Pawprints

Chapter 2

"What?!" I ask surprised.

Werewolf? Mate? Alpha? All these words kept rushing around my head. I was trying to make sense of them.

"You are a werewolf. You can change into the form of a wolf at your own will." This statement came from Luke.

"And alpha?" I ask wanting to stomp out everything while I'm at it.

"They're the leaders of the pack and you just so happen to be the next in line in the White Ice pack," Luke explains this to me in a careful voice.

"And mate?" I ask the last question I have on my mind.

This time my 'mate' or as I now know him as Ashton Irwin my music teacher replies to my question this time. "It's a soul mate. All werewolves have one. People say that once you meet your mate you can't live without them."

That must of explained the scent and the weird sparks that I got from skin contact with him. I don't know why but I couldn't not believe all of the things that they have told me.

It always felt like my mother had been keeping something from me and I guess this was it. This was a huge goddamn secret to have kept from someone.

"Well then, I guess I will be going to my next class," I say dismissively.

I turn to leave the music classroom, but Mr. Irwin stops me. "You should probably take a pass." I sigh, but turn around and take the pass that he has handed out to me.

"I will see you at lunch then, Luke." I say, nodding at the other boy, before I finish on my journey to my second class, Algebra.

I found the class in no time and just like before I had interrupted the teacher right in the middle of class.

"I'm sorry, I'm the new student, Isabella Lockwood."

I watch as the students gasp at my name yet again and the teacher who's name on my schedule is Mr. Beiler gives me a nice and kind smile.

"It's very nice to meet you, alpha. It's a pleasure to be able to teach you," Mr. Beiler bows and I can't help but blush, still not being used to all this attention being an alpha had gotten me.

"Thank you, but please treat me like any other student." I tell him.

I turn to face the rest of the class who are staring at me awe and look for a friendly looking face. I find a cute blonde boy in the back other class who gives me a nice and friendly smile when he meets my gaze. He motions for to come and sit with him and I take him up on his offer. I take the seat beside the kind boy.

"Hello," the boy had an Irish accent.

He really needed to learn how to whisper because he was practically screaming in my ear. The boy might be overly loud but he's still adorable and he was the only person other than Luke with the courage to talk to me so far today and he seemed like he would make a great friend because of this.

"Hi," I reply to the boy with a big smile.

"So your the new alpha?" The boy is still trying to be quiet but it's not working at all. Not like the teacher really cares though. I'm pretty sure that it's because I am the alpha of this pack that he's not saying anything.

I nod to the other boy. "My grandfather was the old alpha so I guess that means I'm the new one."

The boy nods in understanding. "Well my names Niall and I think we can be great friends."

That is when my friendship between Niall Horan had first started. Niall and I had talked the whole hour that was left in class. He told me all about how he was gay and how he first realized that he liked boys instead of girls.

"It was in fifth grade and it was at my older brother Greg's birthday party. We were playing spin the bottle and the first time I played the bottle stopped on a girl about the same age as Greg. I had kissed her of course, but it was kind of disgusting. So when the next time the bottle landed on a boy I had been hesitant on kissing him, but afterwards I was delighted. It wasn't at all like kissing a girl. It was wonderful."

Niall's story of how he turned out to be gay was so clique that it was adorable and I couldn't help but think that whoever had this boy as a mate was going to have a handful.

When lunch finally came around Niall had explained to me how lunch in this school worked. Since the school only had a small cafeteria most of the students just get food from the grab and go line and eat on the side of the hallway floors.

It sounded pretty disgusting, but I wasn't going to argue as Niall was rushing me to the line so he could get some food. I had learned in the past hour that the boy really did love his food.

As soon as we got our food Niall rushed me through the halls of the school. We stopped when he spotted a cute boy with brown hair and eyes that reminded me of a puppy.

"Who is this?" The boy asks in his beautiful British accent.

Niall makes a dramatic gasp. "You don't even know your own alpha? How dare you!"

I can't help, but laugh at the blondes antics. I give the brown haired lad a kind smile. "I'm Isabella Lockwood the new alpha of the White Ice pack."

I hold my hand out for the boy to shake he takes it and instead of shaking it he plants a light kiss on it. I can't help, but blush at the action.

"Isabella is such a beautiful name. A beautiful name for a beautiful girl." He gives me a quick wink and can't help the blush that continues to spread over my cheeks.

Niall rolls his eyes at his best friend's flirting muttering under his breathe,"Stupid straight couples." The boy and I ignore the Irish lads comment and the lad helps me sit down on the floor beside him.

"I'm Liam by the way," the boy says, leaning back against the wall.

I nod as I take a bite out of the chicken patty I had bought in the lunch line. As I eat I can feel Liam's eyes on me the whole time. I can't help, but blush whenever I come into eye contact with the boy.

"Where's Luke?" Liam asks Niall who had just finished eating his lunch.

Niall shrugs. "He's probably running around the school looking for Isabella since it's his duty to look after her."

At those words my eyebrows nit together. "Is that why he's been following me around all morning?" I ask Niall, questionably.

Niall laughs at my question and nods. "The boy has taken his job way to seriously." He shakes his head probably thinking about the other boy.

I sigh. "I guess I should go and look for the boy then." I stand up, but before I can leave I am stopped by Liam getting standing up also.

I raise my eyebrows. "I'm coming with you," he says in answer.

I just shake my head. This boy might be hell of adorable, but I don't think my so called 'mate' will like how fond he is of me. It's not like I really give a damn about what my mate thinks of course. It's not like he owns me or anything. Hell if I wanted to date Liam there wouldn't be anything to stop me. Unfortunately I'm not looking for a boyfriend.

