Hey guys! Thank you all so much for reading my story, I really appreciate it! Anyway, here's Chapter two and it's dedicated to all of you awesome people! Please continue to support me by reading, commenting and voting my stories! Thank you! xx
10 years ago
"Bella!" I heard someone call out from above me.
Looking up, I saw Adrian sitting on a tree branch, grinning at me cheekily.
Frowning, I said while crossing my arms "How many times must I tell you my name is Belle, not Bella."
"Opps, sorry," though I could tell that he clearly wasn't, "I was going to call you my Bella, there's a difference."
"No, there's no difference to me at all. I don't want to be Bella, definitely not your Bella. I'm just plain and simple Belle." I argued back.
"Whatever you want to say, my Bella." He just continued smirking his face off, from that high position I knew I could never reach.
I groaned in annoyance, looking at the boy who was one year older than me, the boy who would someday be the Alpha of our pack, the boy I would always be annoyed at for teasing me every time he could find the chance, yet he was also the boy I knew I could never live without.
That was Adrian, always beyond my reach.
Present
After Adrian's outburst in the storeroom, I stood there for a very very long time. I did not know what to do, I did not know who I could ask for help. I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream out loud in frustration, but I couldn't do it. I didn't want to do it, because then, I would have admitted to myself that I have just lost my mate. I didn't want to believe it, I didn't want to admit that I had just lost my best friend.
Feeling the vibration of my phone, I sighed and reached for it. Getting out of the storeroom, I answered the call that was from my mum.
"Hey mum," I said wearily. Looking around, I found that the hallway was practically deserted. I checked my watch and realised that it was almost 4. How long was I standing there? I thought to myself.
"What's wrong, Belle?" My mum asked, her voice so soft and gentle. It reminded me of how much I had missed her, how long it had been since I last saw her.
"No, nothing - " I choked as my attempt of not crying fell short.
"Oh honey! Are you crying? What happened, please tell me!" Worry was thick in her voice.
I sniffed, before answering, "It's... it's nothing. I just missed you that's all."
"Aw, darling, I miss you too, I'm so so sorry I can't go back to see you anytime soon, I have too many things on my plate right now. I'm so sorry." My mum apologised profusely, she had always felt guilty for leaving me behind with the pack.
"Mum, you know it's not your fault. I chose to stay here on my own." I tried to comfort her.
"All right, we won't talk about that now. Tell me, what else is wrong? You were clearly upset when you answered the call."
"I... I just had some uh... disagreements with my friends?" I was hands down the worst liar on earth, I couldn't even convince myself that it sounded all right. It came out like a question and my mum knew me well enough to know when I was lying.
"Oh Belle... what happened?"
"I don't - " And before I knew it, I broke down, right in the middle of the hallway. I thanked the stars that there were no one around. "Mummy, please help me, please tell me what to do? I'm so scared, please help me."
"Belle, shhh, it's alright. What's wrong, you have to tell me."
"I can't," I tried to explain, "I don't know how to."
"All right, all right, I'm here for you, darling. Just let it out, okay? Crying helps sometimes. Don't worry about it, because everything will turn out fine in the end. It may seem bad now, but hang in there okay?"
"But mum, I don't know how to face him."
I heard her sigh at the end of the call, "I'm not going to ask who he is, you will tell me when you're ready." And I was more than grateful to hear her say that. "But honey, like I said, things will turn out fine in the end. You don't know how to face him now, then just stay away from him for a while until things die down. Belle, just know that whatever happens, your dad and I will always be here for you. And if you really need us, we won't hesitate to fly back down there, you got it? You just have to tell us."
"Thanks mum," I said, smiling a little. Her words always had a comforting and soothing effect on me, making me feel slightly better.
"Hold on, your dad wants to talk to you."
"WHO IS THAT BOY HUH? TELL ME AND I'M GOING TO KILL HIM. WHO IS HE?" He shouted in anger before I could even say hi.
"Calm down, dad. I'm fine. I honestly am." I could hear my mum whispering to him on the other end, no doubt trying to calm him down.
