Searching for her Destined Mate

Chapter 2

Chapter #2: A Minor Inconvenience.

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CATH YZELYONE’S POV

All my life, I believed that money can buy everything.

Money, no matter how small in physical form, is able to buy any material thing in the world. Having all the means to purchase any necessity one wants to attain, wealth alone has the power to change your life in just a single snap of your fingers. A large house? An expensive car? Countless bright rays of dresses and bags? Never-ending stacks of shoes and sneakers piling inside your room? Having the most latest gadgets and things that everyone would be jealous of? Just name it and having billions of money in the world can make you buy all of such things.

— but not me.

Growing up, I was lucky enough to have a taste of luxury even for just a short period of time. Despite my young age, my perspective on things altered ever since my parents passed away. In just a blink of an eye, I was drowning in debts that my parents left for me.

Regardless of that, I didn’t feel any remorse or hatred towards my parents after finding out about it. They were very loving guardians even though I wasn’t their own. My mother and father made sure that I was cared for, had a roof over my head, and food to fill my stomach. Above all of that, they made me feel something that I had always longed for, to have a family and a home. I definitely couldn’t ask for more.

On my sixteenth birthday, two of the most important people in my life were taken from me.

Not only that, I also could no longer have the taste of luxury that I was once able to. Instead, I was met with countless bills that I needed to pay, and long receipts that I’ve collected for the past years of my life.

Those who aren’t in my place would often tell me that being poor is a choice, as privilege as it sounds, it was embedded in my mind—which is why I work my ass off in order to earn money so that I can pay off my parent’s debts.

“Hey. Cath, are you alright?”

I was stuffing things inside my bag when Roman spoke, pulling me out of my trance. Looking at him, he was gazing at me with a knitted forehead and gentle eyes. Shaking my head, I replied. “Yes, I’m fine. I was just thinking about the paperworks I need to finish as soon as I get home.” I lied, zipping my bag and hooking it on my shoulder.

Roman didn’t buy my words. “Yeah? What was the last thing I said?”

“Uhm… something about Khael being hot?” Scratching the back of my head, I tipped my head to the side as I was already caught like a deer in the headlights.

“Well, you’re not wrong, but also not right,” he chuckled as the corners of his lips curled up, clearly side-tracked by my answer. As if remembering that I was averting the topic, he squinted his eyes at me. “You know you can tell me if something’s bothering you. Us girls always have each other’s back.”

My demeanor softened and my worries slowly dissipated in the air as his comment made me laugh. Hearing Roman say something like that just brings happiness to my being, especially when he is a large and well-built werewolf that towers over me and could single-handedly render me immobilized if he wants to. Oftentimes people would mistake him for being a straight guy when in fact he’s actually not.

Heavens, even I misinterpreted his sexuality when we first met.

Roman stood six feet and four inches, and his entire body seemed like he was a rock incarnate—even his clothes couldn’t hide all the muscles in his body to the point that it might rip if he does any extraneous activities. His long chocolate brown hair was always unkempt, but never did it make him look unattractive. For what it’s worth, it made him appear more charming with his porcelain skin and chiseled jawline. Aside from that, he never publicly acted that he’s not straight. He still wore men’s clothes and had that manly presence whenever you’d look at him.

“You’re really funny,” I said as a peal of laughter escaped my mouth.

“Well, that’s my best trait,” he joked once more, trying to lighten up the mood. The smile never left my face as we exited his room.

Roman hired me as his tutor for a subject that he kept failing for the past three years. It’s already his last year in the university and he can’t afford to fail the subject again, or else he’s not going to graduate on time and might end up taking summer classes to make up for it. He didn’t want that to happen so he asked for my help and offered that he’ll pay me for every session. Knowing how desperate I am to earn money, I gladly accepted.

“Roman, you’re leaving already?” The familiar sound of his mother’s voice echoed through the halls. Bethany materialized the second we reached their living room. “You two should eat first. I made some food.” There were wrinkles in her face as she flashed a genuine smile at me and her son as she motioned a hand towards the table.

I instantly caught a glimpse of a vegetable beef soup. My stomach softly grumbled and my mouth almost watered at the aromatic smell of the food, then remembered that the last time I ate was at lunch time. Gulping my starveness, I kept my lips pursed at their exchange of conversation.

No matter how poor I was, I still have some dignity left in me.

I’m not one to leech off from someone of higher status than me. If I’m not able to afford things—even food—I would do everything I can in order to afford it on my own without begging someone for food and money.

“Mom, we need to head out now or we’ll be late.” Gone were the smiles on Bethany’s face in which Roman immediately noticed. “How about we’ll just pack some and eat it while we’re on our break?” he coaxed her and Bethany’s lips perked into a smile.

“Alright, just stay there. I’ll do it now,” she abruptly reached for a clear container for the food and I noticed that it was still steaming so I trotted close to help her.

“Let me help you,” I mentioned as I gently grabbed the container from her hands and did it myself. “Thank you for cooking, Mrs. Gregory. This smells really delicious.”

Her happiness intensified with my compliment, she was now smiling widely at me while I packed the food for Roman and I. “Oh, Cath. I told you that you can just call me ‘mom’ too. And of course, anything for my son’s girlfriend.”

Regret and humiliation crawled on my skin like a spider circling on its prey. I was suppressing the grimace that wanted to escape my lips. Instead, I sucked it in and flashed a forced smile at her direction. Roman must’ve easily caught on how uncomfortable I was feeling so he took the initiative to finish packing the food for the two of us.

