Chapter Nine: Choosing Her

Chapter Nine

Vaelora's POV

My breath catches in my throat as I stumble on a big rock in front of me that I didn't notice was there.

I hear the crack of bone and hiss, the sting pushing through the entirety of my legs as I push myself off the floor. Without daring to look back, I pick up the pace and race forward, slower this time.

A loud bang shakes the whole forest but I don't stop, wiping furiously at the tears that's spilling from my eyes.

It growls again and I cuss under my breath, ignoring Blair who's niggling at me to shift. It won't do any good for me to wait and shift while this big, black guy is chasing me with full force.

He'd kill me with just one swipe to the neck.

Another loud bang reverberates through the forest again and I halt, the wind suddenly so heavy that my feet begin to drag me backwards. Fear grips me and I glance back to see it staring at me with its eyes glowing red but I notice something.

Those eyes…. They look familiar, like I've seen them before.

Silver specks. Hazel. Deep.

An emotion I can place my hands on. Love? Longing? Hatred?

A sharp pain attacks my arm and I glance at it briefly before being knocked down to the floor by an unknown weight.

“Goodness Vae. Are you okay?” Maya's slim face comes in view but I'm in too much discomfort to understand why she's suddenly in my room.

I hold on tight to my chest, squeezing my face in pain as I gesture for her to grab me a water.

She nods, hurrying off to the table to grab a half bottle of water sitting on it.

My hand clasps over the bottle as soon as she hands it over to me and I gulp the entire content down, throwing the bottle away and exhaling loudly, closing my eyes for another brief second.

“Hey, are you alright?” She asks in a whisper, her fingers lightly brushing my arm.

I nod, unable to make coherent sentences since my throat is still a big clogged.

“You seemed like you were in a lot of pain, Vae. I don't think you're telling the truth.”

“I'm fine.” I finally respond, irritation evident in my voice.

“You say that but you and I know you're lying. I mean, I've been knocking at your door for a while. I had to fucking use the spare you gave to me!”

I raise my head up to look at her. “ What if I was naked?”

She shakes her head, clearly not interested in my jokes. “Just stop it, Vaelora. I came here because I needed to know if you were alright after what happened last night since you were picking up your phone, only for me to see you jerking in your sleep.”

Running my fingers through my hair, I flash her a weary smile and swallow hard before placing my hand on hers.

“I'm so sorry for scaring you, Maya. Yes, I had a bad dream but it's nothing you need to worry about. Really.”

She doesn't move, staring straight into my eyes without a word.

I sigh and let go of her arm, leaning my head back against the headboard. “I promise. It's just one of those nightmares you have when you sleep too much.”

“I've never heard of that before.” She counters with a glare and a snicker leaves my lips.

“Maybe that's not true, but seriously, I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me.”

“Vae-”

I raise a hand up to my chest. “I promise, I'm alright. Now tell me, why are you here so..” My eyes dart to the bedside table for my phone and I frown, noticing its absence.

She pulls it from her thighs and shoves it into my chest.

“Thank you.” I say, taking it from her and scrolling through the numerous notifications.

My eyes widen as I see it. 30 missed calls from Maya.

Embarrassed, I look up at her and blow her a kiss but she dodges it and I laugh.

“Michael's not home.” She informs me.

“I know. It happens and any moment from now, he'll -”

“Lora!” A familiar voice yells from downstairs and my shoulders slack in disappointment.

“...be home.” I complete my sentence with a sigh and Maya chuckles, shaking her head at me.

“It's not funny, Maya.”

“No, it's not. It's fucking hilarious!”

Her laughter fills the air as I stand from the bed and walk to the door,twisting it open and locking it behind me before heading downstairs.

“You're home.” I acknowledge dryly, not meeting his gaze.

“Ah, there you are.” The unpleasant smell of alcohol wafts into my nostrils and I gag inwardly, swallowing hard.

He's drunk. Again.

“How was your party? Your girl- what's her name? She told me you were going out with her.”

I don't respond, staring at him with annoyance flowing through my veins. There's a ketchup stain on the back of his shirt and a little tear on the middle of his pants.

I look away, pinching my forehead in frustration.

“Why are you standing there like a log of wood? Cat caught your tongue or are you just being the stupid hag that you are?” He snaps, his lips twisting with disgust.

“Maya. And yes, it was fine. Do you need me to do anything for you, Micheal?”

He places his thumb on his chin and thinks for a second before shaking his head and collapsing into the chair.

“I just wanted to know that you came back home but if you didn't, I wouldn't care. You should be out of my house anyway but I'm only honoring your mother. My love..” He drones on as I head back upstairs, pain stinging at my chest at the mention of my mom.

I hate him. So much.

I wipe the corner of my eyes before twisting the doorknob and heading back inside my room with a fake smile plastered on my lips.

It doesn't reach my eyes.

“He wanted to know if I was home.” I say as I plop down on the bed besides Maya.

She nods, fixating on me.

“What?” I ask with raised brows, uncomfortable with her intense stare.

“What happened last night?” She asks.

My heart races at the question and I look away, the room suddenly cold with tension.

“You just stood up in the middle of the party and ran off, only to come back with your dress torn, bruises and dirts all over you. And please don't tell me that nothing happened, Vaelora.” She continues, her voice stern with warning.

“I just went for a run. Blair was howling at me to go for a run and I did. As for my dress, I told you that I wanted to shift. I, uh, well, it was almost a full shift so uhm, that's why it was torn and then did I tell you that I brought up this injured guy I saw in the woods? Said his name is Ulric and the chief warrior of the pack.” I say, trying to redirect her focus.

“I saw you. I knew everything that happened when you ran into the woods but that's not what I'm asking about, Vaelora.”

Blood rushes through my heart and it pounds against my chest, anxiety sizzling up my spine.

“You were crying.” She begins. “Before you left that party for a run, I saw a tear slip from your eyes when Zarek chose that lady as his Luna. I saw how your shoulders sagged and how your hands were shaky when you grabbed your drink.”

I bite down on my bottom lips as I think of it, disappointment hitting me hard in the balls.

So much for being mysterious, Vaelora.

“Did you like him that much?”

No words leave my mouth. My mind is reeling from too many emotions. If she could see through my pain at the party even when I tried so much to hide it from her, what other things has she seen that I'm not aware of?

“Vaelora? Did you- you like him?” She questions again, lifting my chin up with her index finger to meet her eyes.

I wipe at the corner of my eye. “Yes, but that's not why.”

“Well, I don't know what other reason is there. I mean, you should have told me. I know he's hot and oh so dreamy but I mean, that shouldn't be making you cry. I told you I wanted him to be my mate and I didn't even cry about it.” She explains, letting go of my chin.

“Maya, it's not because I like him. There's another reason why I had to leave there at that moment. If I didn't, you probably would have been too embarrassed to ever think of our friendship again.”

Her brows furrow. “What do you mean?”

“He-” I pause, biting down on my bottom lip.

“Vaelora?”

I inhale sharply before looking back at her. “He's my mate, Maya.”

I watch as her eyes slowly widen in shock.

“No.”

“And he chose another over me.” I finalize with a sad sigh.