Chapter 18

I slumped in the couch, my hand propping up my head and listened as they bickered about who Carson would choose and who was a better this and who was a better that. It was so bloody annoying!

I watched them from behind half closed eyes, some were sitting in his couch, one leaned against the wall and two were messing with his picture frames; I was so tempted to tell them to just stop touching his stuff and get the fuck out.

They didn’t belong here, I couldn’t wait for Carson to finish his meeting with the council and send them packing so we could get on with our lives. What annoyed me the most was the fact that when he was around them they acted to decent, so perfect and as soon as he left they reverted back to their true selves; the animals.

Okay so maybe I wasn’t being fair, it’s not like they were being awful or anything, most of them were actually quite nice from what I could see but the fact that they’d come to steal my man made me hate their guts.

“What are you to him anyway?”

I looked up at her because she’d so obviously addressed me. It was the one who’d introduced herself first; legs. That’s what I called her in my mind.

I shrugged in answer.

“Well you obviously know him so do you mind me asking, who do you think he’ll choose? I mean of course he won’t do anything before the actual competition, but who here looks like his type?” she asked again, this time with a huge grin, as if I was gonna say she was his type. Pulease!

“You’d have to ask him that.” I answered again.

“Ah come on, you must have some idea, haven’t you ever seen him with women? What’s the usual type?”

I was getting annoyed now. The thought of Carson with women put me on edge.

“Like I said, I don’t know and in any case, this is a competition right? It really wouldn’t be fair if I told you anything.” I said this with a look of disgust and I could tell I’d insulted her.

Ignoring the twinge in my chest I pushed up off the chair and went to stand by the window, choosing to tune them out and ‘enjoy’ the view.

I’d probably been standing there for about fifteen minutes and was seriously thinking of throwing them out myself when Carson came. When he walked through the door all was silent.

“Hello again ladies, I’ve had a place prepared for you to stay, if you’d just accompany Murphy here, he’ll take you there.” He said gesturing to one of the guard’s who was standing behind him.

They all piled out, some giving him seductive looks before they left and I had to roll my eyes.

“Why are they getting a place, shouldn’t they be on their way back to where ever the hell they came from?” I asked annoyed.

He crossed the room and sat down in the couch I’d been sitting in before then proceeded to take off his shoes. He hadn’t answered my question and I felt an odd twinge in the region of my heart.

Dear Lord please don’t let this mean they’re staying.

“Are you gonna answer me?” I asked, slightly apprehensive.

He leaned back in the chair and looked at me, his eyes boring into mine.

“The council recruited them from all over the world, nine girls from nine different countries, which means I can’t just send them back after they’ve gone through all this trouble-“

“Bull! What does it matter whether you send them back now or later, it’s still gonna be a waste of time...unless…unless you plan on choosing one.” I had my arm folded now, eyes on him, mouth set in a thin hard line.

“Laken…”

Oh no I knew that voice…he was gonna tell me he was choosing one, after all we’d been through, after all he’d told me. I felt the anger bubble up inside me and I felt my heart break.

“Fuck you!” I screamed at him then turned to go to the door.

“Laken wait!” he shouted and he was out of the couch in a heartbeat, making his way toward me

“No!” I shouted back and pulled the door open only to have him slam it before I could leave.

I grabbed the door knob and pulled, twisting it this way and that, anything to get it open, but he stood behind me, holding it shut with his hand.

“Open it!” I shouted, struggling to pull it open.

“Laken just listen to me-“

“No just open it now Carson, I want to leave!” by this time I was pulling at his hand trying to get him to let go of the door. I could feel the tears gathering. He was gonna choose one of those girls, after everything he’d said to me, after what we’d done!

“No, will you just listen to me!” he shouted, then when I ignored him and continued to try prying his hand from the door, I felt his arms go around me, trapping my arms to my side.

“Let me go!” I cried out, the tears finally escaping.

All that kept running through my mind was that he was going to choose a mate and leave me. He was going to leave me. Leave me. Me. I stopped struggling and just let the tears fall. My knees buckled but his arms around me prevented me from falling.

