LEAH's POV.

Hardin drove me back to his apartment which was not far from the school campus. 

I was too weak and wounded to contest but I had a feeling that even if I did, he wasn't going to let me go that easily. 

"You're hurt, let me take you home." He offered and I only obliged because my other option was going back home to take care of my drunk father and I already had a rough night. He walked up his front porch and pulled the door open. A deep breath escaped my lips as I walked in. The room smelled unmistakably like him-clean, crisp, and undeniably masculine. 

Cedarwood and pine lingered in the air, grounded by the faint bite of expensive cologne and the cool scent of ice that clung to his hockey gear in the corner.

I had only met Hardin once one of the days I snuck around with Ethan in their family house and we'd run into each other in the kitchen one night. It was a silent interaction, although with a few lingering glares which was why when I looked at him now, I knew he recognized me and he could tell I did too.

"So what were you doing all alone in the woods?" He walked me to his room and it wasn't until I sat on his bed that he asked. I cleared my dry throat. What do I even tell him?

"I was lost," I lied.

"On the night of the school dance?" Hardin scoffed, able to call my bluff. He threw a look over his shoulders. "Are you still seeing my brother?" His eyes were deep brown and masked some emotion in them. My posture was immediately restive and he could tell something was off.

Hardin drew closer to me with some meditation he rubbed over my wounds. 

"Argh!" I exclaimed, my forearm stinging with pain. "I can do it myself," I reached for the antiseptic but he glanced up at me. "It's just a scratch." I rolled my eyes. 

"So let me clean it." There was something impossibly calm about the way he said it, as though it wasn't a request. Hardin knelt in front of me, the movement so effortless it caught me off guard. I'd expected him to sit beside me, not that.

His bedside table separated us, but barely and he rested my arm gently in his hand, his fingers warm against my skin.

"Tell me if it hurts." He whispered. 

"It won't." The cotton pad brushed over the scrape and I hissed. 

"It definitely hurts." I let out a nervous laugh and he looked up at me again. "So I take the answer to my last question is a no then?" Hardin said. The question about Ethan and I. 

"I had no idea you knew...why didn't you say anything?" I asked. I had no idea Hardin would even recognize me after seeing me that night. "Well what my brother does is not my business," He said flatly. I heaved a sigh, flashes from earlier flooding back into my head. The moment I caught Ethan kissing Julia.

"It doesn't matter now," I replied. "It's over. He's an asshole."

"Damn," Hardin said with a sly smirk. "You guys had a big fight?" I nodded. "I caught him kissing my best friend," Something about Hardin made it easy to trust him. 

Maybe it was because I felt safe with him.

He shot me a glare and silence settled between us for a moment.

"I'm sorry about that," He then said. I couldn't resist rolling my eyes to the back of my head. "Don't act as if you care. I guess the apple didn't fall far from the tree." I muttered. I heard the stories, just like everyone else at Ashwood High about how Hardin slept with all the girls on campus, quickly discarding them afterward. He was the ultimate playboy and the face of one-night stands, never seeing a girl more than once. 

He pulled away from me, pretending to be offended.

"I mean look, I won't be surprised if you do this often..." I said. 

"What? Patch people up?" He asked. 

"Bring girls back to your place," I reiterated. He bit down on his lips with regret. 

"Maybe I should have left in the woods," He said. A slight chuckle escaped my lips for the first time that night. "It's just your reputation, everyone knows you're a player Hardin."

"So what if I am?" He finally confessed. 

"I mean you followed me back here, didn't you?" When he was done, he pulled away from me, leaning against his closet with his arms folded. For a second, a sultry thought crossed my mind. My eyes drifted to him before I could stop them. 

Hardin was standing against the wooden dresser, his sleeves pushed to his forearms. The first thing I noticed when he took off his hoodie was how muscled he was and also the vine tattoos that ran across his arms. He was about six feet tall, with broad shoulders and a chiseled physique. Hardin certainly looked the part of a player. With his midnight black hair that framed his cold, sharp face.

When his dark eyes met mine, I got up from the bed. 

The room was dimly lit but I could make out his eyes and the way his lips curled into a smirk. 

"What did you think was going to happen?" I inched closer to him. He spread his legs apart as his eyes dropped to my lips. After such a horrible night, I wanted to feel something. This was supposed to be my 18th birthday but maybe it didn't have to be completely ruined. 

This whole time, I had planned to lose my virginity to Ethan tonight but look how that turned out. Now, I didn't care anymore and a part of me pulsed with revenge knowing his brother wanted me. In what world did Hardin West want me? 

It felt unreal but in that moment, I wanted to kiss him. I wanted to do more than kiss him, granted we never spoke about it after tonight-It was a perfect plan in my head and the look on Hardin's face showed he was down for just anything. 

"I don't know, you tell me..." He said with a deep, decadent voice. 

