Chapter 3 Lunch With A Jerk

• Mia was a year older than Ann and mated to one of the special guards in the royal house. She was a Japanese-American who had moved from Japan to California with her parents twenty years ago.
• Their friendship began when they were paired for a school project four years ago, and things have been going well for them ever since. Mia was always supportive and never treated Ann like an ordinary or an outcast. Ann was grateful for their friendship and hoped it would last a lifetime.
• Mia was the second and last child of her parents, who both worked as nurses at the local hospital. Her older brother, Kyle, also attended their school. He was as kind to Ann as Mia was, and his gentle demeanor made Ann develop a crush on him. However, that crush faded when he found his mate. Ann was a little disappointed it wasn’t her, but she was also happy for him.
• After her disastrous 18th birthday, Ann gave up on finding a mate. Each month she had hoped to be chosen by someone, but she was never picked, so she gave up on love. The Moon Goddess had indeed cast a life of misery upon her, from being ordinary to being mateless.
• Despite everything happening around her, she held onto the hope that there was light at the end of her tunnel, and she was determined to find it, even if it meant leaving everything she knew to find a new home where no one knew her. She was
• saving for her escape. In the Goldenblade pack, it was considered treason for a pack member to run away, and if they did, they would go rogue. But Ann didn’t care about the consequences; she was ready to risk it all to start a new life far away from there.
• "Let’s have lunch, I am so hungry," Mia sighed, rubbing her flat stomach.
• "Let’s go to the cafeteria then; I am also hungry," Ann suggested with a smile. Placing her bag on her shoulder, they made their way out of the classroom to the cafeteria.
• Ann bought rice and chicken stew with a bottle of water, while Mia got a cheeseburger with a bottle of apple juice. They settled at a table at the back of the cafeteria, munching on their food while engaging in small talk.
• Just then, loud voices were heard from the entrance to the cafeteria. Lo and behold, it was Darius and his friends, strolling in like they owned the place. Ann almost sank in her seat as she saw the boys walking towards her.
• "Hey there, Holy Mary," Kyle crashed into the bench opposite the girls. Ann had forgotten to mention that Kyle was a close friend of Darius, which was why she truly avoided him, not entirely because of his mate.
• "What do you want, Kyle?" Mia frowned at him; she was also not a fan of Darius and his friends.
• "Relax, sis. I came to have lunch like everyone else here, and I brought company to keep you entertained," Kyle flashed them a smile, causing Ann to throw him death glares.
• "Look who we have here, Kyle’s hot sister and the nerdy ordinary," Victor, another friend of Darius, said, taking a seat beside Kyle. Kyle nudged him by his side. "Language, Vic," Kyle said to his friend.
• "Jeez, you almost caused a dent in my rib," Victor complained as he rubbed the spot Kyle had hit.
• Ann ignored them and continued to eat her food. It wasn’t the first time she was this close to the boys, but it was the first time she was this close to Darius, and she felt very uncomfortable.
• "Are you always this quiet?" Even though she wasn’t looking in his direction, she knew that question was directed at her, and her hand stilled on the spoon.
• She swallowed the food that had turned to stone in her throat. "I have nothing to say," she responded in a murmur, which he heard.
• "Hmm," he only hummed in response, but his eyes were fixed on her.
• "So, what are you going to do after your coronation this weekend?" Kyle asked with a grin.
• "How about we chug down alcohol and spend time with those fat-ass bitches?" Victor suggested happily, a full smile on his face, only to receive disapproving looks from his friends and the
• girls. "I will shut up now," he said, pressing his lips into a thin line.
• "I will be having a meeting with the council as the new Alpha," Darius responded, his eyes moving from Victor to Kyle.
• "I really hope you have time for us when you resume duties. I wouldn’t want to look for a new friend; it’s exhausting," Kyle responded with a smile.
• "Am I invisible to you, Kylie Jenner? I was literally your friend before Darius, and he is the third wheel," Victor complained in a whiny voice.
• "Call me that again, and I will rip your head off your body," Kyle threatened.
• "Sorry, not again. I will never call you that again, Kylie Jenner," a smirk appeared across Victor’s face, causing Kyle to scoff at him.
• "God, I need to leave this place," Ann murmured to herself, her food already stale as it was too heavy for her to swallow.
• "Did you say something?" Darius asked, making Ann look up at him with widened eyes. She wondered how he had heard her words, even when Mia, who was sitting close to her, hadn’t heard her.
• "No, I didn’t," Ann responded, flashing a weak smile at him before turning away to her friend.
• "Oh dear Goddess, I literally forgot the most important thing of all," Victor suddenly said in a loud voice, making all of them turn to him.
• "Why are you so loud, Victor? For God’s sake, did your brain stop maturing at twelve?" Mia scoffed in an irritated tone.
• "I love you too, sweetheart," Victor winked at her before turning to look at Darius. "Dude, you will be getting your mate at your coronation. Wow, this is exciting," he added excitedly.
• Seating opposite Darius, Ann could see how his demeanor changed at the mention of a mate. His eyes darkened, and his jaw clenched. It seemed he wasn’t too pleased with the idea of having a mate. Ann couldn’t help but pity the poor lady who would be his mate.