Chapter 16

I'm back! :) I woke up at 5am, sat at the airport for 3 hours then had a 4 hour- ish flight. But since you guys are soooo awesome, I decided to update and leave all my un-packing for tomorrow ;)

Thank you for every vote, comment and read! It all means so much to me.

'I fell in love with him the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.'

Chapter 16

"I pick.."

"Yes?" Hunter smirked.

"Fine." I agree to stay with him.

If it means that Greg gets to live and be part of the pack again, then, of course I'll do this for him.

"Say it," He says while standing up and crossing his arms.

"I did, didn't I?" I didn't meet his gaze. I don't want him to see how much this is affecting me.

"No, you just said fine. I want you to say, 'I pick you Hunter'" That jerk!

There is no way that I'm saying that. He already knows he won, what more does he want!

"No," I refuse.

The smirk wiped off from his face, his eyes hardening.

A cold look passed through his eyes before he abruptly took out his phone and started dialing.

"What are you doing?" I ask alarmed.

He ignores me.

I hear the greeting of Hunter's beta before Hunter spoke.

With a cold voice, he spoke, "I want you to go to the Edwards residence. If you see former delta, Greg, kill him."

"No! You can't do that!" I try grabbing his phone, but it's to late.

When I finally grab it, I just stare at it.

"I don't need the phone. I can just mind-link him. It doesn't matter anyways, he should be arriving at our house in a few minutes."

"No! Please Hunter, don't do this. He never did anything to you." Putting my arms out, I shove him backwards.

I'm surprised when he actually moves a step back.

Am I getting stronger?

"He's taking my mate! That's something!"

"No! You don't deserve to call me your mate! You rejected me! Maybe you didn't say the words, but you sure as hell treated me like a reject. You kill people, you hurt packs, you're a monster. I don't want you."

As always, Hunter became angrier.

He took steps towards me before his chest was to my face.

I'm not gonna lie, he looks very intimidating right now.

I know there's only one thing I can do to save Greg. I can't waste any more time, Greg can be dead by now.

"I'm yours," I whisper quietly, but I know he heard.

All emotion is wiped from his face.

"Pardon?"

"I pick you, Hunter." I look down, far too ashamed to face the problems eye-to-eye. And by problems, I mean Hunter.

He smiled, not smirked, but actually smiled. It was then that I noticed two deep dimples on either side of his cheeks.

What he did next, shocked me beyond words.

Before I could understand what was happening, Hunter had wrapped his arms around my torso, hugging me tightly.

"That's all I wanted to hear," He says as he strokes my hair.

"Umm.." I felt so awkward.

Does he not understand that we're not best friends? Why is he hugging me!?

Contrary to my words, I found my arms hugging him back.

I blame my wolf.

She doesn't understand the whole Hunter is an asshole concept.

"Umm, Rose?"

Soph's words brought me back to reality, as I jumped back from Hunter.

"Can we go home? I have homework."

I nod.

"Greg!" I shout.

"What about Gre-"

"He's alive," Hunter confirmed but didn't smile.

"You won't hurt him right?"

"Not if you comply with your end of the deal."

"I will, but, Greg, will he get back his position?"

"Unless you want me to kill him, then no. He will have no such power, kinda like you," He joke.

I didn't find his words surprising or offensive.

He'll be alive and with his family. That's all I can hope for.

"I have to go." looking back, I notice that Soph is gone.

"You have tonight, and that's it. You move in tomorrow," Hunter informed.

"Why? That's all I want to know. You- you hate me. You say you want to be with me, but you always hurt me. What good will it do if I live with you?"

"Rose, If I had to say one of my weaknesses, it would be that I'm bad at this. Being a mate."

"You can say that again," I mutter.

He ignores me. "I guess all I can say is that I'm trying. I'm not a good mate, and I may never be one. But I promise you that I won't let you go. Not for another wolf, or a human and especially not Greg."

"I-I have to go." With that, I quickly exit Hunter's house.

Things are just getting too complicated. Hunter says I can't be with Greg, Greg thinks I'm his mate, and I honestly don't know how I feel about both the both of them.

It doesn't even make sense. Why do I have these weird yet good feeling about Greg? There's no such as a second mate, especially not for a regular she-wolf such as myself.

Normal wolves only have feelings for their mate, then again, I have Hunter as my mate, there's no way I'm normal.

"So, are you guys together now?" Soph asked coolly as we're driving home.

"Who?" I ask, distracted by the busy streets from rush hour.

"You and Gandalf, who do you think?" She asks annoyed.

