You Have Always Been Mine

Chapter 6 ~ Kissed by the Moonlight part 1

She gasps. “A chosen mate?”

“Yes.”

“B-But…” she stammers, looking confused and torn. “...what about your spirit beast?”

He frowns. “What about it?”

Ginny blinks, her cheeks stained red. “I mean… what if…what if the rumors are true…and you are a wolfdog? Or worse…”

She could have hit him in the groin area and it would probably have hurt less. As it is, it feels like a bucket of ice cold water down his back. Max looks away, biting his tongue before he says something he will surely regret.

“I’m sorry!” Ginny hastens to apologize but he can hear the panic in her voice. “I’m not trying to be mean but you have to consider that possibility too! What if it’s true? What will happen to her?”

Max tries to rein it in. He really tries. Years of disciplined training helps, but it’s hard. So difficult not to feel angry when such a deep wound has been poked and made to bleed, and by the very person he keeps close to his heart. He says nothing and gets out of the car, going around to open her door.

“Max—”

“I’ll see you after class. Please don’t be late,” he tells her coldly.

With her friends watching and likely eavesdropping a few cars away, Ginny is left with no choice but to just nod and let him lock the car behind her. She walks to where her friends are and Max stays beside the car, waiting for them to get in.

The girls surround her like sharks smelling blood, and he can hear them asking her what’s going on, but Ginny just shakes her head. Then, without another word, she leaves the group, heading to class without as much as sparing him a glance.

Max watches her go, clenching his jaw and glaring back rebelliously when he notices her friends staring at him like he’s animal droppings they accidentally stepped on. After a few beats, they all rush to go after her. As soon as Ginny is inside the building, he grabs his bag and heads to his own class. This time, at least, he won’t be late. The only problem is, he doesn’t really feel like going anymore.

That he’s frustrated is an understatement. In truth, he is angry. And hurt. Confused too, not really sure anymore if loving her is worth pursuing. He had loved her for so long that, most likely, in his mind he had made her too perfect and ideal. Maybe his devotion is misplaced and that she’s never going to love him the way he loves her.

Or perhaps it’s just because she’s still too young. Maybe time will heal that.

He shakes his head. No sense beating himself over something he can’t control. All he can do now is make his choice and live with the consequences. Not loving Ginny anymore is not really an option he’s willing to try at the moment, no matter how disappointed he has been. Not yet, at least, but it is very tempting to just forget about it all. Loving her feels like reaching for a star that has no intention of falling and his arms are starting to hurt.

They are both very young and the future stretches before them, full of possibilities. Maybe some day he’ll be able to walk away from her without a backward glance, but not today. Perhaps Ginny is still too young to truly understand why he’s upset. Maybe they can talk later and still fix this.

When it’s time to pick her up, Ginny’s eyes are downcast and she’s uncharacteristically on her own. She doesn’t join her friends who are already gathering in their usual spot at the parking lot, and she walks directly to the car, quietly getting in when he opens the door for her.

Max says nothing, respecting her silence. He feels bad that she seems distant, but he figures she has some things to think about so he gives her space. They reach the packhouse driveway with not a single word spoken between them. When the car stops, she gets out without waiting for him to open the door and walks inside without so much as a single glance back at him.

Maybe there’s no talking about this. No fixing it at all.

He goes home with a heavy heart, not even bothering to eat dinner at the packhouse, claiming he’s not feeling very well. His mother offers to call the pack’s doctor, but Max refuses, telling her he just needs to rest.

If only he could escape his reality for a little while. However, not even counting a thousand sheep can get him to sleep, tortured by the memory of her cold shoulder treatment, and after midnight he gives up trying. He slips out of the house for a good run, hoping that the physical exertion will do the trick.

"Come find me..."

Max could've sworn he heard someone whisper as he walks past the gate of the cottage. A sudden gust of wind startles him because it's so strong it feels more like a shove that pushes him to face the forest nearby.

"What the..?"

Max looks around, confused. Everything looks normal, aside from that weirdly strong wind, but somehow something still feels...unnatural.

There's no one else around but someone is beckoning.

Max stares at the line of trees just a few yards away from their cottage. It is there, he has no doubt about it. Like a siren call it's hard to ignore. There is no song, though, except for that faint whisper that he must have only imagined because he's all alone and right now, there is only that inexplicable feeling that he needs to go somewhere.

That somewhere is the forest.

Whoever or whatever is calling him...is in there and there's only way to find out who it is.

He takes a deep breath and mutters a short prayer that he might get to see Ginny and his mother again.

"Here goes nothing..."