Chapter 198

Lila’s POV “Lila?” Brody spoke in a low tone after a few minutes of us sitting in silence. “Did you hear me?”

I felt completely numb. I couldn’t have heard him correctly. This couldn’t be real. Was Sarah actually Brody’s mate?

His goddess-given mate?

“I know it’s a shock. It was a shock for me too. I’ve kind of been keeping to myself because of it,” he said, shaking his head with dismay written all over his face.

“I don’t understand...” I finally found my voice after what felt like an eternity of silence. “I hardly see you two together. Are you sure she’s your mate?”

He looked at me like I had a bunch of heads.

“Of course, I’m sure,” he said, almost insulted by the accusation. “But she doesn’t know yet.”

“What do you mean she doesn’t know?” I asked.

Sarah had her wolf last year which meant she should have been able to sense Brody as her mate just as Brody sensed her.

“I’m not just a wolf...” he said, lowering his gaze and staring at his empty plate. “I have witches’ blood too.”

“Witches blood?” I asked, raising my brows.

“On my mom’s side,” he explained. “There are witches in my family.”

“So, you have magic?” I asked in disbelief.

He nodded.

How had I not known this about him? Did everybody know this about him?

“I haven’t told anybody...” he answered my unspoken question. “I don’t want them to look at me differently.”

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“Look at you differently?” I repeated, eyeing him carefully. “Brody it’s incredible that you have magic.

This whole time I’ve been feeling like an outcast for being a little different, all while you were different too.”

He gave me a sheepish grin.

“I’m sorry for not telling you sooner,” he said, running his fingers through his hair. “You are my friend, and I shouldn’t have kept something like that from you. I don’t use my magic often. When I do, I try to use it for good.”

“I don’t doubt that,” I said with a grin. “You’ve always been very kind.”

Soon, the waiter arrived with our meals. Once he was gone, I turned back to Brody with a frown.

“But wait, that doesn’t answer my question. How has Sarah not sense you as her mate?”

“On my 18(th) birthday, my wolf sensed her right away and I knew she sensed me as well. We were going toward one another. She was looking everywhere, as was I. Neither of us knew where the other was. But I found her first. As soon as I saw her, I took off before she spotted me. I think I was in such shock; I wasn’t sure what to do. So, I took a spell from my mom’s book and cast it on myself.”

I gasped, staring at him in disbelief. He didn’t have to explain what kind of spell he used. I knew from the look on his face exactly what he did.

“You made it so she couldn’t sense you,” I said in almost a whisper.

He nodded his head once.

“It weakened my wolf too. I can’t shift...Waylan is furious with me.”

‘Your wolf?”

He nodded.

“I know she’s not good news. I just don’t know what to do about it. I don’t want her as my mate... but I don’t know if I have the heart to reject her. I just needed to buy some time. I figured the one person who could help me was you... but you’ve been so busy lately and—”

“I’m so sorry, Brody,” I breathed, reaching my hand out to touch him. “I should have been here for you. I had no idea you were going through something like this.”

He met my eyes and gave me a small smile.

“Don’t be sorry. It’s okay,” he said softly. “So... what do you think I should do?”

I stared around his face for a moment and sighed.

“If there’s one thing, I learned over the course of last year and over the summer...you should listen to your wolf. He knows what he wants and fulfilling your wolf’s needs is important. You’ve already deprived him of his greatest strengths and shifting, don’t deprive him of his mate too.”

“I don’t trust her though,” he said, shaking his head. “She’s bad news. I thought our mates were supposed to be good for us... I doubt Sarah is good for me.”

I thought about it for a moment as I ate some of my food and then I peered back over at him.

“Maybe it’s not about her being good for you... maybe it’s you being good for her,” I said thoughtfully.

“Maybe with your kindness and your love, you can change her and make her into a better she-wolf.