"Sorry dear, I was too upset, I didn't think before shouting at you." Hearing him sigh, I chuckled at how protective he was.
"So you're not going to tell us what exactly happened? Then how about coming to join us? Take a break from whatever you are troubling over. You know how much we miss you." My dad went on.
My parents had been wanting me to join them in Australia ever since they went there two years ago for some business but I had always refused because I knew I belonged here, with my pack and my best friends, I could never live without them. So even though I missed my parents very much, I never did went to join them but that didn't stop my dad from asking me every single time we talked on the phone. Most of the times, I would just wave it off with the same reason, but this time, with the problem I was facing, the offer actually seemed like a good idea to me. If I went to Australia, I could avoid Adrian and not have to deal with him. However, as soon as that thought came about, I knew I couldn't accept the offer. For one, how long could I run away from him for? My parents weren't going to stay there permanently, they already had plans to return as soon as the contract with their business partners ended which was about two years from now, maybe even shorter. Then, I would still have to return and face him all over again. No, I couldn't just run away like a coward. Apart from that, I also knew that it would be impossible for me to stay away from my best friends for so long. Ever since we were born, the four of us had always been together, we were each other's companions, we were always there to help each other out, always stayed by each other's sides and supported one another. No, I couldn't just leave, I came to the conclusion in my mind.
"Belle, what do you think? Will you please make me the happiest father alive and come join us?"
I took a deep breath, "Dad, you know I can't. I've already told you many times, I can't just leave them like this. I can't. I'm sorry and I miss you guys very much. But we'll see each other soon okay, maybe the four of us could go find you over summer holidays or something."
My dad remained silent for a while, I knew he was disappointed and I hated it, I hated disappointing him, but I also knew where I belonged, and that was with my pack. "You do know you are the most stubborn kid alive." He teased.
"Yeah dad, I've heard that before." I laughed, thinking that it was only from him.
"Okay, sweetheart, we have to go. You sound better, call us again if you're still feeling troubled okay?"
"Of course, bye dad, bye mum." I told them.
After they said their goodbye, Dad hung up and I heard the sound of the end of the call. It had always made something inside me stir from hearing that sound, it always reminded me of the end, and I never liked that. Sighing, I got up from where I must have sat down when I broke down over the phone. I quickly wiped my tear-stained face and walked out of the school building to the car park. It was already so late, I wasn't surprised to see that none of them had waited for me.
I groaned, thinking of having to walk back home alone. But on the other hand, I could use the time to think about what I was going to do.
*~*
The whole 30 minutes walk home was a rather refreshing time for me. My wolf had finally started talking to me again and we discussed about what we had to do next. By the time we reached home, we had reached the conclusion that we were going to wait until Adrian had calmed down before approaching him again to let him know that I was his mate. On the other hand, amidst all the confusion and anxiety, I didn't really get to think about where our relationship stood, and whether it was even possible for it to be more than what it had been. I knew Adrian was mad at me right now, but hopefully he didn't really mean what he had said, because I couldn't even bear to think what I would do if I were to lose him.
"There you are, I was beginning to worry where you went!" Looking up, I saw Chase rushing over to me before I even got into the house, worry written all over his face. "You disconnected from the pack link, I couldn't reach you, and you didn't pick up your calls!"
I looked at him, all the emotions suddenly rushing back to me in full force. And before I knew it, I went rushing into his arms with tears streaming down my face. "Sorry... I just had a lot to think about."
"Shhh..." Chase patted my back fondly in an attempt to comfort me. I could distinctly feel myself being carried and brought to my room. "What's wrong? Is it anyone?" He asked.
At that, I laughed. "I don't think its anyone you can go against, Chase."
"What do you mean?"
"It's fine. Don't worry about it, God, am I always such a cry baby? I never realised." I muttered, smiling a little, trying to distract Chase from trying to pry it out of me. I couldn't risk telling him, not like this. Adrian had to be the first to know, I told myself.
