Chapter 6
1177 Words
Alpha Ryder showed Blake and Kit to the guest rooms. My new mate had barely looked at me, but left me with a parting order.
"Pack a bag-enough for two weeks. I'll send someone to get the rest of your stuff later this week. We're leaving in the morning."
Mom, Dad, Alex and my brothers stood around me, seemingly unable to say anything, though their mouths opened and closed from time to time. With a sigh, I looked at each of them. "I'm going upstairs to pack. Whoever wants to come and help is welcome." I turned for the stairs, but Justine's snarky tone had me turning on her. "What did you say?"
She was glaring at me openly with jealousy written all over her face. "I said, good riddance."
"A bit sour, are we? What, you're pissed because you didn't catch the biggest fish? At least Belle is trading up," Alex smirked.
"b***h, don't talk to me," Justine snapped.
I'd had enough. "Let me make something very clear," I spoke slowly, taking the few steps to stand in front of her and Jack, "I don't care what either of you think about me anymore. If you're glad I'm leaving, that's just fine with me because the feeling is mutual. If I never have to see either of you again, my life will be infinitely better."
I turned my back on them, with my family following. Mom and Alex followed me to my room while the boys said goodnight, promising to be up and outside to say goodbye. The party was still going downstairs, but I felt totally disconnected from any part of it. The clock on my dresser read nine twenty-six. Had all that really happened in under two hours? It felt as if years had passed from the moment I went downstairs. My entire life was turned on its axis, again, and all I could do was go along for the ride. At least this time, I was the one to make the choice.
Mom and Alex helped me pack. Together, we got it done in just under an hour. Both of them expressed their concerns for me, but I'd made up my mind. I tried to reassure them that leaving was the best choice for me. It didn't make sense for me to stay at White Moon anymore; it would only hurt me. Secretly, something I didn't share with them, was that I knew that even if this second chance mate thing didn't work out, I still wouldn't come back.
As soon as they left, I locked my door and stripped out of my dress. A nice, long, hot shower called me. Two minutes later, I was standing under the stream releasing an exhausted sigh. Jack had always teased me about preferring to shower in the dark, but it was just so much better. There was something incredibly relaxing about turning off one sense and highlighting the others. The water felt extra hot, soaking my bare body and soothing my tense muscles, and the scent of my favourite lavender bodywash was more effective in calming my anxiety.
When I felt as better as I was going to feel, I turned off the water and reached for a towel. The rest of my nightly routine was done hastily. In bed twenty minutes later, the anxiety and stress started to creep back in. I rolled over with a groan.
"Kida?"
"I'm here."
I frowned a little. "You've been quiet since. . . are you okay?"
"Yes."
My frown deepened. "Are you sure?"
"I'm perfectly fine. I've simply been communicating with Fen."
"Fen?"
"My mate."
I blinked, feeling stupid. Of course she would want to know her new mate. I picked at a loose strand on my pillow. "Do you like him?"
Kida hesitated. "How would you like me to answer that?"
"Er, honestly?"
Again she was silent. And then I felt her joy, separate from my own emotions. It poured through me like someone overturning a bucket.
"I do like him. Very much. He is very kind, and he cares about us already."
"Really?" The loose strand was getting longer. "Does he. . . also. . . care about Cassie?"
"He had learned to care about her, believing Kit would take her as his chosen mate. But now that he has us, it is only us. He won't let Kit betray us."
The jackhammering of my heart evened out a bit. "He told you that?"
"Yes. He was very forthcoming with me."
That was something, at least. But not for a second did I believe that this Cassie woman would take the news well. It also made me wonder - if Kit and her were that close, close enough that the packs outside of Fire Lake knew of her, why wasn't she with him tonight? This line of thinking set off a hundred threads all centered around her. I closed my eyes, doing my best to block it out, to no avail. I wondered about everything from what she looked like to how good she was in bed. I tossed and turned forever before I finally figured out what the problem was. It wasn't so much obsessing about Kit's love life. It was that Kit wasn't here.
I could tell she was trying to tone it down, but my wolf wanted her mate. Wanted to mate with her mate. The fact that we were in separate bedrooms didn't feel right. Unbidden came the memory of when Jack and I discovered we were mates. We'd snuck out of my birthday party only ten minutes later to come to my room where we'd stayed the rest of the night and most of the next day. Looking back, it was a miracle I'd had such self-control in the lobby. Shouldn't I have wanted to jump him right there and then? Why hadn't I had that uncontrollable urge? I was beginning to worry that maybe second chance mates didn't have the type of bond that first mates had.
"That's not it," Kida said. "That urge you felt with Jack doesn't come from our human side. It comes from our wolf side. You were afraid and already unsure. I didn't want to make you do something you didn't want."
"Wait. You suppressed your natural instincts so that I could make a choice for both of us?"
"Yes."
"Why?! Kida that's-"
"I did it for myself, too. You weren't the only one who was overwhelmed. And, as much as I hate to admit it, you are the more logical creature of the two of us."
I didn't know what to say to her, so I settled for, "thank you."
We were quiet for a while after that. The next time I looked at the clock it read after three in the morning. I wondered if my mate was having as hard a time as I was trying to sleep. Kida didn't say a thing, but I felt a faint smugness from her and I hoped she wasn't teasing Kit's wolf too much.
- Writer
