A Beta's Second Love

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

            As the day wore on, I kept finding myself drifting back to the pair of stormy eyes that I ran into this morning. I used to love English, but that changed today. Not only do I have Jonathan in my class, but there are three other guys just as annoying. And they happen to be brothers. I was uncomfortable around them until I realized that they looked an awful lot like Uncle Ralph. I knew he had sons, but I didn’t think that they’d be in high school.

            The oldest and next alpha is Daniel. The second son is Ryland. And the third was Michael. All three of them stood 6’9”. They were only 3 inches taller than me. I must have gotten the tallness from Dad’s side, because Mom was only 5’7”, Grandpa and Grandma was 5’8”. All three of my cousins had Uncle Ralph’s fiery red hair, bronze skin and this charm that seemed to just seep out of their smiles. But that’s where the resemblance ends. Daniel’s eyes were black as black could get. Just looking into them chilled me to the bone. Ryland had grey eyes with gold specks swimming around the irises. And Michael’s eyes were cobalt blue with emerald green specks around the pupil.

            Standing 6’6”, I was taller than the average girl. My hair reached my waist, and it was jet black. My skin was a dull bronze and my eyes were emerald green. The only things that Sam and I had shared were the color of our hair, eyes and our skin tone. At 17, Sam had stood 6’11”. He was taller than anyone I had ever seen in my whole life.  

            I was sitting in the back of the room trying to be invisible. I watched them from the corner of my eyes. They were heading to a group of jocks when Daniel spins around and heads towards me. I groan. This is just great. Now I have to put up with them the entire hour.

            Well look on the bright side.

            There’s one? I ask my wolf, sarcasm dripping from my words. Yeah, you could have them in every class. I nod. She was right, as always.

            I keep my eyes trained on the board. Daniel sits to my left, Ryland in front of me and Michael on my right. They have me boxed in. Both my wolf and I do not like this at all. I could feel their eyes burning a hole into my face. Suddenly, the teacher is called out of the classroom. So I lower my eyes to the text book on my desk.

            Daniel spoke just as soon as the door shut. “What’s your name?” I don’t look at him. I slowly flip the pages of the text book as if I found something worth reading. I watch him look at his brothers and shrug. Jon speaks up from the front of the room. “Her name’s Tyler.” Giving him a death glare that makes him turn pale, I turn my eyes back to my book.

            “We don’t bite.” Ryland adds softly. Ignoring him, I try to keep my breathing even. Michael leans closer to me and I scot my desk backwards quickly. “We won’t hurt you. We just want to be friends.” I shake my head no fast. I can talk, I just refuse to. Talking leads to friendships and friendships become anchors when you try to leave. And I refuse to be tied down after I graduate from this miserable hole I’m stuck in for a year. The teacher comes in saving me from another firing of questions.

            As my luck would have it, I ended up having my three cousins in all but my gym class. I kept my eyes open after the final bell rung. I quickly head to my truck and jump in. Starting the engine, I was pulling away when I saw the three of them come running out of the school. I laughed softly when I saw the look of confusion on their faces. They didn’t know what I drove to school this morning, and they didn’t know if someone had picked me up.

            I knew that Mom and Dad expected me to make friends this year, but that wasn’t on my list of things to do. Not for me anyways. Driving ten miles over the speed limit, I make it to the house in fifteen minutes. Pulling into the drive way, I spot my uncle’s car in front of the garage. Sighing, I park my truck under the tree and sprint behind the house. I smile when I see my window open. Climbing the oak tree beside the house, I toss my bag into my room.

            Taking a deep breath, I jump. Flying through the window, I land softly on my feet just inches away from my dresser. Closing my window, I walk to my door and lock it. Turning my radio on, I lie on my bed and close my eyes. Sometimes when I get so lost in the hurt and pain, I wish that the rouge had killed me instead of my brother.

            I wait for ten minutes and then finally twenty. Soon, I hear the sound of a key sliding into the door. It clicks and swings open, revealing my mom. She smiles at me, but I just roll and face the wall. She sighs and sits on my bed. “Honey, Ralph would like to speak to you about something important. Why don’t you come down to the den and listen to what he has to say?” She asks me softly stroking my hair.

            I shrug and motion for her to tell him to come to my room. Even though he’s my alpha and I would never dream of disrespecting him, I didn’t feel like going down there and facing my dad. Her eyes glaze over and I could tell she was linking with either Dad or Uncle Ralph. I sigh and sit up.

            Suddenly, the smell of pine and fresh air fills my room. Glancing at my door, I see my uncle leaning against the door frame. Some people say that Dad and he look almost alike. But personally, I don’t see it. They have almost nothing in common in my eyes. He walks into the room and my mom leaves, shutting the door behind her.

            I glare at the closed door. My uncle smiles at me and sits on the corner of my bed. I focus my eyes on his tie. The design is a little soothing. “Your mom and dad know exactly what I have to talk to you about. They agreed that it would be better if I told you, instead of you hearing it from them.” He starts, rubbing his face slowly.

            “Our pack has a tradition that can be traced back as far as the May Flower. Every year in the spring, the unmated members of the pack attend a ball in hopes that they find their mates. I know that you just moved here and that you’re trying to get adjusted to the change, but you will be attending the ball in three weeks time.”

            My eyes widen in shock and surprise. I start shaking my head no. We don’t want a mate, and we don’t deserve a mate. My wolf says, whimpering. For once, both of us agree on the same thing. I look up into his eyes and I see a glint of anger. I look back at my hands, lowering my head in respect. “Uncle,” I start my voice sounding so weak and soft, “I hate to disappoint you after everything you’ve done for me and my family. But I don’t want a mate. In fact, I don’t deserve one.” I bite my lip and finish my sentence. “And I won’t be attending your ball.” My voice is almost too soft to hear by the time I finish talking.

            I look up to see that the anger is replaced by sadness and pity. He lifts my face up. “You’re a beautiful young lady Tyler. And one day, you will make a very fortunate young man a wonderful mate.” He tilts his head a little to the left. “How about this, I give you one week to mull over the idea and if at the end of that time you still wish to not attend, I won’t push you. However, you will have to attend next year if you decide against it this year. Is that a fair deal?”

            I nod my head yes. They don’t know that I won’t be here then, so what’s the harm in agreeing with his little deal. He places a kiss on my forehead and leaves. I watch him go, then remember that I have a ton of math homework that’s due in the morning. Ugh! I hate school.