Crimson Mist ✔️

26: A burning heart might be better than a broken one.

"Idiot!" Michael exclaims, throwing his playing cards onto the table.

"Actually," I say in a taunting voice, "you're the idiot, since you lost."

Michael scrunches his nose up and glares at me, before leaning back against the chair in his kitchen, taking a deep breath.

"What's going on, then?" he asks. "You said we could talk later yesterday morning, but we didn't, and now Tristan and Uno are talking about when we're gonna leave, so... where's your mate?"

I scrunch my nose up too, and bite my lip a little as I stare at the table.

"He's not coming," I state simply, and start to gather the deck of cards, so I can shuffle them, and maybe get him to play another round before I have to talk about it.

"Why not? Is he an idiot?" Michael asks, arching his eyebrow at me.

"I don't know," I sigh, "he doesn't want our future, hypothetical children to challenge Tristan to take over the title as Alpha, because of him being an Alpha's son and stuff."

I mutter the words lowly, and shuffle the cards in my hand. The kitchen is squeaky clean, like nothing has even been in there since they moved in, but I know there has, because it was a whole mess just a few days ago. The whole house looks so damn different. All the eccentric decorations and colors are gone, and left are the bare walls and basic furniture. They're taking everything with them in Tyler's small car, and they even promised to fit me in there, if I got tired of riding shotgun in Tristan's deep blue one.

"That's bullshit," he says, and leans forward. "Didn't he say he'd come with you wherever when you got here?"

"He did!" I exclaim, and put the cards down. "Haven't you heard anything? Ty is his best friend, they've got to be talking. Or mindlinking. Or whatever it is that they do."

"They are mindlinking, but Jeremy hasn't been back yet. Gail has been pestering Tyler, too, but he doesn't know anything," he explains. Then he sighs and puts his head in his hands. "Well, except for the fact that his heart is burning really bad. And he's not planning on coming back until after we've left."

I groan and put my forehead down on the table.

"My heart burns too," I admit.

It fucking hurts, but I try my best to block it out and act like there's nothing wrong at all. It's like that time my first crush laughed in my face when I told him I liked him, or when I thought I found someone who wanted to offer me some help a couple of years ago, but it turned out that he only wanted to have sex with me. Only this time it's a thousand times more intense, more painful, and I'm pretty sure it's never going to go away. Ever.

"I know, Elle," Michael says, reaching over the table to hold onto my shoulder. He nudges it a few times, before I lift my head and he strokes my cheek. "Did you talk to Gail about it at all? She's a smart lady, you know."

I nod at him, and lean my head on my fist.

"I did. She said he'd come running eventually, but the thing is," I explain, pausing a little to take a deep breath, "I'm not sure if I want him to."

I wanted him to come running a few days ago. Even during the full moon, I wanted him to come with me, but now, after he just disappeared on everyone, even his family and his newborn niece, I don't think I like him that much anymore. It's like my heart is broken inside all the wild flames in my chest, and I don't want to pick up the pieces just yet. Even though the burning is taking my focus away from the heartbreak. I didn't even think I'd be heartbroken, but I definitely am.