"hey're n angle."

"Ugh!" I groan, kicking off the mountain of sheets.

I tried. I really did.

But I just can't go to sleep. Something is bothering me, I have this restless feeling that urges me to do something. I just don't know what that is.

'Really?' My Wolf mocks, and I roll my eyes at him. I can just feel him shaking his head as if to say, 'Tsk, tsk, denial is not good.'

Alright, I'll admit it.

I'm missing my Mate.

And knowing that she's somewhere close to me on the other side of the wall is what that's keeping me up.

There, I said it.

It's not my fault, okay? It's just how we are created. We crave our other half's presence and there's nothing that can be done to stop this restless, fitful feeling, except being in their company, of course. I just have to get used to it.

I blow air out of my cheeks and I turn to the side, to look at the small bedside clock.

2:30 am.

"Goddess, have mercy!" I cry out, pressing the heel of my palms to my eyes, squeezing them shut.

As if on cue, I hear the turn of a lock, and I pull my hands away from my eyes, raising my head from the fluffy mountain of pillows. My bedroom door swings open with a silent whine, letting light flow into the inky darkness. My vision blinds for a second before I blink the sensitivity away and get a look at the person.

Alpha Seneca.

She stands there with a hand resting on the doorknob and the other placed loosely on the doorframe. The moonlight from the parted curtains illuminates her form, making her angelic features more otherworldly.

She's wearing a gray sleeveless tee and white knit shorts, is barefoot and her face is clean of any makeup as always, with her red hair a disarray of messy curls atop her head. But if someone can pull off the 'Just rolled out of bed' look better than a model, it is most definitely, without a doubt, her.

"Um, hi?" I say and I wanna smack myself for making that mono-syllabic word sound like a question.

She doesn't say anything. Instead, she steps into the room, closing the door behind her. My heartbeat becomes rapid with anticipation, not having a clue of what to expect from this Alpha dressed in her PJs.

She turns around, and her eyes travel slowly over the length my body, instantly darkening. That's when I become aware of my almost nakedness. Since I'm used to sleeping alone all the time, I'd kicked off the many layers of clothes and stripped down to my ducky boxers. And now I'm lying on this huge monstrosity of a bed, wearing next to nothing, waiting like an offering for sacrifice, under the devouring gaze of an Alpha who looks like she could eat me for breakfast.

She stalks forward, reaching my side of the bed in four long strides, her heated eyes making me shiver in delight. I wet my suddenly dry lips, feeling paralyzed and unable to move under her focused stare. She stops at the foot of the cot, standing still with fingers clenched in a tight fist.

"W-What are you doing h-here?"

"Move." She commands, ignoring my question. I obediently scoot over to the far left of the bed, feeling awkward and uncomfortable due to my clothing, or lack of thereof.

My jaw almost drops when she lies down, making herself comfortable by arranging the sheets around her. She notices my open stare, and tucks a rebellious curl behind her ear, in an almost self-conscious way.

"What? The punishment I gave you seemed more like punishing myself than you." She says defensively, narrowing her dark grey eyes. All of a sudden, I feel smug, realizing that she'd suffered as much as I had, wanting my company.

"Wipe that shit-eating grin off your face and lie down, will you?" She says in an irritated voice, but I can hear the false note in it, betraying that she's truly not annoyed.

She's just using it as a defense mechanism to keep people away, I realize, and that just makes me grin more.

"I said, 'Stop!'" She says, and this time there's a smile in her voice. "Okay, Okay!" I surrender, raising my hands. I then lie down beside my Mate feeling happy and content to go to sleep for the first time.

•••

"Rise and Shine Aleph boy! You have to — Oh!"

I stir awake slowly, feeling too comfortable and warm with the most amazing pillow under me. I tighten my grip on it, not willing to open my eyes and tear myself away from the fog of sleep yet. I then feel the pillow hug me closer, and feel confused.

Since when did my pillow have arms?

Oh!

It's actually my Alpha Seneca!

I blink open my eyes slowly and blush from head to toe at our compromising position.

My head is nestled in-between her breasts, and one arm is wrapped around her slim waist. One of her hands are around my back, and the other is resting on the back of my head, fingers weaving in-between locks of hair and our legs...

