Competition

CHAPTER 6- Competition
HUNTER’S P. O. V.
I have seen them together all day. That human with his hands all over her. It makes my blood boil. I have no idea why the feeling is so strong. All I know is that I don’t want him to ever touch her again. I am struggling to hold back my wolf. That part of me just wants to rip his arms off and feed them to himself. I get a slight ping of satisfaction from that thought. Him laying on the ground choking on his own arms. The arms he wraps around her.
We have next period together. It is my chance to talk to him alone. Maybe get him to leave her alone. While we are in the locker room, I come closer to him. We change in the same aisle so it doesn’t look too out of the ordinary. “Why are you dating Jasmine?” I try to sound casual and not at all jealous. I am not sure if I pull it off.
He looks up at me like I am crazy. “Have you looked at her? She is hot.”
I try to look at him disgusted. It is a little hard since I agree. “If you like fat chicks.” I kind of chuckle at the bad joke. I don’t feel this way, but I have to make him question dating her. He has to leave her alone, before I do something that is going to be bad for everyone involved.
“She is perfect. I don’t date sticks. I can feel the muscle under her skin. I know when I get her, I don’t have to worry about being gentle with her. She can take it and I won’t break her, like some little twig.” He states it like a fact. Like he could even come close to hurting her anyway. He thinks he is going to get that far with her. Well, not if I have any say in it.
“Really all that flab bouncing around?” I scoff at him.
“I don’t see flab, I see big tits and a nice ass. If that is what you see then I feel sorry for you. You have no idea what a real woman looks like. You can have your sticks though. I have no need for them.” He smiles up at me. He is goading me. He wants to see if I want Jasmine. Or else he is clearing the field for me. Maybe he thinks I just like skinny chicks.
“You know she is supposed to get married to someone else?” I glare at him. He needs to stop this.
“Yeah, we discussed it. She thinks it isn’t going to be a problem. If it is then we will deal with it. She doesn’t seem to want to be with whoever this person is.”
“What if she changes her mind?” This is just plain curiosity. Plus the mate bond isn’t something that you just brush off. It is serious shit.
He is quiet for a moment. “Then I will have lost her. I can just hope that she doesn’t. We are just starting out, we will see what happens. What I don’t get is why you care so much?” He smirks at me. I guess I wasn’t fooling him all that much.
“I don’t.” I furrow my brow at him. “I just want to make sure you know the game.”
I turn away from him, but he stops me in my tracks. “I have a feeling you know who she is supposed to marry and that it might just be you.” I can hear the smirk in his voice. He wants me to kill him at this point. Trying to make it sound like he has my girl. Like he can just do that. Like I would let him keep kissing her.
I turn and smirk at him. “Wouldn’t that be something?” Then I leave him there with a questioning look on his face. I don’t really know the meaning of what I said, but it left him guessing. Do I want her to be my mate? I guess the answer is yes, but I’m scared of that prospect at the same time.
Once I head to the field I can smell that Nick is behind me. I am not sure if he is wanting to talk to me more or if he simply is just moving in the same direction as me. He keeps quiet for a while. That is until the teacher directs us to run laps and he keeps pace with me. Not an easy feat for a human, but he is doing well. I’ll give him that.
“What is that supposed to mean? Are you saying that if it is you then you won’t reject it?” He is smart. I think if he wasn’t trying to lay claim to Jasmine, I might actually like him.
“You catch on quick.” I keep running. Hoping that he will fall behind.
“Jasmine seems to think that you will deny the request. Why would she think that?” He keeps running with me. He’s good.
“I have given her every reason in the world to think that, but I also told her that I wouldn’t refuse the engagement. She just hasn’t put the two together.” I don’t even look at him, I just keep running. I am testing this guy, seeing what he has. It is getting a little harder to dislike him. Then I remember his hands all over Jasmine and it becomes easy again.
“Why if you don’t like her?” He sounds puzzled.
“Look, in our families it is best if you don’t get your hopes up on who you will be matched with. I figured it would be best if we never thought about us in that sense unless it happened. I am not as foolish as some others.” I hope that sounds cryptic enough. I don’t need him knowing anything that he shouldn’t.
“Like who?” Annoying to the core.
“Like Allison. She thought we were paired together and she was wrong. Now she is a little pissed about it. Like I said it is best not to get your hopes up. It isn’t up to us to decide. All of us in our family know that is how it is. Jasmine is well aware that she will follow her father’s ruling. It is just how we are.” I can hear him start to huff a little. He has held on longer than I thought he would.
“Why? What makes your family so special? It is archaic. She should have a choice.” I can tell he is starting to panic.
“Here is what you are not getting, none of us have a choice. That is how we work. It isn’t because she is a woman and we are backwards. In the end it is best for everyone to accept the pairings. Only those that reject them are the ones that are miserable. We are an old family and this is how we work. It has worked this way for a long time. We all get it. Those that accept them are the ones that live happy full lives. It is how we work. It is best if you keep that in mind.” He is losing pace. He still is close, but not keeping up with me.
