Page 2 of Bond To The Alpha (Fated Bond #1)

KANE

Life has been a real snooze-fest lately. I mean, don't get me wrong, being the golden boy of Blood Moon Pack is great; girls fawning over me 24/7, professors kissing my ass, and pretty much everyone wanting to be my BFF. But after a while, it all starts to feel like the same old song and dance, you know?

I'm strolling across campus, flanked by my usual crew and trying not to yawn as some freshman girls giggle and bat their eyelashes at me. I flash them my trademark grin, but inside I'm thinking: Is this really all there is? There's gotta be more to life than just coasting on my dad's Alpha status and my admittedly killer good looks. Don't they say college is supposed to be a wild adventure or whatever? So far it's been about as exciting as watching paint dry.

I'm barely paying attention as we pass by the lecture halls. My mind is wandering to what kind of trouble I could stir up to break the monotony.

"I'm not a thief, I didn't steal anything."

My ears literally perk up at the sound of that voice. It’s coming from the lecture hall up ahead, and suddenly I'm alert as fuck.

I know that voice. It's her, Liana.

My chest starts thumping as I cock my head to listen more closely. My friends are still yammering about some party this weekend, but I tune them out.

"Dude, you coming?" one of my friends asks.

I ignore him and walk into the lecture hall, already focusing on her standing in the middle of the room with a pack of sneering bitches surrounding her. I can't believe these assholes are still giving her grief. It's like they've got nothing better to do than torment the poor girl. She looks scared, but there's a fire in her eyes that makes my wolf sit up and take notice.

The first day of my second year (barely two weeks of resuming in the spring term), that was the first time I laid eyes on Liana—didn’t even know her name at first but trust that I worked to find that out. That day, I was feeling like hot shit as usual, strutting down the hallway and not really paying attention when someone plows right into me.

She looked up, all wide-eyed and startled, and bam, time literally stopped. I swear to god. One second I'm just going about my day, and the next I'm staring into the most gorgeous green eyes I've ever seen. It was like being riddled in the gut with punches and being kissed senseless at the same time. My wolf was howling "MATE" so loud I'm shocked the whole campus didn't hear it. I knew right then and there that this girl was it for me.

And I could tell she felt it too.

Her eyes said it all.

I tried to strike up a conversation, but she just turned tail and hurried off like the hounds of hell were after her, while I was left standing there wondering what the fuck just happened. After that, it was like she made it her mission in life to avoid me. Liana was always sitting in the back of whatever classes we shared; whenever we were close enough to each other, she never made eye contact.

Regardless there was just something about Liana that drew me in like a moth to a flame. She wasn't like the other girls who were always throwing themselves at me. And fuck me if she wasn't the prettiest thing I'd ever seen with that long dark hair of hers and those bright green eyes that seemed to see right through me. Just looking at her made my mouth go dry.

But it wasn't just her looks that had me hooked, it was the way she carried herself. She had her head held high despite all the whispers and side-eyes she got. It wasn't until I told my friends she was actually my fated mate, and they filled me in on her family history that I started to get why she kept her distance. Of course I knew about the popular fraud scandal. It just didn’t occur to me that she was the daughter of the perpetrators.

Still, I couldn't have cared less about all that drama; it wasn't Liana's fault her parents were trash. And it pissed me off to no end seeing how people treated her because of it.

I stride into the lecture room to see what’s happening exactly. Of course it's Juliet stirring up this shit. Daddy's little princess who thinks she's got dibs on me just 'cause her father is an elder on the council. As if I don't have enough on my plate already.

Sometimes it feels like the weight of the whole damn pack is on my shoulders and not on dad’s. He’s always going on about legacy and responsibility, like being the future Alpha is some kind of sacred calling. And yeah, I get it, I've got big shoes to fill. But jeez, does it have to suck the fun out of everything? I'm quite tired of the expectations and the constant scrutiny. Everyone watching my every move and waiting to see if I'll live up to the great Wolf name of our clan. It's exhausting…

Sometimes I just want to tell them all to fuck off and let me live my life.

But I can't… of course.

I've got a role to play and an image to maintain so I often paste on that cocky grin and pretend like I've got it all figured out…like I'm not actually terrified of screwing it all up.

