Chapter 2: The Golden Couple

(Cole’s POV)  

School was my turf, and I owned it. It was Ella's eighteenth birthday, some big deal for the pack, and the halls were already buzzing with it, kids yelling, shoes squeaking, all that morning chaos. I strutted through, head high, boots hitting the floor loud enough to say I was in charge. Because I was. Sasha was glued to my side, her arm hooked in mine, blonde hair flipping as she laughed at something I said. We were the pack's top dogs, popular, tough, untouchable. At nineteen, I'm Cole, the alpha's son, the guy nobody dared cross. Sasha's my girl, fierce and hot, and together we ran this place like it was ours from day one.

Up ahead, I clocked this scrawny kid from the pack, some fifteen-year-old twig lugging a pile of books that looked ready to crush him. His eyes bugged out when he saw me coming, like a rabbit staring down a truck. I smirked, slowed my roll just enough to lean in, voice loud so my crew could hear. "Hey, runt, drop that shit, and I'll shove it down your throat, page by page."

Tyler and Max, lost it, laughing their asses off, smacking my back like I'd just won an Oscar. Sasha grinned too, green eyes sparking, all sly and wild. "You're awful, Cole," she said, but the way her nails dug into my arm told me she was into it. I could tell. Messing with the weak ones was nothing, just a way to keep everyone in line. That's how it worked when you're me, top of the food chain.

We kept moving toward the cafeteria, my crew trailing like shadows, when I saw Ella, She was headed our way, nose buried in that dumb notebook, curly hair a mess all over her face, not even looking up. Today was her big eighteenth, and Marcus was throwing her some party later, but I didn't care. She was in my path, and I didn't budge. Why should I? She crashed right into me, her books flying, smacking the floor loud enough to turn heads.

"Watch it," I snapped, glaring down at her. She dropped to her knees, scrambling for her stuff, all flustered and red. I kicked one of her books closer, didn't want it near me, and our hands brushed. Then it hit me, a jolt like a punch straight through my chest. My heart kicked hard, a growl clawing up my throat. No way. Not her. Not human Ella. The mate bond slammed into me, clear as day, tying me to her right then and there. My head spun, anger boiling up fast. This couldn't be real.

She peeked up at me, brown eyes wide and jumpy. "Sorry, Cole," she mumbled, voice soft and shaky, grabbing her junk and standing quick. Always so damn quiet, so weak. She was just some human Marcus dragged in years ago, living with us wolves like she had a right. She didn't.

"Lost without your... uh, just move," I barked, my voice catching for a second, sharper than I meant. She nodded fast, all jittery, and scurried off, hugging that notebook like it's her kid. I turned away, ready to forget her, but Sasha's eyes were on me now, narrow and cold, like I'd slipped up.

"What was that?" she asked, stepping in front of me, voice cutting like ice.

My throat tight, I swallowed hard. I said, "Nothing," stuffing my hands in my pockets.

Closing in and her voice sharp, Sasha continued, "She's always in the damned way. What's with you today?"

She would see straight through me, I couldn't keep it from her. I said, "It's Ella," kicking at the floor. "Something's messed up."

Sasha's brows shot up. "What do you mean, messed up?"

"I don't know... I felt it, that connection. It feels like she is my mate," I spat, the words tasting like dirt. "Hit me like a truck when we touched. A human, how the hell does that even happen?"

Her face twisted, jealousy flashing hot. "Your mate? That little nobody?" She stepped closer, voice dropping low. "Then reject her, Cole. You love me, not her. She doesn't deserve you, she's nothing."

I paced a step, my head a storm. "It's not that simple, Sash. I'd have to do it in front of the pack, make it public. My dad's all about fated mates, thinks they're some holy deal because of him and Mom. He'd lose his shit if I tried to ditch her."

Sasha smirked, her eyes glinting like she'd already won. "Don't worry about the alpha. I'll make sure she's gone for good, trust me."

I stopped pacing, staring at her. "Better be good, Sash. I'm not tanking myself over this."

She nodded, that sly grin spreading. "It'll be perfect. Just play along."

I didn't know what she had in mind, but her fire pulled me in like always. I wanted her, not Ella. Still, that bond gnawed at me, a quiet tug I couldn't shake.

Later, after lunch, greasy fries, and Tyler yapping about some fight, Sasha yanked me behind the gym. The air was cold, quiet, just us and the hum of the vents. She shoved up against me, hands on my chest, lips close. "You're mine, Cole," she whispered, then kissed me hard, teeth, heat, all in. I kissed her back, hands on her hips, pulling her tight. It was wild, like us, messy, fierce, everything I needed.

We broke apart, breathing fast, and she grinned. "Today's her dumb birthday," she said, voice low and mean. "Marcus is throwing her that party tonight, like she's worth it. Keep her in line, Cole. She's not stealing you from me."

I laughed, brushing her hair back. "She won't. She's just Marcus's pity project. Forget her."

Sasha's eyes darkened, but she nodded. "Good. She stays nothing."

I smirked, but as we headed back inside, that jolt kept eating at me. My hand tingled where Ella's had touched, and my chest wouldn't settle. I pushed it down, locked onto Sasha's grip on me. She was all I wanted, hot, tough, mine.

That night, I couldn't sleep. The moon was huge outside my window, damn near full, spilling light across my room, my desk, my chair, that old guitar I never played. I got up, restless, and stood there, staring at it. Today was Ella's eighteenth, and the pack made a big deal out of it, wolves getting stronger, finding mates. I'd found mine, and it was her. A human. My fists clenched, anger simmering low.

That tug came back, stronger now, buzzing where we'd touched. Something was pulling me toward her, quiet but stubborn. I didn't get it, didn't want it. "She's nobody," I growled to myself. I crawled back into bed, yanking the blanket over my head. I'm Cole, alpha's son, king of this pack. I had Sasha, the crew, everything lined up. Ella was a mistake, a glitch I'd fix with Sasha's help.

But when I shut my eyes, that moon stayed there, bright and heavy. And that pull, small, relentless, tied to her, wouldn't let go, no matter how hard I tried to bury it.