Marked Mate

16

SCARLETT

I was surprised to wake up to the sound of clattering downstairs - dishes being washed in the sink. Roman was home. Glancing at the bedside clock, I pinched my eyebrows together in confusion to see it was nine in the morning.

Was Roman not at work today?

I took a deep breath and padded down the stairs, entering the kitchen. Roman was finishing up with his cleaning, and I spotted a plate of eggs on the side. My stomach growled, and the loud rumble caught Roman's attention, causing him to sigh.

"Do you want it?" he asked me, nodding towards the food.

I shook my head. "No, thank you. It's yours." I clicked my tongue. "You aren't at work."

"My meeting got moved, so I thought I'd lie in."

I hummed. "So you took my advice?" A small smile crept up onto my face. Perhaps my words had got through to him.

"I suppose so." It looked like Roman was fighting some kind of a smile in return, but as quickly as it appeared, it was gone, and a distant and far-off look took over.

I swallowed my anxiety and seated myself next to him. Roman watched me carefully, his body stiffening with my close proximity, and the action caused my stomach to drop. He was still uncomfortable around me, and it had something to do with what had happened in the gym.

This wasn't how mates were supposed to be.

We should be able to tell each other anything. They should be the one person in the entire world that you always feel comfortable around no matter what, but Roman and I were acting more like awkward ex-lovers trying to remain platonic. It was killing me.

"Thank you for setting up that training for me with Erica." I said casually. "It really helped."

Roman's sharp jaw flexed. I was hoping that bringing up training with Erica would get him to open up a little bit. I was afraid to hear why he was acting strange, but I knew I needed to, for my own sanity. This wasn't going to get any better on its own. I needed to bite the bullet.

"Did it?" His question was strained, and he took a few more bites of his food before he pushed it towards me. "You can have the rest. I need to get to work."

I glared at the eggs. I wanted to smash them up in my hands and throw them against the wall in anger, but abusing food wasn't going to get me anywhere. "Perhaps I could help with -"

The door shut, and I shoved the plate of food away, my appetite suddenly non-existent.

Roman hated me. He absolutely hated me, and I didn't know why. I was desperate to know the reason, though. My wolf felt like she was melting inside of me from the pain.

Had he caught on to the fact that the emotions weren't his own? But he hadn't felt the effects. It didn't make sense to me.

Deciding against wallowing in my own thoughts at home, I showered and got dressed, exiting the house. It was pouring with rain, but I didn't mind. The weather reflected my mood - glum. It was nice knowing I wasn't the only one feeling gloomy.

I made my way into the centre of the town, taking notice of how quiet it was, since it was so early. There were only a few shoppers milling about, and most of the wolves sitting at their sheltered stalls or inside of their shops with bored expressions, waiting for customers.

Pushing one of the doors open to a store, the bell rang from above me, making me jump.

"Come in!" the lady cheered excitedly as she moved from her position behind the checkout. "Is there anything I can help you with?"