Chapter 9

Brielle's POV

Today I decided to walk to school. I declined my grandfather's offer to drop me at school, so I could walk and get acquainted with the streets. I had already memorized the way to school for the first time, so it was not going to be a problem. Besides, school was not that far away. It's a 45-minute walk, and it's good for exercise. In Clairefield, I use the school bus to get to school. I guess this will be the first thing I change. I put on my earphones and listened to music to make the trip bearable. The sun was already up and people were out and about with their business. Store owners were opening their shops and ready to welcome customers.

I walked for some time, but there was a nagging feeling. I don't know, but it felt like someone was following me. I refrained from turning back to look and just hastened my footsteps. It's probably nothing. I was nearing the school gate when someone startled me by grabbing me and twirling me away from the sidewalk. I shrieked and instinctively closed my eyes, grabbing onto the person and holding on to them tightly. I was scared to open my eyes. I felt the intruder's heart beat rapidly under my touch. I swallowed and slowly peeled my eyes open and looked up at the person.

It was him. The guy from the cafeteria. We stayed in the position we were in without moving. I stared at him, mesmerized by his appearance since I was looking at him so up close.

" Are you okay?" he asks breathly, breaking me out of my trance. I gasped and pulled away from him after realizing what was going on. I cleared my throat awkwardly. Wait a minute. Why did he grab me like that, and why am I not angry? He just kept staring at me shamelessly, his eyes roaming all over my body.

" Hey! What the hell do you think you are doing? Why did you grab me like that?!" I whispered yelled so that I didn't attract people's unwanted attention. He looked startled and raised his hands.

" No, no, no, no. Whatever you are thinking is wrong. I didn't grab you because I wanted to-"

" Then why did you?" I asked, cutting him off.

" Do not tell me you are a pervert. You just wanted to feel me up, didn't you?"

" What? Look, you have the wrong idea, okay? I am not that kind of person. Now will you listen to me or will you continue to make assumptions about the situation?" he deadpanned, looking at me.

I narrowed my eyes at him in suspicion, but I couldn't even do that right. He was so distractingly handsome that I didn't know if I was angry or enamored with him. No. Enough of this. His handsome face won't save him from me.

" Alright. Explain yourself to me. What was that earlier?"

He scoffed. " Now you are willing to listen," he mumbled under his breath.

" What was that?"

" Nothing. I didn't say anything. And what happened earlier on is a misunderstanding. There was a car driving uncontrollably behind you and you didn't seem to notice it. I moved you out of harm's way in the nick of time, or it would have run you over. In other words, you should have been thanking me," he informs me, smugly.

What? A car. How come I didn't hear it behind me, and he came out of nowhere to save me? It doesn't make sense. He is lying to me right now, but why does he look so confident? He must be an expert liar.

" An imaginary car because I didn't hear a car behind me." I folded my arms to my chest. " Tell the truth. What were your intentions?"

" How could you have heard the car? You didn't even hear me call out to you from behind because of those earphones around your neck! For goodness' sake, you could have died and, instead of thanking me, you are busy accusing me of shit!" He looked hurt, which I found confusing. Who was the victim here and the culprit? I suddenly felt I had done something wrong.

" You know what? I won't hear this from you. Believe me or not, I don't care." He walked away angrily, leaving me to feel guilty. What the hell is going on? Everything is just so weird, and I still don't know that guy's name. I turned back to where he pulled me from and I didn't see anything. I seriously didn't hear the car behind me, and I am pretty sure my earphones were not that loud. I decided to let it go and avoid drama. Whatever it was, I just hope it doesn't happen again.

Blake's POV

I left her standing there questioning herself. That was a close call. I made a lame excuse to cover up the truth. I know she doubted me, but it was the only thing I could come up with at the moment. I should have known that Rea would not give up easily. In our talk yesterday, I made the mistake of thinking that everything would be settled. She was nowhere to be seen at breakfast and I thought it was a good thing since I would avoid her. Turns out that she left earlier to stalk my mate. She wanted to hurt her. I saw her trail behind her with a dagger. She was going to stab my mate with it, hence I moved her out of the way. Rea was startled when her plan failed and fled. I stopped her from making the biggest mistake of her life.

If she had succeeded in hurting my mate, then she would have lost her life. I would have been compelled to punish her for daring to harm her Luna.

I mind-linked my Beta to apprehend her because she seemed to have lost her mind. By now she should be back at the pack house under house arrest. School can wait for today. I need to go and knock some sense into my ex. I can't believe she has resorted to such low tactics.

When I got to the pack house, I heard a commotion of things breaking and screams. Rea was throwing things around in a craze and Kyle was trying to stop her to no avail. She really has lost her mind.

" Rea stop it! Come on, this is crazy!" Kyle says to her, but it falls on deaf ears as she continues throwing stuff around.