He just chuckled, pulling me into a hug. "Tell me when you're ready, got it?"
I smiled and nodded. How nice if Chase was my mate, that would have solved so many problems, I wondered briefly. But as soon as that thought entered my mind, I quickly pushed it away, knowing that Chase couldn't ever be my mate. We were really close, but it was a different type of 'close' I had with Adrian and Dar. We were so close that it practically felt like Chase was my brother more than anything, so it was impossible for us to be mates, or even be in a romantic relationship of that sort.
Burying my head into his neck, I busked in the comfort I felt in his arms, though the only thing I could think about was still him. It was so frustrating, I wondered what he was doing now, if he was feeling better, whether he really meant what he had said and how it would feel like being in his arms instead of Chase's.
"So have you seen A, how is he?" I asked, trying to sound casual.
Chase smiled at me, saying, "He was in a really bad mood when he got back and had been in his room ever since. Dar went in to talk to him, though I wonder how she is going to comfort him. Maybe you should go talk to him, Adri always listens to you."
That was a very bad idea, I was probably the last person he wanted to see, I thought. Though of course I didn't tell him that.
"I think we should just let him calm down, that's what he really needs right now. Peace and quiet, to let his frustration go away."
He nodded in agreement, and before I could react fast enough, he brought his hand up to ruffle my hair fondly.
"Hey!" I protested, though I wasn't mad, instead I was smiling. As I have said, Chase had always been great at comforting people.
"Great, now you're smiling. I gotta go, I'll see you at dinner yeah?"
I smiled and nodded in reply as he stood up and left .
Once he had left, I laid on my bed with my eyes closed, listening closely to all the movements within the pack house where I lived. It was a huge house, since it housed more than half of our pack. It was convenient to live together, for example the children could stay together where it was easier to take care all of them at once while their parents went to work. The four of us had lived together here ever since we were born. We had so many wonderful memories here. Everyone who lived here was like family to me, I knew all of them very well, having interacted with them on a daily basis since I was young, they were all people I could count on and people I would protect.
With my eyes closed, my ears became so much sharper. I could hear the footsteps of Chase walking away from my room, I could hear someone preparing dinner for everyone in the kitchen, I could hear the sound from the television, I could hear the children playing and having fun, I could even hear a couple making out. For some reason, doing this always calmed me down when I was upset as it distracted me from my thoughts.
"Dinner everyone!" The voice of Rose pierced through our pack link in my mind. In less than a moments' time, the doors swung open and thundering footsteps followed when everyone went rushing down for dinner.
What can I say? We were all a bunch of hungry wolves, we ate a lot. The cool thing about our pack was that we always ate together for dinner, it wasn't a must to be present, except on Sunday nights, but most of us were always there. Slowly, I picked myself up reluctantly and dragged myself down the stairs to join the others. My mind still revolved around the same problem since this morning. I really didn't know how to face him, I guess the easiest way out was to ignore him for the time being, at least until he was in a better mood and would listen to me.
When I got down, Rose was chastising Zack, one of the children of our pack, to only start eating when everyone arrived. Everyone was busy talking to each other and not bothering to look up so I quickly made my way to the chair I always sat on with the others.
"Hey, what took you so long?" Chase asked.
"I fell asleep," I smiled sheepishly in reply, even though my heart was pounding wildly in my head just being so close to my mate and having his scent right in my face.
Chase was sitting beside me with Dar opposite me and Adrian beside Dar, sometimes we would switch positions but we were always together at this spot of the dinning table.
"All right guys, the rest aren't going to make it in time for dinner so you can start eating," Rose announced and everyone started indulging themselves in the delicious food that Rose had prepared for us. It wasn't everyday Rose would make dinner for us since we followed a duty roaster so we really cherished it when it was her turn, she was such an amazing cook.
"So, how is it?" Rose, being a worried mother, couldn't help herself when she sat down beside us and asked Adrian.
Adrian cleared her throat in nervousness, and I did everything I could to avoid making eye contact with him. "Actually, that's a good question. I thought I'd just take this chance to make an announcement."
