Betrayed and Broken

18

Today is my 19th birthday. I can't believe I actually survived this last year. The party is about to start, and I am having a panic attack. Haze walks into my room, and he looks good. He recently cut his black hair. He is sporting a buzz cut, which I like. He no longer has hair, constantly falling over his blue eyes. He is wearing a pair of black jeans that make his ass look fantastic. He is also wearing a light gray short sleeved t-shirt that is hugging his chest muscles just right. I can see what looks like a new tattoo on his upper right arm. I'll have to ask him about that later.

"Hey beautiful, your mom said you are having a small panic attack. Are you ok ?" he asked. I love it when he calls me beautiful. Recently, I've discovered that my feelings for Haze have been changing. I know this sounds crazy, but I feel like our mate bond is slowly repairing. I kind of hope it is. Like I've said, I feel safe and secure with him, and I swear I can feel light tingles when he touches me. I didn't feel any of this until I realized I started developing feelings for him. I don't know how he feels about me, but Stacey did say that Amber thought he was in love with me. We never really talked about that, so I'm not sure how he feels.

"Yeah, I'm feeling a little anxious about being around so many people," I replied. He walked up to me and took my hand. I feel those little tingles in my hand. He walks me to my bed and sits down, pulling me to sit on his lap. He always has me sit on his lap when I'm freaking out. For some reason, it helps calm me down. "You don't have to worry about all those people. Im going to be by your side the whole time, " he says as he kisses the top of my head. "Promise?" I ask. "Yes, I promise," he replies. "Hey, what's the new tattoo?" I asked to change the subject. trying to calm myself down. He lifts his sleeve up and shows it to me, and it's beautiful. It's two silver wolves standing next to each other. "Is that us?" I ask. 'It is," he says with a smile. "I love it," I say as I kiss it.

"I got something for you," he says with a smile. "You did?" I ask with my own smile. "I did. Do you want it now or later?" he asks. "Now," I reply. I'm so excited that he actually got me something. "Hang on," he says as he gets up and walks to my door. He opens my door and bends over to pick something up from the floor. I have to say I'm loving the view right now. He stands back up and walks to me, holding a small birthday bag. "Happy Birthday, beautiful. I hope you like it," he says as he hands me the bag.

He stands in front of me, waiting for me to open it. "Here, sit down; you're making me nervous," I jokingly say. He chuckled and then sat next to me. I opened the bag and pulled out a long jewelry box and a birthday card. "What do you want me to open first?" I asked him. "The box," he replies. I open the box, and my jaw hits the floor. It's absolutely beautiful. I take the necklace out of the box and read the dog tags. "I absolutely love it," I say as I hug him. "Thank you," I whisper in his ear. "Will you help me put it on?" I ask. "Of course," he replied with a smile. I turn my back to him and lift my hair up. Haze places the necklace on my neck. He clipss the ends together, then gently kisses my neck. The kiss sent shivers down my spine. "Thank you," I whisper. "You're welcome. Now read the card, please," he says as he kisses my temple. I love how he is always giving me little kisses. I pulled away from him and opened the card, and a letter was folded inside. I took out the letter and started reading it.

Skylar
Happy birthday, beautiful
I hope you like your necklace. I got the dog tags to remind you that you are a fighter and a warrior. I had them engraved to remind you and Luna that you are brave and strong. Sometimes, I feel that you forget that. I want you to be able to look at this necklace every day and remember just how brave and strong you are and that you are a fighter, a warrior. I want you to know that you amaze me every day with your bravery and your strength. You are the bravest and strongest person I know. I know this can't make up for the big cluster fuck I caused at your last birthday, but I hope it at least puts that memory on the back burner. I want you to know that I have changed since then, and it's all because of you. Skylar, you have changed me for the best. I am a better person, a better alpha, because of you. I know this last year hasn't been easy, but the one thing I am and will always be grateful for out of everything that has happened is you. I'm grateful that I get to be in your life and witness the amazing person you are every day. I don't think I have ever officially apologized to you about last year. I want you to know that I am genuinely sorry. I was an idiot. I should never have rejected you. I regretted it immediately. Thank you so much for giving me the chance to be in your life. I hope you know you mean the world to me.
Love always
Haze

I could barely see the letter to finish reading it. I was a crying mess. I turned to Haze and hugged him so tight. "Thank you so much. Apology accepted. You have always been a great person. You just lost your way for a little bit. I just helped you find your way back. Thank you so much for everything. You mean the world to me, too, " I said as I kissed his cheek. When I pulled away from him, he had tears running down his cheeks.

"Are you ok?" I asked. "Thank you, Sky, you have no idea how much I needed to hear that. I love you, Sky, " he whispered. Oh my God, he just said he loves me. Does he love me as a friend or as something more? I can't just come out and ask him. I hugged him again and whispered, "I love you too, Haze."

"Skylar, are you ready yet?" my mom asks as she walks into my room. "Oh, sorry," she says as she sees us hugging. "Look what, Haze got me," I say as I stand up and show her my necklace. "Oh, Haze, that's beautiful," she says with a smile. "Thank you, Mrs. Shaw," he replies. "Haze, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Danielle?" Mom asks, still smiling at him. "Sorry, I keep forgetting," he replied. "I'll let it slide this time," my mom laughed. "Thank you." Haze laughed back.

"I gotta clean my face back up. I don't want it to look like I've been crying, "I say as I head to my bathroom. I look at myself in the mirror and see the necklace, and smile. I love it, and that letter was everything to me. I know that nothing else I get will compare to Haze's gift. Then he did say that he loves me. Does he love me, love me, or just love me as a friend or sister? I meant it when I said I love him, too, because I do. I know I love him. I never, in a million years, thought those words would have ever come out of my mouth. I can see how he has changed, and it's only made me love him more. I'll tell him exactly how I feel tonight after the party. I look back at myself and straighten out my black T-shirt and my blue skinny jeans. I clean my face and put my hair up into a ponytail. I walk back out, and Haze smiles at me. He walks up to me and kisses my cheek. "Are you ready?" he asked. "You promised to stay with me?" I asked. Haze took my hand into his, "I promise I won't leave your side." The 3 of us head out to the party, Haze and I walking hand in hand.