She had totally lost her mind. I didn't realize that the end of our relationship had affected her to the point of insanity. Mia was standing a few feet away from her crying at her mate's condition. Upon noticing me in the doorway, Rea ran toward me.

" Oh, thank God you are here Blake. She was driving me crazy. She is all yours now. I'm out," Kyle says and runs out somewhere, leaving us alone.

" Blake, tell them, tell them you love me. Tell them that that bitch means nothing to you. Please!" Rea desperately begged, holding on to me, but I pushed her off. She staggered back in shock and pain in her eyes.

" What is wrong with you, Rea? What is the meaning of this? What are you doing to yourself, huh!?"

She was a mess. Her eyes were swollen from crying and her once beautiful shiny hair was all over the place. It was like she was deteriorating into an abyss of darkness. A version I never knew of her was in front of me. I thought she was strong and would understand it all, but I was wrong. She was out of control.

" No, no, no, no, no! You promised to be with me forever. To love myself and myself alone. She can't just come here out of nowhere and take you away from me. I will kill her. I will, I swear!" she said nonsensically.

At that point, I didn't know what to say. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. For everything we have been through and all the wonderful times we spent together, I couldn't dismiss her pain. It hurt me a lot that I ultimately became the source of her pain when I once promised to love her and never hurt her.

I pulled her into my arms and embraced her. I wanted to calm her down and make her forget everything, even if it was just for a second. She kept mumbling to herself, but I pat her head soothingly until she melted in my arms. Mia shook her head and walked away from the scene. The situation was spiraling, and I needed to get control of it. Rea and I stood there for what felt like an eternity, and she feinted from exhaustion and mental strain. I picked her up bridal style and carried her to her room. I laid her on the bed gently and said besides her. My hand reached out to remove strands of her hair on ger face that could cause discomfort while she sleeps.

She looked so peaceful, but her mind was brewing with hate. Out of all the people, I expected her to understand and allow us to end things on a good note. I guess I expected too much of her. I wondered how her wolf was allowing her to act crazy. Does it also refuse to recognize its mate as well? This is all crazy. Ryker, on the other hand, can't even stand the thought of choosing Rea as our mate.

I heard a knock on the door, and before I could say anything, Mia went inside. I have not had the chance to talk to her about everything going on and now things are like this. She looked so sad I didn't even know what to say to her.

" How is she?" she asked, her gaze focused on Rea.

" Rea is okay, for now. I don't know if she will snap out of it and come to her senses."

She scoffed incredulously. " You know Blake," she began," I am your twin, but I always felt like I was just a shadow that didn't matter at all. Everything and everyone focused on you as the next Alpha, but I never worried about any of it because you are a boy, and it's only right for you to have it all. I just thought that for as long as I find a mate who would love, cherish and support me, being only for me would make up for all the years of being sidelined. I didn't know how wrong I was about that. Fate played a cruel joke on me and gave me your girlfriend as a mate. It's my fault though. The Moon Goddess must have known what was in my heart. She was just trying to fulfill my desire. To tell you the truth, I have secretly liked Rea ever since I met her," she confessed, which was a shocking revelation to me.

Imagine that. At first, I didn't even know she was bisexual, and I certainly didn't know she had feelings for Rea. I was utterly dumbfounded and couldn't say a word.

" At first, I just liked her as a friend, but it all changed with time," she continued. " I found myself attracted to her and soon falling for her. I knew that she was not like me and would not feel the same way about it. So I tried my best to suppress those feelings until I wouldn't feel that way anymore. When I found out she was my mate, I knew things would be complicated and awkward between us all, but not to that extent. I never thought she was so in love with you that she'd go crazy without you. So what I am saying is, I know why you are staying away from her." She paused as a tear fell from her eye and sniffed.

" There is no point in doing that now. She will never accept me, so please be with her and make her happy. I am willing to make that sacrifice just to see her happy," she declared pitifully.

I stood up from where I was sitting and approached her. My poor sister. She was right. I was mainly doing this for her, but I was doing this for myself as well. I didn't want to be selfish, and I didn't want my wolf to be angry at me for the rest of my life.

" Mia. I am sorry I didn't know how you felt, even being your twin brother. It must have been hard for you to watch someone you love, love someone else. Trust me, it was a tough decision for me to make too. As the Alpha, I cannot afford to make selfish decisions. Rea and I loved each other, but it is time to face reality. We were never meant to be and to deny that and try to have our own way would be a mistake that both of us would have to pay for in the long run. She might not be in her right mind now and acting this way, but soon she will realize that it was the best decision for all of us. Don't give up on her. Give her some time. She'll come around eventually."

I was going to make sure of it. It was a promise to myself and my sister. I won't let her sacrifice anymore. She deserves to be happy as well, and I am the one to take that away from her. Not anymore.