“Laken, calm down.” I heard him whisper next to my ear, but I couldn’t stop crying long enough to respond. I didn’t want him to leave me. I didn’t want to me alone. I loved him. What did I have to do to make this work?

I was still crying, heart wrenching broken sobs when I felt him lift me off the ground and deposit me on a nearby couch. The instant he let me go I curled into a ball still crying like there was no tomorrow. This is what heartbreak felt like.

I felt rather than saw when he stooped beside me, his hand moving through my hair.

“Shhh it’s ok stop crying, if you’d just let me finish you’d know that-“

I didn’t hear him I just launched myself at him my arms wrapped around his neck, my wet cheek pressed against his head.

“Please don’t do this Carson, I love you, please.” I choked out, hugging him even tighter.

After a shocked pause I felt his arms wrap around me and then;

“I love you too Laken.”

…………………..

“I still can’t believe you reacted that way, all you had to do was wait till I finished my sentence.” Carson was saying as he exited the bathroom. He was naked save for a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair was dripping wet.

I blushed at his words; I was still embarrassed about that. It had been a few hours since my little episode but I still shuddered at the thought of my actions. After he’d gotten me to calm down a bit, he told me what he had been about to say. Apparently I’d misinterpreted his tone.

Leave it to me to make a big deal out of nothing. The girls were only staying long enough for him to explain that the competition wasn’t going to happen. They’d be allowed to integrate with the rest of the pack and if they found no mate within the ranks then they were free to leave.

The council had stepped out of line by allowing them to enter the camp. They were pissed at Carson’s decision to send them back but he told me that he’d threatened them with sanctions if they acted against his wishes again. Hopefully all this shit could be behind us soon.

“Will you stop bringing it up...I’m so embarrassed!” I said covering my face with my hands.

He chuckled; “If I had any doubts about how you felt about me before, that’s all cleared up. You almost broke my heart the way you were carrying on.”

“Ugh! Don’t remind me.” I mumbled.

He ruffled my hair then sat down beside me on the bed.

“I don’t think those girls are gonna be happy about this.” I said.

“I really don’t give a damn.” He said a matter-of-factly.

I could only stare at him, he was just too good to be true and if today was any indication, then it was certain I’d go insane without him. It was an unhealthy situation but I couldn’t help how I felt.

“I wanted to wait until your eighteenth birthday, that way you’d feel the bond yourself and you’d know, but you’ll never believe that I’ll never leave you if I don’t tell you.” Carson was saying, his gaze found mine and I swallowed at the intensity of his stare.

“Tell me what?”

“Why do you think you loved me from even before we officially met?” he asked, taking my hand in his and playing around with my fingers.

“I don’t know…because I’m just weird like that?” I asked jokingly even though the atmosphere of the room told me this was a serious question.

He smiled then brought my hand up to place a kiss on the back of it. My heart jumped.

“No it’s the same reason I’ve loved you all these years too, I just didn’t know why I felt such a pull to you until I turned eighteen, and then it got worse.”

My eyes narrowed; “Are you…” I licked my lips which had suddenly gone dry, “Are you saying…what I think you’re saying?” I whispered, my heart pounding.

“Don’t you know why you’ve always felt this pull towards me Laken? Don’t you know why I used to stare at you that way? Don’t you understand why it is that you’ve never felt this way about another soul?”

I opened my mouth but no sound came. He couldn’t be saying what I thought he was saying. Impossible, it couldn’t be, guys couldn’t… he was the Alpha, I couldn’t-

“You’re my mate Laken.”

…………………..

Nothing could kill my mood today. I could get mugged, or beaten up by a hundred Steven’s, my father could stop talking to me forever, they could chop off my arm and my mood would still be the same.

I was floating on a cloud of intense happiness, humming beneath my breath and walking with a little pep in my step. Oh how could life be this great? The sky looked bluer, the air smelled cleaner, the grass looked greener and my whole outlook on life was better.

People bumped into me without apologizing and all I could do was smile. I smiled on the train, smiled as I walked the streets and smiled when I narrowly missed getting hit by a cab. I’d gotten the best news yesterday, the absolute greatest!

