Me, The Cheerleading Captain, Refusing To Be The Football Captain’s Mate Chapter 02

Me, The Cheerleading Captain, Refusing To Be The Football Captain’s Mate Chapter 02

After leaving the bonfire party, I got into my car. My knees had already started to ache. Years of pushing myself too hard in cheer had left my knee permanently damaged.

As I drove past the entrance to Wolfridge University, I suddenly remembered the days when Ronan and I had first become mates in secret.

It was after the first game he ever won. He said he wanted to take the entire football team and the cheer squad out to celebrate.

They drank a lot that night. I was about to help him back to his residence hall when he suddenly caught my hand.

“Willa,” he said, calling my name.

“Yeah?”

“The first time you cheered for me from the sidelines, I almost lost control of my wolf.” His blue eyes were as beautiful as a summer sky. “I told myself over and over that I had to win before I earned the right to stand beside you. You were that radiant.”

I covered my mouth in shock, unable to believe what I was hearing.

The first time I saw Ronan, my wolf had howled inside me. I had wondered if he might be my fated mate, but his cold expression made it seem as if my scent had not affected him at all.

But I still wanted him, so I pursued him without hesitation and made my love for him known to everyone.

I never imagined he had been just as drawn to my scent. We really were fated mates. Was there anything luckier in the world?

Then Ronan told me, “Now that I’m the football captain and I’ve led the team to victory, I can finally say it. The first time I saw you, my wolf was already saying one word: mate.”

“Will you be my mate?”

I covered my mouth and kept nodding. “Yes. I will.”

Back then, I had even started imagining what we would name our children.

The next day, he told me his family did not want him to reveal his mate’s identity, at least not while we were still in college. After all, he was the Alpha heir of Ironmoon Pack. His rivals, and even some rogues, would use any weakness they could find against him.

He held me in his arms, his fingertips gently brushing over the top of my head as he promised in a low voice, “I know this is unfair to you. After graduation, I’ll announce you as my Luna and shock our teammates and Coach Aurelian. Okay?”

I believed him, and I kept playing the role of a cheer captain with a hopeless crush.

I waited like that for four years.

Then at tonight’s bonfire, he gave his winning kiss to someone else right in front of everyone. In their eyes, that made me look like a joke.

Ronan stepped into the road and blocked my car. I slammed on the brakes, but he did not look the slightest bit shaken by the danger. He opened the door and got into the passenger seat.

His cedar scent drifted toward me, and my resolve almost softened.

He loosened his tie and fastened his seat belt. “Are you mad? I texted you and told you to wait for me outside.”

But I did not want to put up with him anymore. “Every party is like this. I have to leave first, pull out onto the road, and wait there until you get into my car, all because you need to hide the truth from everyone.”

Ronan frowned. “I’m the captain. There’s pressure on me to socialize. I have to stay at parties a little longer.”

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. “And I’m one of the best cheer captains this school has ever had. I need to socialize too. After a party, I’m supposed to say goodbye to every girl on my squad and see them off.”

Ronan looked confused. “You can always do that. You don’t have to leave with me.”

“That isn’t the point, Ronan.” Pain rose in my chest. “How much longer are we supposed to hide this from everyone? When are you going to admit that I’m your Luna? Why can’t we just tell people openly, ‘Sorry, campus housing curfew is coming up, and I need to head back with my mate. Anyone else coming?’ Is that really so hard?”

“Why are you throwing a tantrum again?” Ronan pressed his fingers to his temple. “Coach Aurelian wants me to go pro. You know how difficult he can be. He doesn’t want his athletes distracted by mate-bond drama.”

“So we still have to keep hiding?” I shouted in disbelief.

“Calm down, Willa!” Ronan shouted back.

His Alpha dominance surged out of him. That pressure made him unstoppable on the field, but now he was turning it on me to make me submit.

I said nothing and endured the sharp pain tearing through the mate bond.

When Ronan saw me fall silent, he seemed to realize something and lowered his voice. “Are you jealous? It was just a winning kiss. Isolde is an Omega, and it already took courage for her to join the track team. Some students mock her for it. If I had rejected her in front of everyone, she would have been a laughingstock for the next year. I only wanted to help her out of a bad situation. She’s a brave, kind girl.”

“Once I go pro and prove myself on the team, I’ll announce you as my Luna. That is the one thing that will never change.”

“Stop.” I quietly wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes. “We both need to cool down. Get out of the car.”

“You’re throwing me out?” Ronan’s breathing grew unsteady.

He stared at me, his gaze piercing me like a blade. I kept my eyes on the window and avoided looking at him.

“Fine. Fine.” Ronan unbuckled his seat belt, grabbed his jacket, and slammed the door as he left.

It was the worst fight we had ever had in four years.