Alpha Rejected the Tomboy. Now, She’s Gone. Chapter 02
Adam’s face darkened instantly.
“Jamie, cut this out! Why would you pit your grades against Courtney’s?”
“I’m not messing around. I’m dead serious.”
Courtney let out a mocking scoff, “Fine by me. With your mediocre grades? You can’t even get into a state university. Just wait to shave your head and kneel before me.”
The crowd erupted into noise once again.
“Courtney’s the top student in the grade. How dare that tomboy challenge her?”
“She must’ve lost her mind after tonight’s humiliation…”
I ignored all the whispers, slung my backpack over my shoulder, and headed for the door.
Adam’s furious shout rang out behind me, “Jamie! Stop right there! What’s gotten into you?”
My body instinctively tensed, ready to obey like I always had.
But he was not, and would never be, my Alpha. I kept walking without a single glance back.
Yet as I wandered down the street, tears spilled down my cheeks before I could hold them back. My wolf, Emily, whimpered softly in my mind, mirroring my sorrow.
No birthday had ever been as terrible as my eighteenth.
I drifted back to the memory of when I was eight years old.
My parents had fought fiercely to break their mating bond, neither of them willing to take care of me.
They’d abandoned me at home, leaving me in the care of a neighbor.
I’d cried until I could barely breathe.
It was Adam who’d wiped my tears away and whispered, “Don’t cry. I’ll stay with you from now on.”
Adam had kept that promise. He’d taken me everywhere with him.
As the pack leader’s son, he was the undisputed king of the kids in our small town.
To fit into his world, I cut my hair short and only wore boys’ clothes and pants.
Because he’d said it looked cool.
He’d called me his brother and stood up for me without hesitation.
Whenever other young wolves mocked me for being an unwanted child, he’d fight them until they apologized.
We attended the same elementary and middle school all those years.
Adam’s grades were average, while I consistently ranked first in every exam.
Gradually, Adam began to pull away from me.
He no longer sought me out to play, nor did he bring me along when he hung out with his friends.
He said my excellent academic performance required focus, and he didn’t want to distract me.
That was when I started suppressing my scores, deliberately making it look like my grades were slipping.
I adjusted my grades to a mediocre level, matching Adam’s exactly.
For the placement tests, I bombed enough questions to drag my score down, ensuring we both ended up at the same run-of-the-mill public high school.
Adam possessed a powerful wolf form and a strikingly handsome face, making him extremely popular with all the she-wolves in school and the pack.
Every time he talked to another she-wolf, my possessiveness flared up, and my wolf’s instincts threatened to spiral out of control.
It all dated back to a truth-or-dare game we’d played once.
Adam lost, and his penalty was to kiss a girl.
I was the only girl present that night.
Everyone cheered loudly, shoving him right in front of me.
He pressed a quick, light kiss to my lips.
It was our first kiss, soft as a falling feather.
I heard a frantic pounding heartbeat, unable to tell if it was his or mine.
In that exact moment, a clear voice echoed deep in my mind—Emily’s voice.
Thanks to my rare special bloodline, I’d awakened my wolf fully on the first day of my fifteenth year.
Emily yipped excitedly, Jamie, mate! Adam is our fated mate! Confess to him quickly, let him mark us. I can’t wait to bond with our mate!
My heart ached with overwhelming emotion. I’d parted my lips, ready to say, “I like you.”
But Adam stepped back abruptly.
He cleared his throat stiffly, “It’s just a game. Don’t take it seriously.”
The very next day, he got together with the most popular girl from the neighboring class.
I cried the entire day.
In the three years that followed, he cycled through one mate after another.
I’d lost count of how many times I’d cried, swearing each time that I’d stop loving him.
Yet I still broke every promise to myself and grieved all over again.
The reason I’d finally mustered up the courage to confess was his eighteenth birthday, two months prior.
I’d helped him back to his private suite after he endured the brutal pain of his wolf awakening.
As I turned to leave, he’d suddenly tightened his grip on my wrist and pulled me straight into his arms.
His hot breath fanned over my neck, and I felt his sharp fangs graze lightly against my skin, sending shivers through my entire body.
“Jamie… my fated mate…”
My heart skipped a beat.
He whispered softly against my skin, “Let’s go to the same university. Let’s stay together forever, okay?”
Heat burned through every inch of my body.
My wolf grew so ecstatic that she felt ready to burst out of my body.
All my bitterness and years of endless waiting felt worthwhile for that single acknowledgment, for that promise of forever by his side.
Pulling myself out of the flood of memories, I finally realized the truth.
For years, I’d sacrificed countless opportunities that should have been mine, all for Adam’s sake.
Not anymore. I would never give up my bright future for him again.
