13

Somehow I didn’t get lost. It was mainly because Tyler refused to return on his own and insisted on walking home under the rainw ith me. 

Not until I got to the gate of our estate did he turn around to leave. He had changed into his shoes after getting me  a pair of canvas at the store. Despite my stubbornes he made me wear it by threatening to carry me.

And as much as I’d fantasized about the princess carry, I didn’t trust y weight to not ruin it. 

I pushed the door into the house, soaked as a rat under the rain. 

Christine and her mom were in the living room, but neither of them acted like they knew me and I was going to dothe same; ignore them despite teh fact that I shivered and sneezed every two steps I took..

Until they started talking about my mate!

“He was so nice to me mom. He said,’take care’ when I pretended to stumble.”

“My daughter!” Her mom gasped, “Alpha Cain is in love with you!” She said withs o much conviction I stumbled. IN my bid to steady myself before the fall, I wiped the lamped to the ground. 

It shattered witha  loud soun followed by thunder and then my stepmother’s scolding. 

“Were you born as a misfortune?!” She screamed as she walked up to me. Her presence brought about a greater fear as I took eceeding steps.

“No… I’m Sorry.” i SAID AS christine bent to pick the broken pieces.

“Mom, it’s really broken,” she said and a crisp slap landed on my face.

It stung, and despite the harsh cold, my face got hot on the spot that her fngers landed. 

Silent tears fell, but I refused to cry in front of them.

“I’m sorry, I dind’t mean to,” I took anothr st backwards, only to step on a broken shard.

“That thing cost me a fortune to buy.” she said even though it was my dad who had gotten it for her.

“AGGh,” I cried out as i BENt to a squat to pick out the glass in my feet. 

Even so, the pain remained. The only form of comfort i got was from Christine, and she did so by rubbing more salt on my wound.

“That’s Karma for you. That should take two weeks to heal, since you don’t have a wolf,” she said an dher mom glared at me.

“Clean this place up and don’t even think about coming donw for dinner,”s he said and I knew better than to talk in my defense.

So I sniffled, cleaned up and went to my room. 

IN there, I cleaned up my wound, but it cntinued to bleed. The pain was unbearable after doing all of the first aid I learnt to administer, leaving me to my last resort, sleep.

UI was tired and hungry, but I had no one to cry to. 

I tould at least recover some energy for tomorrow.

“Knock knock,” I got a knock on the door, “mom called you to eat. It’s tiem for dinner,” she said.

“I’m not hungry,” I groaned from where I lay tired on the bed.

“You need to eat, or do you want all our food to go to waste?”

“Go away,I said, I’m not hungry!” I shouted and she started to bang on the door until I eventually followed her down. Because apparently, the obly other option I had was to let her bring it down. Then, I would have to sleep in the cold. 

The next day at school during lunch break, Terri invited me to eat lunch at his table. 

“Really?” i gasped with a huge grin plastered on my face, “are you planning on announing that I’m your mate?” I asked, my arms speread, ready to hug him whne he stepped back, his hand stretched to put distance between us. 

“Just cponsider ita s an apology for yesterday. But don’t ever mention tahtw e are mates,” his tone was stern. 

“An apology?” I chuckled as I remembered the misfortunes that follwed what happened.

“Yes.’

“I don’t even know why you did it! You could have at least spoken to your brothers or something, but all I get is sitting on yoyr table… As what?”

“A classmate of course. Isn’t that what we are?” Terri was changing, becoming more distant everyday and it felt like the more I tried to hold unto that version of him, the more distant he got. 

“After three years of being together in secret and fially being blessed to be mate, that’s all I get?” I hated how stuffy my nosehad gotten, because I knew without a doubt that I was at the verge of cryings and he hated to see me cry.

“Look, I would hae told the world about us if it was just you and me but what am I supposed to do now that you are mated to my brother’s too.” He threw his hands and puffed out air in anger as he took a few steps away from me thenback to em. 

“That’s the most I can do foryou ad you can only complain” he brushed his hair backa nd ler ut another exhale.

“Terri… You didn’t even apologize, how is seating on the table supposed to fix ity. There’s joyce too and…”

“Then you don’t have to come… Conrtine to seat alone at your loner corner isince you love it so muc!” He barked at me, ltting out all of his grievances , forcing me to suppress mine. 

“I…” I paused, having no choice but to suppress mine. And thanks to his spits flying all around, my fae had gotten wet.

“I’m leaving. The chpiceis yours,” he said and walked out of the abandoned restroom he had dragged me into.

“Terri!” I called out after him but he was no where to be found. 

“With a d=sigh, I sat on the rested my back on the sink and made my decision. 

This was progrss on our relationship. And I needed to put my pride aside for it to work. 

I adjusted my look in the mirror and and put on a ewild smile.

Thjanks to the pill ,my stepmom had given me yesterday, my leg had healed, but it still stung if I applied too much pressure on it.. And fair enough, my weight was pressure enough

Christine wasn’t lying when she said so.