"How are you doing babe?" Ashley asks from the other side of the line. I shake my head, wishing she was here.
"Not good Ashley. I wish you were here. I wish Emily were here. I miss you guys so much." I say sadly, staring out the window at the vast forest surrounding me.
"I know honey. I wish I was there too. You just have to be strong. Leah needs you." She says kindly. I nod, holding back tears. I can't let Leah down. She needs me to be strong for her.
"It's just hard Ash. He was my best friend. Then I had to go mess it up." I say brokenly, still not recovered from the whole situation.
"You didn't mess it up. You did what was best for the both of you. And it wasn't one sided, he felt the same way." She tried to comfort. I shake my head, running my hands through my dark hair.
"I just wish I had met him first. Things would be so much better then." My life would be better. Leah would have a father. Not just a weak mother who can't handle her own problems, let alone a toddler.
"I know Morgan. But that's not how it turned out. You can't dwell on pointless wishes." I nod in understanding, even though she can't see me. I sniffle, trying to calm myself.
"Let's talk about something happy Ashley. How is Peter?" I change the subject, wiping away the tears.
"He is good. Busy, but good. I hardly see him anymore. Something is going on, but he is sworn to secrecy. It's really annoying. Why can't he at least tell me? I'm his mate for Goddess's sake!" She complains frustratedly. I offer a light laugh.
"I'm sorry Ashley. Just know that he would tell you if he could. It's probably nothing anyways. Just like budget problems." I try and assure her.
"You're probably right. I have been trying to not worry but it's hard since he seems so stressed. I just hope it is nothing big." Ashley vents. I try to understand to my best ability. However, I have never really been in this position.
"Probably not Ashley. Nothing interesting ever happens. The only thing betas get stressed over is the budget or trying to resolve a pack disturbance. Trust me, I know." I hear her sigh from the other side.
"I guess. Besides that though, everything is good. I have been busy with aiding the Luna. She is pregnant so she is struggling a little bit. The symptoms are hitting her hard, so I am helping out as much as I can. She is really nice so it's easy to be around her." She says, her mood brightening. I smile.
"That's awesome Ashley." I say as I hear a faint cry from upstairs. I sigh, standing.
"I gotta go Ash. Leah woke up and I was gonna take her to Mom's while I went to training. Talk later?" I say, making my way up the stairs.
"Course. Have fun, love you!" A small smile grows on my face.
"Love you too Ash." And the line goes dead. I place my phone in my pocket as I enter Leah's nursery as she sits up, reaching for me.
"Hey baby, wanna go see Grandma?" I ask her with a smile. She nods excitedly, a cute smile lighting up her chubby, baby face. I laugh lightly and set her on the changing table, quickly changing her before going downstairs to gather our stuff, and we are quickly out the door.
After buckling her in I climb in and start the engine, speeding off to Mom's house. I let my mind wander for a moment.
I will have to face him today. The first time in two days. I take in a shaky breath, trying to calm myself. How am I supposed to face him after everything? How am I supposed to just forget him and shut him out completely? How do you get past someone like Luke?
Soon, we pull into the familiar driveway and I pull Leah out of her seat. She claps at the sight of Mom's house and when I open the door, she squirms in my arms, wanting to be let down.
"Hello? Mom? Logan?" I shout into the silence. No response. My eyebrows furrow. Mom was supposed to be here. Maybe, she just got caught up with something. I shrug, setting Leah down on the floor. She sets off to the living room to find her toys. I follow her to the living room, sitting on the couch. Leah settles in quickly as I gaze around the familiar room when I remember I wanted to grab something from my old room.
"Leah, let's go get something from Mommy's old room." I say, scooping her up. She whines a bit but settles down as we go upstairs into the bedroom.
I set her down on the floor as I reach under the bed for the box that has rested here for a year. I grasp it, pulling it out. I hear Leah crawl up from behind me and take the lid off, revealing piles of photos and random little objects. I scan the box before spotting the familiar plastic ring. I grab it, remembering the moment.
~~
"Morgan! Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday?" Luke asks, jogging up to me, feigning hurt. I wipe away the sweat that gathered on my forehead from training.
