My Broken Mate

Chapter 1

Liliana's POV:

 My name is Liliana Drew. And, if we may, my mate, Lyle, and I would like to tell you the story of how we met.

 See, I had a good life growing up in the Red Stone Pack. I had great parents, great friends, and, I even got a scholarship for college. I was going to study medicine. I'd wanted to be a doctor for a long time. Since I was twelve, actually. 

 Lyle, on the other hand, he didn't have such a good life....He was orphaned when he was just a year old. And, he was separated from his older brother, Nicky. Nicky was about five years older than Lyle. Lyle was a shy, timid boy. He didn't trust people easily. He was afraid of being hurt. He was what some people would call, broken. 

 Now, I had always wanted to meet my mate. I always admired the relationship my parents had. And, the relationships my friends had when they met their mates. I was hoping that I could have what my parents and friends had. So, I was excited to meet my mate. But, I never expected that my mate would be so broken....

 While I was excited to find my mate, Lyle was afraid to meet his. He was fully expecting his mate to reject him because he was so broken. And, honestly, rejection was the last thing my poor mate needed. 

 Lyle was adopted by his older brother, Nicky, when he was sixteen years old. By then, he was very closed off about most everything. He had a hard time opening up to him and even trusting him. He wanted to trust Nicky. He wanted to open up to him. He wanted someone to love him for once in his life. He wanted someone to talk to for once in his life. But, he just....couldn't....He didn't really know how.

 And that, my friends, is where I came in....

 It was the first day of college. I was twenty years old. I was sitting at my desk in the classroom talking with my friends, George Carter and Faye Thomas. They were mates and loved each other a lot. Faye was an outgoing girl who loved to sing. She was studying to be a nurse. She loved helping people just like me. George, he was more of the sporty type. He was more reserved than Faye. But he definitely loved singing with her. They honestly, had an amazing relationship.

"I think we should celebrate the first day of college after classes today. This is a big step to a new area in our lives!" Faye declared.

 I smiled and nodded in agreement. I was about to respond when the amazing smell of freshly baked brownies caught my attention. I looked around the room, sniffing the air. My gaze then landed on the handsomest boy I'd ever seen. We stared at him, our eyes wide. It was as if we were the only two in the world.

 "Mine." I whispered.

 Faye's excited voice got my attention. I looked at her, my eyes wide in surprise. "You found you're mate!! Congrats!"

 I chuckled softly. "Thank you, Faye.."

 "Y'know, he's honestly cute...Oh! How about we double date??" Faye squealed.

 "I wouldn't be opposed to that." George replied, putting his arm around her.

 "Neither would I. But how about I go talk to him and introduce myself before we start planning my future?" I rolled my eyes, smiling at them.

 "You're right...Sorry...I guess I just got excited..." Faye smiled sheepishly.

 "It's fine." I smiled at her before looking back at my mate. He had short dark brown hair and brown eyes. I frowned a little, noticing a scar across his right eye. He was just staring at me quietly, a look of slight fear and hurt in his eyes. That look kinda hurt...Why was he afraid...? Was he afraid of me...? Who hurt him...? Why did they hurt him...? 

 I watched as my mate walked over to Faye, George, and I. He would've walked past, but I stopped him. "Hi there...I'm Liliana. What's your name?"

 He stood there, frozen. He was shaking a little. His eyes were wide. "Um...I-I....L-Lyle..." he said in a tone that was almost a whisper. I frowned a little in concern. I gave him a kind smile and stood up, offering him my hand. Lyle stared at my hand and at me. He stood there quietly, as if waiting for something. 

 "Are you ok, Lyle...?" I asked softly.

 He nodded quickly. "Um...I-I'm going to go sit down..." he mumbled. 

 "Ok...It was nice to meet you..." I nodded.

 "N-nice meeting you too..." he said before hurrying to the back of the classroom. I watched as he sat down at an empty desk and rested his head in his arms on the desk. 

 As the day went on, I tried to find opportunities to talk to Lyle. But, it was as if Lyle were avoiding and hiding from me...I was getting a little worried about him. The more I watched him from afar, the more I noticed he was very quiet and he seemed to avoid people as much as possible. He seemed...very timid and nervous...My heart ached for him. Something was wrong...Yet, I wasn't sure what...