Trying Not To Love You ~ JHTBY Book II

2. Gina.

I ran until my bones couldn't take the exertion anymore and I finally collapsed in a field about a mile south of the river that ran through the middle of our territory. I rolled over onto my back and stared up at the clear, blue sky; the sun was directly over the little field, shining warm light over the entire space. It was in that moment that I realized where I was: the clearing where the Moonlight Rituals are held; where a girl would find her mate on her eighteenth birthday.

My wolf whined painfully at the thought of her mate, and as she did, I could feel my heart tearing apart again; hear the shattering as I fell apart. Traitorous tears welled up at the corner of my eyes and, even though I was physically drained, I lifted myself from the ground and pushed myself until I was a good distance away.

Finally stopping, I collapsed onto the leaves, exhausted. As I laid there, attempting to get a hold of my breath, I couldn't help letting my mind wonder to Gaige. My mate. Growling to myself, I rolled over and looked up at the sky. It just wasn't fair! Why does it always have to be me? Why do I have to be the freak all the time? Why couldn't I just have black or gray fur like everyone else? Why couldn't my sense just be regular and not super heightened? Why couldn't I find my mate when I turned eighteen like everyone else?

But no. It's me. Nothing could ever be that simple. But why?

With this thought in mind, I knew that I had to have some answers. All of these things couldn't be just mere coincidence. Pushing myself up from the ground with a new vigor, I ran back to the school, making a pit stop for some clothes and to pick up my car.

Within a few minutes, I pulled into the drive way and parked in the garage beside my dad's truck. Walking inside, I saw my older sister, Hadleigh sitting on the couch, flipping through a magazine.

Hadleigh was a little more than four years older than me and was mated and married to Blake, Harley and Macie's son. Hadleigh was what some would call the "Model Child", but personally, I like to call her boring. Growing up, she was always the tattle tale, running to tell mom and dad what me, Noah or Ryan had done. If she wasn't ratting us all out, she was doing homework or extra school work. To be honest, Ryan wasn't too far behind her; he was never a tattle tale, but he was always the quieter one of the triplets (Me, Noah, and himself). But either way, even though she was boring, I loved my older sister. She was always there to help me out whenever she could, or when I got to the age that my brothers couldn't understand everything anymore and Halle wasn't quite there yet. In more ways than one, she was my best friend.

"Hey, Hadleigh," I said as I came up behind her. Turning around, she looked up at me and smiled.

"Hey, sis. Aren't you supposed to be in school," she asked narrowing her eyes at me playfully.

I shrugged, not saying anything, plopping down next to her on the couch. She rolled her eyes at me and I laughed. "So, what are you doing here in the middle of the day anyway? You and Blake usually don't show 'til dinner."

"Well," she said looking rather excited as she put her magazine to the side, "I came to tell mom and dad the great news," she said, now sporting a full blown grin.

"What's the news," I wondered aloud to her.

"I wasn't going to tell you and the boys until later, but...I'm pregnant," she screamed happily.

"Oh! Had! I'm so happy for you! Does Blake know yet?"

She nodded, ecstatic, "He's so excited that he is going to be a father!" I smiled at her and hugged her tightly, genuinely happy for my sister and her mate.