Once we finish laps he comes to stand next to me. Breathing heavily. “What if she would be happier somewhere else?” He manages to pant out.
I look him square in the eye. “Her father would never allow it. It is best you come to terms with this. You will only be hurt in the end if you don’t. Her father would never accept you, even if he met you.”
“She said she wouldn’t have to be married until the end of high school. I could have her till then.” He sounds confident in this statement.
“Why would you want to be with someone that you have no future with? You can’t keep her.” I am glaring at him. The thought of her hanging on to this human for that long makes me sick to my stomach. Because I know that Jasmine is a stubborn ass and she would, even if she had her mate. Especially if it was me.
“Who wouldn’t want to have the woman of their dreams for as long as they could?” Damn cocky asshole. She can’t be the woman of his dreams; he doesn’t even know her. He can never know her completely. As it is we are talking in code. He doesn’t understand the mate bond and what that means to us. To him it is some arranged marriage. Something that you can really fight. He will never understand what it truly feels like to be someone’s mate. It is stronger than anything a human could conceive.
I scoff at him. “I don’t think you understand. You will never have her fully. She can’t sleep with you. She can’t be yours to do as you please. She has a duty and a responsibility to her family and that will always come first. Family above all else.” This human has no grasp of what is going on. He still thinks this is something he can fight.
“Even above yourself. That is just ridiculous. She should have a choice, to live her life the way she wants.”
“You still aren’t getting it. In the end this is what she wants. Even if she herself doesn’t know it. Just wait and see. You can’t fight against this. If your stubborn ass can’t realize how hurt you’re going to be in the end then stick around. Because you will be hurt. She isn’t going to run away with you. You are not Romeo and she isn’t Juliet. Even they had a bad ending.” Stupid fucking human.
“What makes you so much better to have her than me?” Of course now he thinks I have something to do with this. Like I made the arrangements.
“For one, I don’t know that I am the one she is supposed to marry. Second, I am better.” I give him an evil smirk. He should know that I don’t hold him very high in my esteem. He is below me. Especially if it comes to Jasmine. I would always be the better choice for her. I am her equal, he can never handle her.
“So, if you are the one, what are your expectations of her?” Really this asshole wants to debate the rules here. Just move on dude.
“My expectations would be for her to be mine completely as well as I would be hers.” I don’t even bat an eyelash. I am in this one hundred percent. Of course for my mate, not just if it was Jasmine. That is why I keep her at a distance, because I don’t know who my mate is and I want to be theirs completely. So this attraction that I feel for her is just getting in the way. Unless she is mine, then it is merely fueling me on.
“So then you really wouldn’t want her to finish out the year with me, would you?” I think he might be catching on.
“Of course not. I may not rush her. I would like it if she was as devoted to me as I was to her. I know it might take some time, but I would not like it to take that long.” I try to look thoughtful and not pissed like I really am at the thought.
“A bit possessive.” He makes it sound like a bad thing. Of course I am possessive, all wolves are of our mates. We love them with no end.
“Call it a quirk. That is the way I am.” When is this guy going to stop talking to me? I am getting pissed at his incessant questions. He has no rights to her, he should just move on.
“Even with someone that you really don’t like? That seems a little ridiculous. If you don’t even like her, why would you want her that badly?”
“Look it is just the way it is. Move on. I am done answering your questions.” I walk away from him to make my point. But wouldn’t you know it the persistent asshole follows me.
“I just don’t get how you could marry someone that you don’t like. If what Jasmine says is correct then you both don’t like each other, so why continue the relationship to the point where you are bound together forever?” I want to punch this guy in the face. He needs to just drop dead. That is a pleasant thought. That would solve all the problems.
“That’s correct you don’t understand. You never will. We work differently. We like it that way and we don’t like outsiders trying to tell us how to run our lives. Like I said it would be best if you just leave Jasmine alone. That part you should at least get. She will leave you at some point. You are not her intended.” I want to make this guy disappear at this point.
“What if she isn’t pure? Isn’t that one of your family stipulations?” Ok, now he has me stopping. Is he planning on corrupting her body? Is that his plan to keep her?
I turn on him a glare. “The man that defiled her would pay the consequences. I suggest that you don’t try to take that route. Jasmine still wont be yours. She can never be yours.” I am not so sure why the thought of him sleeping with her riles me so much, but it makes my blood boil. It is taking everything I have not to rip this guy’s body apart.
“Someone is a bit aggressive about someone that they don’t really like. I just want to know where you stand. If you are the one I am fighting against.” He almost looks like he has a cocky grin. Like he knows what will make me back off.
I laugh and smirk at him. “If it were against me, I would be worried too. Just know this, if she is to be with me then I won’t be letting her be with you willy nilly. This little romance that you are brewing will be crushed as soon as it hits her birthday and it is announced.” I say the last part with a glare. I want him to understand that he has no chance against me.
Thank the goddess at this point the teacher calls for us to line up for stretches and aerobics. I think if I had to talk to this guy any longer I might really hurt him. He needs to drop it and leave Jasmine to the pack.