My stomach tightened, in a way that never did with Ethan. When I stood inches away from his face, I couldn't believe my pulse was racing because of his older brother. Impatiently, Hardin pulled me towards him and our lips crashed into each other. Everything happened so fast and the kiss was hesitant for all of half a heartbeat. 

Then every ounce of restraint vanished.

It wasn't frantic, it was hungry. Hardin lifted me in his arms and my fingers slid into his hair before carefully settling against his back. He tossed me on the bed and leaned into my ear.

"I thought my reputation scared you," He was breathing heavily, and so was I. 

"Shut up." A moan escaped my lips as his fingers slipped inside my dress. I couldn't believe how wet I was already. 

Hardin took off his shirt before kissing me again and I stared at his body, like that of a Greek god before kissing him back without hesitation. My hands ran along his back and then I cupped his neck, only to realize the fresh scratches that lined it. 

Then he froze. A low, almost inaudible sound vibrated in his chest. 

His grip on me tightened and I barely had time to move before a sharp sting bloomed where my neck met my shoulder. I could feel his teeth sink into the nape of my neck. 

"Ow-" I gasped, jerking back. 

Hardin pulled away so violently it was as if I'd burned him. His eyes were fixed on the spot he'd just bitten, his chest rising and falling in ragged breaths. "What..." I touched my neck, my fingertips coming away no blood thankfully. "You bit me." His face drained of color.

"I-" He took another step back and then another. His jaw was clenched so tightly I thought his teeth might crack. And then his eyes...something was wrong with his eyes. 

The warm amber I'd noticed before had deepened into molten gold, bright enough to make my breath catch.

"Hardin?" He turned away from me, putting on his shirt. "It's not possible," I could hear him say under his breath. My brows arched. 

"What happened?" I asked. 

Confusion quickly gave way to hurt and when he turned back around, his eyes were normal again and he grabbed his keys. 

"I'm sorry, we can't do this." He replied coldly.

"You were kissing me two seconds ago." My voice broke.

"I know."

"Then what the hell just happened?" I asked. 

His shoulders rose with a slow and unsteady breath. "You won't understand." He said. 

In that moment, I got up and grabbed my purse. But I halted right next to his shoulder before brushing past it. I looked up at him and his eyes seemed frightened. Not of me. For me.

"I'm sorry," Hardin muttered. "I'll drive you home."

HARDIN's POV.

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white. "Mate," The word echoed through my head like a curse.

No. It couldn't be. I couldn't believe it.

One second I was making out with Leah Hart and the next, I had grazed my teeth into her neck, filled with this sudden uncontrollable urge to mark her. My wolf was feral beneath my skin.

"Mate," He whispered. But it didn't make any sense.

After searching for so long, I had given up on finding my mate. There was also the fact that Leah was human, and she had no idea what I was.

The moon goddess couldn't have made a human my fated mate. Even though it wasn't unheard of, it was still incredibly rare.

The drive to her house was quiet and the occasional glances I stole at her, I could tell Leah's mind was filled with so many thoughts, I could almost hear them. I had hurt her tonight, by accident. But my teeth had only merely grazed her skin so it wasn't a fatal bite. I pulled away just in time but I was still afraid of what might've happened if I hadn't.

"Mate," My wolf growled incessantly but I shoved him down. "No!" My inner voice was just as loud. She wasn't mine. She couldn't be.

Of all the girls in Ashwood, my mate couldn't have been my little brother's human ex-girlfriend.

I let out a slow breath as I pulled up my car in Leah's driveway. She put on the hoodie I gave her over her dress and was about to leave.

"I'm sorry...for tonight," I blurted out.

She turned to me and swiped a strand of hair behind her ears. "Happy 18th to me I guess," She replied sarcastically. I couldn't imagine the night she'd just had.

"Just don't go roaming the woods again, at least not at night. You have no idea what could be in there." I warned her and she scoffed. "What? I was only attacked by a coyote..." She said. But I was the wolf who saved her and that wasn't a coyote.

It was another werewolf like myself and had it been I wasn't there, Leah could've gotten hurt. Naively, I could tell she didn't believe in werewolves or the supernatural. Not a lot of people in Ashwood did. I guess it was safer to play oblivious. Safer for us to blend in perfectly too.

But occasionally there was a rogue wolf like the one from tonight.

"Just please, be safe." I said to Leah.

She crossed her arms and nodded and I watched her walk into her house. Several minutes passed, and I was still in her driveway until her lights went off and I was sure she was safe.

When I got back to my room that night, everything smelled like her. I was mad out of my mind with desire. My wolf itched beneath my skin, growling painfully with passion.

"Mate!" I buried my face into the pillow that night, hoping to get some sleep. I didn't.

The next morning, all I could think about was Leah Hart. While making breakfast, on my way to school. Even during hockey practice.

Coach's sharp whistle cut across the rink and I tightened my grasp around the lumber.

