Marked by Midnight

Chapter 9

The Feeling I Couldn't Explain

Kyle

I couldn't concentrate. That was the first thing I noticed after returning to my table.

I sat down beside Damon and tried to act like nothing had happened but it didn't work.

My eyes kept going back to Elena. She was sitting with Seraphine near the windows, pretending to focus on her food. I knew that because I had been watching her long enough to recognise the difference. She wasn't eating much. Her mind was somewhere else. Probably still thinking about what had happened.

I couldn't blame her. Three days ago, I had rejected her in front of everyone. Now I had caught her in my arms without thinking.

The memory wouldn't leave my head. The way she had looked at me when I caught her. The surprise in her eyes. The way she immediately told me she was fine even though she was clearly shaken.

I rubbed my hand over my face. What was wrong with me?

"You've been staring at her for five minutes." Damon's voice pulled me back.

I looked at him. "I haven't."

He raised an eyebrow. "You have."

Lucian said nothing. He didn't need to. The slight look on his face told me he had noticed too.

I picked up my drink. "She nearly fell."

"And you caught her."

"Anyone would have." Damon laughed quietly.

"No. They wouldn't." I looked at him.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"It means you moved before anyone else even realised what was happening." Damon replied.

I didn't answer. Because he was right. I had seen her lose her balance and my body had reacted before my mind could catch up. There had been no thought No hesitation. Just movement. And that bothered me.

Because I remembered what the Moon Goddess had said during the ceremony. Three bonds. Three mates.

I had rejected Elena because I believed she was human. I had told myself that accepting a human as my mate would put everything on my shoulders. My position, My pack and My responsibilities. I had convinced myself that rejecting her was the right thing to do. So why did every instinct inside me seem to disagree?

"You're thinking too much", Damon's voice came again.

"I always think", I said without any hesitation.

"Not like this", He replied.

I glanced at him as he leaned back in his chair looking at me as if he was trying to understand what everything was all about.

"You've barely spoken since she walked in." Damon began as he threw his hands round my shoulders and smiling in a very mysterious manner.

"I don't have anything to say" I replied to save myself from Damons unending questions but little did I know that was just the beginning of his interrogation.

"Then why do you keep looking at her?" Damon asked directly.

I tried to answer the question but I found myself opening my mouth without any word coming out of it

Lucian finally spoke, "Because he doesn't understand what he's feeling."

I looked at him and his expression remained calm.

"You don't understand either," I said.

"I didn't say I did", Lucian replied in a calm voice but his facial expression said otherwise.

That shut me up and for a moment, none of us spoke.

The refectory continued around us. Students talked.

Chairs moved. Someone laughed loudly at another table.

Everything seemed normal. But it wasn't, Not anymore.

The three of us had been connected to the same woman.

And none of us knew what that meant yet.

I looked at Elena again. She was speaking to Seraphine now. Her face softened as She smiled at something Seraphine said. I didn't know why, but seeing that smile made something inside me settle.

Then I saw Ravina. She was standing near the entrance, watching Elena and watching me too. I knew that look.

Ravina had always been proud, She didn't like losing control of situations and she definitely didn't like being ignored. especially by me.

She walked towards our table. "Kyle."

I looked up. "Ravina."

She smiled.

"You've been quiet." She said.

"I'm eating."

Damon snorted but Ravina ignored him. Her attention stayed on me.

"I was just wondering if you were all right." She continued.

"I'm fine." I replied.

Her eyes moved towards Elena.

"Are you sure?" She asked again.

I understood what she was asking and I didn't like it. "Why wouldn't I be?"

She shrugged and said, "No reason."

Damon leaned forward and said to Ravina in a sardonic manner, "You should probably stop staring at Elena before you give yourself a headache." Immediately, Ravina's smile disappeared for a second. "I wasn't talking to you" She replied defensively. Damon gave her a little but fierce smile while responding “I know” just to dismiss their conversation.

She looked at me again ignoring Damon. "You've always been protective of people, Kyle."

There was something behind those words of hers, it sounded like a warning or maybe a reminder.

I frowned and asked her directly, "What are you trying to say?"

"Nothing, " She smiled again and said, "Just be careful."

Then she walked away. I watched her leave. Something about the conversation bothered me. Not because Ravina had warned me. Because she had sounded almost jealous.

I turned back to my food. But I couldn't eat anymore.

My thoughts returned to Elena. I remembered the ceremony. The moment our eyes met after the bond appeared. I remembered the way she looked at me.

Not hopeful. Not desperate. Just hurt. And then she had stood there and accepted my rejection without begging.

That had surprised me. Most people would have been angry. She had simply walked away. I had respected that.

Maybe more than I wanted to admit.

The bell rang. Students began leaving the refectory.

Damon stood. "Come on."

Lucian followed.

I stayed seated for another moment. Then I looked towards Elena. She was already standing. Our eyes met.

For a second, neither of us moved. Something pulled at me. I couldn't explain it. I wanted to walk over to her.

I wanted to ask if she was okay. I wanted to say something. Anything. But I remembered the ceremony.

I remembered my own words. I had rejected her.

So I stayed where I was. Elena looked away first. Something about that hurt. Then I stood up and joined the boys

As we left the refectory, I heard Damon speaking behind me, "You're going to regret this."

I glanced over my shoulder, "Regret what?"

He smiled. "You'll figure it out " That was all he said.

I didn't answer.

We walked down the corridor together. Classes started again. But I barely heard anything the teacher said. My mind kept returning to the same question. Why did I care so much? I had rejected Elena because I thought she was powerless. Because I thought she couldn't fit into my life. Because I thought the bond had made a mistake. But what if it hadn't? What if there was something about her that we hadn't seen yet?

I looked out the classroom window. Elena was crossing the courtyard below. She stopped suddenly. She looked around. For a moment, I thought she was looking directly at me. Then she continued walking. A strange feeling moved through me. It was almost like something inside me recognised her. I closed my eyes and the feeling disappeared. When I opened them again, she was gone and I didn't know what was happening to me. But one thing was becoming impossible to ignore. I had rejected Elena Morgan. Yet somehow, I was already beginning to wonder if I had made the biggest mistake of my life.