Carson was my mate, I was his. We were meant to be together and nothing would come between us. He wouldn’t leave me.

Like I said nothing could kill my mood, I even smiled when I passed Lucas on the street a few seconds ago, nothing could get better than-

Wait Lucas?!

I whipped around to see him making his way over to me. What the heck was he doing here? Well not that it was impossible for him to be in the city the same day I was, but you rarely saw people you knew in the city, it was next to impossible with the massive crowd.

“Hey laken, out by yourself today?” Lucas asked when he approached me.

My eyes narrowed; “Did you follow me?”

“So I can’t come to the city without getting accused of stalking you?” he smiled, that cocky smile I hadn’t seen in a while.

“Uh-“

“Don’t worry Laken I’m just as surprised to see you here as you clearly are to see me.” He answered and I could see he was telling the truth.

“Okay.” I said then turned and walked on, not surprised when he appeared next to be, matching my pace.

“So where’s lover boy?” he asked playfully and damn if a smile didn’t creep up on my face.

“I don’t really know, think he had a meeting or something, haven’t seen him all day.” I answered truthfully.

“So he just allowed you to come to the city all by yourself?” he asked, his brows furrowing.

“I’m sixteen not five.” I said a little bit insulted at what he was implying.

“Doesn’t matter, it’s not safe here, anything can happen to a boy your size, in a big place like this.” He said gesturing in front of us.

“Anything can happen anywhere.” I said dismissively.

I really didn’t want to walk with him. I was enjoying roaming the streets by myself with Carson on my mind.

“If you were mine, I’d make sure you were always safe, I wouldn’t be too busy to go to the city with you or wherever it is you wanted to go.” He said again, looking at me with those intense eyes. For some reason his eyes made me miss the wolf. Too bad he was the wolf.

“Well I don’t need Carson with me 24/7 I’m fine by myself sometimes.” I said this deliberately without acknowledging his statement.

He continued unfazed; “Why are you out here anyway?”

“Looking for a gift for someone.” I answered, then paused at the end of the street, waiting for the light to change so I could cross.

“You mean Carson?” he asked and I could have sworn his expression got just a little bit darker when he said his name.

“Yup.” I didn’t see any reason to hide it, maybe that way he’d take a hint and leave.

As we crossed the road I felt him put his hand lightly on my back and his eyes scanned the streets, as if at any moment a car was going to appear out of nowhere and he’d have to pull me out of the way. I shook my head. Talk about over protective. Not that it wasn’t a nice feeling to have someone care about you that much, but he was Lucas and Carson cared just as much...more even.

“So what exactly do you want to get for dear old Carson?” he asked, his tone mocking.

I shrugged. I actually hadn’t thought that far ahead, I just knew it had to be something special, something that would always make him think of me, just like the necklace he’s given me made me think of him.

“Maybe I can help.” He said and I stopped walking and looked up at him;

“Why exactly are you in the city today anyway?”

“Just like you…shopping.” He said with a smile. The cocky one not the sweet, sincere, gentle one.

“So why’d you want to help me find something for a person you don’t even like, especially when you have your own shopping to do?”

“Company? I help you out, in return I get your company and maybe you can help me find something for my sister.”

“You have a sister?!”I asked in amazement.

He chuckled; “Why do you sound so surprised, I do have a family you know.”

“Yeah…I just never expected it I guess.”

“So where is she?” I questioned, then continued walking.

“London, with our father.” His eyes had softened as he said this and I couldn’t help but be moved. He missed her! It was just so sweet!

“Fine.” I answered.

He looked at me in confusion; “Fine what?”

“You can come help me look for a gift for Carson and I’ll help you look for something for your sister. I’m way better at shopping for girls anyway. How old is she?”

He smiled; “Five.”

……………………

We’d been to store after store, we walked until our feet hurt and I still couldn’t find anything for Carson. We’d found his sister’s gift hours ago, or should I say gifts. That was one lucky girl.

At this point I’d pretty much given up on finding anything in the city, guess I’d have to go to a shopping mall or something. Now we were just walking around, looking for somewhere to eat. I was starving but the down side about the city was that most of the restaurants were crowded or just fast food joints and I was sick of fast food.

