"Katie," Zach didn't even know what he wanted to say, but she didn't give him much of a chance as she rushed out of the room. With a curse, Zach turned to Megan. "Just go back to your class, Meg. We'll talk later."

Katie couldn't believe how heartbroken she was feeling. It wasn't a surprise to see what she just had; she knew they were together, yet somehow it truly was. It was so devastatingly shocking for her to witness, that it knocked the breath out of her. She heard murmers coming from the room before she opened the door, but she couldn't tell it was him, not with smell of chemicals heavy in the air. Pissed at herself for letting her tears fall, Katie wiped her face harshly when she heard him coming after her.

"Hold up," the Alpha grabbed her arm to stop her from rushing away any further. The electricity he felt where their skin met was short lived as she pulled her arm out of his grasp sooner than he wished.

"You could've just told me you made up your mind. You could've just let me know instead of letting me believe you weren't able to make a choice." She shook her head in disappointment. He wanted to tell her that he still hadn't chosen, that he didn't make up his mind like she thought, but he knew how bad that would sound, especially after what she had just seen.

"Can we do this in private?" Her question took him by surprise but he only nodded. The last thing they needed now was an audience. He followed her to yet another empty lecture hall. "Why couldn't you just come to me and tell me your decision? Why couldn't you just reject me and get it over with?" She accused, her tears unwilling to stop from flowing, and the sight alone broke his heart a little.

"Kat, listen." He tried but she was too hurt to hear his excuses.

"Do you honestly think it doesn't hurt seeing you with her every day? Do you think because I do understand your tough position that I don't get jealous when I see you two together?" Her glossy eyes darted to his and they stared so hard he wondered if she could see his soul. He couldn't ignore the beat his heart skipped when he heard she was jealous, though. "You remember how angry you were when you smelled someone else's scent mixed with mine. How do you think I feel now, after I just walked in on that?"

Katie didn't want to pour out her heart along with her tears in front of him, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, but it wasn't what you think, Kat." His voice was grounded, deep and affirmative, but it did little to fix her broken heart.

"It doesn't matter what it was. What happened had happened." She wiped her tears and stood straighter, calming herself down a notch. "You've obviously made your mind, and that's alright. Let's just get this over with."

Zach frowned for a second until he understood what she was talking about. She wanted him to reject her. He knew what he was about to say would turn him into the world's greatest asshole but he didn't have a choice. "I haven't decided yet."

If Katie wasn't confused before she sure was now. "Okay." She nodded rapidly, removing her caramel blond hair from her face, as if trying to wrap her mind around this mess. "Let's pretend I didn't just walk in on that. I need you to decide. Right now, I need a decision."

"Listen--" Zach didn't know how to explain, but Katie didn't give him a chance to figure that out anyway.

"No, you need to listen to me." Her eyes softened as she took a step closer to him and a part of him wished to close the rest of the distance between them. "I've known you for a week, Alpha, and it has honestly been the most miserable week of my life. I understand how hard it is for you to choose between us, I really do. Because if you choose one it means you lose the other, and I get that you're caught between a rock and a hard place right now. But I can't live like this anymore. I can't see you two together anymore, and after what I just saw, I now get how hard it is for you to let her go." Zach couldn't help but feel guilty because what she said was true.

"You love her, and she truly is a very lovable person. You two deserve happiness, I know that. Just like I know you would never be this happy with me." Katie's heart was breaking with every word, but she had to keep going. This misery had to end once and for all. The bond was messing with her head, its intensity aching her heart and torturing her wolf in the process. It was so painful to be near him yet so far away, but the pain she just experienced when she saw his hands and mouth on another woman yet again truly undid her.

"Even if a little part of you wants to be with me, I know for sure that the rest of you belongs to her. And if you ever did let her go in order to mate with me, you will be heart broken and blame me for the rest of our lives. You would hate me for taking you away from her, and I just can't go through that." She sobbed softly, shaking her head, rendering him speechless. He wanted to make this okay, to figure out a way out of this mess where no one gets hurt, be no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't figure it out.

God, he hated it when she cried, he realized. "Kat, just..."