They're in a tangle.

I slowly raise my head from her chest, blushing a deeper red when I cautiously look into her intense eyes, in hopes of gauging her reaction. We gaze at each other for what seems like an eternity, when suddenly a throat clears. Our heads snap to the side, and if it's possible to blush more, I just did.

There standing is Beta Ezra, with a smug smirk etched onto his face.

We pull away so fast, that I get caught in the jumble of sheets and roll off the bed, landing hard on my butt on the carpeted floor.

"Ow!" I yell, pushing the sheets off my feet. Alpha Seneca throws the remaining part of the sheets off her in one swift motion, and jumps off the bed, landing gracefully on her feet. She then pulls the hem of her t-shirt down, giving a dark look to Beta Ezra.

He grins knowingly, the gloating smirk still spread across his face. I almost gasp when Alpha Seneca punches him, hard, on the stomach, before leaving the room, with chin up and an air of power even in her PJs. He bursts out laughing, and she flips him the bird over her shoulder.

Once she's out of ear-shot, Beta Ezra doubles over, clutching his stomach and letting out a low moan of pain, through his laughter. I watch with amusement as he playfully curses her, getting a better idea on the dynamics of the relationship between them.

When he sees me smiling at him, all humor is wiped off his face, and the scowl that I'm so used to seeing, replaces it.

"Breakfast in ten minutes. Meet you downstairs."

He turns to leave, but I stop with a question that has been bothering me since the day we met.

"W-wait!"

"What?"

"W-why do you h-hate me so m-much?" I blurt out, and he looks surprised for a second before quickly hiding it. He opens and closes his mouth, as if choosing his words, before finally answering.

"Listen here Aleph boy, I don't hate you, alright. It's just that, I'm the closest thing Alpha Seneca has to a family, and I'm the only one who is truly concerned about her well-being. I've always wanted for her to find a Mate, but what I expected was... let's just say, you're not..." he hesitates, "Sorry to say this, but you are not what I expected."

Before I could think of a reply, he leaves, shutting the door behind him.

You are not what I expected. His words echo in my head, making me feel truly ashamed of myself for the first time in my life.

'He thinks we are weak,' My Wolf roars, and my shoulders slump in defeat.

'That's because we are.' I say and shut him out.

•••

Beta Ezra's words bother me the whole time I shower and pull on some clothes, my big black-rimmed glasses and brush my hair, but all that vanishes the moment I enter the dining room and see the huge buffet on the breakfast table.

And when I say, huge, I mean huge.

The sound of my shoes hitting carpet announces my arrival, as I enter the threshold of the magnanimous dining room. Alpha Seneca is helping herself to a large stack of pancakes and maple syrup, while Beta Ezra is bent over the fridge, rummaging through its contents.

When she sees me, Alpha Seneca gives me a nod in acknowledgment, to which I smile a little, but Beta Ezra continues his raid on the fridge, not showing signs of hearing my arrival.

I perch on one of the steel, leather-cushioned chairs, across from my Mate and glance around the variety of food, wondering what to eat. Finally, I pick an apple and pour myself some coffee, feeling uncomfortable to ask for the bacon and eggs near Alpha Seneca's plate.

After a few minutes, Beta Ezra grabs a bottle of something and leaves the room, giving Alpha Seneca a look.

I wonder idly what he might have told her, but don't think too much about it. I hear the squeak of glass scraping against the glass, and look down to see Alpha Seneca has moved the dish of bacon and eggs my way.

So she noticed...

I look up to thank her, but her seat is empty.

When did she leave?!

That's when I hear the sound of flowing water and turn around in its direction to see Alpha Seneca washing her hands. Pshh, She wouldn't leave without telling ya.

She meets my eyes in the mirror fixed above the ceramic wash basin, and I smile again, saying, "T-Thank you, A-Alpha."

She looks visibly startled by my reply.

"You call me, Alpha?" She asks, slightly perplexed.

"Y-Yes?" I say, confused.

She stands there unmoving for a few seconds, gazing at me like I'm a puzzle she can't solve. Then, "Don't." She says.

"W-What?" I ask, furrowing my brows.

