The Faults in Us (completed)

9~ Explosion

'What happened then?' I asked. Ena's fists clenched. 

'I don't know,' she said. 

'Huh?'

'The mist was too thick. I tried to find Sera but when I sensed some wolves prowling around, I left. She is more than capable of taking care of herself. The reason I was so worn out when I came here was because some wolves started chasing me. I fended them off, but to get to New Orleans I had to perform a teleportation spell.'

I nodded in understanding. 'That takes a lot out of you,' she said. Ena nodded. 

'But my presence slowly fades away. The wolves thought I was completely gone, and I heard one of the warriors say, "We'll head to New Orleans, then." That's how I knew they were coming.' 

'But...' Ren frowned. 'How'd they get here so fast? They're a few hundred miles away and your teleportation spell takes a few minutes.'

'That's what I'm wondering too,' Ena said, 'and how did they know our location in the first place?'

I shrugged. 'I don't know,' I said. The words rolled off my tongue almost like a reflex. I knew it was a lie, a bitter one. But Ena could never know about it. That night, six months ago...

'Ren,' Ena said, 'there's something you're not telling me.'

Fear built up in my chest. Did she figure out I was lying?

'What?' I asked. 

'You've been acting different since last night. Ever since I passed out. You seem... guarded.' 

I sighed. 'Well, maybe because of the fact that... I think...' I paused. Ena gestured eagerly for me to go on, I grit my teeth. She needed to know. 

'Kendrick and I... are... mates.' I spat.

There was a moment of silence. I looked at Ena. She hadn't moved, her hand still set in an encouraging gesture. I stared at her with my wolf peeking through. My wolf had finally calmed down enough to let me sleep last night, but at the mention of my mate, there she was again. 

'Ena?' I said, after a solid minute. 'You okay?'

'WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!'

Power rolled off her, blasting back the furniture and unfortunately, me. I calmly got up and walked towards her, cracking my neck. The air around her hummed with her power. The floor was trembling. I stood right in front of her and put my hands on her shoulders. 

'Athena. Calm... Down.' I said, knowing full well that I was using my wolf voice. Ena glared at me, and I could see the Goddess Flame in her eyes. Shit. 

'I know this is a crappy situation but you can't do anything about it. Fate has decreed it. Even the one blessed with the Goddess Flame cannot go against it. I know you hate it, but I can just reject him and get it over with.'

Too late, I realized my mistake. 

Time slowed down. 

And... the hotel exploded. 

****

Ena and I sat across each other in the cafe, looking into each other's eyes and not saying a word. Ena hadn't even created a mindlink. We just stared, our eyes being more than enough to communicate our feelings. 

She wasn't mad at me. 

I wasn't mad at her. 

We were both mad at the same things. 

Fate and destiny. 

Stupid, stupid things. 

Why did they have to exist?