The Time I Tripped into a Curse and got two Mates

Chapter 16

She looked around the area until she spotted Clay. Then she rushed toward him, pushing past guests who were too stunned to react.

“Clay, Please! Don’t do this!”

Clay’s expression hardened. He stood up from the table and held a hand up to stop her. “Rina, not here. Not now.”

Rina was beyond caring about propriety or appearances. She fell to her knees in front of him, her eyes wide and wild. “Please, Clay! I’m begging you. Don’t reject me. We’re mates! Fated mates! You just can’t walk away from that.”

With her words, the crowd began to murmur. Many pairs of eyes darted between Clay and Rina. I could feel the tension rising and my heart pounded in my chest as I watched the scene unfold.

Clay’s face softened for a moment and I saw a flicker of regret in his eyes. He quickly steeled himself and faced Rina directly.

“Rina, I can’t. You know why. I can’t be with someone like you.” He said to her in a low voice.

“I can change, Clay! Just give me a chance. I can change!” She wailed desperately.

Clay closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before opening them again. “Rina Johnson, of the Blue Pearl Pack, I reject the bond between us.” He looked sternly at her, then turned and ran towards the treeline.

His words hung in the air with a finality that was unbreakable. Rina’s face crumpled and she wailed a deep gnawing wail. The people around us started to chatter louder, but their eyes were still pinned on Rina. She looked completely broken. Then her expression twisted into something dark and hateful. She got to her feet and glared at the direction Clay had gone with a mix of fury and heartbreak. Then her gaze landed on me.

“You!” she spat, her eyes blazing with venom. “This is your fault. You’re the one who’s been with him all day. You’re the one who told him lies.”

She raised a finger and pointed it directly at me. “You think you’re so special, don’t you Evelette? You don’t have anything to offer anyone. Not the pack, not a mate. You're a spiritless wolf who can’t shift and has no value.”

The crowd gasped in unison. I saw more than a few people look in my direction, especially those who were not from my pack and my face felt like it was on fire.

But Rina mercilessly continued. “You’re pathetic. A freak! You think these Lycans want you because they like you? You’re just a charity case. You’re nothing!”

Every word she said hit me like a punch to the gut and I felt my face drain of color. I felt more and more eyes on me. I felt them judging me and I heard a mumble of whispers spread through the crowd. I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. I couldn’t find the words. Her venom had choked me and I just stood there. Helpless.

Rina smirked with satisfaction as she too, heard the whispers and saw the looks I was given. She immediately turned away and stormed out of the ball area and her heels clicked angrily against the stone pathway. The crowd parted to let her through and continued to whisper amongst themselves. She disappeared into the night, going the opposite direction of Clay.

I felt a rush of emotions–anger, humiliation, and a raw, deep hurt. I needed to get away from the eyes of all the people. I needed to get away from the pity and the overwhelming tension…

“I–I need a moment,” I stammered as I turned toward Luke, whose face was filled with concern.

“Evelette, are you–” he started, but I shook my head.

“I just need a moment,” I repeated more firmly this time.

Without waiting for a response, I turned and quickly ran towards the pack house with my heart racing and my mind swirling with Rina’s cruel words. As I walked through the open archway back into the pack house, my breaths came in shallow bursts. I just needed to get to the bathroom so I could have a moment to collect myself and clear my head. I rounded a corner and tripped on someone’s poorly placed foot.

I fell to the ground and landed on my hands and knees. I looked around to see if the other person was hurt, but I was being lifted from the ground by my elbows before I registered anything about the other person.

“I’m so sorry,” I said as I looked up, “are you o–” and I stood frozen as our eyes locked.

Standing before me was a Lycan I had never seen before. He was tall, with dark hair that fell in messy waves around his face and below his shoulders. He had piercing pure golden eyes that seemed to glow in the dimly lit hallway. He was undeniably handsome, but there was something more, something that sent butterflies racing through my veins.

The moment our eyes locked, a wave of recognition and shock passed between us. My heart skipped a beat and I felt the world tilt slightly on its axis. I knew instantly, deep in my core, what this meant. He was my mate.

His eyes widened in realization and he took a step towards me. His expression shifted from surprise to something more intense, something more determined.

