Chapter 27

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*Corey's POV*

I grabbed a few rocks from the ground and then tossed one towards the water. I watched across the water eighteen times before it sank, disappearing beneath the surface. It was interesting trying to see how far I could throw things without my natural strength.

"Is there anything you aren't good at?" I heard Jayden mutter, more to himself than me.

I chuckled looking at him. We were beside the river while Trent and Hayley were somewhere in the trees. I would have known where if I had been able to hear or smell them, but the forest was still suppressing our werewolf abilities. Thus, I had no idea where exactly they were, but I knew they couldn't be far – well, wouldn't be far.

"Singing, writing, sketching, playing the guitar – or any other instrument for that matter, getting people to dote on me without even trying," I said.

He didn't respond the way I thought he would, I thought he would be flattered, maybe a little bashful, but he just gave a tight smile.

"Come on, let's see you try." I tossed a flat rock at him.

His barely catching it made me laugh.

"When we get home, I need to teach you some basic hand-eye coordination with a beanbag," I said.

"Shut up." He got up and chucked the stone at the river.

"Whoa, impressive for your first time!" It had skipped five times.

"I guess I'm just talented like that."

I held back a natural, flirtatious response about first times and talent that I would have given to anyone else I was attracted to, and instead laughed at what he said while I tried to avoid thinking about how good his skin always felt against mine.

"Glad to see that you two seem to be getting on fine."

I turned to smile at Hayley, who was walking beside Trent.

"Are we swapping?" I asked.

"Yeah," Trent said.

I threw the rocks at him, and he caught them all swiftly without any trouble. I gave Jayden an amused side-glance that broke into laughter when he glared back at me.

We left the river and walked through the forest, stopping when we were a while away from the others but could still hear the splashing.

It was much colder being so away from the fire, and I glanced over at Jayden to see if he was wearing a jacket because an unhealing Omega could probably get hypothermia. I did not plan to say anything if he was not, but luckily, he was clad in a thick jacket. It still concerned me, and I wanted to hug him, hoping to keep him warm with my body.

I fought the urge.

I had been selfish a lot during the trip, and after the previous morning when he asked if I would ever have accepted him, I decided it was enough. I needed a little self-control if I was going to convince him nothing more would ever happen between us.

We stood watch for a couple of hours, keeping within sight of each other whenever we ventured a little further into the forest. I was bored out of my mind but didn't mention it. Eventually, we sat down against a tree and began exchanging short sentences about random things, occasionally going silent when we heard a noise.

I liked getting him to talk more. It was clear what he was passionate about. He would go on and on when I asked him about music, artists he liked and how the hell he knew how to hack into hotel computers, and then he would get a little flustered upon realising how long he had been talking. The reaction was adorable. Like his singing, his speaking voice was nice to listen to too.

I found myself wishing I had been nicer before. Maybe we could have talked more, and I would have gotten to hear him more often. After we returned home, I figured I would only ever see him when I visited Inferno. Would we be able to be friends?

After the way I treated him throughout the trip, after getting rid of our mate bond... I doubted it was possible. I knew he would forgive me. He constantly did for some reason. But it was best if I stayed away from him.

Eventually, the sky began to brighten ever so slightly, and I glanced at my watch.

"I think it's time to head back and wake the others," I announced, standing up.

It was about five in the morning and beams of light could be seen filtering through the leaves.

"Wait."

I looked at Jayden. He had been standing for the last half-hour. I had gotten the feeling that he was becoming restless but didn't want to question him about it, so just let him be.

"What's up?" My brows rose in question.

"I... uh... I was wondering... Since... We're almost there..." he was speaking slowly, nervously.

"What is it?" I asked, chuckling.

He hesitated and I smiled.

"Come on, tell me. Don't worry, I won't be a dick... for now."

That made him smile before it fell as he fiddled with his fingers anxiously.

"You're my original mate. Would it be okay... if we just..." he drifted.

What was he asking?

"Do you want me to kiss you?" I asked, quickly.

I wanted to. There was always a lingering need to taste him again ever since we first kissed. I tried to shove it away and ignore it, but it was always there. I figured that it was a mate thing, not because I liked kissing him specifically. I had come to realise that that was a blatant lie, but still tried to illude myself into believing it.

