Hideout

E I G H T E E N

C H A P T E R 

E I G H T E E N 

A D E L A I D E 

Harrison and I stared each other down for a good five minutes. I was his mate? How was that possible? We had touched before and I hadn't felt sparks. Yeah, I had a crush on him. A huge crush. But it was like any school-aged crush. It really meant nothing when it came down to it. Or so I thought...

"That can't be right," I stated lamely. "You... you're with Stella."

"I don't want to talk about Stella. She isn't my true mate. You are."

I glanced up at Leo, who was standing about a foot behind me. Silent. "Is he serious, Leo?"

Leo nodded once. "Unfortunately."

Shaking my head, I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. "No. That doesn't make sense. If we were, surely you would have told me earlier, Harrison."

"I couldn't. Not with my dad being Alpha."

His hand reached for my upper arm, causing me to quickly flinch away from him. The last thing I wanted was him touching me right now. "So you were ashamed of me because of your dad?"

"No! No, Addie. I don't care about all that," he motioned to my face and hand.

I scoffed, feeling the pain rising to the surface. "'All that'? Do you hear yourself?"

Harrison's brows furrowed. "Shit, that isn't what I meant. The birthmarks are the last thing I cared about. But you know my dad. He was crazy and controlling and thought you were weak. He thought you would poison the pack."

"If he would listen to anyone, he would listen to you."

"He wouldn't. I told him as soon as I knew."

I took a voluntary step back, pressing my fingertips to my temples. "How long have you known exactly? And you, Leo? How long have you known?"

Leo spoke up first. "I found out when I asked for your records from Harrison. He told me to keep an eye on you because you're his mate. Which was weird since I already knew he had been mated with Stella." Leo's tone was accusing.

"I have suspected for as long as I could remember, but it was confirmed about six years ago."

Tears pricked at the back of my eyes. More than six years. That meant while Stella and the other kids bullied me, when I was psychologically abused, kicked out of events and classes, locked away, and everything else, he was a silent bystander.

I turned to Leo, biting my lip fiercely. "I need some air."

He nodded, gently grasping my elbow. Harrison, once again, tried to touch me but I avoided his touch. "Do not touch me right now."

"I'm your mate," Harrison insisted.

"No, you aren't. You're Stella's mate."

He sighed. "Not by choice. By obligation."

Leo held a hand up to him, to quiet him while we made the trek to the front of the building, where we still had privacy but also fresh air. I sat on the steps of the house, thinking hard for a few minutes.

Harrison knelt in front of me. "I always planned to bring you back here and tell you the truth, sweetheart."

"Was Stella part of the plan too?"