“Thanks for the food, mom. We’ll head out now.” Roman bluntly mentioned as he placed the insulated lunch bag inside his backpack. He glanced at his wristwatch, taking note of the time. There was hurriedness and trepidation laced in his voice that I instantly noticed—his emotions seeped into mine as I realized why he was acting that way.

Offering a smile to Bethany, I spoke once more. “Thank you again for the food, Mrs. Gregory.” She returned the smile and was about to answer when the door was shut open with a loud thud. The hinges creaked and the top edge splintered as it hit the wall. It almost hit Roman in the face since he was just by the door, ready to leave. Good thing that he was able to take a step back before it fully opened.

I stayed rooted to my place when Roman’s father welcomed our sight. His red bloodshot eyes passed through his son’s and met mine for a second—I almost flinched by the intensity of his gaze. Chills ran through my spine when he flicked his stare back to Roman. With a loud thud, Richard shut the door behind him ever so loudly. Still, I’m amazed at how Roman seemed to be unperturbed by how his father was acting.

He let out a scoff when he reached Roman’s tracks, then stopped beside him. “What is my useless son doing inside this house?”

“Richard!” Bethany reprimanded, walking closer to the man of the house then pulling him away from Roman. “Stop being rude. We have a guest.”

“Good evening, Mr. Gregory.” Wanting to show respect despite being intimidated by him, I still manage to stay. To show further how much I wanted to come off as hospitable, I was about to ask if he had eaten dinner already, but Roman gently grabbed my arm, dragging me towards the door.

“We’re just leaving,” Not throwing his parent’s a glance, he stated firmly as we continued to walk towards the door.

“For someone who mentioned how he never wanted our paths to cross inside this house, you have a lot of nerve to show your face to me, Roman.” The disgust in his voice tasted sour in my mouth. Hearing that statement made me lose my appetite even though I could still smell the aromatic smell of Bethany’s cooking.

I felt Roman flinching beside me and almost staggered, but we didn’t stop. Judging by his body language alone, I could feel that he was trying hard to suppress the boiling rage inside him. How easy it was for me to see how hard he was biting his lower lip—too HARD that I smelled blood.

Roman was having a hard time with one topic during our tutoring session. To the point that we spent extra minutes tackling the lesson in order for him to fully digest the subject. Even still, he couldn’t easily grasp how the computation works in spite of showing him the equation thrice. Due to that, we lost track of the time—forgetting that Roman’s father would soon arrive at their house.

I learned it the hard way of how Roman’s relationship with his father—lots of screaming, throwing of things, and profanities. The first time I tutored him inside their house, it was pure hell since we weren’t aware that his father clocked out early from his work.

We didn’t stop walking even though we we’re outside their house or even when we had been away for two blocks already. Roman also forgot that he was still holding my wrist as if his life depended on it. Being my compassionate self, I let him be and never said a single word—mentally thinking that he wanted to be alone with his thoughts… but then, that was never a good idea.

That being said, I spoke. “Do you think the diner is packed tonight?” My voice was low, almost like a whisper, but it was enough to rip him out of his trance.

Roman met my gaze, his face softened after hearing my question—aware that I was diverting his thoughts away from what just transpired. I didn’t want to start our shift with a heavy feeling in our chest, it just wouldn’t do us any good. Instead of answering my question, he brought back the topic to the original subject. “Cath, I’m sorry you have to witness that—again. You don’t know how embarrassed I feel right now. It must be hard for you as well,” he let go of his hold on my wrist.

His words instantly flashed unwanted scenes inside my head. Shaking my head as I try to calm my nerves, I replied. “I already told you that you don’t have to feel embarrassed. Just like what you said earlier, we girls have each other’s back, right?”

With my words, Roman chuckled… the first genuine laugh after we left their house. “You’re doing me a lot of favor, Cath. You don’t know how much this means to me. I promise after all of this is done, you’ll be free from me and this pretend relationship.”

Roman didn’t particularly beg me to be his pretend girlfriend. When he mentioned that I was getting paid double my rate—I caved in, especially when I needed the money so badly. Considering all the debts I had to pay, this agreement is actually good on my end.

Frankly, he’s actually the one who’s doing me a favor in my perspective.

I gulped, hesitating with my words, but still managed to ask. “I don’t mean to overstep some boundaries we set, but are you going to tell them the truth after you graduate?”

“Maybe I won’t, maybe I will. I’m still unsure. I told you before that my father has an inkling that I’m not straight, which is why he treats me as such—like crap and like I’m some kind of abomination in this world. When I asked you to pretend to be my girlfriend, he calmed down a bit, but was still suspicious. His alcohol problems fueled this abuse towards me.”

“And if he finds out that we ‘break up’? I’m certain he will physically abuse you again.”

He turned to me and offered a soft smile on his lips. “And that’s my problem to worry about, Cath.”

“But—”

“Cath,” he intervened. “I’ll be fine.” Roman tapped a hand on my shoulders. “You have tons of problems on your own, and here you are—carrying my burdens. Honestly speaking, you need to stop with that. I get it, we’re friends… you want to help lessen my worries, yet you don’t want to accept help in return—from me, Sade, Iana, or anyone. Girl, you need to set your priorities straight.”

As much as I wanted to defend myself, I knew that he was right. I’m well aware of this trait of mine. I just couldn’t help it. Being independent ever since I was young has been a part of me, and it’s not that easy to sway away from the norm.