"I can't be the reason why you'd spend the rest of your life in misery, just as I can't be the reason for her broken heart. And this past week proved how miserable I too could be, but not if you reject me. I know that by rejecting me you both will be happy and so will I. I'm a good person, and someday the moon goddess will give me another mate, I'm sure of it. Someone whose heart will be mine to love." Zach felt his blood boil at the thought alone. How he wished his heart was free for her to love, right now. How he wished he had never made such a promise. How he wished he had met her first, during those two long, painful years of waiting for her. But now it was too late. He clenched his fists.

"It doesn't feel right," Zach shook his head breifly with a sigh. "Rejecting you doesn't feel right."

"I know it doesn't. The pull the mating bond has on the both of us is strong, as it should be, but your love for her is stronger. Your heart belongs to someone else, and that's not your fault. I know you don't want to hurt me, but this past week I have been hurting, so please just put me out of my misery already. Please, Zach." She whispered and he instantly took a step back.

The only time she had ever called him by his name was to ask him to reject her. Deep down, Zach knew she was right. She deserved to be happy and it was obvious now that their happiness wouldn't be found together, not with Megan in the picture, even if a part of him wished it would be. And so he did as she told him. He did what he thought was right. With a heavy heart, he locked his gaze with hers and spoke the words they both thought was their salvation.

"I reject you, Katherine." And just like that they both felt their hearts break a little.

****

It had been a week since Zach had last seen Katie. Everyday he would scan people's faces around campus, trying to spot her among the crowd from afar, but in vain. He couldn't stop thinking about their last encounter. He wished there were another way instead of how it had ended, but there weren't. And even though things were now back to normal, he still couldn't feel quite the same as before. Once again, he found himself avoiding Megan as if she was now a reminder of what had happened with Kat.

"Morning." Nick took a seat on the bench next to him, only to recieve a nod in return. "Still no show?" When Zach shook his head silently, Nick frowned. "I still don't get it. How come you're so worried about her even after you broke the mating bond by rejecting her? She should be out of your system for good, man. You shouldn't spend your time worried about her feelings."

Zach let out a groan, unpleased with the way his beta was talking about Kat, when he saw her redhead friend walk by. Deciding to put an end to his worry and give his mind some peace, he stood up and went over to Jessica, Nick quickly following behind.

"Morning." Zach announced his presence to Jessica, whose smile instantly fell.

"Alpha." She bit the word out. She was furious with him indeed, watching Katie suffer for the past week because of him. Jessica couldn't believe at first that he had actually rejected Katie, but when she had to hold on to her best friend for dear life as she cried her heart out over him for three days in a row, it settled in.

"I haven't seen Kat around in a while. I wanted to ask you if she was alright." Zach was brief and to the point.

Jessica frowned at the nickname he gave Katie before she snorted. "Why do you care?"

Nick's eyebrows rose in surprise at the beautiful strawberry blonde before him and he instantly wanted her to acknowledge his presence as well. "You do know that you're talking to your Alpha, correct?"

Gray eyes scanned him from head to toe before asking, unimpressed, "And who might you be?"

Nick frowned for a second at the fact that she didn't even know who he was. "I'm Nick Adams, his beta." He felt his chin rise in pride. He was a pantie dropper, and he knew it well enough, so he flashed her his signature smirk. Making women weak at their knees was his area of expertise, only Jessica didn't do much as blink.

"The pleasure is all yours then." She stated in a bored tone and Zach held in a chuckle. Nick's mouth was still on the floor in disbelief when she rolled her eyes at him.

"I just want to know if she's alright." Zach decided to cut her some slack, appreciating the fact that she was protecting her best friend.

"She will be." Was Jessica's final answer before she turned on her heels and left the two men behind.

"Did that just truly happen?" Nick asked with a gasp, his eyes trailing behind her walking figure.

Noticing how his friend was quickly smittened, Zach smirked as he nodded his head.

"I think I'm in love." Nick voiced with love-struck eyes and Zach couldn't help but laugh.

****

"Jess is gonna have my head if I don't get you out of this bed by the time she comes back. Come on, Kitkat, please." Jared pleaded for the tenth time in the past hour, crossing his legs beneath him on Katie's dorm mate's bed.

"Don't call me that," Katie glared at him. "I hate it when you call me that."

