I waited for my boyfriend, Derek, outside his work place. I decided to surprise him today since I finished early from work. Normally, he'd be the one to pick me up.
"Where is he?" I mumbled to myself. The silver watch on my wrist ticked and ticked which made it seem like time was passing slower than a snail.
I've been waiting outside for the past twenty minutes and since the receptionist wouldn't let me in, I was forced to wait outside the huge building.
Derek was the CEO of Krystallo Jewels. He was a busy man but he'd always made time for me.
After five more minutes, I saw him walking out of the main entrance. He smiled when he spotted me not far from him. "Took you long enough."
"Sorry, I had so much papers to sign." His hand snaked around my waist and he pecked my lips softly.
"Why can't you give it to your assistant?" I pulled away, frowning.
"It was... personal documents."
Personal documents. Regarding the pack.
Derek wasn't just the CEO of Krystallo Jewels. He was the alpha, too. Rogues lived in the human realm. Rogues that Derek took in and formed a pack.
Derek and I decided to go to the restaurant just down the street from his office.
We both ordered the same thing on the menu and ate like a normal happy couple. But none of it was normal. And even though I loved him, I felt him pulling away from me day by day.
After and hour, I was home.
Entering the house would be a mission. I didn't want to hear another lecture from Carroll and Carter again. I opened the front door, and as usual, the door squeaked, due to it's rusty hinges. I prayed no one heard. The house was silent as I shut the door slowly, cringing when it squeaked again. I tried to walk to my room silently, but the floor boards creaked when I stepped on it.
What luck.
"Esra!" Carroll shouted. I turned around and saw Carroll and Carter standing at the entrance. I hadn't even heard them come behind me. "Do you know what time it is?" Carter asked.
"Five?" I looked at my watch. "Ohh... seven. Wow, okay." I put my hands up and surrendered, trying not to make any eye contact.
"Were you with that Derek?" Carter asked with irritation in his voice.
I sighed. "I'm twenty two not seventeen."
Carroll reached for me and I didn't pull away. "Esra, I can see it in your eyes. Something is wrong and you are not happy. You know all we want is for you to be happy."
I blinked away the tears but failed.
Carroll and Carter were werewolves too. They took me in after I entered the human realm and joined Derek's pack. They have always been there for me. And I am forever grateful to have them in my life. They are the only parental figures I've had in my life.
"Derek is the alpha here. Soon he'll find his mate and make her his luna." Carroll stated.
"I know you might be in love with him but you still have a─" Carter cut himself off when Carroll glared at him.
"Well hopefully he doesn't. And I do not have a mate." I crossed my arms, but didn't pull away from Carroll.
Carter growled. "Stop acting like a rebellious child. This world really got the better of you. Zade still loves you-"
"Don't!" I exclaimed. "Don't finish that sentence."
"Esra-"
"No. If Zade loved me he would've found me already. So where is he?" I asked them.
They remained silent.
"Where is he?" I asked again.
Carroll looked away and sighed. That was all I needed to hear before I went upstairs to my room.
I collasped on my bed and pushed the pillow in my face. I groaned. "They're right. Why are they always right? Urgh! Derek will find his mate soon." I said to myself.
My phone buzzed. I ignored it. My phone buzzed again. And again. And again. And again.
"Urgh! Can anyone just leave me alone?" I whispered.
I picked up my phone.
Unknown number.
I deleted it without opening it and rested on my bed until I dozed off to sleep.
___________________
"Hey Derek. Are you okay?" I asked him as we were on our way to work. I was an event planner and my office wasn't far from his.
"Uh, yeah." It didn't convince me but I kept quiet.
During the day, I didn't receive any text messages or calls from Derek.
After work I waited by my office lobby for Derek to pick me up, but he never showed up so I tried calling. It rang but was never answered.
"Is something wrong Esra?" Miss Kathryn──the receptionist──asked.
"Derek as been so distant today."
"I'm sorry. Maybe he has a lot going on?"
"No. I think I know the reason but he doesn't know that I know and it frustrates me because he's not telling me and he's keeping it away from me." I finally thought about what I just said and I realized that this was it.
Derek had found his mate at last.
"You should talk to him first." Miss Kathryn suggested. I nodded.
I left my office and took an Uber home. I tried to enter the house quietly again and failed.
"Esra."
"Yes."
"Derek called. He wants you to phone him." Carter said. My heart skipped a beat.
"Why couldn't he phone me?"
"Esra, is there something you're not telling us?" Carroll asked
"Well, he's been distant today and he never showed up at my office."
Carroll and Carter exchanged glances.
"Look, I know he's probably found his mate and I don't mind." I brushed it off and went to my room.
I called Derek back on the number he used to call Carter. He picked up on the first ring.
"Esra, I'm sorry." Was the first thing he said.
"It's okay. I get it. You found your mate." I said in an understanding tone.
"How did you know?"
"Well, you're bad at hiding things." I shrugged.
"Esra, please don't be upset. You'll find your mate soon too." Now that shouldn't have been said. My blood boiled whenever my mate was mentioned. That sick bastard.
"You don't know anything about my mate!" I exclaimed.
"What do you mean? Are you saying you have a mate and hid this from me?" I heard the pain in his voice and I didn't care. Not with all this red invading my eyes. My senses.
"You don't know the full story."
"Then what Esra? What happened?"
"It doesn't concern you!" With that I cut the call. I immediately blocked him on my phone and every social media platform. Not like he'd even contact me again.
"What did I do to deserve this?" I asked myself.
Derek and I did a lot of things and I don't regret any of them. I loved him. Now... I don't know.
What I do know is that I hate Zade. He's an idiot. A coward. Worse than that.
I threw my pillow at the wall at the thought of what Zade could be doing right now. He's probably sleeping with another girl. Or several.
Who am I kidding? He must have settled down with a slutty luna who's giving him a bunch of pups.
I threw another pillow at my wall. "Urgh!"
"Esra? Is everything okay?" Carroll asked.
I opened the door. "Honestly, I don't know anymore. Five years ago I was proud of being a lone wolf and now I'm a mate-less she-wolf that I am not proud of being."
Carroll gave me a hug. "I'm sorry." She said.
"Sorry for what?"
"Nothing. Don't worry." She pulled away from the hug and said. "I just want you to live your life the way you want it. I don't want to force you to do something you don't want to do. No one should." She held my hands in her soft ones and caressed the back of them.
"You're starting to scare me now." I stared into her eyes. "What's wrong?"
Carroll would never say things like this without a reason.
"Nothing. I mean it. I mean... you don't know what life will throw at you next, right?"
"Right." I nodded slowly.
"I should go." Carroll said.
"Okay." I watched her as she left my room. I quickly locked my door and rested my back against it.
"What on earth am I going to do?" I ran my fingers through my dark brown hair.
Opening the balcony doors, I let the cool breeze in. I closed my eyes and inhaled the fresh scent the wind carried.
My eyes jolted open when a foreign scent made it's way to me. I stared down at the bushes and trees trying to find who or what it was.
I looked around carefully but couldn't see anything or anyone. I gulped down slowly.
But maybe... Maybe I knew that scent from somewhere. And I hoped that I was wrong.