MATE AND HIS LOVER 5

6. Moved on

With no security checking I walk past the guards into the main office building. It's an old mansion. This is where the Alpha and Beta of our pack are most of the time.

Everyone here knows I'm the Beta's daughter so I'm always let in without any security clearance.

"What are you doing here?" I hear Rick's voice from my side when I'm about to climb the stairs.

He's with Cole and the other guys.

"I want the key to the shed in our second home from dad," I say.

"He's in a meeting. The key is in his office."

I climb up the stairs and walk to my left. That's where the Alpha and Beta's offices are.

I know where dad keeps the keys. I enter his room and open the last drawer to the right of his desk and take out a rusted key.

When I leave the room I notice the door to the Alpha's office is slightly open.

Curiosity strikes me. I've been to this building only a few times before. Each time this place feels like a mystery to me.

I slowly walk to the Alpha's office while looking around for anyone who might catch me in the act. I push open the door a little more and slide in.

The Alpha's office looks a lot like my dad's office. There are old books on the shelves. Lots of big leather chairs around the room. An ambient yellow glow from the table lamps.

I see the desk covered in maps. Tilting my head I try to read them but fail to. Then I see the edges of what seems to be photos underneath all those maps.

I press my finger over one of the photo edges to pull it out.

"Daisy," Cole's voice calls me from behind.

I retreat my hand quickly and turn around.

"Got the key?" he asks.

I nod. He moves to the side of the door, making room for me to leave. After I leave his dad's office Cole shuts the door and follows me. "How's the renovation coming along?" he says.

He's not going to reprimand me? "It's coming along slowly."

"You should get some help."

"How about you send me the ones you promised before," I tell him while climbing down the stairs. I hear his small laugh.

"How about tomorrow?" Cole says.

"Tomorrow is perfect."

We reach the ground floor. "Tomorrow you'll have the guys then," Cole says and starts to walk away from me.

"Cole," I call out to him.

He stops and turns back. "What?"

I should've figured out why I was calling him before doing it. "I— I—" I drag, trying to think up a reason.

I look at the floor for an answer. A different perspective can help, I've heard people say.

But instead of me, Cole speaks. "I'm leaving after graduation. We had a good time and that was all it was. I never had any intention to become your permanent mate in the future. You should forget about what happened between us and move on," he says.

My breathing stops when I look at Cole as he repeated, word to word, what I told him when we last saw each other before our high school graduation.

"Isn't that what you told me?" he continues, "As you can see, I've moved on. So what is it that you want to tell me now? Why do you keep stopping me from leaving, Daisy?"

I open my mouth but words hardly come out. "Cole... I—"

"You what?" he asks, stepping towards me, "What do you want from me now?"

I look at his eyes. They look betrayed.

"Daisy," my brother calls me from behind. "Got the key?"

"Y-Yeah," I say and turn around and leave the building as quick as I can.