"What are you gonna do about it, Kitty?" Pissing her off further, Jared smirked.

"I know what you're trying to do, and it's not going to work, Jared." She huffed with a pout. She knew he was trying different methods to get her out of her depression. Both him and Jessica had been trying their hardest to support her, and they truly were a great help. But no matter how much either of them tried, Katie could still feel her heart breaking piece by piece every time Zach's words rang in her head. The way he stared into her eyes as he spoke them still haunted her day and night.

Jared noticed how her eyes filled with tears once again and was instantly by her side. Holding her hands in his, he felt his heart ache at the sight of his best friend so devastated.

"Why don't I feel better, Jay? I was supposed to feel better. After he broke the bond, things were supposed to get back to normal. I was supposed to get back to normal. My wolf won't even talk to me, as if it was my fault." Katie let the tears fall, too exhausted to even try and fight them.

"I know, honey." Jared gathered her in his arms and let her cry on his soulder. "And I promise you, you will be okay sooner than you think. You will be happy, Katie."

Katie tried to believe Jared's promise, she truly did. But a part of her was sure that she wouldn't be able to find happiness without Zach, no matter how hard she wanted to.

****

"Hey, Alpha." Megan smiled brightly as she walked into Zach's office. Just like the rest of the week, Zach's day has been a bad one, and Megan's presence did ease his tention a little bit.

"Hey." He smiled back, willing himself to get back to how things once were with her. She didn't deserve how cold he had been treating her lately, and even though Katie's features didn't leave his mind for a minute, he still wanted to make it up to Megan.

"I just met your sister on my way up. She says you've been working too hard lately." She walked over to his chair with concern in her eyes. Standing up, Zach wrapped his arms around her waist and silently pulled her for a hug, wishing the guilt he felt to fade. "Are you okay?"

With a heavy sigh Zach spoke the truth. "No. But I will be." Just like Kat, he truly hoped so. His wolf knew it was a long shot, though. His wolf had been giving him the silent treatment ever since he broke the mating bond with Kat. To say it was heart broken was an understatement. One more reason to add on the pile of guilt Zach had been dealing with lately.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Megan asked sweetly as she rubbed her hands over his back in a soothing manner, but Zach already knew the answer.

However, he just breathed in her scent deeply, hoping it would calm him a little as he answered, "You already are, Meg."

"How about we go catch a movie? You seem like you could use a break from all the pack's stress." She suggested and he nodded his head. Yes, he needed a break indeed. Entwining her fingers with his, Megan pulled Zach away from his desk and out of the pack house.

****

"Are you sure you don't want to crash with us tonight? Jared will be fine on the couch again, Katie." Jessica tried again, but Katie knew she needed some time alone with her wolf. They needed to learn how to be okay on their own. A whole week was enough to spend in pain, now was the time for them to move on, no matter how hard or how long they needed to try.

"I definitely will be. My back loves that couch; it actually misses it." Jared tried as well, and Katie laughed softly for the first time in a while at how sweet her two best friends were being.

"I'll be fine, you guys. Truly, don't worry about me. I'll see you tomorrow at school." Technically pushing them out of the door, Katie smiled as she waved them goodbye. She walked to her window and stared at the woods outside, the night sky reminding her of Zach's pitch black hair. With a deep sigh she decided to let her wolf out for a run, hoping the quietness and chilly weather of the woods would help them feel a little better.

****

Zach couldn't go to sleep, despite how tired he was. His mind wouldn't just turn off, it seemed. Kat's eyes were haunting him, day and night for the past week and he was fed up. Groaning in annoyance, he turned the lights on and grabbed his phone to send a quick text to Nick and see if he was still up. He needed a distraction instead of spending hours in bed thinking over and over again about everything that had happened with Kat, yet much to his disappointment, Nick was sound asleep.

Zach decided to wait for a few more minutes for Nick to text him back, when he suddenly smelled her. Kat. Her scent reached his nose, and he found utmost pleasure in breathing in deeply. His head snapping towards the woods, Zach didn't hesitate this time before shredding skin into fur and rushing to where her scent led him, his heart beating faster, his wolf awake for the first time in a while. This time he wasn't going to let her slip away.