And with one swift movement, Adrian stood up, so tall and dashing, "Everyone, can I please get your attention." His alpha voice bounced across the whole dining hall and everyone kept quiet in an instant.
"So, as you all know, today is my birthday,"
"And I prepared a birthday cake, even though the celebration was over." Rose told him endearingly.
Adrian just chuckled at the way her mum cut her off and continued, "Today, I am supposed to find my mate. However,"
At that word, hush whispers started spreading across the room.
"However," He got his attention back. "even though I have had many girls coming up to me, none of them were really my mates."
That's not true, we're not liars... my wolf protested weakly in my mind, I shared the same frustration as her. What would it take for him to believe me? I could feel Adrian's eyes land on me for a moment before going back to the rest while I looked down at the plate in front of me the whole time, not daring to risk sharing eye contact with him.
"So, I have decided that I have had enough of fate trying to intervene with my life." Rose started to protest but all Adrian did was motion for her to let him finish his speech.
"I know my mate is somewhere out there, probably from another pack I would assume. But right now, it doesn't matter to me. Because, I want to take back the control of who I get to spend my life with and not have to bow down to fate. Before anyone says anything, here's something good that actually happened to me today." With that, he looked down at Darlene, smiling.
The look in his eyes was something I couldn't forget, it was one of affection, so sweet and gentle. Seeing Darlene smiling back and them sharing a look only both of them knew made my heart clench in pain. I somehow knew what this was going to be and let's just say, I really, really didn't like it.
"Dar here," Adrian began, putting his arm around Dar's waist as she stood up beside him. I could feel my wolf going crazy inside of me, having to see everything happen in front of me. My breaths were short, my palms were sweating. Could I hear this? I asked myself, but even if I couldn't, there was nothing I could do about it.
"My best friend," He paused, smiling hugely, "also my girlfriend."
Cheers erupted from Eric, Taylor, Jake and Mike from beside us. They were all the same age as Chase and Adrian and were great friends of ours. "Good job man," They congratulated him. I couldn't agree more, I thought bitterly. I mean, Dar, with her super good figure and amazing looks, she was the beauty queen of us girls. She had beautiful blonde hair and sharp green eyes as compared to my dull brown hair and blue eyes. She was tall and slender, reaching to Adrian's ear while I, was short and chubby, only reaching to his shoulder. Of course, she was perfect for him. They would make a great couple, I couldn't help but admit in my mind.
Calming the boys down, Adrian continued, "Dar came into my room to comfort me after a long day in school today and she confessed to me that she had been having a crush on me for a long time now." From the silly grin on his face to Dar blushing and holding on to him endearingly, everything about it made me want to puke. They looked perfect together, yet at the same time, there was a part of me that just couldn't take it. It wasn't fair, my wolf muttered and I couldn't agree more. But what could I do? I thought meekly, my heart still pounding against my chest heavily and painfully.
"I was touched by her sincerity, by how she didn't try to lie to me that she was my mate even though she could, and by how she was so understanding, so kind." Adrian continued, brushing the hair covering Dar's face and tucking them behind her ear.
"So, I thought I'll just let you guys know, to stop you guys from always pestering her." Adrian chuckled, directing it at the group of boys who were muttering about how whipped he was or something, I wasn't really concentrating on it. All I could focus on was thinking which was the fastest, easiest, and quietest way out of here, then I could just run back to my room and hide in there forever, never having to come out and face them ever again.
Lily, a young werewolf of 8 years old whom I was really close to like a sister, raised her hand. Adrian motioned for her to speak and she asked curiously, "Then what happens if your real mate comes up to you? And let's just say that she isn't lying. Wouldn't this be unfair to her?"
Holding my breath, I silently prayed and held on to the last straws of hope I could find. But what he said next was practically throwing a pot of hot scalding water onto me, burning me alive into the depths of hell. "Well, I'll just tell her this: I'm sorry but it's too late. You missed your chance." Looking at Lily's horrified face, he added, "Life isn't fair kid, we just have to deal with it."