"Okay, somebodies having a bad day," I look at her from the corner of my eyes.

I sigh, "I don't know Soph."

"He's a monster," Soph states harshly.

"Jeez, thanks soph, for reminding me how bad my mate is, as if I didn't already know." I reply bitterly.

"Weren't you the one teasing be about him when we ate dinner at his home?"

Soph shrugged.

"I changed my mind."

Suddenly worried, I ask, "He didn't do anything to you.. Right?"

Her eyes widened.

"What! Of course not!"

"Well then why the sudden hate?"

Not that I was disagreeing, Hunter is a monster, but something happened that made Soph think the way she is.

"Many reasons," She starts.

"For one, one of his own pack members were murdered and he's not dong anything about it."

"You don't know that," I quickly defended.

It's weird. I don't mind when I bash on Hunter, but as soon as someone else says anything about him, I get this bad feeling.

Eff! Why did fate have to pair me with such a brute!

"Or how about the way he doesn't even care that your being taunted by some creep!"

I cringe.

"He actually doesn't know.. about that.." I keep my eyes on the road, making a left turn, then turning into the highway.

"WHAT!" Soph screams loudly, making me swerve the car.

The car skids right, just missing another car. Loud honks were heard. Before the car wen't completely out of control, I steered it back to the road and got it back to it's original pace.

Breathing deeply, I quickly exit the highway and turn in to the first empty parking lot that comes up.

"Are you okay?" I ask, still stunned.

"W-we almost died," Soph stutters.

"Yes, we almost did."

When I finally caught my breath, I look over to Soph to she that's shes okay, a little shaken, but perfectly fine.

"I'm sorry I screamed," She rubbed her arm, something she did when she was feeling guilty.

A saddened look passed over her face as she asks, "Are you going to move in with Alpha Hunter?"

I was caught off guard by her question.

I had been so selfish, not thinking about how my actions would affect my family.

It was my turn to feel guilty.

With my eyes closed, I nod.

I couldn't bear to see the pain in her eyes.

She has already lost a family member, I didn't want her to think that she was loosing me to.

"I have to, Soph, I can't let Greg die." She scoffs.

"What?" I ask confused.

"Do you even know Greg?" She asks sharply.

"Oh, so now you hate Greg as well?"

"Don't you think it's a little strange how you've been getting these menacing gifts after you met Greg?"

"What are you saying exactly?"

"I just find this all odd," Soph states as she stares out towards the streets.

"Stop speaking indirectly and tell me what your really thinking, Sophia," It angered me that Soph was doubting Greg.

"I think Greg is the one who gave those creepy gifts to you-"

"And I think he's the one who killed that wolf-"

I was about to tell her my opinion, but she shushed me with her finger.

"And I think Alpha Hunter knows."

"Is this what you really think? That's just a load of bull. Did Hunter tell you all this? You spend, what? 5 minutes with the guy and he's turned you against me."

"I'm not against you." She denies.

"You think my mate is a monster, and my boyfriend is a killer."

"I mean, I understand why you'd hate Hunter, I hate him too. But Greg? He gave you no reason to think all of this."

Before she could speak, I continued.

"Anyways, who would Greg even do that? Send me weird love notes with bloody hearts when he already has me. We're already together."

Soph didn't speak.

"He made Hunter's rejection bearable," I whisper the last part.

"But he didn't even reject you!" She shouts frustrated.

"No, but he was going to marry Emily. Remember her? Did you know that Hunter killed her mate? Emily ran away because of Hunter. She was afraid of him."

I don't know what my tactic was, but at the moment I just wanted to take all the blame off of Greg.

Greg's a good guy. He doesn't deserve this, especially since he didn't do anything wrong.

"Look, you want my opinion? Then here it is. I don't like Greg, and I hate Alpha Hunter. Their both murderers at heart." The way Soph spoke, I have never seen her speak so coldly about another.

"What happened to you, Soph? You would always give people the benefit of the doubt. You practically lived off the phrase, Innocent until proven guilty."

It's true. Soph would never speak like this, call people killers and tell me she hated someone. Just a few months ago she told me she could never hate someone.

Hate's too much of a strong word, she had said.

I guess I can blame my self for that. I always complain about Hunter and say how much I hate him, I guess she picked up on it.

"You changed, Soph."

The car was still running, yet the hum of the engine seemed to have disappeared. It left us in complete silence.

"No," She finally spoke up.

"You're the one who changed, Rose."

Soph spoke softly, yet her words cut through me.