“How about I cook us something?” he asked when we stopped in front of yet another crowded restaurant.

I looked up at him, “You mean like at your place?”

“Yeah…and I can tell by your expression that you’re skeptical, I’m only gonna cook Laken, nothing more, it’s the least I can do since we didn’t find anything for Carson.”

I thought about it for a second, well he had a point, and after today, I trusted him quite a bit. He’d told me about his family we’d laughed and talked and had a pretty good time. Well except for that one point where this woman in a store had told us we looked like a cute couple, that’d certainly got him grinning. I shook my head at the thought.

“Okay, where’d you park?”

………………………..

“That was great! I can’t believe you can cook so well!” I exclaimed.

We were sitting on his couch, stuffed and satisfied. I felt like I could just go to sleep right then and there.

“Everyone in my family can cook...it’s in our blood.” He said handing me a glass of water.

“Thanks…wish I could cook, me and Carson tried baking once, I didn’t know something could burn like that.” I said fondly.

“What do you see in him anyway?” he asked, there was no malice or scorn in his voice, he just seemed genuinely curious.

I shrugged; “I can’t even name just one thing, he’s just...perfect for me.”

“And you don’t think maybe someone else could be perfect for you? I know I could make you happy Laken. I know you don’t believe me, you think that just because we’ve never really known each other before that I couldn’t fall for you, but I did and I really think if you gave us a chance we could make this work.”

So many people would be more than grateful for what he was offering, he was a good guy, sweet if a bit cocky, he obviously loved deeply, he was protective and he could cook…

“Carson’s my mate and I love him.” I said firmly.

His eyes flashed for a second but then he just shook his head and leaned back on the couch without a word.

I was glad he didn’t push it, I really didn’t have the energy to argue with him. It had been a long day. I looked at the time; 9:00pm.

I’d just close my eyes for five minutes, that’s all, then I’d tell him to take me home. Just five minutes…

………………………..

I woke up to the sound of Lucas’ voice and to the most comfortable sheets I’d ever had the pleasure of sleeping on.

Lucas’ Voice?!

I bolted up in the bed, my heart pounding in my chest. I was in his bedroom, clothes still on, thank God! He stood at the doorway, on the phone, but ended the conversation when he looked around and saw me getting out of the bed.

“Oh you’re-”

“What time is it?” I asked, cutting him off.

“2:00a.m. it’s okay you don’t have to-“

“2a.m?!” I exclaimed. I felt my pockets but they were empty so I looked around the room. When I spotted my phone on the bedside table I grabbed it up. Sixteen missed calls.

Oh shit.

More than half of them were from mom and the rest from Carson.

“Could you take me home please?” I asked Lucas who was standing at the door watching me.

“Why not get some sleep it’s late, I’m sure-“

“No, I gotta go I was suppose to spend the night with….I just gotta go.” I said, pushing past him and into the other room.

“Ah gotta get back to lover boy.” his tone was mocking but I chose to ignore it, instead I sat in the chair and pulled on my shoes, then dialed my mom’s number and hit call.

“Hey mom…yes…yes...I know…I’m…yes mom I know….I’m at Matt’s…yeah Matt from school…yes I’m sorry I didn’t call earlier I just forgot and then…ok…yeah I’ll see you tomorrow, bye.”

I thought briefly about calling Carson but I figured it would just be best to do that in person.

The ride to Carson’s was silent but I really didn’t care I was busy thinking about how I was gonna explain sleeping over at Lucas’.

When we were almost to the camp entrance I asked him if he could stop. I really didn’t want to be seen leaving his vehicle that would just make things worse with Carson. Lucas ignored me and continued driving, pulling right up in front of Carson’s house and blowing the horn.

I glared at him and he grinned.

“What?” he asked trying to look innocent.

Rather than answer I opened the door and got out, slamming it just in time to see Carson’s door open and boy did he look pissed when he spotted Lucas behind the wheel!

His eyes narrowed then he turned his gaze on me and if looks could kill… I felt like a deer caught in the headlights. What did I get myself into?

“Carson, I can explain, it’s not what it-“