PAINFUL TINGLES
1668 Words
CARRISSA'S POV
“Happy birthday Carrissa!” Jayden's baritone voice jolted me from my deep thoughts. I tilted my head to face him, “It's not like it's different from every other day.”
Jayden snorted. “Oh it is. Happy birthday kiddo!” He ruffled my hair as usual, as I poured some batter onto the pan.
I shrugged. “It’s like every other day.” The words tasted like cranberries in my mouth as I uttered them. I tossed the pancakes, till they were golden brown before I tossed them onto the plate.
He took an apple from the tray on the table and munched on it. The door creaked open and Chloe strutted in. She was dressed in a pink silk pajamas and her hair were styled in parts and fixed in a set of rollers.
“I guess the story is different for some people.” Jayden said between a mouthful of apples.
“Happy birthday Chloe,” It took every bit of courage for me to spit out those words. I had no reason to speak to her after the stunt her and Ethan pulled up in school.
She eyed me from head to toe and rolled her eyes. “Are the pancakes ready?”
I sighed. “Yes sister, they are.”
Her face fell, as a disgusted expression filled her features. “I have told you to stop calling me that–”
Jayden snickered. “Oh please Chloe. Carrissa is just being civil, I suggest you get down from your high horses and do same.”
Her face turned bright red with anger. “You would stay out of this.”
Jayden pushed himself up from the kitchen counter, and stretched to his full length. “Or else what!”
The glare on her face intensified. “Else I'll be forced to convince mother to cut down on your outrageous allowance, duh!”
His jaw clenched. “It would interest you to know that I have a bloody job that makes me money,” he was breathing hard, and I could've sworn I saw flames oozing out of his head. “Everyone in this family is out there trying to provide for the family while all you do is lazy around and spend a s**t ton of cash on vague stuff.”
Chloe placed her hand over her chest, gasping. “My beauty maintenance aren't vague goddamnit!”
“What then are they huh, you go ahead and tell me?”
She folded her hands against her chest, shuffling her shoulders sideways. Not uttering a single word.
“I thought as much.” He responded with a sigh. Almost immediately, mother barged into the kitchen, already dressed for the office. She worked in one of the firms owned by the Alpha and always came home lamenting about how father would have been one of the top employees if I hadn't dragged him out that fateful day.
Oh well. I guess I would never live this down.
“Can someone explain what is going on here?” She demanded. After a few beats of hesitation, Jayden went ahead and told her everything. “Is that why you want to cause a scene in the kitchen?”
His jaw dropped. I felt a tinge of indifference, afterall she'd never taken my side. “Quite unfortunate that Chloe was born on the same day with this…” she swallowed the rest of her words when father wheeled into the kitchen.
“Carrissa still your daughter, remember? And you can't keep punishing her for what happened a long time ago.”
She scoffed. “Long time you say, but we're all still suffering the brunt of her actions.” Her voice hung on every edge of the wall. “Perhaps, if you stop spoiling her and make her realize her wrong—”
“Enough woman!” Father interrupted, his face contorted in anger, as he stomped his fist against the handle of his wheelchair. “You’ve tortured Carrissa enough I think it's high time you sit it out!”
Mother glared daggers at me before she stormed out of the kitchen. Chloe was the next to stalk off whilst cussing under her breath.
“I'm sorry father.”
His eyebrows pinched into a frown. “Go, get dressed and get some air.”
“I don't want to–” I stated in a low voice.
The frown on my father's face deepened. “It's an order, Carissa.”
Jayden snorted. “I would've taken you to the new restaurant down the road but I have to go for patrol right now.”
“It's fine. I'd probably take a stroll and come right back to have brunch with you father.”
Dad raised his hands. “Take all the time in the world. If I–”
“It's okay.” I managed, a tinge of emotion drowned my voice. I quickly made breakfast for us and Jayden helped in cleaning him up, before we had breakfast. They both sang a birthday song for me and watched me keenly as I left the house.
My veins sang with exhilaration as I walked down the road. I was anticipating the swipe of my wolf. The electric jolt that came with having my own wolf. I had to be patient if I wanted to feel it. And I didn't want to miss it.
My hands became slick with sweat when a musky leather scent lingered into my nose. I suddenly halted in my tracks as it wrapped around me, hugging me even tighter.
My body tingled, and my heart fluttered in my chest. I knew this feeling. This feeling of longing stretched around me and rested like a heavy lead at the bottom of my stomach. It meant only one thing— my mate was around the corner.
I looked around and realized I was a few miles away from the house when the revving sound of tires screeched to a halt in front of me.
My heart skipped a few beats as I took in the features of the car in front of me. The red Lamborghini belonged to Levi Daston, Ethan's twin brother.
He wound down from the car and stared at me with lazy eyes. The intensity of his glare was equal parts relaxing and equal parts chaotic. I couldn't wrap my fingers around the emotions I was feeling right now.
‘Mates!’ a voice in my head screamed, leaving a shudder in its wake.
“No f*****g way in hell!” Ethan screamed from the passenger's seat. He got down from the car, rounded the table and walked up to where I stood. His staggering physique towering down on me. “You can't—it can't—” he swallowed the rest of his words, the color drained from his face.
A sly smirk hitched up the corner of his lips. “You know, it's quite interesting that the moon goddess decided to play you right into my hands.” He tilted his head to the side. “How do you say that word again Levi?”
Levi snorted, seeming both uninterested and angry. “Deciding her fate in the most brutal way.” Mischief coloured his voice as he spoke.
I snorted, blood pounding in my ears. I hated— loathed these dudes with everything in me. Still, the bond between us was too striking, I couldn't think well.
My heart sank as the door slides open and Chloe got down from the car, her eyebrows raised in anger. “Who could have thought that this fat pig would be mated to my boyfriends?” Chloe grimaced, “The moon goddess must be a clown—”
“Don't talk about the moon goddess in that manner.”
She looked around, before her eyes narrowed as her gaze was fixed on me. “Amd who's gonna stop me.”
I clenched my hands into a ball. “One more vile word against the moon goddess and—”
Chloe hissed. “And nothing!” She fired back. “I mean, what do you even have to lose if you speak ill of some facade. Yeah, yeah, I know, I know, she's blessed us with our wolves but that's as far as it goes.”
“You don't deserve a wolf.”
She lifted a shoulder. “Too bad you don't call the shots. I have a wolf that wouldn't think twice before pouncing on you and tearing you to shreds. What do you have?”
A growl rumbled my chest. “My fist.” I lunged at her when I tripped over something and fell face-flat on the hard jagged floor.
Chloe and the twins laughed. “Damnit! Chloe, how did you get unlucky to have such a clumsy twin?”
“Maybe I was cursed.” She answered and they fell into another round of laughter.
“I, Levi Daston and my brother Ethan Daston reject your fat ugly thing as our fated mate.”
A coil of anger stretched dangerously through my spine, while I staggered to my feet. I dusted my clothes and spat out blood. My eyes hot with tears, “I, Carrissa accept your rejection.” I inched closer to Levi as he stared down on me.
I wasn't going to fight a rejection. Especially when it came from these bloody jerks that were hell-bent on seeing me suffer. One thing I was going to do was…I moved backwards almost hitting the ground when I pinched Ethan right in the face.
“This is for being a bloody bully!” I screamed, not minding the horrific stares on the faces of the passersby. “I'd rather be forever mateless than be mated to bastards like you!” My voice was blurry with tears.
I pushed Levi who was approaching me and ran while they got into the car and gave me a hot chase.
- Writer