Maybe she can make you into a stronger wolf. Don’t ignore Waylan because you are afraid of what could happen. What’s waiting around the corner could be amazing.”

He blinked a couple of times at me before leaning back in his seat.

“You are wise about this. I knew I came to the right person,” he said, grinning.

I chuckled at his compliment.

“It seems like you also speak from experience,” he said, eyeing my face carefully. “Is there anything you’d like to tell me in return?”

Staring at his face, I knew exactly where he was getting at.

“You did hear my conversation earlier...”

“I didn’t if you didn’t want me to,” he said, but I knew from his face that he did.

I sighed.

“How much of it did you hear?” I asked, staring down at my plate.

“Enough to know that you found your mate.”

I glanced up at him and nodded.

“Yes. I did...” I confessed. “I found him last year...”

“I don’t see why you are hiding it. Was it to spare my feelings? Did you not think I’d be happy for you?”

He asked, narrowing his eyes at me. But then he frowned. “Wait... you also mentioned hiding a mark. He marked you and you are hiding it?”

I sighed and nodded slowly.

“Yes and no I’m not just hiding it from you. I’m hiding it from everyone. Nobody knows I found my mate and they can’t know. At least not yet...”

He rose his brows.

“Not even your roommates?” He asked.

I shook my head.

“What about your parents?”

“I’m going to tell them over the weekend,” I answered.

“Why the secrecy though?”

“It’s complicated,” I said a little too quickly.

“Can’t be more complicated than my situation with Sarah,” he chuckled.

This was it. I had to tell Brody the truth. He felt comfortable enough to tell me the truth; I needed to repay the favor.

“It’s Alpha Enzo...”

The clatter of his fork falling to his plate startled me and I met his alarmed eyes.

“Professor Enzo?!” He gasped. “Like... your former combat and shifting professor? Alpha of the Calypso pack? The son of the wolf who divided our entire nation and tried to kill your family—”

“Yes, Brody,” I said in a sharp whisper. “Keep it down...”

“Sorry... I’m just in shock.”

“I know... I was too...” I said, feeling my face warming. “But yes. He’s my mate... and he’s also nothing like his father. He’s actually trying to undo everything his father did to this nation. There are a lot of people who don’t know about Enzo. I was guilty of misjudging him as well and I won’t make that mistake again.”

“So, this entire time... all last year—”

“Nothing happened until this summer. He went with me as my bodyguard to Monstro and we bonded...” I told him. “He was going to reject me after graduation once my wolf was stronger. But things changed and he ended up marking me...”

“Wow...” Brody breathed. “So, I guess you really do know complicated.”

I stared at him for a moment and then we both burst out laughing.

“Why us?” he laughed, shaking his head.

“The moon goddess has a funny sense of humor,” I laughed in return. But then I got serious for a moment. “Nobody can know about this, Brody.”

He reached his hand out and touched mine.

“I promise, nobody will.”

...

The next evening, I packed a weekend bag and drove to the Calypso pack. I didn’t have classes tomorrow, so I was planning on spending the next few days with Enzo. Except for when I have to do the bake sale with Dee in the afternoon.

Once I got to the packhouse, I greeted Ethan who was passing by.

“Enzo isn’t back yet, but he’ll be here soon. You can put your things in his room and meet Dee in the kitchen. She’s been waiting for you.”

I thanked him before heading upstairs and towards Enzo’s bedroom. I put my things beside his bed and was about to leave the room when something caught my eye.

I paused for a moment, staring at the light purple handkerchief that occupied his nightstand. Narrowing my eyes at it, I went closer toward it. It almost looked like something was wrapped in it by the way it was tied together.

I lifted it and decided that something was definitely inside of it.

I managed to get it untied and what fell out and into the palm of my hand was the most gorgeous ring I had ever seen in my entire life. I gasped at the pure beauty that lay in my hands.

“My goddess, Lila,” Val spoke after being quiet for most of the day. “It’s a wedding ring!”