Once Rejected, Twice Shy

Chapter 4

"Can we talk?"

I choked mid yawn as the large figure of Jared blocked my doorway. I backed up a little, slightly surprised at how tall he had become. I had always been tall, but Jared stood a head taller than me which made me frown.

"Um, it's the crack of dawn." Please don't do this to me, its too early. I avoided his gaze, looking at the changing colours of the morning sky appearing through the window behind him and I heard him sigh.

"I know, but I couldn't think of any other time I could catch you alone. You always disappear after breakfast and you're always with the other pack."

"They are my pack members, who else will I be with?" I snapped, not liking his tone one bit. I had made a note to wake up earlier after promising mum to help prepare breakfast with her but it was starting to feel like I couldn't keep the promise and it annoyed me. "Look, I told mum I'll be there by six thirty, so if you don't mind..." I trailed off as I pushed past him, and bit my cranky morning tongue back as he followed.

"We are going to the same house you know."

"I know." I hissed at his smart-ass comment. I had been going over to my parents' home for breakfast, which was the better option given that there was no one there to stare and whisper as we ate. But that also meant that Jared would be there as well, given that main pack house which he lived in was right beside their house and on the way to the second pack house where I was housed at.

It had been almost a week of this and breakfast had been relatively peaceful. Awkward, but peaceful. Mum had been the one filing most of the silence, dad giving the few occasional small smile and slight chiding which made my guilt even less bearable. However the worst was the avoidance of each other's presence between Jared and I.

"Evly, was I the reason you ran?"

I stopped cold, my heart lurching at the old nickname Jared had for me. It reminded me that he had not always been the horrible brother of my memories, but one that had loved me like the world. It also reminded me how he threw it all away one day, and how I had spend years hoping that it had all been a bad dream. How I still hoped that it had been a bad dream.

"Evangeline. You don't get to use Evly."

"But-"

"You made me lose a brother, you made my life in Moonlit hell! Mum and dad weren't around, you were supposed to be my brother, but all you did was kick me down as my whole world turned against me, so you don't get to use Evly!"

In my anger, I hadn't realise that I had shoved Jared. I hadn't realise that my eyes stung and that my throat felt awfully tight. The silence in the hallway amplifying my thoughts and my anger.

"I'm sorry."

My fists came raining down. I felt my heart burst, but I didn't know what to feel as I threw punches. How he had stood there taking it all. I didn't know what to feel as I closed my eyes, not wanting to decipher the look on his face as I tried not to cry.

I could stop the waterworks, but I couldn't stop my next words. "Why did you leave me?" I couldn't bring myself to care as my voice cracked and I felt my arm tremble as my forearm shielded my eyes as I faced up, trying to force back any tears. I held my breath as I waited, not sure if I wanted to hear his answer.

Regret at my outburst was growing by the second as the silence stretched between us. I had planned to keep my distance, fixed my relationship with my parents, and nothing else. I thought I could keep my emotions in check. It was something I thought I had learnt to do after all these years and I hate that Jared was unravelling everything so easily.