Her secret mate

Waiting is a hard game

The next few days were more or less the same.

I overslept each morning, which meant that I had to be woken up by my mother threatening me. Late I would rush to get ready for breakfast. The days themselves were a lot more boring and unbearable. The truth and the main problem was that I did not have anything to do here and the judging eyes of my parents and the rest of the pack were always on me, making it so suffocating that I could barely breathe.

Only a few things helped me survive this whole thing. First was Alisha. That young girl was a breath of fresh air in comparison to everyone I had ever met. Despite her gentle looks and nature, she had a feisty side. Her mind worked in wickedly beautiful ways, and it was quite a sight to see, especially when it concerned her older brother.

My first guess that she had her brother wrapped around her finger and that she was quite aware of it, was true. Not only that, but she knew how to use it to her own advantage. The only problem there was that she was indeed quite sick. I could make myself ask her about it, because it was clear she did not want to talk about it. My best guess is that she wants at least one part of her life to be sickness free, and I was more than willing to be that. So we spent the last few days just chatting away about meaningless things and just enjoying each other's company.

The other thing that kept me going, to my surprise, was Colin. Sure, we still more or less hate each other... well, okay, it was not hate... it was more like we could hardly stand each other and that was it. But at the same time, he was always there next to me and, for some reason, I trusted him to keep me safe. Everything in my body told me that he was to be trusted in this way, and he did not disappoint me.

The whole time we were at my parents' home there were a few attempts at me, but none of them were the assassin that both Darcy and my father were worried about. Colin was the one to stop those attempts, before they could even do anything, so I guess that is why I trusted him like that. With him next to me, the fear of the dark creature lurking in the shadows was less noticeable, and I even managed not to go completely crazy with fear.

And the last thing that kept me going was Darcy.

Well, okay, not Darcy himself, because that asshole was still offline, and he did not reach out to me again after the message he sent to me on the first day. So he was more of the reason why I was so close to losing my s**t than ever. No, the reason I could hold on till now was the hope that after today I would leave my parents' home and I would never return to them as I did now. After today, I will leave this place and I will never have to call it home ever again. After today, my parents will no longer have any say over me... I would be free.

Forcing myself to take deep breaths, I straightened my back and fixed my dress.

Darcy was due to arrive any moment now, and I want to meet him at the front door, even if I am furious with him, even when I want to slap the s**t out of him... he was still my fiancé, my future mate... the man I love?

A few deep breaths later, I fixed my hair and walked out of my room. As usual now, Colin was standing next to my door waiting for me.

"Ready princess?"

He asked as I opened the door and stepped out. I felt his eyes linger on me as a blank mask slipped onto his face. There is no describing how much I came to hate this look on his face. It made it impossible for me to read him.

"I was ready a week ago."

My words forced a little chuckle out of his chest.

"I guess that is true."

The small smile on his face forced a little tug on my chest... strange.

"Well, I guess you are also celebrating. It's your last day of babysitting."

For a few moments he was completely silent, but then to my surprise he said.

"I'm happy, because I can finally return to my pack. I hate being away from them for so long. But I guess I expected this to be a lot more difficult and annoying."

My eyes opened wide as I stared at him.

"Realy? I was not as bad as you expected?"

He just shook his head with a loud chuckle.

"Oh, no, you were worse in many ways, but... but you became a friend to Alisha, so in my book you will be a good person."

I could not help but smile at his sweetness. As rough as he was on the outside, he was just as sweet and mushy for his baby sister.

"Well, she is a lovely girl, and it was my pleasure to spend time with her. She made my time here a lot more bearable."

He got quiet for a moment as he clearly started to think about something.

"If you don't mind, I will tell her that you said this, she would appreciate it."

A big smile bloomed on my face as I nodded.

"No, I don't mind, please tell her that I really appreciated her company."

He made another nod, and we crossed the corridors from my room to the first floor in silence side by side.

The house was bussing with staff as everyone got ready for today's celebration and only now did it start to feel real.

Today I am turning eighteen, and I will get my mating call to Darcy.

Blush crept into my cheeks as I walked to the front of the house. My heart started beating faster as we walked to the main ballroom and I heard the first car to arrive. Without anyone saying this, I knew that it was him... Darcy was finally here. I will see him for the first time in a week. We had never been away from one another for so long, and now I will finally see him again... I will finally hold him again.

My heart beat picked up even more as I heard the front door open.