As Liam and I looked for Luke he would crack cute little jokes that would make me laugh every time. Usually only because whenever I laughed he laughed too and Liam's laugh was addicting. He was just so adorable.

We had been looking for about two minutes when Liam and I stopped to take a break from looking for the other teenager. Liam turned to look at me and gave me his dazzling smile which I returned with one of my own.

"You have a beautiful smile," Liam flirts with me.

I smirk at his comment and poke his cheek playfully. "Yours is much prettier."

Liam laughs cheekily at my playfulness. "You should let me take you out tonight." Liam was leaning against the white wall.

I smirk at his invitation. I knew that Liam had developed a crush on my these past twenty minutes that we've met and I was waiting for his cheeky way of asking me out, but as I said before I am not looking for a boyfriend.

"You're asking the alpha out on a date now?" I ask him, raising my left eyebrow in question.

Liam nods nervously, "I just really want to take you out on a date."

I can't help, but smile at how desperate he is. I might just have to take him up on his offer, but after all we have just met not that long ago and I don't think it's a good idea to go out with someone I just met.

"I'd love to, Liam, but we have just met and I would much rather get to know you better before we go out or anything like that." Liam face falls at this and I can't help, but feel bad for making the adorable boy sad.

"I still think your the cutest boy I have ever met though. So don't get you hopes up." When Liam starts to smile at this I feel proud of myself for being the one to make him smile like that.

When he picks me up and spins me around in his arms I can't help but giggle at how he happy he was. His face was just so happy that I couldn't help myself I kissed him on the cheek. It was a quick peck, but it didn't cease to get me in trouble, because the next second I am out of Liam's bulky arms and in another pair. These making sparks erupt throughout my body.

I could hear Ashton's growl in my ear and I was annoyed by the possessive asshole that was apparently my mate. I push him off me and turn to glare at him, but he wasn't looking at me. He was stating right at Liam who was staring right back at him and just like that the two started fighting.

Punches were thrown both ways as the two immature idiots started fighting. I don't exactly know what happened next as the weirdest sound came out of my mouth and I shouted a loud, "Stop!" At the two men. They stopped fighting abruptly to look at me with shocked looks.

Next thing I know Ashton is growling angrily again. "Did you just use your alpha voice on me?" He asks like the arrogant douche bag he was.

I shrug my shoulder not knowing what the hell an alpha voice was but guessing it was what I just did. "Maybe I did," I tell the man cheekily.

This made him even more angry and the next second I am being pushed up against a wall. "I will not have my mate disrespect me!" Ashton growls in my ear.

I glare at him. "I don't give a damn if I'm your mate or not you arrogant bastard! If your going to be a dick to me I'm going to be a bitch right back to you!" I shout at him angrily.

That's when Luke comes to save the day. He comes and pulls the possessive asshole off of me and growls at him.

"Didn't I fucking tell you to leave my alpha alone! I don't care if your her mate or not! She's got a fucking fiancé and you can't change that fact since it was set before she was even born!"

Luke's words confuse me. Fiancé? Since before I was born? I didn't know anything about this. I guess I'll have to add it to the list of the many things my mother never told me about myself.

Ashton scoffs at Luke's words. "That fucking blood sucker? Don't make me laugh no way will that work. Vampires are werewolves sworn enemies!"

I turn to look at Luke surprised. "Vampires?" I ask.

He nods. "Yeah vampires exist as a matter of fact and as you just heard you are engaged to one."

Man, I woke up this morning thinking I was a normal human going to a new school and it's only half way through the day and I already learned that I am a werewolf nevertheless the alpha of a pack. With a possessive alpha mate who happens to be a major dick. Then not only finding out that vampires exist also, but I am engaged to one. I can't help it about what happens next I guess everything just got to be way to much for me because the next second all I see is black.

****
I wake up confused with a nasty headache. For some reason I was in almost like a cubicle on a really uncomfortable bed that resembled something you would you see in the hospital. That's when the events from earlier that day come back to me. I had been so overwhelmed from all the news I've been getting today that I had blacked out.

Ever since I was a little girl I would always faint when I got too stressed out with something. My mother was sure I would grow out of it, but I never did. The doctors kept reassuring her that it was normal, but she wouldn't listen to them.

It took me a moment in my daze to notice that there was someone else in the room with me. There beside me was a very worried looking Luke Hemmings. He must of carried me here after I had passed out. I am grateful that he was the one to carry me instead of Ashton. The man was really starting to piss me off and I didn't want his hands anywhere near me.

I give Luke a thankful smile which he returns. "Thank you," I tell him.

Luke shrugs, "you don't have to thank me it's my job to make sure your alright."

I've been wondering this for a while now about why it was Luke's job in the first place to watch over me. I am a big girl after all, I don't need someone taking care of me.

"Why is it your job to take care of me?" I ask him.

Luke gives me a kind smile. "I'm your beta."

I remember Niall talking about that. He said that him and Luke were my betas. I have no idea what a beta is, though. I really didn't want to ask Luke this, but the answer wasn't going to come falling out of the sky after all.

"What's a beta?" I ask, regretfully. I feel like a little kid, not knowing anything about who or what these things in my world are.

"Betas are the second and third in command to the pack," Luke explains to me.

"So that's you and Niall?" I ask him.

Luke nods. "Yes, that's exactly what that is. Now I think that's enough new things for you today. Why don't you go home and take a nap?" Luke asks me.

I nod gratefully. I really do need a nap. Today was one eventful day after all.