"I don't know. My birthday isn't my favorite day anymore since I met my mate at my party who I slept with, then he rejected me. All on my birthday. So I don't really like my birthday anymore. I don't celebrate no matter how hard my mother pushes me." I explain to him. He raises his eyebrows.
"Well you should have told me so I had time to get you a better gift. This was the best I could do." He says sheepishly, handing me a tiny box. I smile up at him.
"You didn't have to get me anything Luke." I say, my heart slightly melted. He blushes, running a hand through his chocolate hair. I notice the strands shining in the sunlight, turning a lighter shade towards the ends.
"Yeah, but it's your birthday. You deserve it." I smile at his words and look down at the box, horribly wrapped but still sweet.
"Open it. Please don't make me suffer of embarrassment anymore." He jokes sheepishly. I raise my eyebrows playfully, a smirk dancing on my lips.
"Nah, I don't think so." I joke around. He groans, snatching the box from me. I gasp dramatically.
"How dare you!" He looks down at me and opens the box, holding it out. I reach inside, grabbing a small object.
I pull it out, admiring the celestial ring. A turquoise gem rests in the middle connected to one side of the silver ring, on the other side a crescent moon hugs the side of the gem. I look up at Luke with a smile on my face.
"It's beautiful Luke. Thank you." I say, hugging him tightly. I melt into his embrace, never wanting to move, feeling safe in his grasp.
"It was nothing. I found it at this grocery store. It reminded me of you." I quickly spot the lie. A ring like this would have to be bought from a jewelry store. It must of cost a lot of money.
"Sure Luke. If you wanna go with that story." I respond sarcastically looking up at him, noticing his long eyelashes that overshadow his chocolate eyes, slightly above his high cheekbones. My eyes travel down to his lips which have become slightly parted. I shake my head and put some distance between us.
"Thank you Luke. I should go." I say. He looks slightly disappointed but nods as I turn away.
~~
I sigh, holding up the ring as my lip trembles. Leah reaches for the ring and I grab her, sitting her on my lip and let her look at the gift. I squeeze her tightly when I hear the front door open.
"Morgan?" I hear Mom shout. I sniffle, wiping away my tears and slide the box under my old bed. I slowly slide the ring onto my right finger and get up, heading downstairs.
"I'm here Mom." I shout as I descend the stairs. I make my way to the kitchen where Mom and Logan are. I laugh as Logan stuffs his face with everything in sight. Mom kisses my cheek.
"I heard about what happened with Luke. I'm sorry honey." She says apologetically. I sigh, shaking my head.
"It's fine. Who told you?" I ask her as she grabs Leah from me.
"Jenna, your hot friend." Logan days from the dining table as he stuffs his face. I look at him and hold back a laugh.
"That's kinda gross Logan." I say, and a small laugh escapes my lips. He shrugs and goes back to his food.
"Anyways, I should go. Thanks Mom. Love you." I say and hug her.
I kiss Leah before turning to leave. "Bye Logan! Stay away from my friends!" I shout before shutting the door behind me.
I climb into the car and look down at the ring I remember wearing everyday. I shake my head as the emotions try to consume me. I take the ring off and shut it away in the center console before driving away.
~~
"Luke, it's really fine. Don't worry." I lie and hug myself tightly.
"Just talk to me Morgan. Please." He begs, his eyes pleading as the sky rumbles and the wind picks up.
"Luke, please just let me be right now." I say, holding back tears.
"Just tell me whatever it is and I will fix it." Luke offers. I shake my head, a sad smile on my face.
"It's nothing Luke. Just go. Please." I say, looking at my shoes.
"Morgan." His voice is thick with emotion. I shake my head and look up, trying to appear okay.
"I'll see ya tomorrow." I say and enter the house.
"Morgan is that you?" Mom asks from the living room. I lean against the door and bite my lip to keep it from trembling.
"Yeah Mom. I will be right back." I say and run upstairs.
I shut the door to my room and sit on my bed, letting the tears fall. I rip the ring off of my finger and pull the box out from under my bed, and throw it in there. Never wanting to see it again.
