Shadows of the marked

3 » Calvin's Point of view

Anger, worry and confusion. Every single emotion in between consumes me. My body goes numb from the words Eric Kingsley had just spoken on the phone.

My eyes fall to Allison's, sitting across from me and giving me a just-as-worried look. It falls quiet. Too quiet.

"Sir-" Kingsley says through the phone, trying his best to regain my attention. Allison and I make silent eye contact, and she takes that moment to leave without another word.

I'm frozen in my place. Unable to make a sound. I had to have heard him wrong. There's no way this could have happened. Not to Gray. She doesn't deserve something like this.

Why is the moon goddess so cruel? Why can't she give us a break? I clench my jaw and squeeze the phone tighter in my grasp.

"Don't." I snap into the microphone. "We will be there in a few hours, Kingsley. Thank you." My voice is harsh, as I try to collect my thoughts.

Instead of ending the phone call like any normal man, my anger gets the best of me and the phone turns into parts in my hand. I throw the remains of the phone against the wall, and tug at the ends of my hair.

This can't be happening. What am I supposed to do? I've never had to personally deal with this in too long. My heart breaks. Not only because I loved them, but because I love Gray.

How the hell am I supposed to tell her that her parents are dead?

Tears form in my eyes. I told myself not to get attached. Yet- here I am. Weak. The thought of losing yet another person close to me tears me apart.

What's really getting to me, is imagining how Gray is going to react. I shouldn't be telling my twenty year old mate, that not only one of her parents died, but both at the same time.

I force myself to my feet and out of my office. Allison and I had spent the day talking about what the doctors had told Gray and I- and I thought that was the icing on the cake.

Rakasa yearns to be beside his mate. Holding her and consoling her until the grief of her loss is gone. However, he and I both know that something like that never goes away. As mean as he is, when it comes to Gray, everything makes him weak. Especially hearing her cry. All because he has no capability of fixing it.

The sound of Gray's laughter brings me towards the kitchen. Just hearing it tears me apart, because I know that this will be the last time I hear it for awhile. I'm going to miss it.

"You drop a jar of pickles every time you pick one up." Karan says joining in with Gray's spontaneous laugh.

"I have to agree with your mom, Ben. She isn't too far off." I sigh in defeat. As much as I hate to say it, Gray and Ben are best friends. I hate taking her away from him when she's having such a good time. Even Rakasa loves seeing her so happy and enjoying herself while we're away. It makes him feel safe, knowing that she's secure.

"Hey, that was one time." Benjamin frowns. Gray rolls her eyes, like she does to everything. How the hell am I supposed to tell my angel that her two favorite people are dead?

"You were kicked out of three Walmart's when you were twenty because you knocked over isles on accident." Karan laughs loudly. I flinch.

"Ally is pretty clumsy too. Lets pray Leah doesn't take up after either of them in that department." Gray pipes up, laughing. Karan joins in, and even Ben laughs a little.

"Gray." I call my mates name. The room instantly falls silent as if they all have just saw a ghost. Her head snaps to me, and she knits her eyebrows together. So beautiful.

"Lets go." I say, hating how I had to ruin such a genuine moment for her. I'm about to ruin her entire year. I couldn't give her a baby, and now I've got to inform her that her parents will no longer be around. For good.

"What?" Her stance wavers, and she flinches at my tone. Shit. I hate that my anger gets the best of me.

"I said, lets. Go." Stay calm. I want to hold her, and inform her where nobody else is around. She needs privacy, and so do I. A lump forms in my throat, but I hold my ground.

"I-uh-I guess I'll talk to you guys later." She says, sighing loud enough to let me know she's disappointed. It hurts me even more. I should have just waited to tell her.

"Good luck." Ben says softly, patting Gray on the back. I growl out in annoyance, but before I can do anything to harm him; Gray rests her hand on my forearm.

I inhale deeply, collecting my thoughts and rethinking my actions. Through the time I've been with her, I've learned to keep my self control. I never want to hurt her- or anyone in front of her. She's too sensitive for that.

  We round the corner, and she roughly pushes herself away from me. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" She grumbles, angry that I had to ruin the good time she was having with her friends. Just like I always do.

My nostrils flare. "We're not having this discussion here." My voice comes out as cold as ice, and even I  flinch at the sound of it. My mate glares back at me, trying to decipher me.

"I'm not just going to leave without an explanation, Calvin." Her voice is filled with so much venom. "You can't just come up to me acting like such a dick without a reason!"

My eyes narrow at the woman before me. "Don't argue with me, little wolf." I hate when she defies me. I hate that she can easily call me a dick, and I hate being so mean to her. I can't help it. I ball my fists at my sides, and I continue to glare.

"Don't treat me like I'm a fucking baby, Calvin. You can just go home by yourself." Fuck. I swallow hard, but it goes unnoticed by my fuming mate.

"Gray." I warn, daring me to defy Rakasa again. Im physically shaking at this point.

"No, Calvin! I don't want to go home with you if you're going to continue acting like such a dic-" I feel like such an asshole. My jaw clenched and all I want to do is wrap my arms around this girl, and tell her what's on my mind.

"I want to be able to tell you alone, Gray. It's about your parents." I say looking into her beautiful eyes. The anger on her face continues to burn like a never ending fire. I swallow. I can't let her know how weak I'm am. Not now.