Chapter 4

Avery’s POV

What was happening? Was this even right?

I could see the strange look that Erik was throwing my way but I brushed it off as I was curious to know why I had been blessed with another mate, but was still made to come to the world as Erik’s nemesis.

“Avery, I’d like us to go to a place a little more quiet, and secluded than this place.” Erik whispered suggestively to me but I quickly slapped off his hands on my arm before he had any chance to move them further.

The smell attacking my nostrils was so intoxicating that it almost had me springing out of my chair; even my wolf was suddenly restless and prancing around in my head.

My nose sniffed from one place to another, trying to find where that sweet smelling scent was coming from, but I just couldn’t find it.

"Mate!" Kira howled, jumping with so much excitement and I sprung to my feet.

"Are you okay? You look confused," Erik pointed out but I couldn't answer, I didn’t even want to because there was something else that bugged me more than his Shenanigans.

"Mate! Mate!" Kira continued yelling and I quickly rose to my feet to go find the mate whom the moon goddess had decided to give me this time.

Everything was happening so fast. The eyes of some people around us were now on me. My heart was throbbing and beads of sweat gathered around my forehead.

My legs were trembling tremendously and I had this feeling that something big was about to happen.

I felt a hand wrapped around my waist and my eyes popped out. The smell of his perfume was fresh and heady but as soon as I saw that it was Erik’s, I shook my head and shrugged him off.

"Do you have anxiety? You look like you are about to pass out,“ Erik asked, holding me tighter but his hands around my waist were not helping matters, instead it seemed to irritate me even more.

"I need to go. I have some things to catch up with," I said and slowly pried his hands away from my body.

The scent was coming stronger and stronger. The only option I had was to trace it. My eyes began moving from one end to another of the place, scanning to see if I would see my mate.

All efforts to find my mate were seemingly abortive and with frustrated tears in my eyes, I began to wish that he would also find me too. I followed the scent, with my body shaking at every step I took.

My eyes were elsewhere when a guy bumped into me and my head spinned around. His body was as strong as a rock.

"I'm sorry for that. I was just looking for…," his eyes rested on me and he stopped talking.

"Mate! Mate!" Kira yelled.

"This is him." Kira said again and tried leaning closer to Xander, a nice guy from school but I held her in. My throat suddenly went dry and even my eyes seemed like they were about to tear up.

"Xander?" I asked, widening my eyes, “Wow!”

I couldn’t believe it; of all people why Xander?! Was this some sort of sick joke and a way of being punished for being mean to Xander?

I could remember how nice he had always been to me, how caring he was. We had even been very good friends too! But as soon as I found Erik, I had thrown my friendship with him into the wind and even joined Erik in bullying him.

At one time in 10th grade, he’d told me of his feelings for me despite the way I treated him but I blew him off, laughed in his face and even ridiculed him for it.

Tears blurred my vision. I couldn’t even bring myself to look up at him.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Erik running after me, panting.

"Can we talk this out? I understand how this feels to you," Xander’s calm voice was soothing and his dark eyes drew me to him.

"We can’t and you know that," I shook my head the moment memories of how much I had hurt Xander in my past life came flooding in.

I tried holding back my tears. I have done a lot of things to him and all the moon goddess could do was to choose him as my mate?

“So what do you intend to do then, stick with your sister’s boyfriend?” He snapped, pointing in Erik’s direction. I froze.

“What do you mean by that?” I whispered slowly, my voice was so shaky that it sounded strange even to me.

“Everyone knows that Shannon and Erik are a thing… they’ve been for a while now and it has got me wondering why you walk around them like a lost puppy when it’s obvious that they’re using you!” He seethed angrily.

This was too much to take in; my hands immediately flung to my chest as if to keep myself steady as my suspicions had been proven true.

As soon as Erik got to where we were, he stopped to stare pointedly at Xander and I could swear that I didn’t miss the harsh looks they shared between themselves.

“What’re you doing here?” Erik growled at Xander who in turn ignored him, to focus his attention on me.

Just then, Shannon suddenly appeared beside us, looking as though she had just run a hundred miles in a minute, she looked at me and then at Erik and as usual, I didn’t miss the look they shared.

I could literally not breathe anymore at the realization. It was as if the moon goddess had decided to use me for a sick sort of sport this time around and not for the revenge scheme she had talked about.

"I…I…need to go, Shannon let’s go home!" I cried, turned away from them and ran out of the place as fast as my legs could carry me.

I didn’t know what to do, I felt like an idiot. Enduring Erik and Shannon was more than enough, and now the moon goddess had decided to haunt me with my past mistakes… which was Xander who now happened to be my mate..

***

I crept into bed that night reliving the events of the day and couldn’t help but think about how everything had taken a wrong turn in just the first day of my Reborn life.

A shuffling sound by my door made me snap my eyes closed. I knew it was my father but at the same time, I pretended to be asleep because I didn’t want to have to explain why I was tucked into bed by this time.

I felt his hands slowly trail down my face, and could feel his warm minty breath as it tickled my skin.

He talked about me to me, and told me about how he wanted to pass on his title to me and my mate.

What got my attention was when he mentioned Erik’s name as my mate and I couldn’t help but smirk at his words because I knew now that my new mate would not only come as a shock to me but to everyone else who had always thought I would end up with Erik,

…which includes Erik himself…