Why was she doing this? Putting such reckless thoughts in my mind.

Greg did absolutely nothing wrong, he shouldn't be blamed for anything. He is innocent.

I didn't want this to be how my last day at home would be like.

I wanted to enjoy a day out with my sister, get some ice cream, go back home and watch a movie. Today was our sister day. It should have been a good day.

*        *        *

No one spoke for the rest of the ride home. It was an tension filled silence.

As soon as I parked the car in my drive way, Soph jumped out and slammed the door shut.

I knew exactly where she was going, the bathroom.

That's where she always went when she cried. She hated crying in front of people, even family, so she would always lock herself in the washroom until she's all dried up.

I  remember she would do this at even a young age. I guess in a way it showed how mature she was. She would never yell and hold tantrums. She would silently endure the pain until she was left alone.

The short drive home has seemed like hours. And it didn't help that half way, silent tears came down Soph's face.

It was then that I remembered how young Soph really is. Far too young to be going through every thing that she is.

Following behind Sophia, I allowed her to go upstairs before I opened the door to the basement.

The lights were fully off, darkness consuming the whole floor that I couldn't see anything but the stairs that lead downwards.

"Greg?" I whisper- shout.

"Greg?" I whisper-shout more loudly this time.

Finally, a groggy voice replied.

"Y-Yes?" He must be sleeping.

Walking down the stairs, I hold my arms flat against both the walls. Blindly, I make my way down.

Once I reach the end of the stairs, I make sure It really is the last step, by shaking my foot lower and lower.

When it reached the carpeted floor, I relax.

I pat the walls around until I finally find the switch. In a matter of seconds my basement is filled with light.

"Would it kill you to turn on the lamp?" I ask, as I make my way towards him.

He laid on the floor, a thin blanket only covering half his body. He wore only pyjama pants, his torso showing off his nice toned body.

Ignoring the bumbling in my stomach, I begin to speak.

"Wake up," I tug the blanked from his reach.

"Agg, the light, It burns!" He straps his arm over his eyes to block the light.

A small giggle escaped my lips.

I couldn't help it. He just looked so cute. His hair was all ruffled up from tossing and turning, his muscular body seeming out of place on the floor.

I had to stop my self from thinking about his half naked body. Not because I couldn't 'control' my hormones, but because my mind began to compare him to Hunter.

Who was stronger?

Who was more muscular?

Who had better hair?

Who was cuter?

Ignoring the one name that popped up for all of those questions, I brought my attention back to Greg's sleepy state.

"Get up, we have to talk about something really important,"

"Oh, no, not the talk," He jokes, but quickly shuts up when he noticed how serious the situation really is.

"Put a shirt on and meet me in the kitchen."

He yawns in reply.

"I just want to sleep," He groans.

"It's 4 in the afternoon, you shouldn't even be sleeping."

As I wait for him in the kitchen, I pick up an apple and begin chewing.

When he finally enters, I see he is fully changed. He was now wearing blue jeans with a nicely fitted dark blue t-shirt.

If this was an ordinary day, I would take time to appreciate the good looks of my boyfriend and how cute he looked as he stood there, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck.

"So, this talk, your not breaking up with me right?" He gives out a nervous chuckle.

"Cuz that's gonna be awkward considering I'm staying at your house and your my mate so you can't really break up with me."

I freeze.

Mate. Right, I never denied him the idea that we we're mates. If anything, he actually did believe that fate matched us together. He is oblivious to Hunter and I's relation-ship. Our very mystified relation-ship.

"Well, here's the thing, so you know how this whole ordeal with you being blamed for killing the wolf-"

"Wait, you don't think I actually killed her, right? Cuz I would never! I wouldn't even-"

"I don't think you killed that girl." I cut Greg off.

He sighs in relief.

"Phew! I was actually scared that they had you side against me as well. I don't know what I'd do without you." He come closer to and and pushed me into a hug.

I accept his warm embrace and actually cherish it, for it may be the last.

Hunter said I had to end things with Greg, so I will.

"You're free, Greg. I talked with Hunter and got him to make a deal for your freedom." His expression changed.

He seemed, shocked, surprised, then a huge smile formed on his lips.

"You may not have your previous rank, but at least you can go back home and see your family and-" Before I could register what was happening, Greg had lifted my by my hips and twirled me around.

"This is amazing news, Rose!I can't believe you did this! Thank you so much. You are the best mate anyone could ever have." Greg finally places me on my feet, only to once again crush me in a tight hug.

My mouth was so close to his neck, I could smell his minty breath.

