A Choice To Be Made

A knock on my door wakes me up, drawing me from my dream. The first thing I notice is that Ashton no longer lays beside me. In fact his scent is barely lingering. He must have left as soon as he was confident I was completely zonked out. I sigh and get up, opening my door. Vlad smirks as his eyes roam my body, reminding me I slept in my black and red lace bra and panties. I grab the crimson satin robe hanging behind my door and wrap it around myself, ignoring the warm happiness I feel fluttering in my stomach. "What do you want, Vlad?" His smirk widens as he meets my eyes.

"To talk," he says simply. I debate for a moment before stepping aside, extending my arm to allow him into my room. I close the door behind him, not locking it. I sit on the bed, tightening my robe. "So talk. What do you want," I ask stiffly. He woke me up and for someone I don't know how to feel about, that isn't the best idea. He sits beside me, grabbing my hand. "What happened to us? I thought we agreed to be friends," he says. I scoff, pulling my hand away. "You know as well as I do it's too damn hard to just be friends," I growl, getting up. He sighs. "Angel. Snow. I don't know what you want from me," he says, getting up as well. I squeeze my eyes shut. "I don't either. Or maybe I do and just won't voice it. Nothing I say or do will change anything and frankly, Vlad, I'm sick of hurting. Of pining for a man that I don't think was ever truly mine. Not really. Not like I was his," I whisper then last part, hiding the crack in my voice.

"I was yours. Still am at least partially," he says softly, stepping towards me. I shake my head, my curls flying around my face furiously as I take three steps back, making sure to keep a safe space between us. "No part of you is mine anymore, if it ever was. Do you think partially is fair to either her or me? That it's enough? Are you even aware of how fucked that logic is? No you're not! Because at the end of the day, it's her that's on your mind. Her you want to spend your free time with. At the end of the day, you're hers. And I'm sick of being someone's second option," I snap. I can hear the despair and heartache in my own voice and I feel disgusted that I've allowed him to get this close again. He steps towards me, but this time my back hits a wall. He places a hand on either side of me, his face inches from mine. "I don't know what to do here, Angel," he says softly. I look away, trying to get a handle back on my emotions that are running rampant. "You do nothing. Say nothing. That's what I've been doing. Brush my feelings off and move on. You're good at that, Vlad," I say coolly after a moment. I push past him only to be grabbed before I get far.

He spins me back to him, locking me against him with his arms around my hips. I push against him, resulting in him just tightening his arms. "I don't brush your feelings off. I have always cared about your feelings," he says, his dark eyebrows knitting together as he looks me in the eye. I sneer, pushing down all feeling except anger. "Is that why we split? Because you thought about my feelings," I snap. He looks at me quietly for a minute. "We broke up because I couldn't give you the time and attention you wanted," he says. I can't help the bitter laughter that escapes my lips. "Spare me this broken record excuse and let's be honest about it. Come on, Vlad. You know as well as I do it's not that you couldn't. It's that you wouldn't. I was second to gaming and friends. An afterthought. Sure there were times I was your priority. When you wanted me and it was convenient for you. But for the most part, when you came home from university, you didn't have an interest in me. I was unimportant. And at the end, all you wanted was physical. You made that clear when you couldn't keep your hands off me at prom. And when I confronted you about it, you left. So don't you DARE tell me you couldn't. You elected not to," I snarl. He looks at me blankly for a moment and I'm sure he's processing and trying to think of what to say.

"You're here because my pack needs help. Because there is something coming and my Nexus Number and I decided we should bring the Rogues around us in for their safety. Beyond that, you're another rogue that will be gone when he grows tired of all of this," I say. He opens his mouth to reply but is interrupted by Ash coming in without knocking. He stops and looks at us both, drinking in the scene in front of him. Vlad slowly retracts his arms and steps back, giving me room to move away from him and take the offered chai from Ash's hands. "Am I interrupting something," he asks carefully. "No," I say just as Vlad says yes. I roll my eyes. "What is it, Ash," I ask. He smiles when I use his nickname, stepping closer to me. "Misty is here. And she isn't happy," he says softly with a pointed look at Vlad. I laugh and nod. "Let her know I'll meet her in the hall," I say with a smile. He smirks and leans down, whispering softly in my ear. "If you can get rid of him, you can show me what you're hiding little alpha." I shiver when his breath brushes my neck. I smirk and wink at him. "Only in your wildest dreams, dollface." His laugh echoes off the walls as he leaves my room, closing my door behind him. Before I go into my closet, I turn and look at Vlad. "You're free to go," I say dismissively. He growls, following me. "I'm not done talking with you," he says firmly.

