Scarlet’s POV
"She is losing her healing abilities. The medicines are only going to help her temporarily."My eyes weakly opened and I glanced around the room. The dimly lit room and the stench of disinfectant told me that I was in the school's clinic.My head was wrapped up with a bandage as I laid on the bed."What could be the reason she's not healing?" I heard the stranger ask the nurse. I turned my head slightly to see them, but I winced in pain and drew their attention instead."Oh, she's finally awake." The nurse said, drawing closer to me. She narrowed her eyes as she tilted my head to examine my wound. "This should have healed by now but it's not."She was right. My healing abilities as a wolf was supposed to seal up my wound after some minutes. I wasn't supposed to be wrapped up in bandages or feeling pain with every breath I took. What was suddenly wrong with me?"What's wrong with me?" I whispered, weakly."You suffered a mild concussion and have some fractured ribs," she replied coldly, and pushed her fingers down to my ribs. "But that should be the least of your worries. You’re so lucky Prince Elias brought you here on time.”Prince Elias? His name rang in my head like a bell. There was no other Prince Elias in the entire school except the Lycan Prince. The thought of him carrying me in his arms to the clinic sent shivers to my spine."Am I losing my healing abilities?" My voice was shaking and I could feel hot tears pushing their way out of my eyes."Scarlet, don't cry." She sat beside me on the bed. "I'm here to help you." I nodded but my lips were still quivering. I couldn't fathom the reason I would suddenly lose my healing abilities. Without them, what kind of wolf would I be?"Today is your eighteenth birthday, isn't it?" She asked. "Have you found your mate already?" Her question came as a shock to me because I didn't know how it was connected to any of the things happening to me.I wasn't ready to admit that my mate didn't want me and as a matter of fact, preferred another girl to me."I–I haven't-""Don't lie to me." She cut me off. Leaning closer, she wiped the tears at the edge of my eyes. "I know it can be hard to accept rejection especially after waiting for so many years to be mated. But this is not just about your healing abilities as a wolf. A rejection from your mate can permanently stop you from shifting forever."At that moment, I felt like my entire world was crumbling. I was losing my abilities because of Brad, my fated mate. "He didn't pronounce his rejection but he said we can't be together. He wants Valerie instead." The gnashing pain in my chest returned and I tried not to cry again."Oh sweet Scarlet, that's why you're unable to heal. He’s causing you to lose your abilities." Her eyes were filled with pity for me. "If you must live without him, he must reject you completely and you'll have to accept it. If you don't do that, he will keep taking a part of your abilities till you're nothing but a fragile, weak, wolf."I sniffed back a sob. "I will be deemed a rogue wolf if he rejects me. I will be banished from the pack forever. I would rather lose my abilities than my family.""Nonsense!" Elias’ voice echoed across the room and I jerked. I had clearly forgotten he was still in the room with us. He drew closer to me, his eyes burning with rage and lowered himself to the bed. "Brad doesn't deserve you. What kind of guy would reject a girl like you? You must reject him first so you'll be free from the consequences of his selfishness.""Reject who?" I turned sharply to the door side to see Brad casually walking in, his eyes flaming in anger as he saw us. I could sense Brad’s disapproval as he glared at Elias, and with each passing minute, the disapproval inched toward hatred."I'll leave the room for you three." The nurse quietly slid out of the room, eager to avoid any drama."Brad–""Shhhh. Don't talk, you're still hurt." Brad inched closer to me and rubbed my forehead gently. He smiled down at him, a smile that was clearly void of any emotion . "I came as soon as I heard what happened. Are you feeling better