My Forever

Chapter 17

My eyes dropped back to Declan and he was smiling down at me. Was this it? Was he really going to kiss me?

I smiled back at him as his eyes drifted from my eyes to my lips and back to my eyes. We slowly leaned in towards each other but his lips never found mine. He placed a soft kiss on my forehead.

Disappointment flooded my body. I felt like a fool. I quickly opened my eyes and gave him a quick smile before excusing myself to the bathroom. I felt like a fool but I would not allow him to see me hurt.

Locking the door behind me, I slowly sank to the floor. I wanted to cry but the tears never feel. After taking a few deep breaths, I stood and looked at myself in the mirror.

Forget Declan! I was a beautiful, smart, and kind woman. I don’t need his affection. No matter how much I wanted it, I didn’t need it.

Dusting myself off, I held my head high and walked back out to the party.

“Hey, are you OK?”

I turned to see Ciara looking at me with a worried expression.

“Yeah I’m fine.” I said, giving her the best smile I could. “I guess I was just a little tired. It’s been a long day.”

She smiled and seemed happy with my explanation and she took my arm and we headed back to the main party.

Looking around, I saw Declan leaning against the same wall talking to Vivian. They were too far away for me to hear what they were saying, but they both looked up and, sure enough, they were under the mistletoe.

It was almost like it was in slow motion. I watched as they smiled at each other and Vivian wrapped her arms around Declan’s neck. Within seconds, her lips pressed against his and I felt my heart break as I looked away.

I had no real reason to be upset. He wasn’t mine and he had never shown real interest in me. We had never been on a date and goodness he had never even kissed me, but the pain that I felt was very real.

I found myself walking away from the party. No longer in the mood to celebrate. I slowly made my way towards my room.

“Where are you going?”

I turned to see Ava walking toward me.

“Oh I am so sorry Ava, I am just overwhelmed and a bit tired. I was going to head to bed if that is OK.”

“Are you sure that is all?”

“Of course what else could there be?”

She gave me a soft smile and pulled me into a hug. “Everything is not always what it seems.”

I looked at her confused but my brain was in no mood to try and figure out what it was she was talking about.

I climbed the stairs and found my room. Shortly after my head hit the pillow, I found sleep.

Declan’s POV

I had been looking for Harper the past 30 minutes and I could feel my anxiety rising.

“Mom! Have you seen Harper?”

“Yes.”

“Where is she?”

“She saw that kiss with Vivian.”

“I didn’t kiss her back. I pulled away as soon as she kissed me.” I said, confused.

“Doesn’t matter Dec. She can feel the pull too and I know you keep saying you aren’t 100% sure, but I think you are scared.”

“Fine, I know she is my mate! The close it gets to her 18th birthday, the more I feel the pull. Everything now makes sense about why I felt the need to protect her from the moment I met her.”

“Well, now she thinks you like Vivian.”

“But.”

“No buts, have you told Vivian you found your mate?”

“No, I wanted to be sure.”

“You need to tell her.” She said before turning and walking away.

“Wait! Where is she?”

My mother turned and nodded towards the stairs.

I found myself taking two at a time. Stopping in front of her door, I listened to hear her breathing evenly, telling me she was already asleep. Running my hand through my hair, I slowly walked to my room, realizing I didn’t want to deal with anybody right now.

My wolf was pissed at me and I was pissed with myself. I didn’t realize she was my mate at first due to her age and being human. When I first met Harper, I felt a pull to protect her. I had never hired anybody younger than 18 but I hired her at 16 without thinking.

The older she got and the more time I spent with her, the more I realized she could be my mate. But she had also been through so much in her short 17 years of life I couldn’t lead her on unless I was 100% sure she was my mate.

With her birthday only about a week away, I was sure she was my mate. I still hadn’t figured out how to tell her that she was my mate or that I wasn’t human. That thought of her rejecting me scared me.