I was on the verge of breaking down in front of everyone right where I was sitting. Hearing him say that was practically hearing him rejecting me all over again. And it hurt, a lot.
It hurt like hell.
All of a sudden, Rose stood up. "Adrian, come with me, we need to talk." Adrian just smiled and nodded towards us nonchalantly, before following his mother up the stairs.
Once they were out of our vision, everyone burst into chatter. "Belle, are you okay? You look so pale." Chase nudged me worriedly.
I let out the breath I was still holding and coughed, feeling my lungs burn from the lack of oxygen. He patted my back while I took a gulp of water to calm myself down.
"Something's up with him. I swear, he's just troubled from everything that happened today. That's not how he thinks. That's not him." Chase muttered, deep in thought.
A part of me wanted nothing to agree with him, yet a part of me told me to face the reality. The reality that our mate had rejected us, not once, but twice. We were unwanted.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Darlene asked from across us, something flickering across her face I couldn't quite grasp.
"Nothing," Chase said quickly, trying to calm her down. "I wasn't blaming you or anything. I just thought that how he feels about the whole mate thing was a little over the top, not how he would usually think. He's probably just frustrated right now. I'll talk to him once he calmed down."
"So you don't think he should be with me?" Dar asked, she definitely looked insulted.
"He didn't mean that, Chase is just worried about him, Dar." I tried, the last thing I wanted right now was her losing her temper.
"Yeah whatever," She muttered in annoyance.
Many of our pack members came up to Dar to congratulate her finally being with Adri, and all I could do was grit my teeth to stop my emotions from bursting out.
"You guys aren't going to congratulate me?" Dar asked, looking at us disappointedly.
"What, no of course not, Congrats Dar." Chase smiled at her, joking. "Now he's your responsibility."
She laughed it off and looked at me expectantly. "Belle?"
"Yeah?" I asked nervously, looking at her hair, her nose, her mouth, everywhere except her eyes. What do I tell her? I couldn't possibly congratulate her, could I? She just looked at me pointedly and I felt my stomach flipping just at the thought of what she wanted me to say.
I couldn't, I couldn't congratulate her when she's the one with my mate where I should have been. But no, I couldn't be so selfish, so shallow, they were happy together, I thought. They were both my best friends, and I would give anything for them to be happy. Even if it would break me, I should congratulate and support them with all my heart, anything to make them happy, I thought firmly.
Smiling at her, I forced the word out of my mouth before I could change my mine again, "C- Congrats." That one single word almost tore the whole being out of me. It hurt. So bad. Saying that word out loud was like diving a knife straight through my chest. And yet, I couldn't cry, I couldn't scream, not in front of Dar.
I had to keep it together in front of them.
*~*
As soon as I reached my room, I lost it. I couldn't control the tears, the screams of agony and despair. I let it all out, from silent tearing to full out break down. Everything I had seen at dinner repeating in my head, over and over again, like a broken CD. And above all that, the fact still lies the same as before, and that was that Adri and I would never be together. It just hurt more to see him happy with my best friend. To see that he didn't need me, that he didn't want me.
My wolf howled in pain inside of me. Both of us were going crazy from all the frustration and helplessness of seeing both of them so happy together. What was I going to do? Was I strong enough to see them be together every single day from now on? Or was I strong enough to tell him who I was and break them up forcefully? No I couldn't, I couldn't watch them happy together, it hurt too much. Neither could I break them up forcefully and lose both of my best friends, because if I did that, it would not only break the both of them apart, but also the relationship between them and me. It was simply going to break us all up. No, I couldn't do that.
Then, what else could I do? I thought as my wolf whimpered in agreement.
One single thought came into my mind: RUN.
Could I do it? Should I do it? I knew all the consequences that may happen from it, but focused on what I could get out of it instead. First, I wouldn't have to face them. Second, I wouldn't hurt them both as much, and break all of them up. Third, I could take a break and not have to deal with all the emotions of being so close, yet so far away from him. And lastly, I finally had a chance to be with my dearest parents again. I missed them so much.
