DESIRE

15

When Liv woke, she could smell sweet pancakes that the chef was making in the kitchen. Her stomach grumbled as she imagined delving into the delicious plate that awaited her in the kitchen.

Her parents had already left when she came downstairs, it was just a plate of pancakes drizzled with syrup waiting for her. A lonely but delicious breakfast, that and her cousin Sean who seemingly had made himself at home. There was an air of awkwardness between the two cousins, the secret of her matebond with Jace strapped to her ankles like an anchor, a painful reminder that she could lose her family because of this. 

Then the reminder of who Sean was as a person struck her in the heart, she was sitting across from a well-renowned hunter, was she betraying her matebond? 

"Morning," She smiled, slotting three fat pancakes onto her plate after pouring an adequate amount of syrup on top of them she dived in "What are you doing today?"

Sean shrugged "I've got a couple of meetings back at base. Then some workers are coming to look at my flat to see if I can move back in. "

"Sounds far more interesting than my day." Liv's stomach turned as she poked at the remnants of her pancakes with her fork. She knew that school wouldn't be the easiest place for her today and all she wanted was to mend what had happened between her and Kennedy.

She held her hands tightly together to stop herself from biting the flesh raw. She would be fine. She has Jace, and he would look after her. That much she knew for certain. Anyway, she should be excited, they were going for dinner that night and then she would come back to his; to the pack.

"I'd better get going." She forced a small smile onto her face gripping her car keys tight in her palm "I'm going to a friend's house tonight if you could tell my mum and dad?"

"What friend?" Sean asked barely looking up from his pancakes (of which he had helped himself to a third serving)

"Just someone from school, you wouldn't know her." The lie rolled off of her tongue smoothly, she waited for a moment to see Daniel frown slightly before masking his face in a disinterested look.

"I'll see you when you get home then. Stay safe."

*When she arrived at school, she felt eyes on her wherever she walked. The humans were glaring at her as she passed by them in the corridor. Posters were hanging on the walls detailing different clubs and societies, all of them split between shifters and humans. The incident between Jace and Kennedy yesterday had just split everyone further apart.

He was there, waiting for her at her locker a small grin on his face when he saw her. His warm arms enveloped her in a bone-crushing hug as he pressed his lips against her clammy forehead. Her anxiety was eating her alive.

"Are you okay?" He mumbled into her hair pulling away to take her hand in his, he frowned when she nodded knowing from the look in her eyes that she was lying to him. Nevertheless, he changed the subject "My parents were furious with me last night." He told her everything watching as her face contorted.

"Your mum sounds like a really scary woman."