Property Of Xander King [BXB]

Chapter Five | Mate-Ship

Oh my Goddess, I'm so surprised.

"I didn't reject him, Xander would fucking kill me if I rejected his brother but I'm not going to be with him..." Aiden thinks for a second. "I don't want to stop doing what I want to do and sleeping with who I want to sleep with. It's been two years since we found out that we're mates and Eros has accepted it, I think."

Aiden didn't even sound sure of it himself. There was a confliction of emotions swirling and doing a little dance within those green eyes of his that gave away just how messed up he was inside regarding his desire to do as he wanted but the brewing desire to be with his mate made everything inside of him hazy and unclear.

When I didn't respond fast enough for him — only a minute or two had passed — Aiden spoke again. "I just don't think that it's fair. The mate bond is bullshit. I want to live my life enjoying myself and doing what I want to do without being tied down to someone. Plus, he's a guy."

I nod my head in understanding. "I feel that."

"No way, you do?" Gnashton remarked sarcastically. "You ran away from your mate like a little bitch."

I narrow my eyes at him, annoyed but refuse to feed into his constant taunting. He really knew how to get under my skin and if it was anyone else, I would've went off but because it's Gnashton I resolve — sometimes — to simply ignore him and his antics.

I look at Xavier who is just silently listening to the conversation. "What about you? Did you basically reject your mate too?"

"I didn't 'reject' my mate." Said Xavier.

I shift in my seat. "Who is it?"

"My mate is..." Xavier hesitates.

"My brother." Aiden finishes Xavier's sentence impatiently.

I am officially more shocked than I was hearing that Eros and Aiden are mates.

"Easton?" I ask for confirmation. "Easton Stone?"

Xavier nods. "Easton Stone."

I shake my head and reiterate once more, "Poor boy."

Xavier rolls his eyes. Aiden snickers, thrilled that it's someone else that I'm attacking and not him — I could've ended his whole career but I'll allow him to laugh for now.

"The Moon Goddess has really been off her game." I laugh to myself.

Another pillow is launched at my head except this time it's light grey and is coming from an annoyed Xavier. Again, I easily dodge it and it lands somewhere. Where? I have no clue, I didn't bother to check.

"Unlike Aiden," Xavier gives Aiden a look that Aiden responds to with the roll of his eyes, "I...I want to be with my mate."

"Then why aren't you guys together?" I ask him with a perplexed expression. "Don't tell me that Aiden isn't allowing you guys to be together. Poor Romeo and Juliet!" I cry out.

"Jaylin, shut the fuck up." Aiden demands angrily.

"I wish. If it was that, at least the feelings between my mate and I would be mutual...and also, Aiden's words and actions don't mean shit so I wish he'd try to stop me from being with Easton." Xavier retorts. Aidens anger automatically transfers onto Xavier as he scowls at him. I can tell that it was taking everything in Aiden to not strangle Xavier who continued to speak. "Easton doesn't want to be with me. I'm guessing that he's just scared to be with me and probably doesn't believe that I'm serious about him so he'd rather just not try."

"Is that what he said?" I ask.

"That's what Kaylee and Hazel said as Easton's spokesperson because I can't even fucking talk to him without him literally running away from me." Xavier runs a hand through his hair in frustration.

"I can see why he'd be scared." I didn't mean to say what I thought out loud but it turned out that way.

"I would never hurt him." Xavier said in all seriousness.

I looked at him for a good second or two, my eyes remaining connected with his own and it was almost frightening how dead serious he was.

"...I believe it." I replied.

Xavier looked like he was taken aback for a good minute.

"You do? Everyone laughs in my face whenever I say that I'm serious." He pouts.

"Yeah, I do. Unlike someone who sleeps with anything that has a pulse, you're more sincere." I smile at him and it's immediately reciprocated.

"I do not sleep with anything that has a pulse." The irritation in Aiden's tone is hilarious as he vehemently denies the claim.

The fact that he registered that I was referring to him is enough proof for me that I'm absolutely right and it was also evident to everyone else as all of our eyes, Gnashton's included, turn onto Aiden with full disbelief.

"The entire female population of our school says otherwise." Gnashton said, finding it beyond humorous how annoyed the caramel skinned boy, who was trying so hard to remain ignorant to the truth of matter, was getting.

"So basically what I'm hearing is that, out of all of us, Gnashton is the only one who is in a successful Mate-ship." I conclude.

"Mate-ship? Don't you mean relationship?" Xavier knits his eyebrows together, confused at the unrecognizable word that has never been put to use before; probably due to the fact that I created it.

"No. Mate-ship." I begin. "Had it not been for our souls being tied to another person from birth, we wouldn't normally be with them. People who we would ordinarily never look twice at, never crave, desire, want, or be attracted to are suddenly consuming our minds but that's solely the influence of the mate bond and nothing else. So you're basically 'in love' and 'dating' someone you would've never been with if not for the fucking mate bond. That's fake. A relationship implies that the two people actually, wholeheartedly and consensually want to be together without any bullshit influence like something you have no choice in. That's real. Therefore — " I give Gnashton a mocking smile and in a hushed tone whisper, "— Mate-ship."

I can tell that what I said really got under his skin from the glare on his face and from the way his right hand clenched and balled up into a fist like he wanted to punch the shit out of me.

"Fuck you." The older man snarled. "Regardless of the mate bond, I would've been with Nicklaus. I would've wanted him, and loved him all the same with or without it."

"Would you or is that just the mate bond speaking?" I arch an eyebrow, disbelieving him entirely.

Before things can escalate any further as I'm sure it would have given Gnashtons nature, Kaylee and Hazel happily skip their way down the stairs — Hazel skipping, Kaylee just following along — and everyone's attention shifts to them.