Chasing The Rogue

-10- 🌻 Feel Something

"Cause I can't make you love me if you don't. You can't make your heart feel something it won't."
~Bonnie Raitt, 'I Can't Make You Love Me'

~~~

*Kai's POV*

"Can't we at least, I don't know, hang out?" I suggest, trying to keep the helplessness out of my voice.

It's been almost a month since I met Lucca, and his avoidance of me is becoming too painful to bear. Not only emotionally, but physically too. I can feel the strain on our bond growing with each passing day, making my chest ache more and more every day.

"Kai," Lucca sighs, rubbing his hand over his face. "Look... I don't know exactly what you want from me, but whatever it is, I can't give it to you. I'm sorry."

The horror of what he's implying hits me, and I'm barely able to choke out my next sentence. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I'm not the one for you," he confesses, and my heart rate accelerates along with Kieran's panic. "I'm rejec—"

"Lucca," a stout man with gel-filled hair interrupts Lucca, much to my relief. It doesn't take a genius to know what he was about to say, and I'm silently thanking the Moon that he didn't get the chance to finish that sentence. "Pardon me, but can I speak to you for a moment?"

"Okay," Lucca calmly nods, as if he wasn't a millisecond away from rejecting me.

"Ruth," the stern man snaps his fingers at a young woman, who quickly takes her place behind a beautifully large harp and begins to play. Without looking back at me, Lucca follows the man towards the back of the restaurant.

'Follow them!' Kieran urges.

I furrow my brows in confusion. 'What? No. Why?'

'Just do it!' He insists, making my knees buckle as he tries to force my body forward.

'Geez, fine!' I grumble, regaining my balance and sneaking in the direction Lucca went. My ears twitch as they pick up on his voice coming from the kitchen. There's an open entryway, which I attempt to hide behind as I listen in on their conversation.

"...you just ignore your duties for any random patron that stumbles through our doors now?" A voice hisses, which I'm guessing belongs to the man who dragged Lucca away.

"Of course not," Lucca responds defensively. "I know him, but we're not friends. He's my friend's boyfriend's kid brother. He's nothing to me."

My breath catches in my throat.

"He's nothing to me."

Nothing.

Lucca said I'm... nothing.

'He denied us,' Kieran whimpers, pacing back and forth in my head.

I swallow thickly. 'Well, we knew he was about to reject us,' I try to reason, but I can't stop the pain from flooding me as my eyes grow watery. My hands shake at my side, and I peak around the corner to look at my mate.

The blood is rushing behind my ears, making it difficult to hear what they're saying. Through my blurred vision, I see the man walk off and Lucca turn around to gape at me.

He knows I heard him.

The shock and guilt is evident on his face, but that only confuses me more. Why would he feel bad that I overheard him? Isn't this what he wanted? To push me away; to sever our bond as mates?