Bonds

Chapter ONE

My heart hammered against my chest in sync with the anxious rhythmic tapping my fingers produced against the table top. "I can't believe we're graduating in four weeks." I muttered, bringing a hand to my forehead. It was getting hot in here. I was beginning to overwhelm myself, not only did I have final exams in two weeks but graduation in four. People weren't kidding when they said the final year of high school was the most stressful.

My friend Mae, who was sitting opposite me, released a sigh from the back of her throat. "I know, you keep reminding me every hour." She complained. "It doesn't help that my parents have been breathing down my neck about studying. I don't even have time to think anymore."

I envied Mae. Despite her parents constant nagging about studying, she was a regular human with regular life stressors. I'd give anything for that life.

Mae was oblivious to my world. And by my world I was referring to the werewolves, packs, and...me. It was one of the sole reasons why I chose to be best friends with her. She had no mate which meant when I associated myself with her, I could for once be a regular teenage girl--something I wanted to hold onto just until the end of this year.

A grin found its way onto my lips as I reached up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "You're right," I'd admit sheepishly, "let's just have fun and enjoy the last few weeks of confinement in school." Not only was I saying this for her sake, but for mine as well.

School at North High wasn't bad. Our year level wasn't as much of a nuisance as other grades appeared to be, everyone basically grew out of their troublesome teens stage and I was ok with that.

For the remainder of the day, classes went by at a steady pace. I was now resting on the couch in the living room, I had a book on my chest but I got distracted by the TV blaring loudly in my ears. My dad was on the other end of the couch watching the news with a fresh cup of coffee in his hand. We never really conversed much after school hours, he was always out helping the Alpha with pack finances and housing stability.

"I'm gonna go for a walk" I told him, pushing myself of the couch and stretching my arms in front of me. Dad looked up and nodded, "Be back in an hour, I'll have dinner ready."

Outside the wind welcomed me with open arms, whisking my hair back behind my shoulders reminding me of the winter breeze I longed to feel. Summer and autumn were a beautiful time to be outside but once winter approached, I wasn't thankful enough for the nights spent snuggled up in oversized hoodies and tracksuit pants. It was never cold enough to snow, however that didn't bother me, if I've never seen it then it can't be missed, or that's what I thought anyways.

The concrete path in front of my house sloped down a hill and round a bend where houses appeared left, right and centre. This pack was centred in the middle and along the border of riverside forest. This area was surreal, you were able to be swallowed by the prettiest of Mother Nature, including berries, flowers and small wild mammals such as rabbits or possums. Although summer emphasised the beauty of it all rather than the harsh winter.

I forgot to bring my headphones along with me, that left me feeling irritated. My feet kicked along the long waves of grass as I turned off path. Up ahead between the trees were large rocks, almost boulder-like that positioned against one another to become a perfect structure for me to sit on. The climb wasn't difficult and I had my legs swinging off the edge in no time.

My eyes trailed along in front of me. Bonds raced across the earth in all sorts of directions and colours. One bond in particular began to twitch, staggering between a red and blue colour. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. It wasn't often that I saw bonds do this, they were either one colour or the other; never really a mixture of both. I wasn't mistaken, in all my years of studying my own gift and sorting the colours with their meanings, this rare sight meant a pair were disagreeing with eachother; in particular someone was trying to reject their mate after already being fully mated. What a difficult task.

Curiosity always kills the cat but I had a spare moment to let my wondering eyes flicker around. Before my eyes caught a glimpse, my ears were first and tuned into the argument.

"I'm sick of you acting like this! You treat me no differently—like I'm just another girl!" The female voice screamed. Between her words she cried hysterically. The pain in her voice brought me so much discomfort, all I wanted to do was run and give her a hug.

The slam of a hand hitting against something solid had my eyes widening. A deep voice pierced the air; "For fuck sake, what do you want from me? All you do is nag about how I can change; how I can be better. I'm fucking trying! You're pissing me off."

"Because you can't let your past go—you can't let her go. I know it, I've seen you. I've smelt her. You're my mate, y-you marked me!"

I jumped off the rock and followed the voices that were definitely too loud to remain unnoticed. I saw the pair. The male had his hands running through his black hair vigorously whereas the female had her arms crossed over her chest, almost hugging herself for comfort. Her chestnut hair cascaded down her back and covered her face but I knew well enough her eyes would be bloodshot from all the crying.

I didn't know what to do. I felt horrible for eavesdropping on such a personal conversation. This just shone a brighter light on the fact that mates weren't perfect and they don't always work out. We may be werewolves, but what makes us unique is we have a human side and a wolf side. Both sides don't always agree on certain terms.

"You've come into my life at the wrong time. I need time to fix shit. Lay off for awhile, fucking hell." He growled. "Pack up all your shit from my house." The sound of heavy footsteps filled the air as the male stormed off into the trees.

"I hate you!" She screamed and fell to her knees in defeat. "I wish I hated you.." her cries filled the air.

There's no way I could have just left her alone after hearing partial moments of their argument. If I was being quite honest, the guy sounded like a complete asshole and she needed all the support she could get.

The tree and shrubs I had managed to manoeuvre myself behind while I eavesdropped proved to be quite difficult to get out from. My jeans got caught on some of the small branches, causing it to tear. "Great" I muttered, causing much more noise than I had anticipated. The girls tears drowned out the sounds of Mother Nature, so when I approached her she was shocked.

I kneeled down so I was at eye level with her. "I sort of heard a bit of your conversation," I admitted nervously, "are you ok?" That was a stupid question to ask, of course she wasn't ok.

Her eyes met mine in a soft glance. She looked exhausted and mentally strained. The colour of her brown eyes contrasted with the surrounding flickers of red and white. "If I said I was fine, I'd be lying." She whispered shakily. "Boys are just never wrong apparently. I don't deserve this." She pulled at her hair.

I shuffled a little closer, "I can't talk from experience but they are a bit hollow at times." I say, trying to sort of lighten the mood. "My name's Ava."

"Riven." The corners of her lips lift slightly as she wipes away the last of her tears. That's such a beautiful name.

"Would you like a hug?" I offered. Whenever I'd cry to someone whether it would be my dad, Mae or even my Scooby doo toy; a hug would make me feel a whole lot better for the time being. It brought peace and comfort. "I know I'm a stranger but no one should have to deal with this stuff alone."

Rivens bond flickered between a blue and red bond, although the end closest to her heart was a vibrant blue. Her mate was conflicted about what he wanted. Riven on the other hand; she still wanted him, whether she agreed with herself or not.

A small nod was all it took before I pulled her close to me, giving her the ultimate Ava hug. I felt her face nestle into my shoulder. "Thank you I appreciate it, Ava." her voice muffled against my jacket.

My eyes trailed along her bond, showing me the current location of her mate. That guy isn't getting away so easily.