Fated To Three, Betrayed By All… Until She Rose.

Leilani.

The evening that had started out so rough turned out to be one of the best evenings I have had in a very long time and even the goddess knows that I am not exaggerating as I sat cross-legged, watching some of the people I have loved for most of my life chatter and laugh happily amongst one another.

My heart felt warm and full in that special way it always does as I watched Gavin pull Maya into the house despite her very fruitless attempts not to go inside due to her ’looks’

I rolled my eyes at her clothes— the same ones she had singlehandedly decided were unfit— and which consisted of something that I would use to go to a date night without stress and hissed;

"Oh, come on! It’s late in the night, no one would even notice how hideous they look... and they do not even look hideous."

But my response, one that had come from a place of love was met with scorn. She eyed the literal drab I was wearing and scoffed without saying a word. But her silence was enough.

So so enough.

I turned away and walked into the house, jokingly using her out as I went.

A few minutes later, after everyone had finally gotten into the house, Zevran decided to make us something. Caelum on the other hand, kept making comments about how he’d noticed me blushing earlier, and no matter how hard I tried to make him drop the subject, he wouldn’t. Instead, my embarrassment seemed to spur him on.

He pointed at me and muttered; "you like me."

And because that was one of the most absurd things I have ever heard, I rolled my eyes.

"In your dreams, your royal majesty!"

"That’s what you always say..." he rushed out stubbornly, wriggling his eyebrows at me, "...but I catch you when you look at me for a moment too long. I see the way you..."

I didn’t even let him finish that statement. Hell, I couldn’t. So I threw a pillow at him and rose to my feet.

When I turned to talk to Maya, I realized then that she and Gavin were someplace else... over the moon perhaps, kissing and smooching at every given opportunity— not like I minded— but because I have also made it my life’s mission to annoy them whenever I caught them getting all lovey-dovey, I hissed;

"Get a room, you two buffalos!"

Gavin lifted his head to look at me while Maya gave me the middle finger.

I gave her one right back!

And because I was bored out of my mind with nothing left to do, I then decided to help Zevran in the kitchen to distract myself from Caelum’s incessant theatrics. However, I was just doing that when suddenly, Kael walked in, cast one glance at us and hissed; "I make better sauces than Zevran."

"But Zevran is the one putting in the work right now!" I snickered back.

He however, was just about to respond to that when suddenly, his phone rang. I didn’t miss the way a frown immediately creased his forehead as soon as he saw the caller’s ID, and also didn’t miss the way he slipped out of the kitchen shortly afterwards.

I also tried not to pay too much attention to him or his strange call as I continued with my duties, until Zevran turned to me and said;

"Go and ask everyone if they want some mashed potatoes."

I frowned. "No."

"Please..."

Rolling my eyes, I turned away and went to do as I had been instructed, but as soon as I opened my big mouth and yelled; "Maya, do you want some mashed potatoes?!" I noticed the way Kael, who was now standing by the doorway, froze.

His eyes met mine and held, and then in a voice so low, it was barely audible, he drawled; "Hello?"

I frowned.

"Hello, Alpha Frostclaw, are you still there?"

And at the mention of Jarek’s name, I froze. Every cell in my body literally went on standstill and I found myself panting so loudly, one would think I had just finished running a marathon.

I do not know how but next thing I know, I was standing right in front of Kael, my knees wobbling slightly as I asked; "That was Jay?"

"You mean Alpha Jarek?" He asked and I quickly nodded. "Yes, it was."

"Why did he call?" I couldn’t help but ask. I also couldn’t help the way my heart began to hammer against my chest so violently, I feared I would hyperventilate.

I closed my eyes briefly when Kael turned to fully face me, his voice devoid of any emotion as he drawled; "He was asking after you. For some reason, he seems to suspect that I know where you are or something about you."

"And did you tell him anything?"

"You told him enough." He answered, his voice cold. And it wasn’t until he had said those words that he realized how cold it may have sounded, so he quickly shook his head.

"I think he heard your voice."

Something about those words made my entire world stop in its axis. My heart raced like there was no tomorrow and my body shook with so much panic, it was insane.

I opened my mouth to speak but no words would come, and when tears began to pool in my eyes, he simply pulled me close, brushed his lips over my hair— sending jolts of electricity running through my body— and whispered;

"I am not so sure that he heard your voice anyway. The call ended almost instantly, so don’t worry, okay?"

Don’t worry, he had said and that I tried to do for the rest of the night even though I grew more unsettled with each passing moment, and even though I would unintentionally flinch whenever I heard the sound of the door creaking open.

It was well into midnight, and by this time, everyone had eaten and had begun to play chess when suddenly, something in the air shifted.

I had been leaning my head on Maya’s shoulder while I continued work my unending bickering with Caelum when I felt the shift, so I lifted my head slowly and froze when I saw a familiar figure standing by the door, looking so dejected and so betrayed, I couldn’t help the cry that slipped out of my lips.

It was Jarek.

"Jay..." I began to say but couldn’t bring myself to finish the word, and to worsen matters, he immediately turned around and left as if he was never there.

As if he had never seen me. And that in itself, said more about how hurt he was than any words could.