"You know, I thought college was supposed to be about actually learning shit, but here you all are, acting like you’re still in high school. Don't you have anything better to do with your pathetic lives than harass people? Let me make this crystal fucking clear. This is your last warning. If I catch any of you bullying Liana, or anyone else for that matter…again, you're gonna have a real problem on your hands,” I say to not just Juliet and her minions, but everyone under the sound of my voice in that lecture hall.

Did that sound future-alpha-like enough?

But let’s have the alpha stuff take a backseat for now, because I’m just angry at the mean people always cornering Liana, and what else would be my duty, if not to protect her.

I can't stop thinking about it, even hours later; the way her arm felt under my fingers, delicate yet strong; the warmth of her body so close to mine. It's the longest interaction we've had, and damn if it didn't leave me wanting more. I've never been this hung up on a girl before. Usually, they're the ones chasing me, not the other way around. But Liana... she's different. She's got me tied up in knots, and I can't seem to untangle myself.

When I wrapped that scarf around her neck, it felt intimate in a way I've never experienced. My hands were shaking slightly, but I don't think she noticed. I was so aware of every little detail of her, from the way her pulse fluttered in her throat; the slight catch in her breath when my fingers brushed her skin; the smooth column of her throat; the hint of cleavage peeking out from her shirt and the warmth radiating from her body.

Those long lashes. The curve of her cheek. The soft pink of her lips... fuck, I wanted to kiss her so bad.

And her eyes…those green eyes were even more stunning up close, flecked with gold and full of a depth I could drown in.

I really thought we were having a moment, you know?

Like maybe she was finally starting to see past all the rumors and bullshit to the real me. I felt a warm and bright spark of hope ignite in my chest. But then she hit me with that rejection notice, and it was like someone dumped a bucket of ice water over my head.

I've never been shut down so quickly or so firmly before. It stung. I can't lie, and my ego's still smarting from the blow.

"Damn, that was brutal," Dan, my friend says, appearing at my side and clapping a hand on my shoulder.

"You okay, man?"

I shrug off his hand, still watching Liana’s retreating form.

Hours later, I'm slouched over the bar at The Howling Moon, our favorite off-campus watering hole. I knock back another shot of whiskey and relish the burn as it slides down my throat.

"Maybe you should slow down a bit," Ethan suggests, eyeing the row of empty glasses in front of me.

"I'm good," I growl discontentedly.

Dan leans in. "Look, man, we get that she's your mate and all and that’s not something that can be easily let go of. But there are still plenty of other fish in the sea, you know?"

"Yeah," Ethan chimes in. "Gorgeous girls who'd kill to be with you. Why waste your time on someone who clearly isn't interested?"

I feel another growl building up in my chest. "You don't know what you're talking about.”

"We're just looking out for you. That girl's bad news. Everyone knows about her parents and the shit they pulled. Apple doesn't fall far from the tree; you know what I mean?" Ethan says.

My hand tightens around my glass.

"Watch it," I warn dangerously.

"He's right, though. I know she's your mate, but you can't ignore her background. She's a freak, Kane. Getting involved with her is only gonna bring you trouble.”

Oh that’s it!

I whirl around and grab Dan by the collar of his shirt.

"Don't you ever call her that again.”

"Whoa, easy. I’m sorry, okay?”

I calm myself down and let go of his shirt, smoothing out the creases I caused as I sit back on my stool.

“I don't appreciate you talking shit about Liana.”

“Yeah, got that,” Dan concedes.

“I didn't mean to piss you off. It's just that she doesn't seem interested in you."

I lean back against the bar. "That's exactly why I want her more. She's a challenge, and when have you ever known me to back down from a challenge?"

Dan rolls his eyes. “And how do you plan on doing that when she can barely stand to be in the same room as you?"

I gesture around my face and body cockily. "Come on, you really think she can resist all this for long? I'm Kane fucking Wolf. No girl can hate this hot cake forever."

"Man, your ego is something else. If you're so confident, why don't we have a bet? Let's see how long you last in this ‘win Liana over’ game of yours."

Ethan jumps in, "Yeah, let's say... 5 grand each? That's 20k if you can get her to fall for you."

I consider the idea, and even though I know that I shouldn't be treating this matter like it’s a game and it feels wrong to turn my pursuit of Liana into a bet, my competitive nature won't let me back down.

"And what's the time frame?" I ask.

"End of the semester. That gives you... what, about three months?" Dan replies.

“Deal,” I agree, sounding as confident as I can.

But for some reason…for some damn sneaky reason, I’m not so confident about this.