"Again!" He barked, drawing my attention back to the ice.

I gritted my teeth and skated back into position. Marcus, my best friend sent the puck across the ice and normally, I'd catch it without thinking. But today, it bounced clean off my stick.

"Fuck," I cussed.

It was yet another shot I missed. Marcus turned to me, taking off his helmet.

"Jesus, West," He muttered. Heat crawled up my neck as I shot a glare back at Coach. He stood disappointedly at the sidelines before blowing his whistle again, longer this time.

"West!" He called. "My office. Now."

The rest of the team exchanged curious glances as I skated toward the bench. Marcus nudged my shoulder as I passed. "You good? You seem distracted today." I snorted.

"Yeah." I peeled off my gloves and helmet, tossing them onto the bench right next to Ethan. We exchanged a glance before I followed Coach down the hallway.

Once I got into his office, he shut the door behind me.

"The fuck's going on?" He leaned against his desk, arms folded across his chest. "You know this is the most important time of the season, you can't afford to fuck up, West." He said.

"You know how many scouts are expected at the regional finals next month? Some are even showing up at the local games just to watch you..." He raised his voice and I stared at the floor. "Hardin West. Captain of the hockey team. Star player...I've pushed for you because I know what you're capable of. I've coached you for three years and even I haven't seen you miss a pass like that," Coach Terry couldn't hide the disappointment in his voice even if he tried.

For a moment, he became quiet and studied me.

"Talk to me." His voice was a lot calmer now and I hesitated.

"It's... nothing." I'd been able to hide my special abilities from everyone for so long. I only needed to get my shit together fast. Coach was right. This wasn't the time to fuck up. There was so much at stake.

"Look, whatever's going on with you outside that rink..." He pointed toward the ice. "Leave it there. Because if you don't get your head back in the game, those scouts are going to remember the guy they saw today, not the captain I know you are." He said.

"Understood, Coach." I swallowed hard.

"Good."

I turned around and reached for the door. As I sauntered down the hallway, his words stuck with me. But still, in my head was Leah Hale. I pictured last night and a smile crept to my lips.

Then I saw her. Almost like I'd manifested her from my thoughts.

She was right by my locker and I came to a sudden halt. My wolf suddenly relaxed as she walked up to me with my charcoal hoodie folded over her arm.

"Hi," Her voice was soft and gentle. Her curly brown hair dropped over her shoulders and her glasses were perched atop her nose. This was the first time seeing Leah in daylight.

God, was she perfect.

Even when she wasn't trying to impress anyone. Her hair wasn't in a perfect bun, nor was her smile rehearsed. She was just in faded jeans and a white sweater that hung slightly off one shoulder.

My wolf stirred instantly.

"There she is." But I ignored him. Or at least, I tried to.

When she was close enough, she halted and handed over the hoodie to me.

"I came to return this. Thank you for last night," She said. "Even though it ended kind of weirdly," She scoffed. I collected the hoodie and smirked.

"You didn't have to." I replied.

"Why would I keep your hoodie? Or do you give all the girls that stop by your apartment souvenirs?" She asked.

"Here you go." I rolled my eyes.

"What?" She whined and my eyes fell to her sly smile.

"No," I said. "Just you actually." I could tell by her expression that my response caught her by surprise. "How's your shoulder?" I asked, nodding toward the bandage peeking out beneath her sweater and she shrugged. "I'll be fine," She replied. I perched up a brow.

"You sure?" Leah nodded.

"I've survived worse." Something in her voice told me she wasn't talking about the wolf. Before I could stop myself, my hand lifted toward her face.

A small pine needle had caught in her curls.

"You've got..." I reached into her hair and plucked it free. "There." There was a frown across her face that disappeared in a second. Her breath caught and she looked up at me. "I got it," My voice dropped into a whisper when I realized we were a lot closer than I intended but neither of us moved. The hallway seemed to disappear and it was just her.

Those impossible brown eyes and the faint scent of vanilla that drifted from her hair.

"Thanks," she said softly.

"Yeah." I hadn't let go of the pine needle. Neither had I stepped back and then suddenly. Click.

The sound barely registered.

Leah blinked first, taking a small step away and I turned toward the noise to a girl at the end of the hallway that lowered her phone a fraction too late. Her eyes widened when she realized I'd seen her and she disappeared into the crowd before I could do anything.

"Fuck," I cussed, sometimes forgetting how popular I was. I squeezed my eyes shut and I could already see the headlines on the school blog.

"What was that?" Leah frowned.

"Nothing." I lied. I knew it wasn't nothing. But as I stared back at Leah, she was completely oblivious to how the moment must have looked from where the girl had been standing. It would've looked like I was tucking her hair behind her ear. Like we were about to kiss.

My stomach sank.

I knew this wasn't going to stay between us and by lunch, the entire school would have a story and it was about to make things a lot more complicated.