a young age, only 16 years old. Emily was his first love, and he truly believed she was his soulmate. However, she ended up cheating on him and breaking his heart. She was a human being, not werewolves like us. To make things more complicated, when she discovered about werewolves, she became fascinated with us and joined his group of friends, eventually starting a relationship with Ashton.

Ashton, Abigail, and I had made a pact to wait for our true mates, but Emily managed to convince Ashton to be with her. She convinced him that her feelings for him were strong enough, which she believed proved they were mates. Poor Ashton fell for her act and persuasion and acted like a lovesick fool.

There are now two versions of Ashton: pre-Emily and post-Emily. He is no longer the same kind-hearted Ashton we once knew. He now just wants to have a good time with girls, regardless of whether they develop feelings for him or become seriously interested in him. Nothing seems to matter to him anymore. He easily breaks up with them after a few months, claiming that being with someone for 2-3 months is too long. It seems like he views relationships as mere playthings that he can switch out whenever he pleases.

While Ashton still remains the same when it comes to his family and friends, his behavior in romantic relationships has drastically changed. He has become a different person, someone unrecognizable to those who knew him before.

"Hey, I heard that," he said, interrupting my train of thought.

"However, don't feel sorry for her. You should be relieved that you won't have to buy tubs upon tubs of ice cream to console me after a heartbreak," he continued, trying to lighten the mood.

I just rolled my eyes. "You're simply delusional and stupid."

"Oh no, you are," he shot back playfully.

I raised my brows. "Really now? That's the pot calling the kettle black."

"No, that's the stupid one calling the intelligent one stupid," he teased.

"Wow, that's your comeback? You are truly stupid," I retorted with a grin.

"No, you are," he said, sticking out his tongue.

"No, you are the one who is stupid," I countered, laughing.

"No, Emy, you," he said, flashing his tongue at me once again.

"Oh, great, you're so mature," I said, shaking my head with a smile.

"Will you two please stop arguing? I feel like I am in the company of five-year-olds," Abigail exclaimed, rolling her eyes at our banter.

Ashton and I, both immature and childlike 'almost' adults, let out frustrated sighs. As I kept my eyes on the road, he focused on driving, exchanging occasional glances through the rearview mirror.
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