“It’s you,” he breathed, his voice low and filled with awe. “I’ve been looking for you.”

But I was too flustered and too overwhelmed by everything that had happened with Rina and my emotions were in turmoil. I couldn’t handle this, not right now. Without thinking, I turned and rushed towards the bathroom as I ignored the calls of the Lycan behind me.

I slammed the door shut and leaned against it as I tried to steady my breath. My mind raced and my heart felt like it was about to burst out of my chest. I slid down to the floor and hugged my knees to my chest as I tried to make sense of everything. This kiss and the proposal from Luke, Clay’s rejection of Rina, her vicious words, and now…my mate. Everything was happening too fast, and at that moment, I didn’t know how to handle it.

Malcolm’s POV

My heart thumped vigorously as I stared at the closed bathroom door where she had just disappeared. My mate. I couldn’t stop thinking about the moment our eyes had met; everything inside of me roared to life. I hadn’t known I’d been living a half life until I saw her. I felt a wild excitement burn its way through my veins.

She was beautifully breathtaking. She was more than I’d imagined my mate could be. And that feeling, that undeniable pull toward her, was like nothing I had ever experienced before. I immediately wanted to pull her into myself and hold her. I needed to tell her she will forever and always be protected and cared for, that she had nothing to fear. But I could see the panic in her eyes when she looked at me. Was it me that caused her to panic? Did something happen to her right before this?

I debated on knocking on the door to see if she was alright. I also debated whether or not I should stay out here and wait for her. She clearly needed space and I didn’t want to start off a relationship with her by crossing a boundary she had set.

I needed to talk to Ivan.

“Ivan, are you close?” I mind-linked with my twin brother.

“Yes, I’m just about to pull up.” His reply came quickly. “Why? What’s going on?”

“I found her, Ivan,” I sent back, unable to keep the thrill from my voice. “I found my, our, mate. She’s here.”

I felt his stunned silence through the mind-link. I could almost picture the shock on his face through our bond. “Wait, seriously? She’s here? At the ball?”

“Yes, just now. She’s from the host pack,” I explained as I still felt the rush of adrenaline from meeting her. “She tripped over me on her way to the bathroom. She seemed upset. I think I startled her. I don’t know what to do. Should I wait for her?”

“Maybe wait,” Ivan said with a more serious tone. “Don’t push her too hard. What’s her name? Where are you now?”

I froze. I didn’t know her name. I just stood there like an i***t.

“Uh, I didn’t catch her name.” I started. “She just ran into the bathroom so quickly and I’m just waiting for her like a creeper outside the girls bathroom.”

“Come out to the front, then, I just arrived anyway.” Ivan quickly said. “We’ll figure out how to approach this and then confirm she’s our mate. I need to see her too.”

A bolt of incredulity raced through me. “You think I wouldn’t know our mate if I saw her? I’m not blind, you know.”

“I didn’t mean it like that and you know it.” He replied, exasperation heavily dripping from his tone. “Are you on the way, yet? Or are you still just standing there…like an i***t…?”

Oh, right. I took one last look at the closed bathroom door and my heart ached with the urge to open it to see her. Then I quickly turned and made my way to the front of the pack house to meet Ivan. The night air hit me as soon as I stepped outside and I could hear the faint music from the ball in the rear of the house. I spotted Ivan standing by the steps. His short, dark hair caught the moonlight and his stance was casual. Even though he projected an air of calm confidence, I could tell he was feeling a modicum of tension by the way his eyes were sharp and attentive.

When he saw me, he broke into a wide grin. “Well, look at you.”

“What?” I said, exasperated.

“Well, brother, I guess tonight’s the night,” he said with a mix of excitement and disbelief in his voice. “Tell me, what’s she like?”

“Well, I don’t know exactly. We didn’t even really speak. Like I said before, she just tripped over me and then ran into the bathroom.” I said, but then smiled. “But, man, she’s beautiful. She’s strong, too. Like you can see the muscle tone in her arms! There was an aura of power coming from her, even though she was clearly upset.”

Ivan’s grin widened with every word I spoke and he excitedly said, “I can’t wait to meet her.”