Conflicted Love

Decisions, Decisions

"It's rarely heard of that a female gets propositioned by two males at once, but it has happened a couple of times in werewolf history, according to legends passed down the generations," my father explained. He turned to face me, "Erin, you are expected to decide which man to pair with. This is supposedly what your ancestors did when this happened before."

I was not prepared for this. I was barely prepared for coming of age, now all this was happening! Why me?

I half expected him to c***k up laughing and tell me it was an elaborate prank. But his mouth had formed a hard, serious line and the giddy sparkle that had danced in his eyes earlier had been well and truly snuffed out. Shuffling my feet anxiously, I looked to my mother, who was struggling to hold back tears.

"I... I don't. How?" I tried to speak but the words were tumbling from me in no particular order.

"Look them in the eyes," my father suggested, "See which one you feel the strongest connection to."

I stepped forward slightly. First I met icey blue eyes glaring intently from under a dark, tousled fringe. His name was Felix. He was a couple of years older than me, graduated school last year. He'd been a bit of a "bad boy" while he was a student and many of the girls lusted after him, wolf and human alike. He'd dated a few of them, but never for very long. Wolves were always wary of forming serious romantic relationships because of the heartache it caused when they came of age and their partner wasn't their mate. My body fired up in response to his intense gaze. His lip quirked up a little at one side, almost as though he was amused by the effect he knew he was having on me. A very low, quiet growl rumbled in his throat, sending electricity up and down my spine.

Curling my toes, I forced myself to break the connection and look into the warm, honey-coloured eyes that were eagerly awaiting their turn. His hair was slightly shorter, a sandy brown colour, but equally tousled in a very sexy kind of way. He was in my year at school, but we'd barely ever spoken. He was the quiet, studious type who kept to himself and blended into the background. Jasper. I knew his name from registration only. No one ever heard him speak otherwise, the mysterious loner. Once again my body reacted to his stare, warming and tingling in ways I wished weren't happening in front of my parents. A small, defiant smile was creeping onto his chiselled face as he too realised the effect he was having on me. I yearned to reach out and touch his cheek, to feel his lips on mine.

"No!" I exclaimed, a little more forcefully than I had intended, "I can't. I don't know how anyone can be expected to make this decision. I am pulled towards them both and I don't have any idea how to decide!"

"Erin, sweetie, maybe you don't have to decide right now," my mother started soothingly.

"Of course she does, Rose!" my father cut her off harshly, "This occurrence has already spooked the pack, we have to be seen to react to it with the serious nature it deserves! She has to-"

"Your daughter's happiness should be more important to you than appearances, Alpha!" It took a few shocked moments for me to realise who'd spoken. It was Jasper, and he looked angry. Even Felix raised an eyebrow in surprise. Jasper never said a word he didn't have to, but here he was challenging the word of his Alpha.

My father rounded on him, a harsh growl escaping him just before his words, "You dare to question me?" he yelled, "For all I know, this is some kind of trickery and you wish to question my authority?"

Jasper stood his ground and didn't back away, but when he spoke again his tone had softened, "I'm sorry Alpha, I didn't mean to disrespect you. But as Erin is my mate, I cannot just sit back and say nothing when she's clearly so upset-"

It was Jasper's turn to be cut off, this time with an outburst from Felix, "She is not your mate, she's mine!" He growled and turned his eyes away from me for the first time, to square up with Jasper, who responded in kind. Their eyes started to change colour to a misty version of their human one, black lines forming around their eyelids as their bodies prepared to shift into their wolf forms.

"STOP!" yelled my father. The two men froze instantly. They could not easily refuse a direct order from the Alpha, but given how angry they were, they kept their stance a mere couple of inches from each other, glaring into each other's eyes, breathing rapidly, each waiting for the other to flinch.

Elijah attempted to contribute, "Father, if I may..."

I, however, had heard enough. Whilst everyone else was distracted by their desire to settle the situation with violence and posturing, I slipped away down the hall unnoticed. Closing the front door behind myself as quietly as I could, I made my way to the edge of the garden before breaking out into both a slow jog and floods of tears. A short way down the road stood an old farm building. It was a tad rundown, but was only large enough to store a few tools and so wasn't used much. I knew it well, as this was where I came to hide whenever I needed some time to myself.

I crept in the unlocked door and it rocked almost closed gently behind me. c****s of light from the door, a small window and odd holes in the roof here and there made it possible to move safely around the tools, but otherwise it was a little dark inside. Quiet. Calm. The exact opposite of the situation I had just run from. Wiping the tears from my face, I smiled sullenly at the reaction expected from Lacey upon seeing I had cried all over her masterpiece. The day was ruined now anyway.

After a short while, the tears stopped falling and my breathing steadied. All that was left was the sound of my own heartbeat. I found myself staring at a c***k in one of the yellow stones in the opposite wall, not really seeing it as snapshots of the day replayed in my mind, blurry and distorted as though I were viewing them through another's eyes. I wished I was.

It had been long enough now that someone would have noticed I was missing. They'd be looking for me. I felt bad for my family, but I didn't want to go back and be forced to make that impossible decision. There's just no way I can make that choice, I thought to myself.

A hand gently pulled the door open and I jumped at the low voice that startled me from my thoughts, "Then let me make it for you."