45

Nel walked down the brick path leading out of the diner, and down the street. She hadn’t planned on going far but she still wanted to walk a small distance just to clear her mind.

Where Nel initially decided to take a walk just to clear her mind, she found that the necklace that Manari returned to her had taken her attention almost completely. It was quite more eye catching than before.

The chain on which it was once attached, used to be a nice silver, but dull in its shine. Now, however, its shimmer was pristine, and the gold accents entwined into the almost rope-like chain made it look even more beautiful. The onyx stone in the middle also was different; its hue was a richer black than before, and the veins that were once hardly -noticeable, were now almost igniting a subtle and yet vibrant blueish purple.

“What did you do to this thing, Nari?” she whispered to herself with an impressed smile on her face.

Nel put on the necklace and immediately felt a cool calm resting against her chest. She knew that it was the necklace at work. The wind that picked up gradually slowed its pace to a nice breeze, and the clouds that began to shroud the sky started to gradually dissipate, allowing the sun to shine through once more.

“Thank you,” She whispered and then kept walking.

“Neliyah?”

When she heard his voice, she knew that trouble would follow. It almost always did where he was concerned.

“Liam!” Nel did not even bother to hide her surprise and dread.

“You look disappointed,” said Liam, his charming smile becoming smaller and unsure.

“I…I’m sorry, I just-I’ve had a lot on my mind the last couple of days.”

“I’m sure.”

Nel could not help but notice the grimace on Liam’s handsome face as he said this. She already knew before he could even confirm that his sudden discontent had much to do with her mate. She did not want to discuss it, though. Needless to say, Nel preferred to stay far away from the subject altogether.

“So, um, how are you?” she asked. In truth, Nel knew very little else to ask him. Nel liked Liam-more than cared to admit, to be honest, and she knew that such feelings could only ever lead to trouble as long as she was mated to Colsin Stone. Still, Nel was also very well aware of how Liam operated now. The young man never seemed to take no for an answer.

“Better, now that I’ve seen you.”

Nel chuckled, blushing as she faced the handsome young lycan standing before her. She was never really good at flirting, and there was no point in acting like she was.

“I know that this must be awkward for you, Nel,” he said to her.

“Awkard? How so?” she asked, though she already knew exactly what he meant.

“You don’t have to play coy with me. I mean, to be honest, I think we’re way past that. Especially, after I confided in you our shared secret.”

As soon as Liam mentioned this, Nel began to shut down. The memory of Colsin’s reaction to the mere notion was enough for her to end the conversation.

“Listen, Liam, I…I just…I can’t do this.” She quickly turned on her heels and walked away.

“Nel, wait! Please! Please!” He went after her and grabbed her arm.

“What?! What is it Liam?” She could tell that he was taken aback by her frustration, and suddenly Nel felt guilty because of it. “I…I’m sorry, it’s…”

“I’m sorry, Nel. I…I did not mean to bother you or cause problems. I just…I thought we had a connection. I thought…well, I thought you liked me and-”

“I do!” Nel quickly reassured him. “I like you Liam. I like you a lot. I just…” she tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but it refused to budge.

“Then what is the problem?”

“You know what the problem is, Liam! I am mated to someone else!”

“Yes! I…” Liam was about to lose his temper but reeled it in. He took a deep breath, and calmed down, not wanting to widened the rift that seemed to already have formed because of Colsin Stone. “I understand, Neliyah, please know that. I just…I guess I had hoped that I could convince you to give me a chance to prove my worth to you.”

“Your worth?” Nel shook her head. “You have nothing to prove to me, Liam,” she sighed. “And…I…I’m sorry, but I just…I can’t help but now…now that I know who you really are, I…and don’t take this the wrong way, but I can’t help but feel like you’re only interested in me now because we are the same.” Nel backed away from him. “How can anything work based on that?”

“You’d be surprised,” he murmured under his breath. It was evident that Nel didn’t like his way of thinking when she rolled her eyes and turned her back on him to keep walking. “Nel, Nel-okay, wait!” he wrapped his hand around her wrist and pulled her back to him. “First of all,” he said. “I am not interested in you just because you are a Lycan.”

As he said this, Colsin couldn’t help but notice how anxious Nel became. She nervously looked around; it seemed as if she was making sure that no one had heard what he said.