"No – no! I-I mean... Well... A hug would be... fine," he said, his voice lowering. "One – Just one last time. Before we... 'fix' this." He chuckled, awkwardly. It wasn't his usual laugh, it was void of any amusement.

I shook my head. Fix? Why did that sound so wrong? It was not though. It was what I needed. Probably what he needed even more; he needed to be less attached to someone like me.

I should have said no. It would get his hopes up.

But... just one last time... I wanted to be selfish.

"Fine." I wanted to feel the sensations that came with touching him again.

They were different with my mate than with other people, and I was sure it wouldn't be the same with a new mate.

"Yeah? A-alright." He gave a smile but made no move towards me.

I chuckled reaching out to take his hand and the familiar feeling of heated desire filled me. I pulled him against my chest, locking him into a tight hug.

The feeling of him in my arms was great, he seemed to fit perfectly. I took a few seconds to focus on the effects being near him had on me, the feeling of my heart racing, his scent blocking out any other when he was near, which usually would have caused my wolf to panic but it was so comforting.

I felt calm and yet too eager to just leave it at hugging him, every part of me urged for more. It felt so right to be with him, but I couldn't let myself believe it was. Maybe just for the moment, though.

"Corey?" Jayden spoke as he looked up at me, "We need to go." He chuckled.

"Not yet," I mumbled letting him go just slightly so I could see his face properly.

"I-I didn't mean..." he mumbled, appearing nervous.

"But do you want to?" I asked.

"I... Y-yes. B-but it's okay... I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable or..." his words drowned out as I leaned in to kiss him.

The movement seemed to amplify everything I had been feeling when we hugged, and I was immediately glad I had asked for more than a hug.

"One time. Just once more," I mumbled against his lips as adrenaline ran through my body and my stomach fluttered.

He responded quickly, not as shocked as before and, for that moment, it felt like nothing else mattered. We were completely alone in the world. I was elated, I could feel that from him too, and it made me even more thrilled.

I smiled feeling his hand run through my hair as the other held my neck, pulling me closer to him. The way he was leading the kiss was so attractive. I loved the feeling of his hands on my skin, keeping me locked to.

But I had to stop. I couldn't get his hopes up and I couldn't let myself believe that it would be alright to admit that I felt something for him, so I broke away and gave him the perfect fake smile.

His eyes were glassy, filled to the brim with tears he was trying to hold back. I could feel the knot in his throat, it made me feel choked up too.

I ran my hands onto his face and used my thumbs to wipe away a couple of tears that spilled from his eyes.

"Jayden..." I whispered. "I'm so sorry... For everything. For leaving when I first saw you, constantly hurting you, for kissing you... You're so kind, forgiving and smart. So sweet... handsome too."

His brows lowered as I spoke, more tears beginning to run down his face as my chest ached.

"We make no sense. Beyond just the sexuality and the power levels, there's no way this pairing is not a mistake, because I could never deserve someone like you. You deserve someone who is kind and caring. Who respects, protects and appreciates you... Who would never hurt you as much as I have... I'm so sorry I am – I was – your mate..."

I stepped away from him as a sudden sob broke from him, my hands dropping as I created space.

"Let's go find our witch." I turned quickly to avoid seeing more of the hurt on his face. Of course, it didn't help, I could feel his pain. Or was it mine?

I knew that kiss would give him hope and mad at myself for doing it. We shouldn't have, but I couldn't help myself. It was selfish.

I didn't regret it, but it proved even more why he deserved someone else.

"C-can I ask something though?" he spoke, softly.

"Sure." I didn't turn back to him.

"Do you..." He cleared his throat. "Do you feel anything but the pull?"

"No," I didn't hesitate to spit out that lie. "I'm sorry, Jayden. You'll find a better mate," I added, glancing back at him with a smile before I left through the trees.

He would. I had no doubt he would, because he deserved that.

-----

It had been a few more hours of walking and once again, we were all worn out. It was like the forest was never-ending. I was beginning to doubt the witch was even there. Every time I thought we were close to where we needed to be, it seemed as though there was suddenly so much more walking to do.

"I hate this fucking forest!" Sean hissed.

