Chapter 14 The First Heartbreak
Josh
I think Bane’s avoiding me.
On the bustling streets of Concordia in the afternoon, a familiar brown bomber jacket catches my eye. He’s exiting a store across the street. Our eyes meet unexpectedly and we both freeze.
When I get myself together and raise my hand to wave, he’s gone in the blink of an eye.
Yep. He’s definitely avoiding me.
As I try to track him down over the following days, my mind keeps going over everything I know. I think back on our history.
Mom became High Priestess of the Fern coven and we moved here when I was sixteen.
I don’t remember meeting Bane then. Eventually, I did notice the cute guy in the bomber jacket.
The guy with the red sports car. That’s all I recall, an eventual awareness of him.
No conversations, no opportunities where I had the chance to reject him.
Nothing major happened, not until the bike incident.
The wolves here never need to hide their supernatural side. They grow up freely around other shifters and magic and never learn to ride bikes. Four legs work better than two wheels.
Living here, I didn’t need to ride my bike anymore.
I still did sometimes just because I enjoyed riding.
Some members of the Clover Pack thought it was silly.
And judging by the snide comments some of the Iron wolves grumbled when they saw me riding, it really bugged them.
What self-respecting wolf rides around on a blue two-speed Schwinn like they don’t have four perfectly good legs to get them there faster?
Bane obviously took offense because he crushed and set my bike on fire when I was eighteen. I stayed the hell away from him afterwards, afraid of what he might do next.
I can’t remember when I stopped running as soon as I spotted him and it all died down. He never pressed his issue with me or tried to attack me in person.
Now that I’m thinking about it, when things settled down again is when he really started showing off in my presence and acting better than me.
What does it all mean? There’s clearly something I’m missing here.
I need Bane to fill in the missing pieces, so I stake out places he frequents. Like the gym where he trained me. In the gym parking lot, I get lucky.
Bane strides toward the entrance, spotting me as he reaches the door. Every muscle in his body locks up and he freezes with his hand on the handle. I expect him to bolt. But to my surprise, he shoves through the entrance and vanishes inside.
I waste no time hurrying after him.
Bane has retreated to the men’s locker room.
I think I see him duck inside, but the real clue is what stands between me and the locker room.
A group of massive, intimidating bodybuilders blocks my path, positioned like sentries.
Their crossed arms bulge with muscles and each one glares at me, practically daring me to start something, but I don’t have a death wish.
“Turn around,” orders the largest guy at the front. “The gym is closed today.”
We’re all standing inside the very open gym, fluorescent lights blazing overhead and the hum of treadmills filling the air. But no one’s going to challenge his blatant lie. There’s no getting past the solid wall of muscle blocking my way.
Bane wins this round.
But I’m not giving up that easily.
Time to get creative. The next time I find Bane, I’m ready for him.
I study my reflection in the shop window, barely recognizing the stranger staring back.
The glamor spell has completely transformed my appearance.
Gone is the scrawny young guy I’m used to seeing.
In his place stands a pudgy man with a red face and dull grey eyes.
My shaggy blond hair has darkened and thinned into a receding hairline.
Pretty good for my first glamor. Using magic is becoming more and more comfortable for me.
An older, unassuming man peers back at me in the window. Someone Bane won’t glance twice at.
Sure enough, Bane and I spot each other as he heads toward the coffee shop a few doors down. His gaze sweeps right past me. He scans the street with predatory awareness before disappearing inside.
Here goes nothing.
Bane heads toward the exit with a large to-go cup in his hand a few minutes later. I take a deep breath and swiftly push through the door, planting myself firmly in front of him, blocking the exit.
He shoots me an irritated glare. When I don’t budge, his eyes narrow to slits. His nostrils flare and his shoulders tense as he picks up on something off—glamors smell less natural and more like magic.
I drop the glamor spell, the magic dissipating to reveal my true self standing before him.
“Josh,” he growls. “What the hell are you doing?”
Not flinching at his harsh tone, I stare him down. “You’re going to talk to me or I’m marching right into the Iron Pack and demanding a formal audience with you.”
“You’ll end up in the dungeons.” He says it as a warning, but it looks like he’s seriously considering the idea the longer I stand there blocking him.
