I run into the night, into the woods, trying to get the mocking laughter out of my head.Trying to get Troy out of my head.Trying to get my rage at Heather out of my head.It was the most humiliating night of my life.I don’t know how I can ever face any of them anymore.I don’t know how I can live anymore.What should I do now? Where should I go?I run and run, branches scratching me, as I try to think.My breathing is heavy. My chest is pounding. My heart is racing.I don’t know what to do.I don’t want to go home.I don’t want to go back to school.I don’t want to talk to anyone.I’m so angry.I’m so hurt.I’m so sad.I’m so confused.I collapse in a pile of leaves, alone in the woods, crying.I wonder about Troy.Will he hate me now? Will he love Heather?Will he be angry at her for what she did to me?Or will he fall for her again?I hate Heather so much for this. I’m never going to have him and I can’t stand it. I throw up again. I’m so sick and weak, and
TROY’S POVI wake up with a bad hangover in Heather’s house. On a couch. Alone. Then I remember the party last night.“Hi handsome,” a voice says, stirring up more bad memories.I look over to see Heather, awakening a deep fury within me.“Why did you embarrass Kierra like that?” I ask.“I didn’t do it on purpose,” she says. “It’s not my fault she can’t handle her alcohol. She was drinking what everyone else had. We all were fine with it.”“I know you well enough to know when you’re lying,” I say. “So just stop. Tell me the truth for once.”She frowns.“She humiliated me,” Heather says. “I had to get back at her. It’s really your fault for falling for her while you’re with me.”And there it is: Heather’s bs.“Who I fall for is not your choice to make,” I say.“Yes, it is,” she says. “You decided that when we started dating. You chose wrong, so now I’m choosing for you.” I look at her, this girl who's been my best friend for years. Has she ever changed? I don't think so.
“Where are we going?” I ask, as we zoom away from the warehouse on Kole’s motorcycle.“It’s a surprise,” he says. There’s a playful edge to his voice that I adore. Normally I’d be frightened to be on a motorcycle with a stranger, unaware of where we were going. It’s everything I was warned about while growing up.There’s something different about him though. That has been clear since when we first met. He’s not just any stranger. His soul knows my soul and I know I’m safe as long as we’re together.“Everything about you has been a surprise,” I say.“A good one I hope,” he replies.“Amazing.”It feels amazing to have my arms wrapped around him like this. It feels amazing to be with him, free to do anything we please. All I want to do is be with him.Last night was wonderful enough. We spent the night in the warehouse which he said would be safe, one of his hideaway places. We curled up in blankets. I curled around his body.I imagine today will be even better since we ha
KOLE’S POV“I can’t do this,” she repeats. I regret leaning in for that kiss now, but it felt like she was leaning in for it too. I guess I need to take things slower with her. To be fair, I have pushed pretty hard. I’ve probably been a little too honest and straightforward. It’s hard to hold back when I feel so strongly about her.I’ve really tried to grasp onto our connection and make her see it. I feel like it’s too obvious for her not to see it. So, I figured she must be moving at the same pace as me regarding how she feels about all of this. But that’s also putting a lot of pressure on her, I see that now. We haven’t known each other for long and I came right out of the gate with talking about our strong connection.I still believe in that. I know we have a strong connection. I can feel it with each touch, each word. I know we are mates. We are meant to be together.But maybe I need to pull back a little and give her more time to get used to that.“We don’t have to
The sound of Kole’s howl reaches me, even though I know he’s far away by now. My soul can hear him even louder than my ears can.Does that mean he’s my mate?To be fair, there are a few things that have made me consider the Kole might be my mate.We have had this crazy connection since the moment we met. Being with him feels different than being with anyone else in the best way possible.I feel this strong pull towards him. It feels like I’ve known him forever, even though we just met.They’re all the kinds of signs I thought I might feel when I met my mate.Then again, I thought I already met my mate in Troy.Troy stirs up these strange feelings inside me too, though they’re not nearly as strong as the way I feel about Kole. Being near Troy feels amazing. And it was starting to seem like he felt the same way.Heather surely thought he felt the same way. That’s why she’s been so jealous of me lately.So, who is my mate? Am I running away from the wrong person?I’m not sure
For the second time in one day, I’m running away from someone I thought was my mate.This isn’t a normal thing for anyone. But nothing about my life has been normal, especially not lately. And this time, I’ve got it right.Or at least I think I have it right. It’s difficult to know for sure with everything that’s happened. It’s hard to pick out the truth among the trauma. And I constantly second guess myself.But when I look past my fears, I realize that Kole is my mate. I’ve known that since we first met. That’s why he scares me. Because since he’s my mate, he can hurt me worse than anyone else ever could. Rejection from Kole would be more than I can bear, which makes this all so much worse. Because I rejected him.I rejected him because I’m scared, but he doesn’t know that. I have to tell him that, even though I fear he won’t forgive me. I have to tell him and try to make things right. I have to face my fears if we are going to have a chance at making things work between us
“What are you doing here?” I ask Heather, as I step back, wanting to put as much space between us as possible without triggering her.“We’re here to see you,” Heather smiles a nasty smile that only illuminates her horrible intentions. “You ran off after the party, and then Troy made that declaration of love for you. That can’t go unpunished.“I told you to stay away from him, but you didn’t listen. You completely ruined my birthday party.”“I didn’t mean to,” I say. I want to say a lot of horrible things to her, but there’s three of them against me and the odds aren’t in my favor.“And I told Troy I don’t want to be with him,” I continue. “So, you don’t have reason to be angry at me now. I’m not your competition.“Troy’s all yours. He’s not my mate. Now, I’m just trying to find my true mate.”“You think I want your leftovers?” Heather asks, her voice pitched in jealousy. “I wanted Troy to choose me. I didn’t want you involved at all. I had him all to myself. I never had to questi
“We’ll see about that,” Heather scoffs. “I wouldn’t trust her at all.”She finally leaves though, leaving me and Kole to be together away from all their petty judgements and lies. “I’m sorry,” I say again. “I really am sorry. I truly do love you, Kole.”“I love you too,” he says, nuzzling against me. “But if you do love me, then why did you run away from me? Why did you tell me that you didn’t love me?”“Because I was scared,” I admit. I want to look away from him to hide my shame and embarrassment, but I know that’s not a proper apology and he deserves a proper apology. So, I make myself face him instead. If he rejects me, then that’s something I have to accept. I need to at least try after what I did last time.“I was completely alone after my whole pack was killed,” I explain. “It was devastating. I loved them all so much, and to build those connections and lose them…”I pause as I look at him. “Well, you know how horrible that is,” I say. “You know what that’s like.”“I