now?""What the hell are you doing here? Your girlfriend did this to her. You don't have any right to be here. Now leave!" I felt the pitched authority in the room as Elias spoke.Brad chuckled slowly. "I have every right to be here because she's my mate. You can't use your authority to stop me from being with her."Wait what? I replayed Brad's words in my head to know if I heard him wrong but I didn't. Did he suddenly call me his mate? What happened to his rejection earlier?"She's not your mate anymore, Brad. You lost her the moment you chose Valerie over her." Brad seemed to be wresting with himself internally as he heard those words. "Now, I'll take it from here."What? What was he talking about? How did Prince Elias who just popped up minutes ago know many details about Brad and I? He spoke with certainty, almost as if he wanted to claim me as his. His statement seemed to pierce through Brad's heart and for a second, it looked like he would get violent."I'm not scared of you." Brad folded his arms. "I haven't pronounced my rejection to Scarlet. Therefore, I still have every right to claim her as mine. You should back off and stay away from her. After all, she doesn’t even know who you are."It took me a moment to realize that something was going on between the two of them. Something deeper than a surface misunderstanding and it was about me."She's losing her abilities because of your rejection. Can't you see you're dangerous to her? You shouldn't be allowed to touch a strand of hair on her head."Brad slammed his hand against the wall and I flinched slightly. "You can't tell me what to do!!!" He barked. What had suddenly come over him?"Walk away, Brad." Prince Elias said, his tone fierce and cold. “She’s mine now.”"You know what? Why don't we let her choose?" Brad came up to me and grinned. I was still trying to wrap my head around Elias’ claim on me when he dropped the bombshell. "I'm ready to accept you as my mate and you'll get your abilities back. But the problem is that you have two mates and you have to choose between the two of us. Now. Who is it going to be? Me or him?”SCARLET'S POVI was dumbfounded and couldn't seem to process what was going on. I sank back into the bed, trying to decipher what was happening but it was all a fuzzy dream in my head. Two mates? What on earth was Brad talking about?“What—what are you talking about?” I managed to ask amidst my confusion. Brad chuckled and pointed to Elias. “He didn’t tell you, did he?” He licked his lips. “I’m guessing he didn’t tell you that he is your mate. And he has known for years! He has watched them bully you for years and he did nothing!” “Brad!” Elias' voice rang in the room and I flinched. “That’s enough!” I could detect the anger in his voice and his eyes were glimmering with fury.Elias turned to me. “You don’t have to listen to him.”My breath faltered and I could hear my own heart beat. I lifted my gaze to Elias, unable to believe what Brad said. Could he have known for three years? He had watched them bully me for three years and he did nothing. “You knew…” I started but the words w
BRAD'S POVDamn it! How could Scarlet shun me like that? Some minutes ago, she was literally begging me to accept her but all of a sudden, she can’t make a choice? I don’t blame her anyway, it’s not everyday an omega like her gets the attention of an Alpha and Lycan Prince. As I drove back to my house, I couldn't control the anger that was running through me. Irritation pricked my skin each time I remembered the look on Elias' face. "Why didn't she pick me? Did she think he was better than me?” I couldn’t help but ponder over these questions. I could barely keep my concentration on the road and it felt like the car was closing in on me. I took a deep breath and decided to take a break.I parked the car at a corner of the road, turned off the ignition and began to think. I couldn’t let Elias have her. I didn’t want or care about her but Elias would not take her from me. I would lose my respect in the pack and in school. This was a fight, one that I was willing to do anything to win.
