My Clichéd Love Life

Chapter 16 Your Presence Has Been Requested Part 1

After the disastrous meeting with Lucas, I stayed holed up in my room all evening; feeling anger, rage, irritation, and most of all desperation, due to my current circumstances. My strange mood didn't go unnoticed by my sister. so, she came to me to talk.

‘’Who took your lollipop?’’ said, Layla after noticing my crabby mood.

‘’Not funny,’’ I replied in the deadliest tone that I could muster; accompanied by a vicious glare.

‘’Woah! you are really pissed off. I thought it was just PMS.’’

‘’I hate Lucas.’’

‘’I know. you are pretty transparent with your emotions.’’ she continued after seating herself beside me. 

I looked at her pleadingly, ‘’I can’t mate him. Layla, it would kill me. Everything about him repulses me. His claim over me, his condescending attitude. I am at the end of the rope here. I just don’t know what to do anymore.’’

‘’I am sorry to say this Lena but there is nothing you can do. I know, right now it seems like everything is going wrong. but believe me. It will get better. You just have to have some faith.’’

‘’But how? The spell dad had cast will wear off soon. I can still remember the compulsion of the mating bond Layla. It made me want him; against my will, It was like I was being held hostage by a mysterious force that wanted me to submit. I can’t go through that again. I have to figure out a way to break this cursed mating bond or else I will lose myself.’’ 

Sensing my helplessness and distress Layla held me close and said, ‘’Oh Elena, I want to help you but there is no way to break the mating bond. If there were don’t you think someone would have done it by now.’’

I looked at her and asked, ‘’So what? I am just supposed to give up without a fight? Become something I am not? Accept someone I don’t want  as my soulmate?’’

For the very first time. Even my ever accomplished sister didn’t have an answer to my question. 

Days passed and I still didn’t have an answer. I was starting to feel the pressure of my dilemma in full force. Fortunately, Lucas hadn’t made a single attempt to contact me or my enthusiastic mother these past few days. So, I distracted myself by learning and practicing magic and steeled my resolve by spending time with Aaron. who was trying his best to teach me how to fight but was failing miserably.

‘’I think we need a break,’’ Aaron said, after another failed attempt at teaching me basic defense manoeuvers.

‘’I think….we need a permanent break. Clearly, I am not cut out for this. My sister saw the red marks from our sparring after our last ‘fight-date’ and looked at me weirdly. I was pretty sure she was cooking up some messed-up theory in her brain.’’

‘’Fight-date?’’ Aaron asked, amused at my vocabulary.

‘’Well, you haven’t asked me out on a regular date. So, I am making do with a 'fight-date'. Even though, it’s really unromantic getting thrown on my ass by my boyfriend.’’

‘’The news of your mating with a golden boy has spread like wildfire. if anyone saw us in an ambiguous setting, enjoying dinner. People would come at you with pitchforks.’’

‘’Just me? What about you? I like to think of us as partners in crime.’’

 ‘’I am not the one who is mated with mister popular.’’

‘’Come on! What’s with the names? are you that jealous?’’ I asked, amused at his thinly veiled jealousy.

He said, ‘’No, I am possessive. It’s a wolf thing,’’ as he took me in his arms and embraced me. 

‘’Oh! I am sure it is. That would explain, Why, We always rendezvous in the forest.’’ 

‘’Come, I will take you home. It is getting late.’’ I held him tighter at the mention of leaving, wanting to prolong our time together.

‘’I don’t want to go home yet. Let stay here a little longer.’’

‘’So, now you aren’t worried about your sister letting her imagination run wild.’’

‘’Tsk, I can’t wait to tell everyone that we are together at least. We wouldn’t have to sneak around like petty criminals then.’’

‘’Are you sure? I think you would be placed in solitary confinement. If you told anyone about us. It’s good enough your sister hasn’t ratted us out yet.’’

‘’Ah! the road to love is riddled with hurdles.’’

He smirked at my words, ‘’Okay let’s go now, the sun is almost down.’’

Aaron dropped me home in record time with the stealth of a ninja, right around the corner of my house. so, no one would spot us.

‘’You know I have to stay this whole secret dating thing is kind of hot. I am starting to enjoy it.’’

‘’I am glad you are pleased.’’

I kissed Aaron goodbye and went home with a goofy smile on my face. which was seen by family. when I entered our lounge.

‘’What are you smiling for?’’ asked my mother.

‘’Nothing, just enjoying my day,’’ I answered.

‘’Oh well, I am glad because we have something to share,’’ said Layla with a serious tone.

‘’What?’’ I asked.

‘’Do you remember? We decided to attack the rogues in the last council meeting and the shifters and the vampires were assigned the duty of planning the whole operation.’’ Dad explained.

‘’Yes, I remember.’’

‘’They just finished formulating the whole strategy and plans for the attack after discussing the whole thing. Tomorrow every council member has been called along with their scions to share the plans of the attack. You are going with us tomorrow.’’

‘’Me? why? you don’t need me there last time I was just there for formality.’’

‘’Your presence has been requested.’’

‘Oh! no!’

‘’By whom?’’

‘Don’t say Lucas.’

‘Don’t say Lucas.’

‘’By Lucas Black,’’ Dad replied.

‘Shit!!!’