For the time being, however, Colsin decided not to address the fact that Nel was conditioned to be ashamed of who she truly was. Instead, he focused on wooing her.

He took a step closer and took her free hand into his. “Neliyah Larken, you are…the sexiest young woman that I have ever met.” His hand lingered lightly against the side of her cheek, pushing a strand of red hair behind her ear. “Physically speaking, you’re perfect,” he chuckled. “Your mind, and your character, however, is alluring as well. The fact that you are…like me, as you so put it, is a plus. A big plus,” he grinned.

Nel was flattered, and it showed by the flush in her cheeks and the sudden abashed demeanor that she displayed. It did not change the facts, however.

“Thank you, Liam.” Her smile dissipated. “but I’m still fated to another. Regardless of how attracted we are to one another, that will not change.”

“What if…what if…what if there was something that could change it all?” Liam suddenly asked.

“Liam,” Nel sighed. “I don’t know how it works on the other side, but…here, one’s mate boosts the power of both the alpha and his mate. Now, whether Colsin chooses to be with me or not, he seems to have made it abundantly clear that he’s not keen on letting me go.”

It was a dreary thought, thinking about it that way. In her terms, Nel didn’t feel as if she had much of a choice in the matter.

“You make it sound so romantic,” her beast said in the deep recesses of her mind. Onyx was as confused and lost as Nel was. The only positive that she thought came out of it was the fact that they at least were finally on the same page.

“You see, I just…I don’t understand that.” Liam backed away from Nel. “You…you are nothing like your mother was…”

Nel could tell that he let this slip. Liam quickly stopped talking after he said this. He shook his head and backed away from Nel even further, cursing under his breath as he did.

“I…that was out of line, Nel. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t-”

“Wa-wa-wait!” She cut him off. For some reason, it never occurred to her to ask Liam about her birth parents. Not until this moment. Did he really know her mother? “You…you knew my mother? My…my birth mother?” When he hesitated, Nel became impatient. “Liam!” she pressed. “Please!” she took his hand, not even thinking about her actions before she did this. She was desperate for answers.

The young Lycan sighed and nodded, giving the confirmation that Nel needed. “Your mother…and your father,” he confessed.

“My-” Nel gasped, tears dangling from her eyes. She was so speechless. With her hand to her mouth, she struggled to ask another question. Her mind was no longer functioning properly; the only thing on her mind now was the fact that she…that there was someone that was connected to a past that she never knew.

“I don’t know what you’ve been told, Nel, but…things…things did not happen the way that you think they did.”

“What…” Nel took a deep breath to unscramble her brain. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“I’m sure, you were told that you were abandoned…as a baby. Found by that woman back that who claims to be your mom.”

Nel knew that Leana was not her biological mother, but she loved as if she was. “Leana Larken, whether by flesh or adoption…is my mother,” she said. Nel was desperate to know about her family, but not enough to throw her mother under the bus. “Tread carefully when talking about her.”

“Alright.” Liam obviously did not like the concept of her defending Leana, but Nel didn’t care. “Can I at least show you something?” he asked.

“Depends on what it is.” At this point, Nel was so offended by the way that he had referred to her mother, that she wasn’t sure that she wanted talk to him anymore.

Liam sensed this. “I’m sorry for how I came at you about your mother, Nel. I didn’t mean to offend. I’m sorry.”

Reluctantly, she accepted but her guard was still up at this point. “I would say it’s okay, but it’s not. I do accept your apology, however. Don’t let it happen again, though.”

He nodded. “It won’t. I swear it. I wouldn’t want to anger you.”

“Now what is it that you want to show me?” she asked. “Although, I still haven’t decided whether I’m going to oblige my curiosity.”

“I want to show you…where you’ve come from. Who you really are.”

“Why can’t you tell me right here, right now?” he asked.

He smiled. “Because you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” He began to walk toward the forest. He paused. “Have I piqued your interest enough yet?”

Nel glanced back in the direction of her mother and Manari, then at Liam, who by this time, disappeared into the forest.

“I’ll be back, mom…Manari,” she whispered. “I promise!” Then she disappeared into the forest after Liam to discover the secrets of her past.