Secrets Beneath and Shadows Within
1041 Words
Chapter 5
Charlotte's POV
Amy was showing me the mall, the research center my father likely visited when we were interrupted by a man. A friendly one.
But when he mentioned what his mission was, I was uncomfortable.
But Amy wasn't. She pushed me away. "You should go with him. Victor is a cool guy, so you'll be safe."
I wasn't able to gather my thoughts as I was led away.
True to Amy's words, Victor was a cool guy. He explained what he could and left the rest for interpretation.
What I got though was, Xander really wanted me to leave his city, huh?
"What kind of person would treat his mate like this?" I blurted.
Victor gave me an awkward look. "Well..."
"Forget it," I mumbled. "You're on his side anyway."
I wondered if he felt anything. I knew about the side effects of rejection, but nothing had happened to me yet. I didn't feel any pain. I did cry, but that was it. I didn't necessarily feel like my heart was broken.
I was perfectly fine.
Was something wrong with me?
I remembered my father telling me how much it hurt when Mom first rejected him. He said it hurt her badly too.
But did any of it even matter? He didn't want me.
The thought of seeing him again though... While I wasn't the most confident, his presence riled me up. I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing though.
I didn't expect to walk into the building we were supposed to meet and bump into the man he invited, claiming me as his mate.
Stanley Rosewood.
There was no way this was happening, was what I thought.
My heart confirmed it too. We were definitely mates. I could scent him.
I'd never heard of anyone having two mates.
I had so many questions. So many things to say, but I held my tongue.
From the corner of my eyes, while Stanley was serenading me, I couldn't help but try to see Xander. What he was doing. How he reacted.
He didn't seem to care.
And that hurt.
So I returned my full attention to Stanley.
He was wonderful to me.
I never thought I'd meet him despite working close to him. He was so handsome, so sexy... His eyes taking me in.
He wanted me, I could tell.
His kisses on my hand sent electricity down my spine and that confirmed a lot more things.
Did that mean I had to be with them both even if I was rejected?
If I could choose just one, I might choose Stanley.
***
"So you have two all-powerful, super sexy alphas fighting over you, and you act like you're some shy lady?"
I blushed.
Amy was waiting for me at her house's porch. She was happy to see me when I got back. It was such an exciting feeling that I spilled everything that happened.
It was probably something that shouldn't be told to everyone, but this is what happens when you get just one friend.
We were inside my house, in the living room, and she'd brought some homemade lunch.
"I'm glad I have a friend to talk to here," she breathed, gulping down water. "I was about to lose my mind."
My face brightened.
"By the way, you said your father researched the supernatural world. Do you think he'd know something about what's going on with you?" She had on an interested look as her eyes surveyed the living room and the picture of him hanging by the door.
"Maybe," I answered. "I'd have to read his reports."
"Reports. I hate those."
I smiled, getting up. "I think they're pretty fun."
I wasn't as worried as I was when I planned to come here before. Stanley assuring me if my father's safety was one thing, and the other thing was her.
My wishes for someone were answered.
Except maybe it was too much.
I only wanted one mate.
I laughed to myself.
I cringed, hoping Amy wouldn't find it weird. But she only grinned.
"You seem pretty happy. I'd be happy too if I had Stanley Rosewood and Xander Vaughn after me. If both cities find out about this, there'd be chaos."
I shook my head at her. "Xander Vaughn doesn't want me," was all I said, not giving her a chance to add anything.
We strolled around the house, talking about something else, and eventually stopped at the basement.
Following Amy's lead, we got in after turning on the lights and discovered it was empty. But then we saw something metal inside.
It wasn't locked, so we lifted it up, then reared back.
It was so dark and... deep.
"Is that a... Tunnel?" Amy whispered.
I was a bit unsure. "I... think so?"
It really was a tunnel.
I wanted to go through out of curiosity, but I was scared. I was agitated by tight and dark spaces.
Amy was excited, but paused when she saw my expression. "I guess it can wait then."
A sound was heard below.
We quickly shut it, even Amy unwilling to go down.
"Do you think there's something down there?" she asked. "Like a... monster?"
I thought about it, my breathing calm. "I don't know. From what I know, the only 'monsters' here are us. I don't think there's anything scarier than werewolves."
She agreed after a thought. "You're right."
There was another sound heard.
But this time, it was closer.
Amy and I froze. But Amy shrugged it off for the first to shrug it off and grabbed a wooden plank and stalked towards the sound, walking out of the basement to the living room where the sound was louder.
And that's when we saw an older woman sitting on my couch, fingers intertwined with unexpected serenity.
I couldn't tell what her age was, and her paleness creeped me out. She met my eyes.
"You're done searching? You couldn't move into the tunnel?"
Amy spluttered. "H- How did you know about that?!"
"Wh- Who are you?" I stumbled.
She offered a calm smile. "Odette. I've been waiting for you."
I was surprised. "What?"
"There's something you need to know. Especially about your two mates.”
- Writer
