Until the Bond Breaks: A Rejected Mates Romance

  Elena Thorne

  KIERAN SILVERMANE: Venmo payment sent: $30.00

  Note: brain rental thx

  The notification glowed on my phone screen, and I stared at it longer than I should have. Thirty dollars. The price Kieran Silvermane had decided my intelligence was worth for the afternoon.

  I pocketed my phone and looked across the library table at him. He hadn’t glanced up from his own screen in the last twenty minutes—not since I’d started working through his mythology essay while he scrolled through whatever held his attention more than his failing grade. 

  The afternoon sun slanted through the tall windows of Northcrest Academy’s library, turning his dark hair bronze at the edges and catching the sharp line of his jaw. He was beautiful in that careless way that came from never having to think about it.

  “So the thing about Lycaon,” I said, my pen hovering over his notebook, “is that his transformation wasn’t just punishment. It was a revelation. Zeus showed him what he already was inside.”

  “Mm-hmm.” Kieran’s thumb scrolled. A smile tugged at his mouth from staring at something on his screen that I assumed was funny. Not caring about my explanation of the mythology that would save his grade.

  I turned back to the essay. My handwriting looked too neat next to his scrawled instructions at the top of the page: Make it good. Prof hates me.

  The truth was Professor Theron didn’t hate Kieran. Nobody hated Kieran Silvermane. He was the Alpha’s eldest son, heir to the most powerful pack in the northern territories, and he moved through Northcrest like he owned it. 

  Which, technically, his family kind of did. The Silvermane Pack had endowed half the buildings on campus.

  I was writing the conclusion when voices echoed across the library’s main floor.

  “There he is! Hiding in the nerd sanctuary.”

  I didn’t need to look up to know that was Jaxon Thorne, who happened to bear my last name. I shared no relation with him, we were from different packs entirely and he was Kieran’s friend and future Beta. 

  “Kieran, we’re supposed to be at the field.” The voice belonged to Vivienne Ashford, her voice carrying that musical quality that made even complaints sound pleasant. “Coach is going to lose it if you miss another practice.”

  “Let him.” Kieran finally looked up, his storm-gray eyes brightening. “I’m getting educated.”

  They appeared at our table like a constellation. Vivienne, Jaxon with his lacrosse stick slung over his shoulder, and trailing behind them, was Damien Silvermane, Kieran’s younger brother.

  He had the same dark hair and sharp features like Kieran, but where Kieran wore his privilege like a second skin, Damien always looked slightly uncomfortable in it.

  “Hey, Lena.” Damien offered me a genuine smile.

  “Hi.” I smiled back, grateful for the acknowledgment.

  Vivienne’s gaze skimmed over my open textbooks and to the three coffee cups that marked how long I had been here. “That’s so sweet, you're helping Kieran.” 

  “Lena’s a saint,” Jaxon announced, slapping Kieran’s shoulder. “Putting up with this idiot.”

  “She’s my little study buddy.” Kieran grinned, and something in my chest went tight. “Best investment I’ve made this semester.”

  The group laughed. I laughed too, because what else do I do when I was the punchline of a joke that isn’t quite mean enough to call out?

  Kieran pulled out his phone, his thumbs moving across the screen. A moment later, my phone buzzed.

  KIERAN SILVERMANE: Venmo payment sent: $20.00

  Note: for dealing with my friends lol

  Twenty dollars for enduring five minutes of conversation. I looked at him, but he was already standing, gathering his things while leaving his notebook with my completed essay on the table.

  “You’re the best, Lena. Seriously.” He flashed his smile, the one that probably melted half the campus. 

  They left in a blur, and the library suddenly felt cavernous.

  I closed Kieran’s notebook carefully, making sure my writing had dried. My wolf stirred under my skin, restlessly. She didn’t understand why moments like this made my throat tight and why I felt small in my thrifted sweater and second-hand jeans.

  He paid you, I reminded myself. He didn’t have to do that. He’s kind, in his way.

  I packed up my things slowly, trying to ignore how my hands trembled. The Bonding Moon Gathering was tomorrow night. It was the big formal event where unmated wolves gathered under the eclipse, hoping to feel the pull of a fated mate. 

  I had already picked up an extra shift at the campus bookstore to avoid it. Those events weren’t for wolves like me. I was just a scholarship student from a tiny pack, struggling to be recognized. 

  They were for wolves like Kieran, like Vivienne, like everyone who belonged to the world I could only ever visit as a tutor or a study buddy.

  My phone buzzed as I headed for the exit.

  SIERRA: bonding moon tomorrow!!! you’re coming right??? i got you a dress

  I typed back: Can’t. Working.

  Her response was immediate: LENA NO!!!

  I silenced my phone and pushed through the library doors into the cooling evening air. Across the quad, I could see Kieran and his friends. 

  Vivienne said something that made them all laugh, and Kieran threw his head back, joy written across his features in a way I had never inspired.

  My wolf whined softly, and I didn’t understand why.

  The next evening, I learned that Sierra Blackwood was a force of nature that could not be denied.

  “Absolutely not.” She stood in the doorway of our shared dorm room, her arms crossed, blocking my exit. “You’re not spending Bonding Moon restocking shelves in the campus bookstore.”

  “I picked up the shift.” I argued.

  “Un-pick it up.” She grabbed my wrist, tugging me back into the room. “Lena, this happens twice a year. Twice. When’s the last time you did something just because it might be fun?”

  “I have fun,” I protested weakly.

  “Tutoring Kieran Silvermane doesn’t count.” She was already pulling a dress from her closet—deep green silk that caught the light. “And before you say you can’t afford to go, it’s free. Before you say you don’t have anything to wear, you’re wearing this.”

  I opened my mouth. Then closed it.

  Sierra softened, perching on the edge of my bed. “Lena. You work harder than anyone I know. You’re top of our class. You’re brilliant. And you hide in this room like you’re apologizing for existing.” She held up the dress. “One night. Just let yourself be there. Please?”

  My wolf stirred, suddenly alert in a way she rarely was. A strange flutter of anticipation moved through me.

  “Okay,” I heard myself say. “Okay.”