A few days earlier....
"Morgan!" I jump at the sudden sound of Luke's voice. I turn around and smile at the sight of him.
"Hey Luke, what's up?" I ask him hugging him quickly before returning to my stretches.
"Um, this is Riley." He says nervously. I turn around to see a girl I didn't notice before. She looks over me judgmentally, playing with her light brown hair.
"Oh hi, sorry, I didn't notice you earlier." I say and hold my hand out to shake. She takes it and shakes it, almost aggressively.
"Yeah, right. Are you ready to go soon babe?" She asks, turning to Luke. I raise my eyebrows.
"How are you two together?" I ask, motioning between the two. He sheepishly places his hands in his jean pockets.
"It's casual. But I wanted you to meet her, if things are gonna get more serious, I need your approval." Luke says, grabbing Riley's hand. I look over at the girl. She paints on, what almost appears to be a fake smile.
"Yeah Morgan, so what do ya say?" She says, suddenly chipper. She raises her eyebrows. I glance back at Luke, who is waiting patiently.
"Um, of course. Go have fun guys." I say, trying to be happy for him. Luke visibly relaxes. He releases Riley's hand and I notice her grit her teeth.
Luke grabs my hand. "Thank you. It means a lot." I nod and smile at his sincere words.
"Of course Luke, now go." I say and release his hand. He smiles and turns to Riley.
"Ready?" He asks. She smiles and nods.
"Yeah just give me a second." Luke nods and glances back, waving at me. I wave back before he leaves the gym. I look at Riley.
"I don't know what is going on between you two, but he wants to be with me. Not you." She says territorially.
"You know that there are a thing called mates right? Once he finds his, he won't be yours anymore. Plus, there is nothing going on between us. We are just friends." I say, like I am trying to explain something to a child.
"Who is to say we aren't mates?" She challenges. I sigh, shaking my head.
"Whatever Riley. I really don't care. I have more important things to do then get in this stupid territory argument with you." I say dismissively and return to my stretches. I hear her walk away, her heels clicking against the floor.
"Who is that? She seems to have a major stick up her butt." I laugh at Jenna's words as she walks in.
"Some girl Luke is dating. She is not nice. That's for sure." I say, standing up straight to grab the coffee she so graciously grabbed me. She seems surprised.
"What?" I ask, confused. Jenna shakes her head, a smirk on her lips.
"Nothing. Just shocked that he is dating someone." She says, clearly hinting at something.
"What is that supposed to mean?" I ask her. She shakes her head and sets her bag and coffee cup down, tying her sneakers.
"Nothing. Now let's get to our workout. I have been bad lately." She says as an excuse. I shake my head and let it go.
—
Jenna and I enter the store, glancing at the clothing surrounding us.
"Well, well, well." I hear a familiar voice say from behind us. I turn around to come face to face with Riley with two other girls.
"Hi Riley." I say, trying to be pleasant. Jenna crosses her arms defensively and stands closer to me.
"Morgan, other girl." She says flatly. I feel Jenna tense.
"Fancy seeing you here." Jenna comments with a harsh tone. Riley raises her eyebrows.
"Listen up whatever your name is, Luke won't stick with you, we all know that. So why don't you stop harassing Morgan who doesn't even have feelings for Luke. This is so clichè. Mean girls are so 2004." Jenna snaps. I see Riley grow angry.
"Honey, Regina George wishes she could be me. If you two don't leave Luke and I alone, I will make him hate both of you losers. And he will believe me since I am his sweet, innocent girlfriend who just got targeted by his two friends because they were jealous. So either leave us alone or pay. Your choice" She says before walking off. I dig my nails into my hands. My inner wolf growls.
"Luke would never believe her." Jenna says dismissively and returns to looking at clothes. But I'm not that confident.
—
"Hey Morgan!" Luke says excitedly as I am heading to get changed for training.
"Hey, how have you been? Haven't seen you in awhile." He smiles brightly.
"Great, Riley is awesome. Thank you for accepting her." Luke says happily. I run my hands through my hair at the mention of her name.
"Luke, there is something you should know about Riley." I start off cautiously. He begins to look concerned.
