The Mate Deal

Chapter 16

I ran through the woods for an hour, just trying to clear my head.  I was building up so much internal anger towards Renee for no reason.  Part of me kept thinking she made things so much more complicated than they needed to be.

I was upset because she was human.  I felt rejected.  Like Matt had asked the universe to do this as a form of rejecting me.

But I rejected him first, I kept reminding myself.  And even if things were different, it doesn’t matter.  I guess the universe just likes giving werewolves the wrong mates.

I thought faintly of how easy things would be if Matt had been my real mate.  We wouldn’t have any reason not to have been together.  We could have met at the play, and fallen for each other immediately.  I wouldn’t have this baggage with the Tyce thing, and Renee would still be my simple human friend who never suspected a thing.

Matt and I could get married for real.  Maybe we could have even had little werewolves of our own.  A future Alpha for the pack.

And it could have been me and Matt in that car, sharing some sort of special moment.  Right then, he and Renee were probably falling for each other.  They were probably kissing, and feeling the mate bond pull them together, closer with each second.

But I don’t care, I told myself.  Even if I did like Matt, I couldn’t do anything about it, even without Renee around.  I’m never going to stop being bitter about what Tyce did, and if I’m hurting over another guy, then it’s not fair to be with another.  Not fair to him, or me.

Besides, I had to try and be happy for them.  After all, these feelings for Matt will go away eventually.  I knew they had to.

I ran all through the woods, twisting through the many pine trees surrounding me, their dead brown needles from the past few months fallen to the ground.

After enough time had passed, I went back to find my dress where I had tucked it away, under a low branch in a tree in the outskirts of the forest.  I shifted back into regular me, ordinary Stephanie Haynes.  I quickly got dressed again, knowing my hair was messed up, but I didn’t care.

I ran to the car, and before getting back in, I looked in the window.

My suspicions were confirmed.  The two were kissing.

I didn’t want to ruin their moment, but eventually, I got tired of watching it, and knocked on the window.  Renee looked out the window at me, shocked.  Like she’d forgotten there was anything outside of the car.  Then again, she probably had forgotten.  That was how strong the mate bond was.

She mouthed something, but I couldn’t tell what with the shut door between us.

I smiled at the two of them, and opened the back door and got in.  “Hi guys.  Sorry to break that up, but I was getting cold out there.”  As if to prove my point, I shivered.  “I should have brought a jacket.  Besides, it’s getting late.  We should go home.”  I turned to Renee and added, “can I stay in your dorm tonight?  I’m not sure the roomy will be thrilled at my coming in so late.”

“Yeah, sure,” Renee said, the blush from me interrupting the make out session still left on her face.

“Oh, and Matt, I’m thinking we ought to go back to Seattle over the weekend.”

“Huh?  Why?”

“Remember?  My side of the deal.  We go back to my old pack,” I reminded him.

“Oh, yeah.  Sure, that’s fine.  Road trip!”

I smiled.  This weekend could be fun.  Me and Matt on the road-