"Call me, Seneca. Hurry, I'll be waiting in the car." She says, and hurries out of the dining room, leaving me shell-shocked.

•••

During the whole ride to school, I mull over Alp— I mean, Seneca's words. I know being Mates is being equal and all, but I also know that no one in her Pack, not even Beta Ezra is allowed to call her by her name. I never thought she would ask me to be the exception to that rule.

Wow.

A sudden fast turn has me slamming onto the door with a humph. I wince at the pain in my right shoulder and clutch the seat tightly in an attempt to reduce the blows.

I had not put on my seat-belt, because I hadn't known how to click on the complicated buckle, and when I'd turned to ask, I'd seen that Seneca and Beta Ezra were busy locked in some kind of staring match near his car at the time, which Seneca seemed to be losing—looking at the victorious smirk on Beta Ezra's face.

Seneca mutters something under her breath and pulls over the sports car by the side of the road. I turn to her in confusion, but before I could utter a word, She leans over to me.

My cheeks flame when her warm breath blows across my neck and I lean back as much as I can to the seat as buckles it. With a 'click' it locks and Seneca raises her head to meet my eyes.

"That's how it's done," She whispers and her breath fans across my face. I blush a brighter shade of Crimson and nod as if I understood what she just did, while the truth is I hadn't paid an ounce of attention the whole time.

"I know you didn't pay attention." She shakes her head slightly with the barest smile gracing her lips and pulls back, "Breathe," She says, glancing at me as she shifts the car into drive. I release a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding, blushing ten shades of red in embarrassment. She steps on the accelerator, pulling the car back on the road and I turn to look out of the dark tinted windows, trying to hide the color suffusing my cheeks.

•••

In a couple of minutes, Greenville High comes into view, and Seneca's highly expensive car with its shiny black color turns all eyes to us. She pulls into the best-parking lot—which was used by the Populars before her arrival—and Beta Ezra's dark blue car pulls in beside us.

Both the cars' driver's side open simultaneously, and the two most powerful Wolves in the vicinity get out of their flashy automobiles with an air of confidence and cockiness, that I can never muster up in my entire lifetime.

Seneca adjusts her Aviators and turns to my side, raising a brow. I let out a nervous chuckle and get out of the car, slinging my book bag over a shoulder, feeling uncomfortable as shit when some people send glances my way. But it's better than what I expected. People aren't throwing tomatoes or eggs.

Yet.

I walk around the hood to my beautiful Mate, and stop in front of her, shoving my hands into the pockets of my faded jeans awkwardly.

"Uh, See you?" I say, searching to say something to fill the silence. She studies me through glasses-clad eyes for a prolonged second, then nods. I nod back and pirouette on my heel to go to my homeroom when suddenly, fingers wrap around my wrist and pull me back in a sharp tug. I yelp in surprise and a second later, I'm the arms of my Mate.

Is she... hugging me?!

I stand there frozen as she squeezes her arms around me, and that's when reality catches up to my brain, forcing my muscles to work.

My arms go around her torso in a comfortable manner, and she feels perfect wrapped in my embrace. My insides quiver with the need to kiss her, or be kissed by her, but I force my Wolf to shut the hell up and enjoy what I can get. I want to hold on to her forever, but I know that this can't last.

She starts to pull away and I loosen my arms around her with unconcealed reluctance, when Seneca surprises me again, by placing her hands on my shoulders, putting distance between our bodies. I open my mouth in confusion when suddenly she leans forward and places a sweet, breath-hitching kiss on my right cheek.

Whoa, what's with all the displays of affection today?

Her lips linger longer than necessary and I wonder for a second if she'd kiss me already. But then, she pulls back and smirks with satisfaction at the startled expression on my face, and the crimson blush on my cheeks, before turning around and sauntering away, the hypnotic sway of her hips capturing the attention of every unmated male.

I swallow hard, trying to calm my stupid heart, when I notice that all of the students, and I mean all of them, are looking at me with expressions ranging from shock, to fear, to envy, to fury. I clutch the strap of my bag higher and turn around, only to come face to face with a crushed-looking best friend.

Shit. Maybe there's a reason for the sudden PDA after all.

>>

LONGEST CHAPTER I'VE WRITTEN.

PLS DON'T FORGET TO