The Daughters of Gold and Silver

10. Inner turmoil

ROSALINA POV

I stare at Dani in absolute shock.

“He’s WHAT?” My voice raises as her words sink in.

“I know, I don’t know why the Goddess would do this to us.” Dani sinks to the floor and drops her face into her hands.

“So… my own sister will be my mother in law?” I questioned out loud.

“Would you be okay with that?” She asks as she raises her head to gaze at me. Tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Do you want to be with him?” I ask quietly. She nods her head quickly, making her hair bounce around her face.

“If you want to be with him and he makes you happy, then I’m okay with that.” A smile breaks out across her face.

“Really?” She asks, her eyes lighting up with hope.

“Yeah, Dani, I promise.” I sent her a small smile.

“I wonder how our mates will react.” She laughed awkwardly.

“That’s a good question, but I have a feeling I can convince my mate to be accepting.” A devious smile spreads across my face as dirty thoughts fill my head.

“Ew, gross.” Dani gags dramatically.

“Stay out of my head, brat.” I cross my arms and stare her down.

“It’s hard with how loud your thoughts are.” She replies, gagging again. I can’t help the laughter that bubbles out of me. Soon Dani is joining me in our fit of laughter.

“Ugh, I don’t want to go back to class.” She grumbles as she throws her head back.

“Then don’t.” I say simply, shrugging my shoulders.

“You know the parents can see our absences, right?” She says with a raised brow.

“Oh f*****g well, we’re big kids, we can skip a little if we want.” I tell her as I hop down from my lofted bed.

“What are you doing?” She asks as she watches walking around our room.

“We are going out.” I tell her simply.

“Oh really?” She c***s a brow and crosses her arms.

“Yeah, we’re gonna have a girls day.” I shrug as I grab my mini backpack.

“You wanna have a girls day?” She asks with a slack jaw.

“Don’t act so surprised, now get dressed so we can go.” I huff at her and cross my arms.

“Can we get ice cream?” She asked with puppy dog eyes.

“Yeah, but you’re paying.” I laugh.

“That’s fine with me.” She smiled and clapped her hands. I guess having a sister isn’t so bad.

The next morning anxiety twists in my stomach as Dani and I walk to class.

“Why are you so shaky?” Dani asks in a quiet voice.

“I’m not.” I snap as I clasp my shaking hands together.

“Mhm.” She hums as she eyes me warily. I sense him before I see him, my back stiffens slightly.

“Hello, beautiful.” He murmurs in my ear as he slides his arm around my waist. Marcus placed a soft kiss on the skin that connects my shoulder to my neck. Goosebumps broke out across my skin at the sensation of his lips touching my flesh.

“Back up, vampire boy.” I grumbled as I slipped out of his hold. I didn’t get very far before he was linking his hand with mine. A shiver ran up my spine.

“You’re relentless, aren’t you?” I asked as I stared down at our joined hands.

“Most people just call me stubborn or hard headed.” I looked up to meet his blood red eyes and my breath caught in my throat. I don’t know how he can do this to me, rendering me speechless like this.

“I’ll see you two later.” Dani called out to us as she scurried off to her first period class. I can’t believe I forgot she was walking with us. I was so lost in my own world I hadn’t realized we made it to campus already.

“Where to, love?” Marcus asked me as he placed a gentle kiss on my cheek. I glanced around, noticing people staring at us.

“My class is this way, don’t worry, I can walk myself.” I replied, pulling my hand from his hold.

“Rosa.” He said my name in a pleading tone as he grabbed my elbow.

“I want this, I want you.” He pulled me back against his chest, encircling his arms around my waist.

“I want you to know that I will support you in anything you want to do, just let me be by your side while you do it.” He whispered into my hair.

“I-I’ll see you later.” I mumbled, pulling away from him and dashing to my first period class. My heart hammered in my chest as I ran through the classroom doorway and plopped down on the first available seat. My hands shook in front of me as I laid them on top of my desk. I felt like such a p***y for running away from Marcus. I let out a deep sigh as I tried to relax into my seat. Ever since I knew what a mate was, I knew I never wanted one. I also declared that I would reject them and find my own chosen mate. I hate when things are forced upon me, when my choice is taken away. I hate to doubt the Goddess, but she kinda f****d up the first time. How am I supposed to trust her now? What if Marcus turns out to be a terrible person? When I think that I feel my face screws up. I don’t know how, but I know he’s a good man. I’m barely listening to the professor as my thoughts run wild. I promised Dani that I would try and make things work with Marcus, but my stubbornness and fear are holding me back. I don’t know what I’m afraid of, but I feel the fear twisting in my gut. Am I afraid of the commitment? Am I afraid of falling in love? I feel my face flush as I think about loving Marcus. Am I truly scared to love someone? To devote my whole life to them? Growing up I had the perfect example of love and a healthy relationship. Diego and my dad would do anything for my mom. They devote their lives to her, practically worshiping the ground she walks on. Are all mates like that? I try to think back to all the mates I’ve met throughout my life. They’re all so different, but one thing is always the same, they love each other unconditionally. I think deep down I don’t quite feel deserving of that kind of love. I don’t feel I deserve Marcus because of my own insecurities. I want to slam my face into my desk, repeatedly. This train of thought is just tormenting me. I tune back in to what the professor is talking about. Trying to catch up and take my mind off of my mate. What I know for sure is I need to do work on myself before I could even consider accepting him.