The Chosen One •

11

✨ Isabel ✨

Two days had passed, and I hadn't moved from my bed since I returned to my dorm. I lay curled in the same position, hugging my knees to my chest like a shield, but it didn't protect me. It only made me feel more alone, more lost. I hadn't eaten, bathed, brushed my teeth. I didn't care. All I could think about were Kun's words. The anger in his eyes. The heartbreak of it all.

I wish he had rejected me. I wish he'd just done it, gotten it over with, so I wouldn't still feel a piece of him clinging to me, tormenting me.

I turned off my location for Tara and shut off my phone entirely. It felt safer that way. Safer than facing the reality of what had happened. I told my parents I had to return to campus early, that Tara's family had an emergency, and it was too awkward for me to stay there. The lie tasted bitter in my mouth, but it was the only thing I could say that would make sense.

I knew Tara would be back today, especially with Jacob joining Kun on the mission. But I couldn't face her. I couldn't face anyone. I felt dirty for lying to Kun. Dirty for keeping secrets about who I really was. And even more scared that Kun had already spilled the truth, told them what I really was—the witch.

The front door clicked open, then closed. Familiar footsteps approached my door, and my breath caught in my throat. I closed my eyes tightly, trying to steady my breathing. I knew it was Tara.

"Isabel?" Her voice called softly through the door, filled with the kind of concern I hated.

I didn't respond. I kept my eyes shut and pretended to sleep, but my silent sobs gave me away. Tara didn't need to see me like this, but she did anyway. I felt the bed dip as she sat next to me, her hand brushing my back.

"I'm so sorry about Kun," she whispered, her voice thick with sorrow. "Why did he tell you to leave?"

Her words cut through me like a blade, each one reminding me of his harshness, his cold rejection. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat but it wouldn't go away.

I couldn't keep pretending. The truth was too heavy.

Slowly, I turned to face her, my tears staining the pillow beneath me. "He said he didn't want me. He said I wasn't human, and that I lied to him to him. He was so disgusted that I am a witch. He told me to leave and never come back." The words were a struggle to get out, but I forced them through, the pain breaking each syllable.

Tara grew quiet, and the silence between us grew heavier with every passing second. I could feel her processing what I'd said, and I braced myself for the storm of emotions that would follow. But she didn't react right away, and that made me feel uneasy.

"What's wrong, Tara?" I asked softly, not sure what was going on in her mind.

She sighed heavily. "Do you want full transparency?"

I nodded, not knowing what to expect, but needing to hear the truth.

Tara took a deep breath, her voice steady but strained. "Kun was shocked when he found out the truth. He didn't expect it. But regardless of his shock, he should've never spoken to you like that. He should've just rejected you outright. Not said all those things. But he didn't. And he won't reject you."

Her words hit me harder than I expected. I had hoped Tara would say something that made me feel better, but hearing this—he should've rejected me—made my chest tighten. I pushed myself up, away from her once comforting touch.

"Why didn't he reject me then?" I demanded, my voice shaking with emotion. "What kind of choice is this? What do you mean, he should've?"

Tara's expression softened, but there was still a hint of sadness in her eyes. "To save both of you, Kun and you... you should've rejected each other," she said carefully, the words carrying the weight of knowledge I hadn't prepared for. "It's forbidden for witches and wolves to be mates. If anyone finds out, if the wrong people know, it could cost both of you your lives. His threats, the things he said, I don't agree with them. But I knew he wasn't going to act on them. He was just scared. He's confused. This is new for both of you, and he doesn't know what to do with it."