Truths Collide (WolfGirl 2)

Chapter 14: History

(Scarlet James)

"What was that about in there?" I ask Tristan, once we're seated in his car and he starts driving.

He lets out a deep breath, "She might have thought we would be more than..."

"You were dating her?" I ask bluntly.

He runs his free hand down his face, "I wouldn't call it dating...I couldn't really date anyone without it getting back to my Dad..."

"But you can sleep around," I immediately regret it when those words slip out of my mouth.

He lets out a dry laugh, "Yup, just like you did."

I wouldn't have if Tristan or Caius were just honest with me. I know it was wrong, but it was just Caius after Tristan. It's not like I slept with all the guys in town.

"Fuck," he swears loudly, then after a second, in a calmer voice he explains, "You know how there have been some evolutionary changes in the shifter world...there have been a few cases where a female shifter's mate doesn't find her in time and in a third of those cases, the she-wolf died."

"I know I was afraid I was going to be one of those girls?" I say quietly then turn to look at him, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because when I first got here, Alpha McCauley begged me to save his daughter. Kelly's mate hadn't shown and he feared for his daughter's life. I helped her through her transformation to make sure she would make it," he explains.

"Like how you helped me?" I reply, more confused than ever. Kelly was me however long ago. Why wasn't she good enough for him to keep her around?

"You would've been fine whether I was there or not. Caius would've stepped up if I wasn't there," Tristan clenches his jaw.

"I don't get it though. You could've easily been with Kelly...she was me. Why'd you leave her? Why didn't you leave me or play it off the way you did with her? Why am I your fiancé?"

"She's not my mate, Scarlet. She knows that," he glances at me and takes my hand into his, "I was trying to do the right thing and yes I might've taken advantage of her advances toward me...I'm sorry."

"I—you didn't see the way she looked at me..." I trail off, slipping my hand out of his, remembering her smirk. I get it, she had Tristan first.

"I did," Tristan replies as he parks in front of one of the houses we picked from Christian's list. He turns to face me and says, "I am sorry about that. I always made sure she knew of my intentions."

"Does she know about the curse and why we're really together?"

"No. She thinks you're my mate."

I meet his bright green eyes, surprised, "Why?"

"Because that's what I've always told everyone," he shrugs, not looking away from me, "I had to. I told people the way it's going to be. Girls always knew they didn't have a chance at a relationship with me, I made sure of that."

While what he's saying is comforting, it just doesn't sit well with me, "So it was okay for them to think it's alright to sleep with you since your mate isn't here?"

He wasn't expecting that, and pulls away from me, "You don't get to judge me, Scarlet."

I nod, looking away from him, "No, you're right. I don't. You can do whatever you want, even now, because I'm not your mate."

"Let's just go check these houses out," he sighs heavily and gets out of the car, not even waiting for me. But I follow him, as the real estate agent walks out of the gorgeous house. The agent does all the talking and then shows us around. This house is way too big for only two people and I love it. This way it'd be easy to avoid him if I ever have to.