“Then I’ll tell every single person who interrogates me that I’m not leaving until I talk to my true mate Bane Blackwood.”
His eyes widen. “You’re insane.”
“How else can I get you to talk to me?”
“Haven’t we already said everything we need to?” His fingers tighten around his coffee cup until the lid pops off. “Spare me your excuses.”
“I have none.”
Bane scoffs. “Oh, you don’t feel bad about what you did?”
“That’s the thing,” I say, swallowing hard. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“What? What the hell do you mean?” he grinds out.
“Exactly what I said. I don’t know what’s going on or what you’re talking about. When did I ever break your heart?”
He barks out a laugh, staring at me in disbelief. “This is your plan, playing dumb? Seriously?”
“I’m not playing—wait, that came out wrong. I’m totally in the dark here.” I hold up my hands, pleading. “Explain. Please.”
Bane narrows his eyes. “I don’t believe you.”
“Humor me for a second.”
Who knows how long we stand there blocking the door as he scrutinizes me, hunting for any hint of deception. Long enough that three people need to squeeze past us, so I shift aside and let them through each time.
Bane doesn’t attempt to escape again. The longer I hold my ground without wavering, the more hesitant he becomes.
Finally, he drags a hand through his dark hair and sighs. He takes a long drag from his cup, cooled down enough to avoid scalding his tongue, and dumps the rest.
We walk out together.
This is it. Time to get some answers and find out what the heck is going on with my confusing mate.
~
Josh
“Why are we here?” I ask.
A spacious outdoor courtyard on the edge of Concordia, closer to the Iron territory. Nothing particularly special stands out about the commercial area surrounding the neat courtyard.
“It doesn’t look special now,” he admits. “This is the space the supernatural carnival uses whenever they come into town.”
Oh, he’s right. Without the transformation that takes place during the carnival, I barely recognize the place. Lanterns hang from every stall during the festivities. Prizes for the carnival games float in the air, always hovering just out of reach unless you win.
“I’ve been to the carnival a few times,” I say casually, downplaying my interest.
“You mean you’re here every year,” he corrects instantly. “Probably every night whenever they’re in town.”
“Y-yeah.” How does he know that?
The first time I attended, I hadn’t been expecting much. At eighteen, the joy of carnivals and fairs had long worn off by then.
But I’d never seen a carnival like this one.
We’re standing where the enchanted carousel goes, with creatures that come to life and soar in the air.
The food stalls were on the far end of the courtyard, and all the drinks doubled as potions with various effects.
Games took up most of the space, classics like ring toss and a shooting gallery, though all had a magical twist.
The carnival represents everything I love about Concordia, a place where the supernatural is celebrated and embraced instead of hidden.
Even now, it still holds a special place in my heart. My favorite attraction is the petting zoo.
Bane gestures to an area off to the side. “The petting zoo was over there.”
“Yeah.” I smile just thinking about it. “The first time I went to the carnival, I held a baby dragon in my hands. It blew my mind. I’ll always remember it.”
“Why did that mean so much to you?” he asks.
“Um, it was cool? I petted a dragon and fed it a baby carrot?”
“Had to be more to it than that.” He sounds so sure, like he already knows.
Just like he already knew I loved the carnival and still enjoyed it whenever they came back.
Sharing this story with him feels weird given our current circumstances. The last time we had an important conversation, he rejected me. Emphatically. But we’re talking now, and I’m on the verge of getting answers. I can’t back down now.
“I guess I’d been feeling a little lost,” I begin.
“Out of place. By then, Mom and I had moved into Clover Pack territory and become official members. We settled in, but I felt like I didn’t belong.
The pack was perfectly nice, but every single wolf my age had grown up together. They had so much history together.”
I look down, scuffing my shoe against the pavement.
“And thinking I had no magic while living in this amazing magical city full of witches… it was like looking into a world I couldn’t be a part of, not the way I wanted to.
We’d been living here for two years, and the shine was wearing off.
I thought, ‘Sure, I like it here, but do I really fit?’”
It’s strangely easy to talk to him. Even though my last attempt at opening up to him went so terribly, the words pour out easily once I start. Have I ever said so many uninterrupted words to Bane in a row? Is he even listening?