The Healer’s Mate

Distractions

Jane POV 

The pain was burning and ripping me from the inside out, until it was gone. It left a hole in its place- I’d almost prefer the pain. I stumbled through my back door and made it to my bedroom where I fell into the comforting pillows on my bed. I realized with dread that there wasn’t a comfort item that would fill the gaping emptiness in my chest. I hugged the pillow tightly to my front anyways. It took everything I had to make it back here and I wasn’t leaving any time soon.

The soft white walls around me started to close in and I pulled the blanket over my head to escape my surroundings. I’d seen plenty of people break because of the mate bond severing so I would give myself one day. One day to wallow and then back to life. I closed my eyes and let myself succumb to sleep.

My phone dinged in response to my internal agreement and I rolled over to see who it was. 

“Where are you?” Emily’s message was as blunt as she was in person. 

“Home,” my fingers tapped back.

“It’s the middle of the day...” she left her message asking a question I wouldn’t answer. Instead I pulled the covers back over to shield from the world again. 

Ten minutes later they were being hauled off me by an invisible force. 

“Get up,” the voice behind the covers commanded.

“No,” I croaked. 

A silence and then the thump of a body landing next to mine. 

“Then I’m coming in with you,” Emily said impatiently.

“Just let me be.” I cringed at the whine in my own voice, alien to my normal soft tone. 

“What happened? Big bad Alpha’s son do something incredibly stupid again?” I threw a pillow at her as an answer and she smiled wryly. “Have you decided what you’re going to do about it?” It was an open ended question that hid a double edged sword. Rejecting a mate was one of the most abhorrent thing to do. Being rejected, however, was equally shameful. I took a deep breath to bide time to decide on my lie.

“One more day and he’s going back to that hell hole he came from. After that, I’ll take it day by day.” Emily frowned at that response. Her emotional responses to every little thing were welcome at times, but others they were her biggest fault. She loved deeply, and I knew that meant she would do anything for me. I couldn’t bear to tell her about the rejection. 

“We’re here for you. All of us.” She said as if no other words would come to her. “I do need to warn you...” she hesitated. “They delayed the mission to Red Aspen. I’m not sure why, but they’re not going for another week.” My mouth went dry as she continued. 

“Oh” I said through a whisper. Emily laid down with a thud next to me. 

“We’ve got to make a game  plan for this situation,” she said leaning on one elbow to face me. 

“My game plan is to lay here in bed, watch rom coms and forget he exists for a day,” I grumbled into my pillow. 

“That won’t work and you know it. We’ve got to get you in the process of moving on, you know, find you a distraction,” she wiggled her perfectly manicured eyebrows at me.

I pondered on her words. The emptiness in my chest couldn’t possible be filled by anything else but my mate. Now that he was out of the picture, it was possible to have a chosen mate. Nausea rolled off me in waves at the thought of someone else. 

“Just come out with me to Silo’s tonight, get your mind off it,” she continued.

I let a sigh slip from my mouth before turning to face her again. 

“Fine.”