MATE AND HIS LOVER 11

16. I'll Deal With It

Behind the waterfall, the wayport begins to glow. Hundred miles away, the witch Raven springs up in the middle of the night, sweating. The prophecy has begun.

HELENA STAYS ON her bed, third day in a row. She blamed a non-existent bug she caught in the village for her sickly appearance, and took leave from school and went home to rest. She is sick in truth. Just not with an illness. With heartbreak. To make things worse, it's the beginning of weekends and her cousin Fiona is home, too.

"Stop being a depressing bitch," Fiona mutters from Helena's door and heads down to greet her uncle and aunt cheerfully.

It's all her fault, Helena thinks. If it weren't for Fiona forcing Helena to lie when they were kids, Ethan would've never gotten hurt and none of this would've happened. Helena twists the sheets over herself tighter, hoping sleep will come back. She doesn't want to see the daylight.

ETHAN FINISHES HIS morning run, showers up and sits down with his family for breakfast. His mother, Patricia, narrows her eyes at her mate before leaving the table to make coffee. Robert Mortimer gets the signal. "I heard it was a strong storm. Folks at Redwood took a serious hit, lost a few people. Glad no one was hurt in the village you helped. You did good moving them early," he says to his son.

"Yeah," Ethan says, and nothing more.

"Is everything okay with you?"

"I'm good."

Patricia turns around and meets Robert's eyes. He's not to give up. Robert gets this signal, too. "You've been... reserved since you got back. What's bothering you?"

"Nothing, I'm good. Can you please stop with the interrogation?"

"Interrogation? Can't a father ask his son if he's okay?"

"I told you I am, so please drop it."

Robert hasn't ever seen his son being this defensive. "Did you fight with your friends?"

"Dad, I'm not six."

"Is it about a girl?"

Ethan doesn't answer. 

"That girl from the coven, the one you asked me to reassign to you. Is it because of her?"

Ethan gets off the chair. "I'm late for school." He leaves.

"You know this might not be my area of expertise. You want to try?" Robert says to his mate.

"He's not going to talk to his mother about a girl. You have to find out what happened. I've never seen him like this. He barely even eats anything. Look, his breakfast is untouched," Patricia says reaching the dining table, "And isn't it the same girl, from the camp when they were kids, the one who said Ethan attacked her?"

"No, it's her cousin."

"All the same. I don't want them hurting my boy again. My son would've never attacked anyone unprovoked, but those kids lied he did, and you sent him away for that. I don't want this girl to do anything with him."

"Alright, I'll take him for a hunt this evening, and see if he talks."

"Make him," she orders the Alpha.

Robert pulls his mate by her waist. Patricia falls onto his lap. "Yes, Mam," he says and kisses her.

DEVON KNOWS IT wasn't right. The way Helena and Ethan behaved. There's something going on between the two. How can she find a mutt like him likable when he's here for her? But then again, Helena has always been an uptight bitch. Part of her charm. But it's getting annoying. Whatever's between Ethan and her has to be squashed right away. Maybe a curse on him will do the trick?

IN THE LATE evening, Ethan watches the dead deer get cleaned up next to the camp fire. This is his least favorite part of it all. Seeing this reminds him every time he had killed a being whose blood is just as red as his own. But the chase and the kill itself, though — a rush as instinctive as it is to breathe. Even that can't help elevate his dampened mood now.

"What's going on between you and that girl?" Robert asks, sitting next to his son on the fallen tree trunk.

"Dad, I asked you to leave it alone."

"Ethan, I'm not against you fooling around. You're young, I get it. But you can't let yourself get absorbed by this. It's nothing compared to how things will be like when you find your mate."

Ethan laughs.

"Something funny?"

"No. I agree with you."

"So you don't like that girl?"

"Dad, it's just... I'll deal with it, alright? If you are worried she's going to get me in trouble like she did back then, I get it, but I can handle this. I just want you to trust me."

"Fine, I trust you. But you got to dial down on the moodiness when you're around mom, or she's ready to go confront that girls' parents about their kid bothering her baby boy yet again."

Ethan smiles, knowing his father's exaggeration isn't uncalled for when it comes to his mother.

"Got it," Ethan says.

After a brief silence, Robert says, "I used to see someone before I met your mother."

"You did?"

"A human. We weren't serious, but I could tell she was hurt when I broke up with her. Made me feel like a douchebag. I'm not saying, don't see anyone. Have fun, but be upfront about everything to whoever you're with, and don't let yourself get carried away. Because, son, it really is just as the stories say when you find your mate. It's a bond you can't walk away from."

Don't Ethan know that already. He had never been in a serious relationship, knowing it won't last. But the one time when he couldn't help but fall for the girl, turns out she's his mate after all. For her, it doesn't mean anything. Even if he was angry, even if he had threatened to reject her in the heat of the moment, how could she have erased the memory of herself from him? Leaving him longing for someone that was already his. With her constant lying and betrayals, can he ever be able to trust his own mate?

But even through all this anger, her tears are what hurt him the most. Was that a lie, too? The pain he saw on her face. He didn't mean to hurt her. He just couldn't stop his own hurting. And he's afraid that the more he hurts, the more he wants her to feel the same. This unbearable pain can't remain his alone. 

——— 

A/N 

Hey guys! (^_^ )

First off, big thanks to everyone who leave comments. It feels great whenever I get to read your feedbacks. Means a lot! :)

Been a bit busier lately, that's why the update got delayed. Fall is always the most chaotic season for me :D By December things should calm down and I'll have more time to write.

Don't worry, there's no break whatsoever, the schedules might get pushed back and forth a little, that's all. If I miss a week, rest assured you'll get an update the following week. I won't delay more than that. 

Take care, and see you next time :) 💕 

— Auctorsam