It's been 3 days.
3 days and Lyric was still pretending not to feel the mate bond.
Tyler was beginning to feel impatient and his wolf was getting restless.
To have his mate so close but not being able to claim her was the worst thing Tyler had ever experienced.
He was getting frustrated and it was beginning to show in his everyday life.
His friends were getting worried and his father was confused.
Only he and Lyric knew the reason for his strange behavior.
In truth Lyric was also suffering.
Not that she would ever admit it.
She had been pretending not to feel the bond and it was making her wolf and panther annoyed.
It wasn't that much trouble for her as they were all too lazy to argue.
She hadn't left her room even once since she arrived.
People would bring her, her meals and there was a bathroom attached to her bedroom. If she needed anything all she had to do was press a button and someone would hurry over.
She felt that this was much more comfortable than home.
At home her father would sometimes make her study and read documents so she would be somewhat ready to take over as Alpha when he eventually retired.
Lyric found it annoying and she was glad she didn't have to do anything.
The only problem was Tyler.
He would probably cry if he knew his mate just thought of him as a problem.
He would show up at her door randomly throughout the day. Sometimes he would knock, other times he would just stand outside, occasionally he would even 'sneak' into her room at night and sniff her neck, where her scent was the strongest, when he thought she was asleep.
It was driving her crazy and she wasn't sure how much longer she could stay calm. Or at least pretend to be calm.
She knew he was doing much worse than her.
Finally, when she thought she was free to sleep as much as she wants...
Her father called.
Seeing his name on the phone screen Lyric was almost unwilling to answer, fearing he would ask her to do something.
Or worse. That he knew she had been lazing around the entire time.
Finger trembling, she presses the button to answer and unwillingly puts the phone to her ear.
"Hey, Lyric!" Her dad says enthusiastically, making Lyric calm down a little.
"Daddy." She says softly.
"How have you been the last few days?" He asks gently.
"F-fine." She stutters as she sees Tyler enter the room from her open door.
She forgot to close it!
"What's wrong?" Dominic asks frowning.
He felt that something must be wrong as he had never heard her so startled.
"No, it's... Nothing." She says trying not to look at Tyler as he watches her.
"Are you sure?" He asks sceptically. As her father he knew her better than anyone and he was sure that she was hiding something from him.
But she was, after all, a teenager and it's normal for teens to hide things from their parents, so he wasn't that worried.
"Yeah." Lyric says regaining her composure and pretending Tyler doesn't exist as she looks around the room.
"Okay, then. Right! I had something to tell you." He says suddenly remembering the purpose for his call.
"Hm? What is it?" She asks suddenly feeling that it was going to be something she won't like.
"I meant to tell you before you left. While you're staying in the Red Rose Pack, I want you to make at least 3 friends. If you don't I'll send you to Alpha Academy." He says before hanging up the phone without waiting for her answer.
Lyric drops her phone in shock.
Alpha Academy?
The boarding school for Alpha's kids.
She heard that place was horrible.
They make you train till you can't move from exhaustion.
They don't let you sleep till you finish your homework.
The beds are only twin size!
And you live in a dorm room in groups of 4!
It would be hell for someone like Lyric.
She drags her feet as she walks to the window.
She looked listless as she pulled open the window and brought her foot onto the edge.
Just as she was about to jump out in hopes of ending her life she remembered something.
She suddenly fixes her gaze on Tyler. She had an idea.
What she had forgotten was that one her room was on the fourth floor. There was a good chance even a human would survive the fall.
And two she's a shifter. She would survive even if she fell from the tenth floor.
She probably wouldn't even get hurt because of her feline instinct to always land on her feet.
She quickly moves to stand in front of Tyler, surprising him.
"Friend." She says pointing at him. Her tone didn't leave any room for refusal. She was declaring him her friend and he didn't have a say in the matter.
"What?" He asks in confusion.
"You and me. Friends." She says seriously.
"Um, okay." He says feeling thoroughly confused, but he decided to just agree to anything she said because she's his mate and he was trying to get her to acknowledge the bond.
Also he thought it was better to be her friend than to be ignored.