I tense as I feel his presence behind me, closer than I'd like. I spin and plaster a sweet smile on, batting my eyes and I rest my hand on his lower abdomen, trailing my nails over him lightly, smirking when a shudder runs through him. He has many ways to affect me but I have a limited number of ways to do the same to him. This happens to be one, and I relish knowing i still have some power over him in some manner. "But you see, I'm done talking to you darling," I whisper softly in his ear before spinning away and going to my closet. I hear him groan in frustration and smirk. As I reach to pull out a pair of jeans, I'm suddenly slammed with a burning in my chest. My lungs and heart feel like they've been lit with the forest of the Underworld. Every breath feels like it cracks my ribs when they expand. I gasp, sinking to my knees and clawing at my chest. What the hell is happening, I ask Wynter frantically. I can feel her whimpering. He's been here too long. We claimed him as a forced mate. That bond is getting stronger again, she whines. I snarl. No, I will not let this happen. He will not hurt me again.

"Angel, are you okay," he asks, coming up behind me. I snarl and push him away, sparks shooting through my hands when I do. "Get out," I snarl. He looks at me before straightening his back. "No," he says firmly. I snarl before pushing him out of the closet and shutting the door, locking it. "Leave, Vlad. I shouldn't have called you here. Go home or whatever. Just go," I grind out. I hear him refuse again and growl. Damned stubborn ass bastard.

I force myself to my feet as the heat in my chest passes slowly. We need to get our true mate. He can make this stop, Wynter says when she's finally back to normal. Last time we saw him, he had that airhead on his arm, I retort. We found our mate in high school but he always had someone. Then we met Vlad and fell in love. And goddess I wish I hadn't sometimes. It would save us both all of this trouble. When I finally get dressed and open the closet, I nearly trip on Vlad. I catch myself against the wall before I do, shaking off his hand when he reaches for me.

I straighten up and walk away without a glance back. And goddess every damned step kills me a little more. But I can't allow myself to feel these things. He has a girlfriend and, while Wynter and I are dangerously jealous and heartbroken, she's human. I will not hurt a human. She can have him. Let him break someone else's heart. I open the meeting hall doors and scream when I see my silver haired best friend. I launch myself at her, crushing her into a hug as she laughs and hugs back. "I heard we have a rogue staying here," she says. I nod and stiffen when Vlad comes in. She growls. "What the hell is he doing here, " she demands. "He's the rogue," I grumble. "I need a favor, old friend," I say softly. She looks at me expectantly. "Get Bear and bring him here. Please," I whisper. She looks between me and Vlad and realization lights up her eyes. "I will," she turns and hurries out.

"Where is she going," Vlad asks. "To break this mate bond you and I seem to be cursed with," I reply nonchalantly. I turn and walk away, only to be stopped by him. Again. He spins me to face him, his eyes searching mine. I carefully compose my features to reflect nothing. Especially the turmoil that's raging inside me. "What the hell do you mean break the bond," he demands. I narrow my eyes, Wynter bristling at the disrespect. I rip my arm from his grip. "Exactly what I said. Or do you not speak basic english anymore? It's a fairly simple statement," I growl. "Why the hell would you ask her to do that if we don't even know if that's what we want," he asks. I can see him struggling to maintain control of his wolf and smirk. "Sucks to have your choice taken away doesn't it, Vlad," I quip. He growls deeply as his eyes flash. "There's no reason to stay bonded to someone you don't love, Vlad. Honestly, you're supposed to be the logical one of the two of us." He balks at my careless tone, his eyes reflecting a small amount of rage that he struggles to keep under control. "We don't need to be sure. Just as we didn't decide to break up. You made that choice all on your own. Consider this karma." He stares at me silently and I roll my eyes, shaking my head and turning to walk away again. He grabs my hips, pulling me to him and crushing his lips against my own. I tense up, part of me wanting to give in and part of me fighting to stop. Instead, I lose myself in the kiss. I'll deal with consequences later.