I blinked at the information.
"I'm sorry what?" I know that I'd heard him wrong and there was no way he'd said what I thought.
"You are my mate." I opened my mouth to say something, but I realized I had nothing to say in response to that.
"I have to go." Was the first thing I said. "I need some time to process this." Turning I started walking away.
"Wait, Rosabelle." I heard him come after me.
"I just...need time," I repeated not stopping. Instead, I started moving faster, walking away.
"At least let me drive you back to the diner." A few long strides and he had caught up to me.
"That's okay I have somewhere else to be."
"Well, I'll take you there then."
"If it's all the same to you I'd rather walk." He grabbed my arm pulling me to the side.
"And if it's not all the same to me?" I watched him, his jaw tense and his eyes stoic, and then sighed.
"Then I guess you could drive me back to the diner." I conceded.
"Good. Let's go." His face cleared again into a calm expression, almost happy. He continued walking and I followed. Troy opened the door for me again and I got in. We rode back to the diner in silence. When we finally pulled up I got out without saying anything. "Hey, wait!" He followed getting out of the vehicle and coming around to the side where I was standing.
"I still need some time, and I think that I need to talk to my brother," I said looking up at him, leaning against the car.
"That sounds like a good plan."
"I thought so," I answered. "I have to go though, I'm kind of on a schedule."
"When can I see you again?"
"I'm always around." I indicated the diner with my head.
"Okay." I held my breath watching his eyes. Waiting to see what he would do. I knew that I wanted him to kiss me again. I wish I knew what he wanted to do.
"You know that girl that you met in the woods?" I asked thinking of something.
"Yeah?" He smiled.
"Well, I remember her saying that if she met you again under different circumstances she'd like to do 'that' again."
"I remember that too. In fact, I remember thinking she was the most beautiful girl. Do you know where I could find that girl?" He teased.
"Okay, you can leave now." I pushed at his chest. He smiled pulling me closer.
"Are you sure?" His head dipped lower stopping just a breath away from my lips.
"I don't know." I breathed lifting my face higher to press my lips to his. He took over from there raising his hands to my face and tilting my head so he had better access. He nipped at my lower lip and I opened my mouth to his tongue's invasion. Battling for control I pressed my lips harder against his. He growled the sound vibrating against my hands on his chest. I ceded quickly willing to let him dominate the kiss. When he finally broke it leaning his forehead against mine I moved one of my hands off his chest and placed it over my lips feeling the tingly sensation his kiss left. I dropped it, "Okay, now I really have to go."
"Yes, you do." The angry male voice that I recognized so well had me closing my eyes. I stepped around Troy's body facing off with my brother and his friends who I'd met once before when they showed up at our house.
"Oh good. I need to talk to you." I answered nonchalantly.
"What the hell are you doing with him?" Robert angrily stalked over and ripped me away from Troy pushing me behind his body. " I warned you to stay the fuck away from her." He snarled at Troy.
"Stop it..." I pulled at his arm, "he didn't do anything wrong."
"The fuck he didn't, I saw that little 'incident' just now." He growled. "You better get the hell out of here and don't you fucking dare come back. If I ever see you near my sister again I will kill you."
"That's really unnecessary." I retorted. "That 'incident' as you dubbed it, I asked him to kiss me."
"You did what?" He turned on me before spinning back and getting in Troy's face. "You forced her somehow." He snapped stabbing his finger in Troy's chest.
"He didn't I asked him." I was surprised how calmly I could say that. "Actually he explained some things to me and I have some questions for you." I raised a brow snapping at him.
"You're supposed to be in school, let's go." He grabbed my arm leading me towards his truck. I looked back over my shoulder to see Troy again. I wanted to tell him that I would be okay and I wanted to see him again but he was in a heated conversation with Robert's friends. His eyes caught mine for the briefest moment and his jaw tightened just before he turned away.
My brother opened the truck door forcing me in and slamming it shut. As he walked around the front to the driver's side I watched Troy's car drive away, heading god knows where. Robert got in and slammed the door, I jerked my head in his direction.
"I can't believe that you would go behind my back and get in a car with the likes of him." He growled putting the truck into gear and pulling out of the parking lot. "Put your seatbelt on," I muttered under my breath about stupid bossy older siblings and did as he said.
"You can't believe?" I asked feeling incredulous, "I can't believe that you would keep parts of my life from me."
"What the hell did he tell you exactly? Which by the way is another thing I can't believe, that you would believe anything he had to say."
"He said I'm his mate." I watched his expression seeing panic briefly flash in his eyes. "There's something you don't want me to know isn't there?"
"No, why were you skipping school? Don't you know how important the final semester is?" I rolled my eyes.
"The lecture is so unnecessary." My arms crossed defensively
"Really? Somehow I don't think it is considering that I just found you skipping school in some random guy's car."
