My Best Friend, My Alpha

Foot steps on corridor floor

12:05

Ashley sat at the desk tapping her pen nervously against the wood as she stared at the clock above the board.

Completely oblivious to what the teacher was trying to explain at the front of the classroom.

In six minutes she was going to be sixteen and she was spooked by that.

Mia thought it was ridiculous for her to be so scared but the fact was: Ashley didn't want to get a mate mixed up in her life. The letter she received this morning which remained unopened in her bag was a reminder of the horrible things she did and why she was too ashamed to even meet her mate.

Mates tell each other everything and the thought of having to have to share that with another person bothered her so much that she spent the whole of last night crying.

Why did life have to be so complicated? Why couldn't she be normal, that way she would be given time to fall in love and time to forget all about him and what she did. However, Ashley knew that that would never happen, she would never be able to forget what she had done neither would she be able to forgive herself.

The clock hit 12:10 and Ashley was holding her breath; in one minute she would have a mate, she might even smell him if he was nearby.

The seconds took hours to tick by, but still they went and by the time the hand moved by a millimetre, Ashley had calmed herself enough to take a whiff of the air.

She sighed in relief; she smelt nothing. A huge, triumphant grin spread across her features and she took another big sniff, well it was certain her mate was not here, in the room that is.
Ashley sat back in her chair and relaxed her stiff muscles. She glanced once again at the clock which was only a moment away from triggering the lunch bell and shut her book.

When the bell did ring, Ashley grabbed her bag and things then shoved them into the rucksack before leaving the room. She ran down the corridor, and almost knocked a younger girl with turtle shell as a back pack off her feet. The birthday girl threw an apology over her shoulder and hurried away. She was excited to find Mia and deliver the good news.

As she drifted down the hallway on a cloud of happiness, she saw Mia next to her locker and she rushed to her.

"You look happy," Mia mumbled, she couldn't help but have a pang of jealousy run through her when she saw Ashley's beautiful smile, it was obvious to her that she had found her mate.

"I am," Ashley replied, opening her own locker two doors down and discarding her bag.

The door to outside opened, a little down the corridor from her locker, but it still sent a chilling gust of cold air and with it Ashley's worst nightmare.

Her nose ignited in flames, colourful dancing flames, it smelt like wet grass and golden syrup. Ashley stood frozen admiring the amazing aroma before she came back to reality, "oh no," she breathed. She could hear nothing but the sound of approaching feet, echoing down the hall, closer every second.

Ashley came to the decision to slam her locker door and run, out the door and across the damp field which sprayed wet grass up her legs. She crossed over the road on the opposite side and ran flat out, speeding across the span of tarmac and fled into the safety of the forest.

Ashley kept running until she could no longer hear the sound of approaching foot steps on corridor floor.

Raindrops took their time to fall off every single leaf, as she walked slowly under the shelter of the trees, not getting hit by a single drop as they evaporated the second they reached her. The leaves were packed tightly in cumulative numbers high above her head, as if they were holding hands in a teasing manner to make sure that no light was coaxed through their amber bodies. It wouldn't be long until they fell, they should have already but Ashley didn't know how to judge what was meant to be and not meant to be.