Chapter 17
1514 Words
Evelette POV
Oh my Goddess, oh my Goddess. What the actual f*ck! Mate?I have a mate? He pops up now, of all times!
I felt Selene whimper in my mind. “Yes, mate! This is great. I want to meet his wolf. I need to meet my mate too.”
“Slow down there, Selene.” I started, “We don’t know what this means. I don’t even know his name.”
“You’re going to accept the mating, though, right?” She pleaded, “You have to! You really must.”
I hesitated for a moment, “Yes, no, I mean, I don’t know. I just need a minute to just make sense of everything.”
Selene grumbled but receded into the back of my mind. I stood up from the floor and walked over to the bathroom mirror. I placed my hands on the counter and leaned close to the mirror to assess the damage. My hair was in slight disarray, but that was an easy fix. By the look of my smudged make-up, I had apparently been crying. Though hopefully not where anyone was able to see. My dress wasn’t ripped from when I tripped over his foot–I stiffened at the thought.
What am I going to do? I thought back to the conversation I had with Luke earlier. We had decided that we were open to meeting our mates tonight. We had decided if neither of us met our mates, I would join him in the Lycan Kingdom. To be honest, I hadn’t really believed I would meet mine. And Luke…Luke’s chances of meeting a mate are very slim. Second chance mates are rare. I’m gonna break his heart. Luke is such an amazing guy and what if my mate is a terrible person?
“Ack, Evelette. The Great Goddess wouldn’t have sent us a terrible mate! You have to believe that.” Selene said as she came to the forefront of my mind again.
I hated this feeling. I hated feeling guilty that I spent such a wonderful time with Luke and I hated feeling guilty that I sort of wanted to be with my mate despite having had such a connection with Luke. I had to remind myself what Luke and I agreed on. Besides, this new man was clearly a Lycan, so Luke and I can stay in touch…as friends. Will that cause a problem?
I shook and steadied myself as I looked in the mirror. I had known that tonight would change my life, but I didn’t know that my life would be changed drastically. At the very least, I was definitely going to be leaving the Blue Pearl pack to start my life in the Lycan Kingdom, that much was certain. I supposed it was up to me how I addressed what happened next. I would decide how smoothly these next steps went.
Step one: talk to Luke.
I took a deep breath and straightened my posture then opened my hand bag to take out some powder. I fixed my makeup as best as I could and wiped away the smudges under my eyes. I fluffed my hair back into place and took one last look in the mirror.
“You can do this, Evelette,” I whispered to myself. “Just be honest.”
After I took another deep breath, I opened the door slowly and peered out to see if the mystery Lycan was still waiting for me in the hallway. I stretched my neck a little further out the door and discovered I was alone in the hallway. Good. I opened the door fully and stepped out into the hallway. The air felt charged and heavy with tension as a myriad of emotions swirled inside of me. I drifted down the corridor towards the back exit where the ball was still in full swing. The sound of music and laughter became louder with every step I took.
I stepped into the night and started looking for Luke. It didn’t take long before I spotted him sitting at the table I had left him at. He waited for me?
When he spotted me, his face lit up with a smile, but I could clearly see the concern in his eyes as I approached.
“Evelette, are you okay?” he asked as he stood up to greet me.
“I’ll be fine.” I said as I gave him a small smile. “A lot has happened tonight and, even though I try not to, sometimes Rina’s words hurt more than I care to admit.”
“I don’t blame you. Anyone would have a hard time not feeling emotion if they were attacked that way. Rina is a despicable and disgusting person. Just remember you are better.” He said to me as he pulled me into a hug and kissed the top of my head.
I stiffened at his touch and I felt his confusion in return. He pulled away and looked down at me, his smile had faltered slightly.
“What’s wrong?” He asked as he held his breath.
I met his eyes and willed my eyes to say everything I needed to. I felt my eyes tear up, but I quickly wiped them away and said, “I need to tell you something.”
The remnants of his smile dropped immediately. “If it’s about what Rina said, I don’t care about any of it. If anything her words made me like you more and admire the strength you have from everything you’ve been through. Just let me–” I cut him off with a brisk shake of my head.
“Let’s just go somewhere quieter.” I said.
Luke looked resigned as I took his hand and led him back to the pack house so we could talk in a more private area. I led him to one of the sitting rooms on the ground level of the pack house and then shut the door behind us. The extreme change in noise level only added to the anxiety I was feeling about having this conversation. I centered myself as I turned to face him.
His expression was guarded yet curious. “What’s going on?”
“Luke, I–well, I’ve met my mate.” I said, stammering.
There was a deafening silence after I spoke those words. I could see the cracks of emotions that crossed his face–surprise, joy, despair, and even anger. I waited for the tumultuous sea of emotions to settle. When I finally saw understanding mixed with a hint of sadness, I knew he had resigned himself to accept what I had just said.
“Oh,” he said softly as his eyes searched mine. “When did this happen?”
“Just a few minutes ago, actually.” I replied in a gentle voice. “I ran into him, well, tripped over him on my way to the bathroom. I wasn’t expecting it. I didn’t even think I’d ever have a mate.”
Luke let out a small, humorless chuckle. “I was hoping you wouldn’t either.”
“Luke, I–” I started, but he cut me off with a shake of his head.
“No, it’s okay. We both knew this could happen,” he said with a steady voice. But his eyes betrayed his feelings. “I’m hap–” he cleared his throat, “I’m happy for you, Evelette. Really. You deserve to find your mate. I’m just…disappointed it wasn’t me.”
A pang of guilt hit me and I reached out to take his hand in mine. “I’m so sorry, Luke. Today was incredible and I’ve quite literally never had a kiss like that. And I know it’s strange to say, but even though I’ve met my mate, I want you to still be in my life.”
He squeezed my hand and gave me a sad smile. “How can I be in your life now? You have a mate and I likely won’t ever see you again.”
I lowered my head and smiled to myself. “Well, my mate happens to be a Lycan as well, so it looks like I’ll be leaving with you, well at least to the Lycan Kingdom, afterall.”
Luke looked stunned as he let my words settle over him. “A Lycan? Who is it?”
“Um, well, that’s the thing…I actually don’t know what his name is.” I said with chagrin. “I didn’t ask him before I..um..ran away and hid in the bathroom.”
Luke furrowed his brows at me. “Well, what did he look like?”
I tilted my head to the side as I recalled what I saw. “He was tall, of course, and his hair was dark, wavy, and long. Like really long. It passed his shoulders.”
I saw Luke’s eyes widened in astonishment. “Oh my Goddess, that’s M–”
The door swung open to reveal him. My mate.
- Writer