SCARLET'S POVAfter Elias returned after paying the medical bills, he stood by my side in silence. I could feel his intense gaze on me but wondered why he didn’t say anything. "Why are you so quiet?" I asked in a low voice as I stared into his eyes.He managed to smile at me but it didn’t quite meet his eyes. "Nothing. I just don't have anything to say." He ran his fingers through his hair. “Or maybe I’m just worried about Brad.” “What about him?” “I’m just bothered about what he’s going to do next.” He answered. “I’ve never known him to play fair.” “But this is not a game. I am not a game.” “True.” He nodded. “But Brad will do anything to win. Anything.” I felt cold shivers run down at my spine at the intensity of his words. I didn’t know much about Brad but I was fairly certain Elias had reasons for his worry. Elias didn't take his eyes off me for even a second, and I could feel the bond between our wolves. It was faint, sorely because I hadn’t rejected Brad and he wasn’t my
**SCARLET'S POV**When I opened my eyes, I was on my bed in my room. I groaned heavily as the lights from the window blinded my vision slightly. My head was fuzzy with pain, and every movement sent sharp waves of pain through my body.It felt like the entire world had just come crashing on me, my breath catching in my throat as if each exhale amplified the pain. I tried to get up, but a searing pain shot up from my chest, spreading through my body like fire.“Scarlet, for goddess sake, rest on the bed.” I turned to see my mother dashing into the room with a glass of water and some pills. She looked pale with worry, and I could guess she was the one that found me.“What’s happening?” I groaned. “I can’t feel my head.”“Sorry, baby.” She placed a damp towel on my head. “I was scared when I found you at the end of the stairs. I thought something terrible happened to you.” She choked back her tears. “Do you remember anything that happened?”“I remember coming home and searching for you. T
ELIAS'S POVAs I drove back to the pack, I couldn't get Scarlet out of my head, no matter how hard I tried. The way she gazed into my eyes left me in awe. I had never felt that way before but it was soothing to the soul.Such beautiful eyes she had with a low, sexy voice that left me breathless.I remembered when I first met her; she couldn’t even remember that day as I narrated it to her. She was at the store with her sister, shopping for a birthday dress. I could vividly remember how beautiful she looked with her wild red hair. I wanted to claim her the instance I saw her but her excitement over finding her mate once she’s eighteen stopped me from doing that. Since then, I had watched her like I was her personal bodyguard. It still amazed me that she didn’t ever notice me, lurking in the background, following her to every store and her favorite places. Well, she was Scarlet, unique but quite clumsy. My heart was filled with anger as well as a great feeling of irritation, but it w
SCARLET'S POVI jolted up from my bed, panting heavily like I had just completed a marathon. I stared at the whitewashed ceiling as I tried to catch my breath.I had a nightmare, a gruesome one. I didn’t want to even recall what I saw but it was too scary to forget. What could it mean? I couldn't wrap my head around it, no matter how hard I tried.I opened the bottle of water sitting on my desk and gulped it down. I wiped my forehead which was dripping with sweat and exhaled. The door to the room flung open seconds later. My mother stood in front of me, looking concerned."Honey, are you okay? I heard you screaming.” She inched toward me and placed her hand on my forehead. “You’re burning up.” I shook my head slightly. “It’s nothing really serious mum. I just had a nightmare.” "Are you sure you’re okay?”“Yes.” I breathed. “I guess it’s normal with everything that’s been going on. It was just really scary.” “Everything is going to be fine, okay?” I nodded. “Now, get ready. You
SCARLET'S POVI stared into oblivion as a thousand thoughts ran through my mind. None of them explained why the Vice chancellor would want to see me. To think he had come himself and didn't send someone to call me was alarming.What could the Vice chancellor want with me for him to call me to his office? I couldn't think of any reason and neither could I wrap my head around it. I rose from my seat immediately and followed behind him to his office. “Sir, is everything okay?” I asked as I followed him, my heart beating furiously. “When we get to my office, we will talk about whether everything is okay or not.” He answered briskly.The Vice-Chancellor was a very stern man and that scared me. I had never gotten into any trouble on campus but I was quite aware that my attention wouldn’t be demanded on an ordinary day. Something had happened and that’s why he came to fetch me himself. My mind quickly darted back to Brad’s threat. Could he have hurt my sister as a way to get back at me? I
SCARLET’S POVI sat frozen in the Vice chancellor's office, unable to move or even think about what to do. How could this be happening to me? Why was I so unfortunate with everything? I couldn’t stop the tears that flowed down my eyes, each drop carrying the weight of my unspoken pain. I couldn't let the Alpha treat me this way. I couldn’t be an object of ridicule to them, and allow them push me to be with Brad. I didn’t need any convincing to know that Brad wasn’t the one for me. Not only did he subject me to emotional abuse on the very first day of being my mate but he was now about to force me to mate with him. Initially, I believed he had somehow had a change of heart but he was only after his own personal gain. The door to the office flung open and the Vice-chancellor walked in. He had left earlier with Alpha Thomas to discuss some personal issues. When I spotted him, I flew to my feet and wiped the tears off my face."Are you alright?" He asked even though he saw my swollen ey