[11] Ezra: 'Fuck You, Heart.'-2

Whoa, what the heck is this new shitty turn in events? Estevan and Chance? In no way on earth did I see that one coming! Chance looks dumbfounded, surprising me. He raises his hand, trying to stop Nyah's continuos flurry of words. Finally, when she stopped, he speaks up. "Eh, first of all, there are lots of same-sex couples out there, so please don't assume that just because my Mate is a guy, it might be your brother. Second of all, if an Alpha heir is my Mate, albeit one who was banished, I would know. Third of all, he only couldn't come because he had lots of work to do, and lastly, his name is Alejandro Hernández, not Estevan Pineda." He really does sound genuine. Either the guy's gotten way better at lying than he'd been, or I'd just underestimated him. Then again, he'd hidden his identity for years behind the mask of a bully. He's better at lying than I give him credit for. One eyebrow slants up, and Nyah is smirking fully now as if she's thoroughly amused, "I don't know what you think of me, Alpha, but I'm not dumb enough to make an accusation like that just because you're gay, too. I know my brother's scent and I know that that's what's on you. And if you're so sure that he's not my brother, why don't you show me a picture of your man?" "I have to agree with Nyah on that," I pipe up in support, nodding. "She can't have mistook her own brother's scent. She'd been living with him all her life." "She must've anyway, because there's no other explanation for this. I can prove it to you guys." Chance pulls his phone out and swipes through his gallery before pulling an image up, "Here you go." Nyah snatches the phone from his hand with a simper that suggests she's sure of what she is going to be shown. I step closer, curiosity getting the better of me. There's a dark-haired guy standing beside Chance in it and the two of them are sporting huge grins as they look at the camera, but he definitely doesn't look like an older version of the Estevan I remember. Shit. On first glance at the picture, the leer slips of my Mate's face, replaced by a disbelieving look, which then morphs into a scowl. "This is not your Mate. Look at you, you guys are standing so far apart it's so clear that you're bros. There's no chemistry, whatsoever." Nyah glowers, throwing the device back at Chance, who catches it easily. I don't know what to believe now, so I stay silent. "Yes, he is." Chance glares, looking a bit annoyed, "I was in the closet back then. So we didn't want to give our secret away." Nyah still looks unconvinced, "You gave your phone to me with the 'Guided Access' mode on. Which means you don't want me to swipe through and see other photos of you and your real Mate, who's my brother." Chance laughs heartily at that, throwing his head back for good measure, "You're accusing me now for using guided access? That's just something many people do while giving their phones to others. It doesn't mean I'm hiding stuff. Just that I like my privacy." He sounds so convincing that I can almost believe his story. The guy is damn talented at this fibbing business. Nyah shakes her head, her glare slightly wavering on her features, too. She's probably also realized that despite knowing the truth, she can't make accusations without backing them up. "Say what you may, Alpha Parker. I have a gut feeling that something fishy is going on here. I will get to the root of it." Chance shrugs carelessly, shoving his phone back into his pocket with a smile, "Sure, Alpha Pineda. You can snoop all you want. I just can't allow you access into my territory any time soon, considering your attitude. Our pack is just recovering from life-threatening injuries to our beloved warriors in the rogue attack last week. I don't want you badgering my people in their vulnerable state." Nyah was silent for a few seconds, understanding the truth in his words that it would be incredibly insensitive of her to pry people in their current state. In the lingering silence between the Alphas, I finally decide to speak up. "I can't believe you didn't call us in your time of need." "Well, uh, you couldn't have arrived fast enough at the last moment, either. I should've done the right thing and apologized a while ago. Then we could've planned in advance and avoided a lot of carnage." Chance mumbles ruefully, looking down in shame. "I thank the Goddess everyday that no lives were lost." "It's alright, man. Just know that we would never turn away anyone in their time of need. We just don't roll that way." I place a palm on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze, "Chin up, cap'n! Just make sure that this never happens again." "The worst thing is, I know." He smiles sadly, meeting my eyes with his sorrowful brown ones, "I know that you guys would never turn me away. I just . . . I just couldn't do it." "Alright. Shit happens for a reason. Take it with a pinch o'salt and move on." I give him another rough tap on his back, "Now you've come to Alpha Seneca's party. So, chill out and have fun." "Thanks, man." Chance grins slightly, taking a step back. "I'm really glad we talked this out." He turns to the two girls, giving them a little salute, "You too, Alpha Nyah. And thanks for the game, Alessia." "Alpha Parker," Nyah calls just as he's about to fade out of earshot. He turns around and walks back a little, looking at her inquisitively. "Yeah?" "Nothing. Tell my brother that I love him. I'm angry enough to kill him, but I still haven't forgotten the promise I made him. I'm glad that he has you." Nyah's smile hurts my heart. "I miss him." Chance looks stricken by her words, too. Still, he shakes his head, slowly taking a few steps back as he walks away in reverse, "I'm tellin' ya, Ms. Pineda. I don't know where your brother is." With that, Chance Parker walks away. "I'm really sorry, but I . . ." Nyah's voice breaks a little, but she maintains her composure like a queen, "I really have to go now." "I understand." I sigh, swallowing the urge to pull her into my arms and comfort her, to just remove all this pain she's feeling, "Let me see you to the door." "No, please." Nyah looks at me with dry red eyes, and every fibre of my being is pushing at me to deny, deny, deny, to just wrap her up and take care of her, "But, Nyah. I-" "Just please. I'll go." She shakes her head, refusing to look at me. "Alright." I nod at Alessia, giving her a silent plea to take care of my Mate, "Drive safe." "Thank you. See you tomorrow." With those words, my Mate walks away with a half-drunk best friend in tow, hurrying out so quickly that she's almost gone in the blink of an eye. "See you, too." I mumble a moment later to the empty space she just was at, wondering if I'd just made a mistake. Maybe I should've forced her to stay here and made sure she's alright. Then, again. She doesn't exactly enjoy my company, either. I'd have just made things worse for her, right? Right. Then why is my heart saying that I should've just said 'fuck it all' and tied her up to my bed until she feels better? Fuck you, heart. ~ * ~ Question: Is Chance lying or not? Is Estevan acting as Alejandro and lying so well that even Chance doesn't know? Or is Chance's Mate really someone else? DEDICATED TO @coeurcache !