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Needless to say, the party was a disaster.
It didn't start that way, of course. In fact, it started fairly placidly. That wasn't to say there weren't a few teething problems along the way.
To start with, Sarah had insisted every guest bring her a gift. This was going to result in the packhouse being turned into a storage facility, at which point Uncle Ben put his foot down, telling Sarah to lower her expectations. She did so begrudgingly, but then went on to insist on the most expensive caterers in all Bath, at which point Uncle Ben had to put his fot down again. This went on for practically everything, until Uncle Ben was finally forced to make an ultimatum; either Sarah lower her expectations, or the party wouldn't be held at all.
This caused quite the storm, but eventually, Sarah finally caved.
And naturally, she turned into even more of a bitch afterwards.
Needless to say, I stayed the hell out of her way during the days leading up to the big event itself. My own sixteenth had come and gone with little fanfare, which only served to ignite the hatred in Sarah's breast even more. I hadn't even insisted on anything, but Mum and Uncle Ben had been adamant that my birthday should be marked with a little something at the very least.
Of course, when Sarah found out about the small family dinner we'd had, and the shiny new laptop Mum had given me, the shit really hit the fan.
This time, though, I wasn't letting her get away with stealing my new laptop, and I kept it under lock and key when I wasn't using it, sure that she'd resort to destroying it out of spite, and she was a very unhappy little mess, even more so when she found out our distant cousin Jesse was coming into town. He and I had been friends ever since our childhood, and Jesse was one of the other very few family members who treated me like an actual person, instead of a freak of nature. Sarah, naturally, had tried multiple times to break our friendship up, to no avail, and she was furious when she found out he was coming to Bath to wish the both of us well for our respective birthdays, as it meant all of the attention would not be focused on her, as she clearly wanted.
So when she cornered me the day of her party, I already had a sneaking suspicion she was going to make it as difficult for me as possible.
"You are staying inside," she hissed, as she stood in my bedroom doorway that morning. "You are not going to take any of the attention away from me. This is my day, you stupid little freak. You already had your day in the sun - and it was a hell of a lot more than you deserved. So stay the hell inside, and don't you even dare put one foot over that door, or so help me God, I will break every stupid, pathetic, worthless bone in that flesh-bag you call a body. Understand?"
I rolled my eyes. "Whatever," I said. I had no real interest in being down there with everyone else and watching her act like she was the belle of the ball. And I had a horrible feeling there was going to be serious trouble when she "chose" her mate. I suspected I already knew who she was going to target, and I didn't want to be caught in the crossfire when the shit hit the fan.
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I did feel a bit left out, but as I sat by my window, watching the goings on down on the pool deck, I was glad Sarah had insisted I stay away. She was, as I'd thought, flitting about from guest to guest, dressed in the most garish, eye-popping red swimsuit you could imagine, and it somehow managed to be even more scandalous than the one she'd worn a while ago. Naturally, she was taking full advantage, and needless to say, quite a few females were left glaring in her wake.
For Sarah was calculating. She knew better than to go after males who were already mated, instead targeting any single male who dared to speak to any other female that wasn't her. Some of the Alphas were eyeing her sideways, and I winced every time she sauntered up to some pack members having a casual conversation, sliding into their personal space and icing out the female altogether. Even Uncle Ben was frowning, and I could almost hear the growl in his throat. Mum was absolutely disgusted, and I knew she was relieved I wasn't down there. Had any single male even dared look in my direction, I'd be dead. I think at that point Mum and Uncle Ben were finally starting to see the true depths of Sarah's hatred for me, as evidenced by my very obvious absence, and I felt sick when I saw the slow realisation dawn independently on their faces.
Then the shit really hit the fan, and all hell broke loose.
I watched in dawning horror as I watched Sarah wander almost casually over to where Jesse was talking with a female from the Brindlebone pack. She wasn't stunning like Sarah, but she was quite pretty, and modest as well. I'd seen Jesse eye her throughout the course of the day, and she'd been returning his look with growing interest.
And Sarah had been on a slow boil ever since.
Time seemed to slow as Jesse and (who I sincerely hoped to be) his new mate, leaned in for their first kiss. Whether it was a mate bond taking hold, or just genuine attraction, it was almost mesmerising to watch as they reached the same conclusion; a kiss was going to happen, and I admit to cheering them on silently.
Until Sarah shoved her way in between them, sending the poor female staggering backwards. Quick reflexes saved her, and she glared at Sarah's back. Jesse, for his part, looked poleaxed, and I shared his horror as Sarah looked up at him with smouldering green eyes. "Mate," she said in a low growl.
