MATE AND HIS LOVER 9

#37 Hello

Veronica finishes drawing the cat-eyes with her black eyeliner and checks the mirror. She looks good, as usual.

She drives to Nate's house, but on the way she sees him with his friends not too far from his place. She pulls over and rolls down her window. "I was just heading to your house."

Nate knows that's the last thing he wants to happen. He immediately says, "You could've just called. No need to come this far."

"Don't be silly, it's not that far."

Nate ignores that comment. "What is it you want to see me about?"

Veronica wants to ask, can't she just drop by and see him whenever she wants? However, she really has come with an agenda today. "I need to talk to you alone. Got some time now?"

Nate sighs. "Let's talk at Harrison's. I'll be right behind you," he says and heads to his car.

Veronica was hoping he would ask her to come to his house, but, this is also fine, she thinks.

At Harrison's, there's not that many customers around. They both order coffee.

Veronica takes a deep breath. "I wanted to wait until after you became our Alpha, but, then, I don't want you to misunderstand that I would be saying all this only because you are the Alpha. That's why I want to tell you now."

"Tell me what?"

"I want us to get back together."

Nate moves back on his seat, troubled by it. "Veronica, lo—"

"I like you," Veronica quickly says. "In fact, I never stopped liking you."

"Veronica, I really can't. I'm sorry."

"It doesn't have to be right away. You can concentrate on your training now. We can start dating after it's all over."

"I can't. I... I don't think of you that way. And you deserve to be with someone who does."

Nate feels bad about turning her down. But he decides he needs to be firm and clear about it to avoid further misunderstandings.

Veronica feels like she wants to cry. But anger takes precedence. "Why not? Am I not good enough for you?" she bitterly asks.

"It's not like that, Veronica. I've never looked down on you."

"Then why? Before, too. And now again. I'm telling you I'm willing to wait."

"It's not about timing, either."

"I don't understand. If it's not me, if it's not the timing, then what? Are you dating now?"

"I'm not," Nate quickly says.

Veronica takes a moment to breathe before saying, "You like someone then?"

"No," Nate quickly says again. But he doesn't realize it looked and sounded like he just lied.

"It's been a while since I've been back," Veronica says. "I haven't seen any girl around you... Except for when you're at home, of course."

Nate is taken aback by Veronica's keen observation. He figures half truth is better than a full lie at the moment. "Yes, I like her," he confesses.

Veronica swallows.

Nate continues, "She doesn't know yet. I've the match to focus on now. But after I win, I will ask her out."

Veronica angrily grabs her purse. "Well, there's still plenty of time between now and then," she says before storming away.

"Veronica!" Nate calls out. He didn't expect that response. He hopes he didn't just make matters worse.

IN HER ROOM, Daisy opens her laptop to check her inbox. The topmost email is from Mont. It reads that he had finally arranged a suitable place for her, and he needs to meet her to get her signature in a few documents and then she could immediately fly away.

Daisy is happy with the progress. She clicks the reply button. An empty draft appears. Before she could start typing, though, her phone rings. She checks the number. It's one of Poppy's burner phone numbers that she had given to Daisy when they last met.

Daisy takes the call.

Poppy says, "I found out what you asked for, and it's not good. Apparently that guy Patrick and Ian are still in touch. They have met up more than a few times over the past couple of months."

Daisy's heart beats faster as she grabs her forehead. The news of the attack on Nate comes to her mind. At the time, because of her anger from seeing Veronica hug Nate, she had let it slip. But now she thinks that attack could have been Ian's doing. "Do you know why they are meeting?" Daisy says.

"I couldn't get the details, but I think it's about Patrick's pack, his title, or something like that," Poppy says.

When Daisy doesn't reply, Poppy speaks again, "Daisy? You there?"

"Y-Yeah, yeah, I'm here. If you find anything more, let me know. But be careful."

"You, too. Stay safe, Daisy."

After the call ends, Daisy rummages through her backpack and pulls out a phone.

It's the phone that's cloned from that of Patrick's, from the time she first saw him in person at the night club he frequently visits.

She used it to find out Patrick was working with Liam to track the Croway rogues. At the time she kept telling herself Ian probably had nothing do with that. Now she regrets she didn't look close enough.

Daisy operates the phone and checks the recent call history. She doesn't recognize any of the numbers, but one of them grabs her attention. A call from it lasted for over a couple of minutes on the day Nate was attacked.

Daisy gets off her bed and looks under. She pulls out one of her old, worn out duffel bags.

It has all of her small gadget supplies that she had collected over time. She digs through them and finds what she was looking for — a burner phone. She takes it out and dials the number she was seeing in Patrick's call history.

First ring finishes. Second one, too. Halfway through the third, the callee takes it — "Hello."

One word is enough for Daisy to know who is on the other side of the line, and be reminded of all those bad memories and fears she was finally beginning to forget.

Daisy quickly ends the call and throws the phone at the wall. It shatters to small plastic pieces. "You, son of a bitch!"

🗳 This batch of bulk updates ends here :D See you soon in the next chapter(s). Don't forget to vote on them :)