It was the worst place I had ever been in too. I had never felt more worn out in my life and Sean and I had decided it was a good idea to have a seven-hour no-stopping, no-walking marathon once. This was the first and last time I would ever step into an area that hindered my supernatural abilities.

"What was that?!" Kaden hissed when we heard scratching.

I pulled out my gun. There was no way in hell I was going to be able to fight in the state I was in. I was pretty much about to faint from exhaustion and thirst because we had run out of water a while ago. I knew everyone felt the same way.

"Corey, hold on. We don't fire unless we absolutely need to." Sean said as he adjusted the gun in his hand. "Go on ahead, we'll catch up." He told everyone.

"Catch up how? You won't be able to follow our scents or hear us," Izabella said.

"Then go west. We'll follow," I said.

"Or, instead of us leaving and possibly running into more trouble, we could all just stay together and take care of whatever that is before we move on," Jayden suggested.

No. There was no way in hell he was staying if something dangerous was nearby.

"We won't be able to 'take care' of it if we have to take care of everyone else at the same time," I said.

"Who said we need taking care of? I can hold my own and I know Jay can handle a gun," Kaden said.

"I don't care what you can do. I'm not risking anything. We're older. We're in charge. Go."

"Yeah. All of you follow Trent, we'll catch up. Move," Sean said.

Izabella and Hayley shook their heads at Sean and me. They knew we weren't going to budge.

"Let's go." Trent pulled out his pistol and began to lead the way through the trees.

I watched as Kaden held onto Jayden's hand while he began to follow Trent, pulling my mate along. Jayden didn't look back at me. He had not spoken much since that morning; had not spoken to or looked my way at all.

It hurt, but I knew it was for the best.

"Be careful," Hayley said.

"We will." I smiled reassuringly.

Once Sean and I were alone, we began to take cautious steps through the trees but stopped at the sound of more rustling.

"That sounds like a wolf," I said.

We had lost our abilities, but this was basic. I knew what other wolves' movements sounded like.

"Yeah... One wolf. It's alone? A rogue?" Sean let his hand fall to his side, although still clutching his gun as he activated the safety. "Come out," he ordered. "Now, and we will not attack."

The noises grew louder until a grey figure stumbled out through the trees. Judging from its size, it was not a normal wolf, it was a werewolf. Way too small to be a Delta or higher ranking, though. It was a Gamma wolf. Just an ordinary werewolf. He was quite dirty, his fur very scruffy and matted. Clearly, he had been in the forest for much longer than the few days we had been there.

"Rogue?" Sean asked.

The wolf nodded in response. I had figured that much. Wolves never moved alone.

"I take it you cannot shift while in this forest?" I asked. Again, a nod. "Some of us should have shifted. We would have been able to hear further," I said to Sean.

The wolf growled offering help.

"Why would we accept help from a lone rogue? Rogue wolves aren't even loyal to their own packs." Sean raised his gun. "You've been following us. Why should we not kill you right now?"

Rogues could be very dangerous. Being alone for a long time drove werewolves to madness and desperation. Although this one still seemed to be able to communicate, so he had not gone completely savage.

The wolf replied and I narrowed my eyes. He said someone had been following us.

"Why would we believe you?" I asked.

I listened as he let out a growl in response.

"He has a point," Sean mumbled.

The wolf claimed to have no reason to lie to us, but if he proved himself worthy, we would accept him into our pack. He continued on, telling us he had been rogue for about ten years and it was the hardest life a werewolf could have, especially when trying to stay sane. The only reason he had was because he frequently pretended to be human and had ended up in foster homes, which gave him somewhat of a sense of being in a pack, although he could never reveal his wolf.

The last home he had been in didn't work out well and he had ended up living on his own in the forest for the past year, living off small animals.

He understood that we had no reason to trust him, but said we may just have to because he knew the forest inside out and could take us where we wanted to go. Not to mention that he could help us get away from the person following us.

"Why would we need your help when only one person is after us?" I asked.

His answer made me pause. 'Because he's been watching your mate'.

How would this rogue know who my mate is?

"My... mate?" I asked, slowly.

'The guy you were making out with this morning,' he growled in response, and I froze as Sean turned to me, wide-eyed.

"What?"

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