Before I could change my mind, I jumped up from my bed and started packing. Fast. The faster I packed, the faster I could get out of here, I thought. No, wait, I needed to call my parents first.
Hitting speed dial number 5, my mum picked up after the third ring.
"Hey honey, how are you - "
I cut her off immediately, not wanting to waste a second. "Mum, I going over."
"What?" Disbelief coated in her voice.
"I'm flying over to Australia to meet you guys. Isn't that what you guys wanted?" Frustrated, I asked.
"No, of course we want that, but what caused you to change your mind so suddenly? Is there anything wrong?" My mum asked, worried.
"Look, I don't want to talk about it right now. We'll talk afterwards all right? Can you just help me book the tickets and all? Please?"
My mum sighed, knowing that I wasn't going to change my mind, especially when I was using my no-nonsense tone. "Sure, I'll email you the details. Take care honey, we'll see each other in a while. Love you."
"Love you too. Bye mum." I hung up and quickly went back to packing.
I threw all my clothes into the luggage, and then tucked the important things that were close to my heart like photos of the four of us, gifts from them and my favourite books into it. I grabbed my bag and put in my jacket, laptop, iPod and all the other necessities and I was set. All that was left was to talk to Uncle John, our Alpha, also Adrian's dad.
After calling a taxi, I quickly made my way to his office. Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door.
"Come in," I heard Rose's voice call out.
I opened the door to be greeted by Rose and Alpha. Thank God Adri isn't here. I thought silently.
"Uncle John, Rose," I greeted, giving them the most sincere smile I could muster.
"Belle, what brought you here?" Uncle John asked.
I could feel the tension in the air and vaguely wondered if they were discussing about Adrian.
"I... I'm leaving." I blurted out.
"What do you mean? What happened?" Rose jumped up, clearly taken aback.
"I... I just need a break. I'm going to join my parents in Australia." I told her firmly, not showing her the emotions that were boiling underneath me, ready to explode.
"What? Why so sudden? Are you sure about it?" Rose continued. I could tell that she was worried, she had always been like a second mother to me and I knew I would miss her very much when I leave.
"Some things happened... in school, and I miss my parents very much. I think it'll be good for me to take a break from everything." I took a deep breath before replying to her next question because in all honesty, I wasn't sure. "Yes, I'm sure. This is something that I have to do."
When Rose was about to protest, Uncle John stopped her and said, "Well in that case, there's nothing we can do to stop you, is there? Just know that we'll be waiting for you to return. The door is always open for you, don't forget that we're your family. We will miss you."
I rushed over to give them both a hug before saying, "I will miss you both so much, I promise I will return, probably with my parents once they finish work over there."
Rose just nodded sadly and said, smiling slightly. "Go, before I lock you up and don't let you go."
I chuckled, tears filling my eyes. No, I wasn't going to cry, I told myself. I had to stay strong, I could already feel myself wavering from seeing Rose this upset.
Nodding, I took a last look at both of them before leaving. The whole way back to my room was the hardest walk I ever had. Every single step I took, my will started to crumble. Was this what I really wanted? No, but it was something I needed, I tried to convince myself.
My wolf had long started to talk me out of it, since she didn't want to be so far away from her mate. Your mate doesn't want you, I reminded her bitterly.
Before I could back out of it or look for Chase who will definitely stop me from leaving, I grabbed my bags and ran down to the porch. The taxi was already waiting patiently for me when I reached it. I took a deep breath - this was it.
Quickly getting in and telling the driver to go to the airport, I took a last look at the house I grew up in for the past 15 years and in one instant, all my precious memories flashed through me. And that was when I allowed myself to regret. Tears rolled down my face and I wanted nothing but to go back, I wanted to ask the driver to stop and bring me back. I knew that I shouldn't have ran away. I knew that I had made a mistake. I was a coward, a coward for running away.
But it was too late.
Oh no Belle! What is she doing?
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