Dark Before Dawn

“Chapter 2: Safe Space,”

────── ☽ ⋅ D A W N ⋅ ☾──────

The days that followed blurred together in a haze of monotony. I fell into a routine of waking up, dragging myself to school, working long shifts at the diner, and then collapsing into bed at home. I tried everything I could think of to keep my mind off the thoughts of my mate, and at first, it seemed to work.

But slowly, like water seeping through cracks in a dam, the thoughts became too numerous to hold back. The image of him holding Anastasia's hand kept flashing in my mind, tormenting me with what I couldn't have.

Anastasia. That name had become poison to my ears. I found myself growing to despise it, even though I knew deep down she wasn't to blame for my current misery. It wasn't like she even knew I existed. But knowing what she meant to Beau, what she was going to become to him, only fed the flames of hatred burning inside me. I couldn't help it, no matter how much I tried to be rational about the situation.

I often caught myself wondering about how they'd met. What had been going through their minds when they decided to be together? Had they both just gotten tired of waiting for their true mates and said "forget it"? Or maybe they loved each other so much that none of that mattered to them. There was a possibility that Anastasia had a mate out there somewhere that she had chosen to ignore as well. But then I remembered the kind smile she had given me, and I didn't think she was the type of person who would do something like that.

For now, I was content to stay on the sidelines, mostly because I had no idea how else to handle this mess. They had seemed so happy together that a part of me wanted to just let him go and pretend we had never met.

But there was another part of me, a louder, more insistent part, that wanted to march up to him and beg him to give me a chance. After all, I was his true mate. I could be everything to him that she never could be.

It didn't help matters that my wolf and I weren't on the same page about this. Her constant whimpering and urging for me to go to him only made me more frustrated. It was strange having something else constantly in my mind with its own wants and needs. Her instincts were screaming at her to be with her mate, but she didn't understand all the complicated factors involved. She couldn't grasp that it wasn't that simple. The whole situation was exhausting, to say the least.

If I had known that this was what waited for me when I reached maturity, I might have spent my nights praying to stay as I was. I would have happily remained completely oblivious to the fact that I even had a mate, let alone one who was planning a mating ceremony with the perfect Anastasia while I walked around feeling like a kicked puppy.

I let out another heavy sigh as I continued to wipe down the counter, finishing up my closing duties before heading home for the night. Elena leaned against the counter next to me, crossing her arms over her chest. Her eyes narrowed as she studied me.

"Alright, Aurora," she started, using the nickname she'd given me during my first few weeks at the diner. Apparently, she'd had trouble remembering my name back then, and Aurora was close enough in her mind. "What's going on with you? You've been moping around here for the past week like someone stole your favorite toy."

"It's nothing," I mumbled, unable to keep from sighing again.

Elena rolled her eyes dramatically. "Oh yeah, because you normally walk around sighing like a lovesick teenager. Is that it? Do I need to go and beat up some boy for breaking your heart? 'Cause I'll do it, you know." I couldn't stop the small smile that lifted my gloomy expression. The thought of Elena trying to beat up my mate was actually pretty funny.

"I appreciate the offer, Elena, but you don't need to beat anyone up," I assured her. "I'm just stressed about the fact that I haven't heard back from any of the colleges I applied to." It wasn't entirely a lie - I was stressed about college. There was no reason to try to explain to her how I'd gone from having no love life to having an overly complicated one practically overnight.

She reached out and gave me a pat on the shoulder. "I don't know why you're so worried. You're the smartest one out of all of us here at the diner. Those colleges would be stupid not to accept you."

I took a step back, feeling a bit embarrassed by her praise. "Thanks, Elena. I appreciate the vote of confidence, but it's not like it takes much to be the smartest one around here. The competition isn't exactly fierce."

“Hah, this b***h…”Her eyes narrowed into a playful glare as she snatched the towel from my hand. She wound it up and snapped it towards me, making me laugh as I dodged her attack. "Why don't you go ahead and clock out, smartass? I'll finish up here. Just make sure you lock the front door on your way out."

I didn't need to be told twice. I had been working a lot of shifts at the diner over the past couple of weeks, hoping to save up money I might need for college. That was, if I ever got a response from any of the schools I'd applied to. I gathered my things and blew Elena a playful goodbye kiss as I headed for the exit.

I pushed the key into the front door, twisted it, then grabbed the handle and gave it a couple of good pulls to make sure the lock had settled properly.

Satisfied that the door was secure, I turned around—and nearly jumped out of my skin.

“Oh my g—”

Beau was standing there, waiting for me. I let out a small scream of surprise, my hand flying to my chest where my heart felt like it might explode.

"What are you doing here?" I asked in a breathless voice, trying to calm my racing pulse. He looked a little apologetic for having scared me as he took a step in my direction. I found myself taking a step back, suddenly wary of his reasons for appearing out of nowhere.

"I came to see you," he stated, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

I shifted the strap of my purse nervously. "How did you know I work here?" I glanced around the parking lot, noticing a sleek black Mercedes parked next to my cousin's beat-up truck. I silently prayed that Elena was busy in the kitchen and couldn't see me out here with him, or else she'd be waiting to interrogate me on Monday.

He gave me a look as if the answer should have been obvious. "I asked Creed." I mentally kicked myself. Of course he had, and my cousin had certainly told him without a moment's hesitation.

I frowned as I chanced another peek back towards the diner. "You shouldn't have come here." I really hoped that Elena couldn't see us from inside.

"I just wanted to talk, that's all," he said, lifting his hands up in surrender, palms out towards me to show he meant no harm. There was a sad smirk playing on his lips, as if he found some kind of dark humor in our current situation.