"What is it Morgan? You can tell me anything." We stop walking and I grab his hands.
"I regret saying it was okay. She isn't who you think she is." I say. His eyebrows furrow as his thumb rubs over my hand.
"What are you saying Morgan? Do you want me to break up with her?" I shake my head at his sad tone.
"I don't know Luke. She just is convinced that I have feelings for you." I explain, running my hands through my hair.
"I know she can come off strong Morgan, but give her a chance. Please. You probably are just taking things out of context." I try and reel in the rage I want to unleash on him for the words he has just spoken. I'm the one mistaken here? He is supposed to be my best friend and he is choosing a girl he barely knows over me! I shake my head.
"Luke, you barely know this girl. Don't you trust me?" I ask, my voice breaking at the end. He shakes his head, looking frustrated.
"That's not what I meant. And I do know her Morgan! Sometimes I feel like I know her better then I do you! You never tell me anything! You have so many secrets and so much holed up inside, you are going to burst. And you never let me in!" He shouts, getting angry. The anger explodes.
"You know why I can't open up! You know I have trouble trusting! And you are a great example as to why! Look what you are doing Luke, do you really wanna do this? Believe her over me?" I yell back. I hear him growl as his skin shakes, notifying me of a possible shift. I jump back as he shifts into his large wolf. Tears fall at the rage he has displayed and the rage he has awoken in me. I shake my head and turn, shifting and running away.
—
"I can't believe he would do that Morgan. I'm sorry hon." Jenna says comfortingly as we sit at a table in the local coffee shop. I shake my head, gripping the warm cup.
"I don't know Jenna, maybe I should put some distance between the two of us. After this I don't know when I will be ready. And with Riley in the picture right now, maybe I shouldn't see him for a while.
"Oh no Morgan, you shouldn't do that. Soon enough, he will realize everything and he will come crawling back. You can't shut him out." I look down at the mug, an intricate design made out of the cream.
"I know you're right. I'm just upset. He had to pull out the trust issues card on me. I can't help it. I was too open with Cole and in the end I just got hurt." I say, recalling the days that seem like a lifetime ago.
"I understand babe." She says as the door to the coffee shop chimes, alerting us of a new customer. I don't know why I look up, maybe I sensed him, but Luke stands in the entrance way with Riley and spots me. He immediately looks regretful. He says something to her which causes her to glare in my direction, something he doesn't notice. Then he makes his way over as she stands in line.
"Luke." I say coldly. He winces visibly as he hears my cold tone.
"I deserve that. I'm really sorry Morgan. But I'm not gonna believe my girlfriend is a monster because she said one thing to you. After everything you have done to her, I think you might have deserved that one comment." I feel a stab of hurt deep inside of me.
"What are you talking about Luke? I never did anything to her. From the moment we met she has been the nasty one." I say truthfully. He shakes his head.
"No, she is telling the truth Luke. Riley has been a Regina George copy since the moment we met." Jenna defends me. He narrows his eyes at us.
"I am not going to believe all these lies you are telling so just give it up and apologize. You really hurt Riley." Luke says, clearly brainwashed. Riley must be a witch. That's the only explanation at this point.
"Was this supposed to be an apology? Cause it sucks. Bye Luke." I say and get up, grabbing my drink and bag before storming out with Jenna in tow.
—
Days later we hadn't spoken a single word to one another. He had blown up my phone, called me multiple times, but I shut him out. If he wasn't going to listen, what was the point of talking?
I held Leah in my arms as she snuggled against me. I held her tightly, rocking her back and forth as my phone rang for the millionth time. I set Leah down in her crib as I begrudgingly picked up the phone, deciding it was best to hear him out this one time. He was still my best friend.
"What do you want Luke?" I asked flatly. Leah looked at me curiously.
"Thank god, do you know how much I have been calling you?" He sounded worried, but it served him right for treating me the way he had.
"Say what you need to or I will hang up right now." I said, completely serious. I couldn't forgive him this easily. Not after everything he has said.
"I'm sorry Morgan. Truly. I will hear you out if you just talk to me. I'm tired of the silent treatment." He says sincerely. I almost want to budge.
