Miles

"N-Nate?"

It was him. The guy who never speaks.

Nathan…was the nerdy-creepy kind that everyone at school stayed far away from. And then there were people like Brad's gang who were addicted to messing with him.

The boys go around torturing him a lot, like smacking his books out of his hands, stealing his things the moment he leaves the classroom and so on. Brit wasn't sure what their problem was with him. Maybe it was because no one had ever heard his voice? Or was it the creepy way he looked at everyone from under his hoody? His eyes were truly scary, even Brittany found it hard to stare into them for too long. They looked void and dull yet so merciless at the same time. It made her feel like he could kill anyone without batting an eye.

That was probably why no one stood up for him, no one except for Brittany.

She couldn't count the amount of times she went out of her way to stop Brad and his friends from picking on him. It was troublesome but she understood his plight and wanted to help.

Still…

…Just why did it have to be like this? Why wouldn't he leave her alone?

"I-Is it for me?" Brittany whispered, eyeing the cold bottle that'd touched her cheek.

He nodded without a word.

"I see..." She took the bottle with a small, trembling smile. "Then this is also for you…I just got it." She handed him one of her orange juice. He didn't take it immediately, instead he stared at it first, then after a moment, he finally reached for it.

"I really appreciate this, but you…you don't have to keep getting me drinks, Nate." She mumbled, even though she knew he wouldn't listen.

For a few weeks now, he'd been bringing her daily bottles of cold drinks and on days where she practiced with other wolves, he'd always be watching her from the back bench without his eyes ever leaving her for a second. He was scary.

Mentally cursing, Brit turned back around in her seat and deliberately avoided the sharp stares from the others around the table. She could still feel Nathan's presence behind her, so she sat quietly and waited for him to leave. But…

He didn't.

'Why isn't he leaving?!'

Just then, she felt the warmth of a body closing in on hers from the side. She paled as Nate took a seat beside her, their shoulders brushing.

By then, she was having a mental breakdown.

"Eeew." Sophia grimaced at them, "What the hell, Brit?! Did you seriously tell that creep to sit with us?"

"Yeah. Why would you even do such a thing? Are you dumb?" Kalia added, scooting away from her. The guys were glaring at them too. There was no telling what horrors would happen next.

"N-No! I did no--" She paused before finishing her sentence, remembering that she did actually tell him once that she'd have a meal with him. But she was only being nice, she hadn't meant a word of it all. Was he trying to join her NOW?!

Sweat ran down her skin. "I…I think you guys should continue without me." She was up before they could blink. She grabbed Nate's hand and dashed off, disappearing behind the cafeteria doors.

She fought to catch her breath when they reached the halls, "Nate!" She pulled him to the side, running a hand through her hair. "My friends are dicks, you know?! I know I said I'd eat with you but you don't just walk up and sit at the table! What if they poured drink all over you again? Or tossed your stuff out the window?!"

Nathan didn't react, he didn't even blink. He was frustrating. It felt like she was talking to a brick wall.

"Please don't approach that table from now on. When I'm free, I'll let you know and we can eat out, okay? Not at school. Do you understand?"

Brittany dropped her head, feeling guilt twist her chest. She wasn't actually planning to eat with him. She'd delay it until he forgot about it.

She glanced up at him again, then looked away when she found him still staring hard down at her.

He was too creepy.

"By the way, its creepy when you just stare and don't blink, you know?" She popped a small crumbling smile, grabbing his hand in hers again and dragging him down the hall. His hand was much bigger than hers and even though he kept wearing hoodies to school everyday, anyone with eyes could tell he had some muscle underneath. However, he never took part in training nor had he ever tried to defend himself, so she had no idea how well he could fight.

"Lunchtime's almost over, let's get you to class." She sighed.

"Okay."

She stiffened, her ears perking. "Did you just---no no." She ran a hand over her face. "I must be hearing things. You don't speak, anyway. I seriously need a bre--"

"Brittany."

At the sound of her name, Brittany jolted, her hand quickly drifting away from Nate's and back to her side. She pulled away from Nate's tall figure till her shoulder touched the wall.

"M-Miles." She shifted her weight, her fingers curling together in front of her. Her heart was suddenly racing.

It was Miles who had come, another one of her childhood friends. He was the only guy she was close with as well as the only guy she had managed to like…romantically. They were still friends but he never acknowledged her feelings despite it laying in the open for years. Everyone knew about it too, even Sophia who somehow became his girlfriend for a year now.

But there was another thing, something no one else knew except for them both…something they had only realized on her birthday a few months ago.

Miles…was her mate, her fated mate.