Chapter 78 Pair up
>>Amara
I immediately noticed how pale Nico was when I was walking towards the forest entrance. He had his eyes on someone and I had to follow his gaze to see who it was.
My eyes landed on Asher. He was even paler than Nico was. No, he looked sick yet there were people coming to talk to him.
I looked back at Nico
Is he worried about him? Or is he mad? Or is it something else? I began to walk over to ask him about it when another person caught my attention from the corner of my eye.
Killian.
He was surrounded by a group of eager individuals vying for his attention, their smiles and hopeful glances directed at him, stirred a knot deep within me.
...
Wait, I looked away
What!?!? What's this feeling? I stopped and looked at the crowd again.
Watching as others confidently approached him, I realized he was surrounded by other people who were asking him to pair up with him, their laughter and camaraderie only intensifying the weird feeling in my chest. It left me feeling as though I was on the outside looking in.
I guess, it reminded me again of how different we both were. Here I was worrying about who I could pair up with to complete the task while there he is, surrounded by people from my department, who wanted to be his partner.
A sense of inadequacy gnawed at me, that I couldn't measure up to the allure of those who sought his companionship. And I can't even lie in this situation. I even felt jealous.
That's when he noticed me and my heart skipped a beat.
I felt nervous, will he come over to me?
I watched as Killain excused himself and then started to walk towards me.
My wolf cooed at his action
YES!
My heart started to pound because I knew he must want to pair up but I wasn't sure what to do. It's not like I had any other option but him but wouldn't pairing up with him mean getting closer?
Can I even afford that?
As the moment approached, my heart raced with a mix of anticipation and anxiety. My eyes wouldn't leave him but right when he started to get closer to me, another girl appeared, sidling up to him with an ease that made my heart sink. She clung onto him, wrapping her arms around his, her presence almost possessive. Tina went ahead and took the opportunity before it could even come to me
"Killian!" He paused at the surprise attack, "Pair up with me!!"
My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. A wave of emotions surged through me, each one sharper than the last. Disappointment, envy, and a gnawing feeling of being overlooked all collided within me, forming a bitter concoction that was hard to swallow.
My heart trembled as I watched them from the sidelines look at each other.
He's my pair. He should reject her and come to me
I wanted to say something to Tina but I couldn't. I literally couldn't, I have no voice. So all I could do was keep watching her. I had a feeling he would reject her, he was coming my way anyway. It was to talk to me and ask me to be his pair, right? Why else would he walk my way?
"Alright," Killian smiled at her, and my heart clenched in horror and disappointment., "I'll pair up with you." My eyes went wide in disbelief
What? My brain stopped working while my wolf screamed
NO!!!!
My heart shattered as I kept my eyes on the pair.
He accepted her??
I wanted to say something. I tried to hide my emotions, to mask the hurt that was threatening to spill over but I had no idea it would damage me that much. I mean he didn't even make it to me so why do I feel like this? I feel as if I had been cheated on.
But as they walked away together, my façade crumbled, and I was left feeling a profound sense of letdown. It was a pang of rejection, a feeling of not being chosen, that etched itself into my heart.
Watching them go, I battled a storm of conflicting thoughts. Should I have made my feelings more apparent? I wrestled with my emotions, trying to reconcile my desires with the stark reality before me. It was a painful lesson in unmet expectations,
I know I wanted to stay away from him. I know I started this, I know I told him we can't be together. I know!!!
But
I wanted him to choose me...
As they walked back to the crowd, a sense of solitude settled upon me. I was left with a bittersweet mix of emotions—disappointment over a missed opportunity, a tinge of envy for Tina who had taken my place
But I know this is wrong of me. I have no right to feel that way when I started this...I pursed my lips and turned away.
My heart felt too heavy to go and ask another person to be my pair, and along with that, I also knew no one would want to pair up with me either. I would be nothing more than a nuisance for the hunters...
So, keeping that in mind, I tightened my grip on the straps of my shoulder bags and walked into the forest.
>>Nico
Just like how many people wanted to be Killain's partner, there were a number of people that approached Asher to be their partner.
That's a different story that he kept telling everyone he might just drop out since he felt sick. And the way his face looked made everyone simply back off. But I had a feeling. A gut feeling, that he had no intention of backing out.
He would never have come here otherwise. He shouldn't be able to, I don't know how he did it, but he's determined alright. I glanced back at Amara for a moment and saw Killian approaching her.
I should let them do their thing while I talk to Asher and I walked up to him
Asher smiled when he noticed me, "Aren't you going to ask me to be your pair?"
"No," I replied coldly as I paused in front of him for a moment, folding my arms.
"Why not?"
"Because you certainly don't look like you're in the condition to go anywhere." I shook my head at him, "I guess you drank a bit too much at the party yesterday." I stepped back, "Go back and sleep it off." And turned around to leave.
"Hey..." He wanted to say something but I refused to listen.
My wolf cursed at me. She was mad that we were leaving our mate in such a bad condition. She was already angry at the fact that I drugged him and now I wasn't even owning up to what I did.
But why would I do that? If I were willing to take responsibility for that, I would never have done it in the first place.
No matter how strong Asher is, even an Alpha werewolf is bound to lose at some point. He's ingested a strong drug. When he sees he won't be able to win at all, he'll drop out on his own.
And so, I walked away to talk to another hunter.