The Chef's Sick Mate (Book 17 of the Regal Eclipse Pack Series)

Chapter 36

He didn't want her. Gen fought back the tears of the unspoken rejection as she became aware of him walking right by her without stopping. She would NOT cry again today. She'd already cried enough. She should have known the haircut wouldn't make a difference. She loved it, but apparently it didn't matter. Her own mate didn't want her.

She scoffed at herself. Like a haircut would make all the difference.

She'd been aware the entire time that he was in the dining hall. His scent was strong and perfect and she's breathed it in deeply, memorizing it. She'd known exactly where he was the entire time too, and had avoided looking his way. Until she'd made the mistake of doing so when he'd walked by. She should have never done that.

She'd looked up without thinking about it and met his gaze. She'd been shocked, mesmerized by him as her world was flipped upside down and the word Mate! screamed through her head. He'd been all she'd been able to focus on for a bit there as his steps slowed and he stared back at her. And then she'd gotten nervous and looked away from him, and he'd just walked on by, leaving the dining hall and her. 

She shouldn't be surprised by any of this. But he hadn't even talked to her or anything. It was like he wasn't interested. She sighed, reminding herself that she needed to let it go, but it hurt. It really hurt. After lunch, they were supposed to be moving stuff up to the apartment, and that would at least give her something else to focus on for now. Something besides the man who didn't want her. 

'You broke eye contact first and looked away,' Jules said.

'He could have stopped,' Gen protested.

'You could have invited him to sit down and talk. He might think you're rejecting him? Did you ever think of that?' Jules asked her. 

She sucked in a small breath, realizing Jules was right. She bit her lip. Did he think that? It hadn't been her intention. Maybe she should approach him? She couldn't though. She didn't have the balls to do that. She didn't have any experience talking to men except for Aidan, and she had no reason to impress him. He was only interested in her sister. She really hated this. 

'Talk to him, get it over with and things will be fine. He's your other half, Gen. Your perfect match," Jules tried to reassure her. 

She didn't eat much for lunch. She was too nervous and feeling nauseous over what had happened with her mate. That worried her too. What if she was just getting sick again? Despite reassurances from Jules, she was a wreck and wishing she could go hide in her bedroom for the rest of the day and avoid everyone. Not that it was possible. She'd already missed helping this morning. She couldn't ditch this afternoon too. 

She was happy when lunch was over and followed her mother out of the dining hall. Aidan went one way, while Ana went another, Melissa following her. 

"Where are we going?" Gen asked her. 

"Up to our apartment. The men will be there soon, bringing up our things and we'll be directing them on where to put them," Melissa told her as they stepped on the elevator. She turned to look at Gen, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she lied. 

"Your hair looks amazing, Gen," Melissa said with a smile. 

"Thanks Mom." Then a thought occurred to her. If there were members of the pack coming to help, would her mate be one of them? She'd be forced to confront him then. But Jules was right; she needed to get it out of the way. Then he could reject her and move on. 

Fortunately, her mate wasn't one of the men who helped them move in, which was both a good thing and a bad thing. She had sort of wanted him to be involved just so that she could talk to him and get a better look at him. But then, she also wanted to avoid him. What the hell is wrong with me?

'You're too far into your own head,' Jules responded. 

'I wasn't asking you,' Gen responded, pissed off. 

'Well, excuse me!' 

Gen blinked. 'I'm sorry, Jules. I didn't mean that.'

'It's okay. I know you're stressed out,' Jules said softly.

'Still. I'm so sorry,' Gen responded softly. 

While her mate hadn't show up to help out that afternoon, she could still catch his scent quite strongly. She kept smelling it in random places. It was like he'd been in her room, handling her things. 

'He helped unload the plane,' Jules finally said. 'He picked up our scent.' 

'That makes sense,' Gen mumbled, though she still wondered why he hadn't come to help out this afternoon if he had this morning. The only reason she could think of was because he'd seen her at lunch. 

'Maybe he's just busy,' Jules offered. 

'Or maybe he just doesn't want us,' Gen replied as she pulled out her purple blanket. She'd meant to pack it up in her bag, but somehow it had ended up in a box. She pulled it out, and the scent of her mate followed. She held it up to her face, breathing it in deeply. He smelled so good. A small whimper escaped her. She didn't realize how hard this was going to be. She sighed. If he rejected her, she would wash it. Maybe. 

'His scent won't be the same to you if the bond is broken, Gen,' Jules told her. 

'It won't?' 

'No. He might smell good, but it won't be this intoxicating scent that you crave like you do now,' Jules explained. 

'Will I have another mate?' Gen asked her.

'Not a fated mate. There are no second chances. We could take a Chosen Mate, but it won't be the same. We'll have a bond with them, but not like we will with a Fated,' Jules said sadly. 

Gen swallowed. That sucked. She'd thought that maybe one day when she had more confidence in herself, she might be able to make it work. But at the same time, if she could have a Chosen Mate, maybe that would be for the best. Maybe being a werewolf wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Except Jules. Gen loved Jules. She'd made her life so much more interesting. 

'Love you, too. But Gen, you're making a mountain out of a mole hole. You're making too many assumptions. Relax. He's our mate and he will be drawn to you no matter what. If he's shallow enough to reject you based on looks alone, then he's not worth our time. You're an amazing person. You've been through so much and you're a strong woman, Gen. I'm honored that you're my human,' Jules said quietly. 

That one brought tears to her eyes, and she swiped them away as a man stopped in her doorway. "I think this is the last box."

Gen looked up at him. He was gorgeous too with his dark hair and blue eyes. She had no idea who he was. One of the guys that had been helping out. She'd seen him a few times, though she hadn't spoken to him. She needed to now though. "Thank you. You can set it over there."

He placed the box where she told him to, then nodded and walked out, leaving her alone again. She buried her face in her blanket again, breathing in her mate's scent, and wondering what his name was. She suddenly wanted to know. Maybe she could ask Aidan later. 

A few hours later, she was sitting on her bed in her room, sorting through a box, looking for a specific shirt. She'd spent most of the afternoon helping her mother put away everything else. She'd decided to save her own bedroom for last. Pretty much everything she needed was already unpacked. She just needed to go downstairs and grab her things out of the spare bedroom, which she'd do after dinner. 

Her mind kept returning to the man who was supposed to be her mate. She couldn't stop thinking about him. She could still smell him so strongly in her bedroom, and she had occasionally gone over to sniff her blanket. She couldn't help herself. She was becoming obsessed with his scent.