Jesse's face paled, and his eyes were wide with disbelief. "No," he said, his voice thick as he fought the compulsion to take Sarah in his arms and kiss her until neither of them could see straight.
I felt as if my heart had stopped.
For Sarah had, genuinely, found her mate. And the poor female who might have had that coveted spot in his arms could only watch in sorrow, anger, and heartbreak as Sarah moved in for the kill.
But her lips never met Jesse's; he stepped back, placing his hands before him. "I reject you," he said clearly, and Sarah recoiled, eyes going wide in her own turn. Then they narrowed as psychotic anger took hold.
"I reject your rejection," she snarled, moving forward and grabbing Jesse's face in her hands. "You. Are. My. Mate." And this time, her kiss connected. I could almost see the sparks as Jesse gave in, wrapping Sarah in his arms in a strangling grasp that seemed to leave her almost no room to breathe, but she didn't care, pressing herself as close to him as she could as she deepened the kiss, with Jesse responding enthusiastically.
Until fate, in the form of the rejected female, intervened; with a scream, she threw herself on Sarah, seizing her by the hair and ripping her out of Jesse's arms. He let out what could only be a howl of anguish, before a truly savage catfight broke out. Uncle Ben came running to pull the two squabbling females apart, but their fury was too powerful to contain, and they wrestled each other across the pool deck, crashing into tables and sending food and drinks flying. More pack members tried to pull them apart, but no one could get a firm enough grip, and they tumbled into the pool, going under in a tangle of arms and legs, taking it in turns to come up gasping for air before being pulled back below the surface, and Uncle Ben had finally had enough. In short order, Sarah and the other female were pulled onto the deck, and the Brindlebone Alpha came storming over, eyes blazing with fury.
"What is the meaning of all this?" he roared, glaring daggers at Sarah. "Mia was to be Jesse's mate tonight!"
Sarah drew herself up to her full height, a small smirk dancing across her lips. Despite being soaked from head to toe, and covered in more bruises than you could shake a stick at, she'd seemingly lost none of her poise despite the recent fight. "I'm so sorry," she said, her tone so sugery fake it almost made me want to throw up. "I guess destiny took hold, and you know what happens when you fight destiny."
A collective wince went through the crowd; if looks could kill, Sarah would have been dead on the spot. "That is none of your concern," the Brindlebone Alpha said coldly. He then directed his equally cold stare on Uncle Ben. "I expect recompense for tonight's disgraceful display," he said, his tone implying this was a command rather than a request.
Uncle Ben bowed his head respectfully. "It shall be done," he promised, and, with a snort, the Brindlebone Alpha gathered his pack together, and with the sobbing Mia in tow, stormed out of the garden. This sparked a general exodus, until only Jesse remained, having travelled on his own. Uncle Ben fixed him with a frosty glare as he tried approaching Sarah. "You stay right where you are," he said, his voice as cold as his eyes. "Sarah, reject him. Now."
Sarah drew herself up to her full height. "No," she said calmly. "Jesse is my mate, and I am his. No one can take him from me now. You can't make me reject him."
I grimaced as Uncle Ben's face grew dark with anger. "Then I'll do it for you," he said. Turning to Jesse, he spoke the fateful words. "I reject your suit of my daughter," he said. "You are now commanded to go and make recompense to the Alpha of the Brindlebone pack, and ask for his daughter's hand in apology for the shameful way you treated her tonight."
"No," Jesse said. "I reject your command. Sarah is my mate."
"Oh for God's sake," Mum cut in. "Jesse, go. You've already offended Marcus enough as it is; don't make it worse by flaunting your disgusting display with Sarah."
This seemed to do the trick, and Jesse left, head bowed in shame. Uncle Ben breathed deeply for several moments before turning on Sarah. "You're grounded," he told her. "No electronics for two weeks, and you no longer go anywhere that isn't school. I'm also returning all the gifts you were given tonight, and you will also make a formal apology to Marcus and his daughter."
Sarah had gone whiter with every word, and when Uncle Ben was finished, she was glaring at him. "You can't do that!" she cried. "Jesse is my mate!"
"No longer," Uncle Ben told her. "Now go."
But as she turned and stormed from the garden, I had a horrible feeling her thwarted emotions were going to find one very unwelcome target. I wasted no time and ran from my room, hoping to reach either Mum or Uncle Ben before Sarah caught up with me.
But I was too late; Sarah was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs, and I felt every last shred of warmth flee my body when she looked up at me with murder in her eyes. 144Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4wIDMyP2tm
