3. Worthy

My day was ruined.

I skipped class for fear anyone would see my bloodshot eyes, plus Kane and I shared the same class and I'm not sure I could stay composed in the same room as him right now.

Dejectedly, I skulked my way to the small garden at the side of campus, took out my sketch pad and drew flowers. I narrowed my thoughts on the way my fingers moved over the paper, smooth, light. Tiny scribbles slowly turning into something alive. Nature was elegant chaos, messy but orderly- so unlike my life.

I threw my pencil into a bush.

Sighing, I flopped backwards onto the grass.

Calm down, Ember. Let nature heal you.

The air was indeed pleasant, cool and sweetened by the lilies and roses. The leaves of the orange trees moved with the wind, a soothing rustling. The garden was always like this, lovely- but empty.

I guess this was my new hangout.

In high school my hiding place had been the library, but here people actually used it. Which meant it was compromised. I didn't think I even needed a hiding place anymore.

I stared up, imagined the sky a map. My fingers traced the shape of its inhabitants, searching for the answers I couldn't find below.

You speak to no one.

What was he trying to achieve with that order? To single me out further? Because I wasn't as dominant as him, I was not only unworthy of him but of the rest of the pack too?

My mom and I were one of the few omegas in our pack, meaning we were the weakest werewolves in our entire territory- but all pack members were obligated to look after us. The strong took care of the weak and that was just werewolf instinct. Mostly. Teenage werewolves operated under their own code.

I could understand why young wolves might push around someone weaker than them- humans did the same thing- but I've never heard of a werewolf rejecting a mate because they were an omega. Dominant wolves loved looking after those weaker than them.

Or maybe it was because Kane was from a dominant family that was entirely better off than mine. Everyone knew we were barely getting by. My mom worked the night shifts at a diner and the only way I even managed to save up for college was by spending my free time knocking out men older than me by decades. Not many people knew that though.

Still, I couldn't understand why Kane wanted so badly to isolate me. To deprive me of comradeship? Werewolves were social creatures. We survived in packs, hunted together, ran together. It's where we belonged. Even lone wolves had to settle down once in a while.

I scowled. Obsessing over Kane and his actions was something I had promised myself I'd stop doing. I was starting this year anew. I was in college and I'd made it out of high school- battered- but alive. More importantly, without many friends or pack interaction. What did I care if I didn't talk to anyone now too?

My pack was my mom and my best friend, Ian. Those two were enough. Always were and always will be.

"You appear to be in a foul mood."

I sat up with a start, relaxed when I saw who it was.

Aster poured a cup of tea, her silk dress glittering silver against the lush grass. She raised her head, once again striking me with her inhuman beauty. Her lips were a deep wine red, large doe eyes covered with thick eyelashes. Her high cheekbones were as sharp as the white sword she kept strapped to her side, silver gown long. It was held at the waist by an emerald corset that matched her eyes, flowing out in a sparkling flurry of silk.

She handed me a cup, mint tea by the smell of it. I accepted it.

"Thank-" I stopped, recalling her warning about thanking faeries. One thank you could put you in their debt until you died. Not the way I wanted to spend the rest of my life. "You need to stop popping up like that," I grumbled instead.

She sipped her own tea, a few strands of dark curls coming undone from her pony tail. She tucked it behind a pointed ear. "I was passing by when I scented you. You are disturbed. Who must I kill?"

Her tone was serious but I laughed regardless. "I doubt it's a great idea to kill my alpha's son."

A raised eyebrow. "That fool of a man is still bothering you?"

"No, not exactly. It's really nothing but me overreacting," I rushed out, feeling stupid for being caught moping over him. "I was only wondering why he acts the way he does." For the hundredth time.

Aster scoffed. "Do not waste your time wondering anything. If he does not want you, there are others out there that do."

Now it was my turn to scoff. "Easy for you to say, you're the beautiful magical faerie who has men fighting over her like crazy."

Her lips twisted upwards, probably remembering how we met. I was in the woods jogging when I found her and another faerie in the middle of a sword fight. The man was winning, but only because he'd poisoned her. I hadn't known at the time. All I saw was a struggling wounded woman and I grabbed the largest rock nearby, chucked it at the dude's head. Sent him to dream land right away.

Afterwards Aster had told me he'd been fighting for her hand in marriage, using underhanded tactics. As a token of gratitude she'd given me the flower he'd used to poison her in a glass case. Moral of the story, faeries gave weird presents.

"You over exaggerate." She waved a hand dismissively. "I'll have you know, my brother has expressed interest in you."

I raised my brows in surprise.

If her brother was anything like her then he definitely wouldn't be interested in me.

I wouldn't call myself ugly but I wasn't exactly pretty either. I wasn't fat but my hips always felt too wide and so I usually hid behind sweats and baggy t-shirts. My face was slightly round, my eyes a chestnut shade darker than my skin. My long dark braids were always down to cover part of my face, like the round glasses I still wore despite not needing them anymore. And they weren't the stylish glasses that made me look like a sexy nerd, they were the old fashioned granny kind. I certainly wasn't the princess to any prince charming.

I gave her a speculative look that conveyed my thoughts. "I've never met him."

"He has occasionally glimpsed you on my visits here," she said. "I could arrange a meeting if you wish."

A blind date with a faerie?

"No," I sighed, downing the rest of my tea. It had cooled off while we talked. "I won't meet another guy to make me feel better about Kane."

She took my empty cup, set it down with hers. They disappeared into the grass. "Yet you fight in that cage for the exact same reason."

I blushed. "I need the money." Half the truth.

She leaned towards me, brushed a braid away from my face. She smelled of sweet fruit and steel. "Leave those barbaric fights behind and join me in faerie. I will teach you the art of the sword and more honorable ways to fight. You, Ember Yale, are much more than what you settle for. Let me give you that."

"As a faerie striking a bargain?"

"As a faerie helping a lost friend."

I took her slim hand, squeezed it. "I'll think about it."

We both knew the real answer behind my words, no.

She didn't comment on it. She stood up. "A man who does not know your worth is unworthy of your thoughts."

She vanished with the next gust of wind.

I plucked a flower, twirled it between my fingers. What if I wasn't the worthy one?