"What is your problem with him anyway?"
"Everything."
"Wow. Be more vague if you please." I snarked as we pulled up to the school. I opened the door getting out of the car.
"I'll be here at 3 to pick you up, don't be late." He called through the window as I walked away.
"Don't bother," I called back.
"That's an order, apparently you can't be trusted to make good decisions so I'll make them for you." I spun around snarling.
"How dare you? I'm an adult and you can't tell me what to do anymore."
"I'm still your older brother and I can tell you what to do." I walked back to the truck seething.
"You can't tell me who I can and can't see and you can't keep me from seeing Troy, it's pack law brother dear." I hissed.
"What do you know of pack law?" He turned his face away from me to glare out the windshield.
"Basically nothing because you won't share." I sassed which only served to deepen his frown. "But enough to know that I'm his mate and you can't keep mates apart."
"I can and I will so help me goddess." He said and put the truck in gear pulling out onto the road again. I seethed in silent frustration stalking back into the school building, only for the bell to ring signaling last class. Students poured out of the various classrooms jostling me on their way to lockers and other classes. I searched for Jozelle and the others. Weaving my way through students until I spotted her by Audrey's locker.
"Hey," I walked up to them.
"Rosabelle, where were you?" Jozelle immediately went on the offensive.
"Let's ditch and I'll explain." I soothed. "Let's go to that new cafe that just opened up and I'll buy." I offered the girls looked tentatively at one another before agreeing. "Great I have to grab some things out of my locker and I'll meet you at the front doors." I didn't wait for a response before taking off for my locker. I grabbed everything I needed as the hallway cleared out with people generally already in their next class. I walked back to the front door looking around for Jozelle, Audrey, and Maybella. They weren't there yet so I sighed and sat on the sidewalk waiting. I glanced up at the parking lot as a silver car pulled in. It came and pulled up stopping right in front of the doors instead of parking in a stall. I stood up walking towards the car just as Jozelle, Audrey, and Maybella walked out of the school.
"Rosabelle?" Maybella called sounding uncertain. I looked back at them and then at the car as the door opened, with bated breath I waited for the person to get out and reveal themselves. The first thing I saw was a shock of dark hair that could be his except that I somehow instinctively knew it wasn't him.
"Coming," I said turning back to my friends with only one more glance at the man exiting the car something told me I should recognize him but I didn't at least not from a distance. He looked right at me just before I turned fully away and I struggled to place him in my mind. Maybe, one of Robert's friends. However, as I looked at my friends they were staring past me with strange looks on their faces.
"Come on Rose let's go," Jozelle ordered.
"What's going on?" I asked my brows coming together in confusion.
"Nothing let's go." She gestured for me to follow her.
"We'll catch up," Audrey said gesturing to Maybella and herself. I started to follow Jozelle hoping to get some answers. She grabbed my arm pulling me along towards the back parking lot where students parked.
"What are they doing?"
"Nothing."
"Okay...." She pulled me to the passenger door letting me get in before going round to the driver seat. She got in and put the car in gear. "Aren't we waiting for the others?"
"No, Audrey brought her own car today." I nodded watching her tense expression.
"Is everything okay?"
"I hope so." She glanced at me once before continuing to watch the road. We remained mostly silent for the rest of the ride to the cafe. Once there we got out and I ordered for us while she picked a table.
Picking up our drinks I walked over to the table. "Okay, here." I put the iced mocha in front of her.
"My favorite, thank you." She pulled at the straw smashing the whip cream into the drink like she always did. I took a pull of my iced hot chocolate.
"Mmm... the best thing." I savored the taste catching Jozelle's worried glance at the door. "Are you sure that everything is okay?" Her eyes shot back to me.
"Hmm? Yeah, everything is fine. So who was that guy?"
"I thought that we would wait for the others." I gestured to the door playing with the straw in my drink.
"They can hear it later."
"Then I'd have to tell it twice."
"Spill you owe me." She gave me a pointed look.
"Fine," I sighed. "He is someone I met the other day and a family friend."
"A family friend?"
"Yeah, why?" I took another sip of my drink.
"Because I called your brother after you left, and he didn't know the guy."
"You called my brother?" I sat back staring at her as though she had three heads.
"I had to. You left with some guy that nobody knows." She shrugged. "So who is he really?"
"He's a friend. My friend." I clarified when she gave me a look.
"Just a friend?" I hesitated and she caught on. "I don't think so."
"He is," I insisted. "Right now he's just a friend. We're getting to know each other."
"And then?" I hesitated wondering how much I could tell her, there was no way she would understand what he was and I don't think that I was supposed to tell anyone anyway. Plus I still wasn't sure what to think of that myself. I know that if I tell her about it I will be able to work it out for myself but I can't. It's too risky and it wouldn't be hurting me, it would hurt him.