"Wait Greg, there more-" I wanted to tell him about the other side of the deal, but it seemed as if he was too infatuated with excitement.

He placed both hands on either sides of my face then brought his lips to mine.

The kiss wasn't filled with sparks and passion, but more with excitement and a rush that I couldn't define.

I knew it was a bad time to say this, especially since Greg was on his cloud nine, but I broke apart from our kiss.

"We can't be together," I rush the words out before I could stop my self.

I saw how very slowly, the smile on his formed into a frown.

"What do you mean, we're mates. We're meant to be together."

Instead of confessing the truth about us not being mates, I skip that part completely.

"The other part of the deal was that we couldn't be together, at least not romantically."

"B-But we're mates. Does Hunter hate me this much? What did I even do? What kind of a person would intercept and not allow two mates to be together," Greg states, very furiously.

He now paces around the kitchen.

"I-I know it sounds crazy, but we can get through this."

"Like be together and not tell him?" He asks, hope clear in his tone.

"Yes, but's it's going to be much more difficult than that, I also have to live in his house."

Before I knew it, wood flew everywhere, and one of my kitchen chairs were destroyed into bits. Greg the one to blame.

His anger raised, as he paced much faster now. He began kicking the other chairs and muttering curses.

"Greg? Calm down. You have to clam down. Just take a deep breath. Breathe."

My words seemed to have an affect on Greg as he eventually calmed down.

"I'm sorry about your chair." We both look down at the broken mess.

"It's alright."

"I won't let him do it," Greg speaks up.

"What?"

"The deal you made, screw it. I'd rather live in hiding if it meant that I could be with you."

I finally understood what Greg was saying.

"Greg he'll kill you."

"I'm willing to take that chance." Greg looks very determined.

"And I'm not."

"It doesn't matter. Its settled. I'll even call him my self."

"What! Greg, are you kidding me? He'll come and kill you! Or even worse, torture you then kill you."

"I'll hide."

"What's the point? He'd still find you."

"So you want us to give up?"

"I don't want to, but I have to."

"I'm not letting you go, Rose. We can't just give him what he wants!" Greg shouts desperately.

"Alright, than not for him, but for me. We can't be together because I said so."

He stood appalled.

"Why would you do that? Don't you feel this?" He grabbed my hand and placed it on his chest, just above his heart.

"I love you, Rose, don't break my heart."

Did you hear that? My heart just broke.

The horrifying words from a few days earlier rang in my ears.

I ever so quickly pulled my hand away from him.

A look of pain washed through his features.

"I- I don't love you." I barely recognized my voice as I spoke the words. I sounded so.. emotionless.

This is the right thing to do. Greg won't let me go any other way, and I won't let him ruin his life, and his families, for a pity crush.

Because that's all we are to one another. A brief and intense infatuation for each other. A crush and nothing more.

"This isn't the Rose I know," Greg states.

He looks at me as if I had grown three heads.

"I don't believe you," He finally said.

"It doesn't matter. I don't want to be with you, because I don't love you."

I may not love Greg, but I sure as hell wanted to be with him.

Greg stared deep into my eyes, looking for a crack. A lie. Looking, searching, waiting for me to tell him that I didn't mean it.

That I do love him.

That I want to be with him and no one else.

I don't bother mentioning once more that I'm also going to be living with Hunter from now on.

Why add salt to the wound? It'll bleed anyways.

"You've changed, Rosalyn." And just like Sophia had done earlier, Greg storms out of the house, slamming the front door on his way.

Everything just felt so surreal.

Did I really change? I think its more of the fact that I've accepted my life as its changing.

It's not like I can do anything to stop it.

I have to let Greg go, at least for now, just to buy enough time for me to think of a real plan.

Because It's not like i'm actually going to stay with Hunter.

I'll move in, then start thinking of a plan.

The clock above the stove read 6:03pm. It was far too early to sleep, but I wanted nothing more then to be consumed by darkness.

Maybe the numbing of my dreams will help my emotions fade away.

Maybe If I dream of happy thoughts, I'll forget about the guilt, the pain, and loss. Even if its just for a few minutes.

I walk towards my room, walking past Soph's room on the way.

I'll eventually have to make amends with her.

I'll leave that for tomorrow.

I don't bother changing my clothes, leggings and a sweater are comfy enough.

I rest my head against my hard pillow and pull the covers completely over myself.

I just want to dream. At least in my dreams, I can get away from reality and create a world where I'm truly happy.

I shut my eyes and sleep comes natural to me.

Finally, I dream a happy dream.

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