Chapter Twelve
Sofia
“So, how are you feeling?” Emily asks as she settles onto the couch and takes a sip of her coffee.
“Ugh, I don’t know,” I say with a sigh. How do I sum up the emotional rollercoaster I’ve been on since finding out Luca is my mate? The coffee warms me as I take a sip, and I blink back the tears that are already forming, hot and heavy. Again.
Goddess, I’m so fucked right now. A bitter laugh bubbles up my throat and escapes my lips. A harsh sound in the cozy warmth of Emily and Jackson’s home.
“Honestly, I’m an emotional wreck. I used to be obsessed with Luca.
I crushed on him from the first moment I knew how to crush.
But then he left the pack when I was sixteen to go to beta training.
Ryan and Jackson got thrown into their roles, with Jackson’s dad dying and mine disappearing.
It made sense for one of them to do formal training. ”
Emily nods softly, encouraging me to keep talking. She’s the only person I feel as though I can be completely honest with.
“Before he went, he was a different person—so sweet and caring, he always had my back. He was such a support after everything with my parents. But then he left and never called or texted, not once. And when he got back, he had turned into someone I didn’t even recognize.
He was grumpier with everyone, but he had a special hatred for me.
Instead of telling Ryan to let me tag along, he was the one shutting me out.
He suddenly couldn’t stand the sight of me, and every chance he got, he told me how little he thought of me.
He became mean and cruel. And now I’m supposed to forget all that? Not fucking likely.”
“I get it, Fia, and you’re right. You deserve so much better. Are you still planning to reject him?”
“Yeah, but Ryan wants me to wait and give him a chance. I said I would.” I chew on my lip absentmindedly.
“Why do I feel like there’s a ‘but’ coming?”
I grin at her. Emily is the only person in this pack who truly gets me. She knows before I tell her I have no intention of accepting a mate bond with my nemesis.
“But there’s zero chance of me ever accepting him.”
Her eyes widen, and I know my sweet omega bestie is shocked at how I’m looking at my mate bond. “Aren’t you worried you’ll start to fall for him if you spend time together? Fighting the mate bond is no joke.”
I stare at her, waiting for her to see how ridiculous the notion of me falling for Luca is, and a giggle bursts out of my throat. “You think I could actually fall for him? It’s Luca. He might be pretending he wants me right now, but I see how temporary that is.”
If he could drop me so easily back when he actually liked me, then it seems obvious to me he will turn on me again. It’s just a matter of time.
“Then why not tell Ryan that? Why pretend?”
“Because something is going on with Ryan. He’s been obsessed with the mate bond since Mom rejected Dad.
I’m pretty sure he hasn’t touched a female since.
He’s waiting for his mate. Which I really don’t want to think about.
” I say while shuddering. But maybe the lack of getting laid is what’s making him crazy.
Or maybe it’s something else. I need to figure it out.
“And with what’s going on with the missing omegas. It’s just not as important as everything else going on right now. I’m going to avoid him and hope we find the omegas soon and everything settles down.”
Emily nods and sips her coffee. She doesn’t say anything for a few moments while she contemplates what I’ve said.
“I’m just worried, Fia. Jackson is my mate now, and there’s no name for what you are to me.
More than friends for sure. It makes me think Fate doesn’t get it all wrong.
But we both know that sometimes it’s far from straightforward.
I want you to be happy. You deserve the world, and I guess I’m worried about you. ”
My chest aches, and I’m so glad to have Emily.
Someone who will think of me so I can think of others without getting forgotten in the mix.
But she doesn’t need to worry about this.
There is absolutely no way that I would fall for Luca.
It doesn’t matter in the slightest that my body is drawn to him.
Or that my wolf wants him. My mind knows better.