I had to ignore the way my body seemed to be drawn to him like a moth to a flame. I had already been burned once, and I wasn't looking to get scorched again.

"Okay," I said, lifting my chin a bit as I assessed him. "Talk. I'm all ears."

I noticed the way his lips twitched at my response as he lowered his hands to his sides. "A little demanding, aren't we?"

Inside, I felt like I had every right to be. He could have come to me sooner, but he hadn't. Still, my cheeks flamed regardless of what I felt as I registered the fact that I had spoken to the future alpha in such a disrespectful manner.

"Sorry," I apologized, dropping my gaze to the ground and internally reprimanding myself for talking to him like that. He could have me punished for something like that, mate or not.

I heard the sound of his sneakers against the pavement as he took another step towards me. "It's fine, Dawn. I was just teasing you. I deserve that and more, I'm sure."

I peered up at him, his dark gaze holding me captive. "I should have come to you sooner, Dawn. I know that. And I wanted to come to you. I was just confused about everything. I needed time to think about this thing between us. It was unexpected... You were unexpected."

I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes. He was almost as bad as Creed when it came to putting his foot in his mouth. "Well, oh sorry to have sprung myself on you so unexpectedly," I remarked dryly as I shoved the diner keys into my purse, searching for the keys to Creed's truck.

"That came out wrong… " he replied quickly. "That's not what I meant. You're my mate. Of course, meeting you was the happiest moment of my life. Though it was unexpected, I wouldn't have changed it."

I lifted a brow but kept my mouth closed up tight, allowing him more time to explain himself. He must have understood that because more words came spilling out of his lips.

"I need you to know that my reason for staying away had nothing to do with not wanting you. I do want you, Dawn. How could I not want you? You are perfect." His words made my wolf happy, smoothing over any hurt feelings she had about the fact he had disregarded us for the past week after finding out we were mates.

I was happy he was here and that he was saying he wanted me, but there was still one factor that I could not forget, a factor that he had failed to mention in all of his talking. "What about Anastasia? How does she fit into all of this? Where does this leave her?" I questioned him. I needed to know the truth.

He let out a heavy breath, lifting a hand to his head. His hand rubbed anxiously at the short stubble that covered it. "I don't know, Dawn. I don't want to talk about her right now. I can't think of her when I'm standing in front of you."

I clenched my teeth together at his words. "So when should we talk about her then? Before or after the mating ceremony?" My anger had me snapping at him. I noticed the immediate regret in his gaze, and he took a step towards me, leaving not much distance left between our bodies. I pulled the truck keys from my purse, ready to take off at a moment's notice.

He must have sensed that, "Dawn, it's complicated..."

"No, it really isn't, Beau. Either you want to be with her, or you want to be with me, your mate." I tacked on at the end, "Until you make up your mind about that, I think you should stay away from me. It isn't fair to Anastasia, and it's certainly not fair to me."

He looked a little shocked at the words coming from my mouth, but he didn't argue their validity. "I don't know if I can stay away from you. My wolf doesn't want to let you out of our sight. I feel more at ease with you near," he admitted in a tone of defeat.

The truth was that my wolf didn't want him to stay away from us, and neither did I, but I knew that was the influence of the bond. The longer we were in each other's presence, the harder it would be to remain clear-headed. I shook my head, trying to sort out my thoughts. "I need you to respect my wishes, Beau. I don't want to be the second choice when it comes to my mate. So until you can choose, this is the way things will be." I felt a lump building in my throat, but I held myself together in front of him.

His expression looked grave, but he nodded his head. "Okay. I… I understand."

We stood there staring at each other, both of us lost in the heavy silence. What more was there to say? He hadn't made a decision about anything. He said he wanted me, but he still had Anastasia waiting for him at home. He had said he needed time to think. Maybe with time, he would realize that no one else could compare to your mate no matter how wonderful they might be. Or at least, I had to believe there was still a chance.

"Can I at least walk you to your car?" he asked with a soft voice that could have almost been a whisper. My fingers tightened around the keys in my hand, and my stomach twisted up in painful knots as I gave him a small nod. I should have told him no, but I wanted to be in his presence a little longer.

I crossed the distance between us, coming to stand near him but making sure to keep space between our bodies. I itched to reach out and touch him. His gaze roamed over me from the top of my head to the tips of the dirty sneakers that stuck out from under my baggy jeans. I felt my cheeks burn, wishing I could have worn something a little nicer today.

"Shall we?" he questioned, motioning for me to make the first move. This was so awkward. Was this how all mates felt when they met each other or was our situation out of the ordinary? I forced my legs to move my body forward toward my truck.

We walked next to each other in heavy silence. I tried to search for something to say to him that would take away the edge that had been created, but my ability to form words was failing me. By the time I thought of anything mildly interesting to say, we were already standing at the driver-side door of my cousin's truck.

"Well, this is me," I remarked, internally facepalming.

His lips curved upward with amusement. "It was good to see you again, Dawn."

Just then, his body inclined forward toward mine. I remained rooted in place as his lips brushed against the skin of my cheek. I felt the surge of pleasurable tingles race across the spot he had touched. He lingered for a moment as if caught off guard by the sensation as well.

As he pulled back, his lips hovered centimeters above my own, dark eyes meeting mine. I had to force myself to step back even though everything in me was screaming at me to steal a kiss.

"Goodnight, Beau," I said, slightly out of breath.

"Goodnight, Dawn…" he said, giving me a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes before I turned away and unlocked my door, scrambling up into the cab of the truck to put some safe space between us.

────── • ☽ •✧⃝ ✧• ☾ • ──────

TO BE CONTINUED.