Lonely No More [Werewolf Romance]

Chapter Fourteen

~COPYRIGHT 2013~

*Ella's POV*

My body wakes to a shaking sensation. I open my eyes to see Eric hovering above me, shaking my shoulder gently. He gives me a smile as I acknowledge his presence.

"Morning sis," he greets softly.

"Morning," I grumble sadly.

"I hate to bother you, but you need to get up. Reed says we need to be ready by noon. He's going to escort us to Parker's funeral," he informs me.

Tears automatically spring to my eyes when I think of yesterday's events.

"Hey now, don't cry," he coos.

"How can I not? He was so sweet and he was the perfect Beta!"

"I know, but you need to be strong for Reed. He was best friends with Parker. Come on, get up and get ready."

"What about my classes?"

"All classes have been cancelled for the day due to the fact that most of the students here will be attending the funeral."

I nod and get out of bed, dragging myself to the bathroom. It is crowded with girls getting ready, but I manage to get a shower. Once I finish, I make my way back to my dorm room and make myself look presentable. After slipping into a formal black dress, I apply a light shade of eye shadow and lip gloss before volumizing my eyelashes with a bit of mascara.

Maia and I check one another for flaws before grabbing our purses, ready to head out the door. That is when there is a knock. I open it up and standing there is Reed. He looks up at me with a sad smile and takes his hands out of his dress pant pockets.

"Are we ready to go ladies?" he asks.

"Yes," I reply for us.

He laces his fingers into mine and I squeeze his hand, trying to tell him that I'm here for him. Eric and Maia walk behind us as we exit the building. Waiting for us in the parking lot is a sleek black limo. Reed opens the door for me and ushers me in. I smile gratefully, despite my sadness, and slide in.

The four of us are silent throughout the entire ride and when we arrive, it is even more silent in the cemetery. There are hundreds of chairs occupied by pack members surrounding the grave site. As Reed approaches, they all stand up. We take the four open seats up front and instantly everyone sits back down. That is when the service begins.

It was a sweet, yet sad service. Parker's mother is beside me weeping and the emotions are beginning to get the best of me. As they begin to lower his casket into the ground, tears spring to my eyes. I can feel Reed let go of my hand and my head to turns to him. He quickly stands up and walks off.

"Go after him. He needs you," Eric whispers from two seats down.

I nod and excuse myself, chasing after my mate. I find him leaning against the front gate, facing the other way. But by the shaking of his body, I know he is crying. I approach him and wrap my arms around him from behind.

"It's going to be okay, Reed," I try to calm him down.

"How can you say that? My best friend is dead because of that....BITCH!" he growls angrily.

He whirls around to face me and is huffing and puffing. His eyes are black, yet still swirling with his original color. I can tell he wants to shift.

"Anger isn't going to bring him back," I tell him. "As much as I hate Janie for what she did, nothing is going to change the fact that he's gone."

He drops his head to his chest and sighs.

"This year isn't going how it was supposed to. First, I meet you and you want nothing to do with me. And then I lose my best friend," he practically whimpers.

"Hey! I never said I didn't want anything to do with you. I've given you a chance, haven't I?" I question.

"But I've messed up every time. I've failed you as a mate. I've failed Parker and my pack as an Alpha. Maybe I just shouldn't be an Alpha..."

"Don't say that Reed. You don't know what you're talking about!"

He looks me in the eyes and steps back once. "No, you don't know what you're talking about. I've failed everyone," he breathes. "I think I'm just going to take some time off. I need to figure out what I'm going to do with my life. Maybe when I come back I'll be a better mate for you."

He steps back even more and I stretch my arms out to him.

"Reed, what are you talking about?" I ask, trying to reach for him.

"I'm going to go to the Alpha Academy for the rest of the year. I will be leaving once we get back to the University."

"Where is this coming from?"

"I thought about this long and hard last night. I need to go away and learn how to properly be an Alpha, how to properly be a mate. Maybe when I come back I'll be good enough for you."

"You're already good enough for me!" I protest.

"No I'm not. I've hurt you one too many times. It's not that I don't love you Ella because I do. I just need some time."

"You can't just leave me here!"

"I have to," he says, pressing his lips to my forehead.

He turns around and runs out of the gate, shifting before hitting the tree line.

I was left there in shock. My mate had just run out on me for a year because he didn't think he was good enough. Did I push this 'prove yourself' thing too far? Did I push him away? I should've just forgiven him for everything he has done. It's the past and the past is in the past, right?

~COPYRIGHT 2013~