Hunted

Chapter Eleven

Present day

"What?" I whispered looking at Xander. My heart was beating a thousand miles a minute. I had heard that right, right?

"Shit. Stupid wolf." He mumbled before sighing. "I was going to tell you."

"I'm your mate?" I asked wanting him to look at me. To look me in the eye. When he did I held in my gasp at the many emotions swirling in those blue eyes. This time I could see flakes of gold. Like they were both there. Both present.

"Yes you are." He whispered.

I got off him and moved away. My mind decided to kick in then. I hated over thinking but I always found myself sinking into it. Why hadn't he told me all this time if he knew? Why had he made me think he was mated to someone else?

"Is this some game to you?" I asked looking at him. He got up off the floor clutching the quilt around his waist.

"What are you talking about?"

"First it was the whole wolf thing and now this. These are things I needed to know and you kept them from me. I had to find out the first one on my own and something tells me if it wasn't for Xerxes you wouldn't have told me."

"I was going to eventually."

"When?"

"When all this was over. When I was completely sure you were safe." He yelled making my anger rise.

"You sound just like him." I scoffed. "This is something both of you need to realise. Secrets don't help achieve anything."

"Don't compare me to your dad Melaine." He growled.

"No? Then stop acting like him. Keeping me in the dark just leaves me unprepared for whatever you're trying to keep me safe from. I'm not a child that you can hide things from. I can take care of myself." I yelled.

"I never said you couldn't."

"Well you're treating me like I can't. Give me one good reason why you didn't tell me we were mates and don't you dare say it was for my safety. Because I can't think of how knowing who my soul mate is could possibly make me unsafe."

He looked down and didn't answer. He didn't have one. Of course he didn't.

"Right. Goodnight Alexander." I said turning and heading up stairs.

I grabbed my stuff out of his closet as fast as I could and went back to my room locking the door and falling face first onto my bed.

Did they seriously see me as some fragile little damsel that couldn't handle the truth? What did he think that if he told me I'd be so lovesick I wouldn't concentrate? That I couldn't protect myself? If my dad had told me what I was I would have known how to control my powers and protect myself by now. If Xander had told me he was the stupid white wolf I wouldn't have been going crazy thinking of who it was I needed to trust the first days.

If he had told me we were mates I wouldn't have been put through all that emotional turmoil of holding myself back and reprimanding myself for wanting what was already mine. He's supposed to be my other half and was okay with me thinking he belonged to someone else. Was okay with being away from me for so long. He's a freaking alpha and kept his distance. Maybe the mate bond wasn't as strong as the books said.

Fine then. I'd show them I wasn't helpless. I wasn't fragile. I'd show them I didn't need them.

.................

When I woke up the next day I decided it would be my day off away from training and lessons. I needed a breather. I also needed to get my braids out and figure out what I was going to do with my hair. I loved my natural hair but thinking of how to wear it every day was tiresome. That's why I usually just did braids. But now I was taking them out which meant I had to wash my hair. This meant I wasn't going out in public for the next 24 hours at most.

"Knock knock." Kenji said pocking his head into my room that afternoon.

"Come in." I said closing dad's journal and sitting up on my bed.

"I brought burgers from that diner we went to on your birthday. Xander told me what happened." He said holding up the bags in his hand.

"You here to bribe me to forgive him?"

"Of course not. I actually like you being mad at him."

"Aren't you two best friends?" I asked as he sat down and passed me my food.

"Nope." Ken smiled. "Can't stand the guy."

"Sure you can't." I laughed rolling my eyes. "Are you hiding anything from me to? It seems everyone is."

"Everyone has secrets and reasons for keeping them. I'm not justifying Xander. He should have told you. We told him to. But he was convinced he was doing the right thing." Ken said.

"I just don't like being lied to." I said softly.

"This burger is amazing and all but I would kill for some Oden or Sukiyaki." He growled changing the subject making me smile.

"What is that?"

"It's food birdie. Delicious food that makes me want to fly back home to enjoy. God I miss Japan."

"How long has it been since you were last there?"

"A couple decades." He shrugged.

"I don't know if you're just exaggerating or if you're serious." I said looking at him. He smirked at me and took a sip of his drink.

"I'm a lot older than I look." He said leaning back against my headboard.

"What are you?"

"I'm something very rare and very old. I'll tell you when I'm a hundred percent sure I can trust you." He said honestly. I nodded my head understanding.

"Okay."

"How about this. When all this is over we'll fly out to Japan and I can show you around. It's obviously changed since I was last there but that'll make it even more fun."

"I'd like that." I said.

"Have you gotten your very own book of shadows yet?"

"Not yet. I just finished with the basics. I don't even have a familiar yet."

"Mhmm." He said looking down to hide his small smile. I ignored it because Kenji didn't make sense.

"How did you and the guys meet?" I asked.

"I met Xander in Egypt. A friend and I had gone looking for something and we found Xander. Spent two years trying not to punch him in the face. Failed every time. I met Carlton and Anna last year when we came for Christmas." He said with the biggest smile on his face.

He was talking like he didn't like Xander but I knew that was a lie. I'd watched them interact. They seemed closer than Xander and Carlton. But I knew Kenji would never admit out loud to either me or Xander that he cared about his best friend.

"I was going to take a day off but I've changed my mind. Do you want to help me practice with my phoenix fire after this?"

"We'll do it here. I had this room made fire proof while you were sleeping in your boyfriends."

"He's not my boyfriend."

"For now. But you and Xander and inevitable. You're gonna happen. It definitely won't be now but the two of you have eternity."

Eternity. I hated how nice that sounded.