"Luke, you did some harsh things, you brought up the worst possible things you could have to defend a girl you don't know. You believed her over your two best friends." I respond, tired of his excuses. He sighs.
"Morgan you don't understand. I had to date her, I lo-" He suddenly cuts himself off. My interest is peaked.
"What Luke?" I ask, sitting on my bed , staring at the ring resting on my finger. The ring he gave me for my birthday. I never take it off. Not even over this.
"Can we talk in person Morgan?" Luke asks. I sigh, giving in.
"Fine. But you better fix this Luke. Or you will have no more chances." I say sternly, with full intentions to follow through.
"Thank you Morgan. You won't regret this. Meet at our spot?" He suggests. The memories bring a small smile to my face, despite everything going on.
"On my way." I hang up and stand, grabbing Leah. She smiles up at me. I can't help but smile back.
"Wanna hang with Grandma?" I ask, she nods excitedly. I prepare myself to go as I drop Leah off with Mom downstairs. A moment later, I am in the car driving down the road.
I arrive shortly at the familiar spot. The tall trees surround the picturesque area, lit up by only the stars above. I take a moment to appreciate the view before getting out of the car as Luke's truck pulls up.
He climbs out and jogs over to me. "I'm so glad you agreed to come." Luke says before wrapping me up in a hug. I hug him back tightly, missing him.
"Explain everything Luke." I say, pulling away. He nods, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he leads us to the center of the clearing. Luke looks up at the stars.
"It's beautiful. I knew coming here would weaken your resolve." He says with a smirk, looking down at me. I wanna laugh. He knows me so well. But I maintain my composure. He needs to apologize.
"Riley was a distraction. She wasn't really anything serious to me. I just used her. I feel kinda bad." He finished it off with a laugh. I shake my head, confused.
"So why did you defend her? And what were you distracting yourself from? You can tell me anything." I say, my eyes softening. He glances over at me and grabs my hands.
"You're so good Morgan. Such a good person. You know that right?" He says, not answering my question. I furrow my eyebrows and pull one hand away, cupping his cheek. He leans into my hold, his slight scruff scratching against my skin.
"You are too Luke. You don't deserve someone like Riley. You are too good for her." He pulls away, turning around and staring into the woods.
"I'm sorry Morgan, I just don't think you can understand." He says, shutting me out. I shake my head.
"Cool Luke. Great move. You totally made me feel better about our friendship." I say sarcastically. I turn walking away.
"Morgan hold on. Please." He shouts after me me. I ignore him and climb in my car, speeding off as tears fall. He tells me I shut him out and then that he is sorry and will explain. Then he gives some vague answer and shuts me out. Riley said she would destroy our friendship and she has.
Luke follows me all the way home. I climb out of my car as the sky rumbles above us, I shiver from the wind, chilling me to my bones. Luke climbs out of his car and runs over to me. He grabs me by my arms.
"Morgan what is wrong? What happened? What has Riley said to make you hate her so much?" He pleads for me to answer. I shake my head, pulling away my arms and stepping away from his warmth.
~~~
Hey everyone! Sorry this chapter is so long and probably un-edited since I'm sick and don't have to energy to go back and edit.
So this whole chapter was kind of just going more in depth with their friendship and how Luke has been in love with her for basically forever. If you didn't catch on he was with Riley to distract himself from Morgan. He obviously couldn't tell her that though. And it kind of also explains the significance of the ring. I kind of love Luke, if Morgan doesn't want him I will take him.
How do you guys think everything will play out with Morgan and Luke? You think that they will be able keep their distance from one another? What about Damon and her? Are you guys still on the same ships? Don't you guys miss Ashley and Emily too? I sure do! What do you guys think is going on with Peter (Ashley's mate)?
Anyways, this chapter is long enough so I will set you free to go do something else. Don't forget to vote and comment, maybe go to my page and hit that follow button. It all means a lot! Also feel free to write on my comments board, I read all of those messages and it's makes me happy to see everyone writing stuff on there. Thanks for reading everyone!
Kisses😘