Chapter 33
Flora’s P.O.V
“Mate…”
They were the words I’d feared the most. But what I hadn’t even anticipated was happening in front of my eyes.
I hadn’t known true fear until I saw the person who had spoken those earth-shattering words…
Dorothy. Dorothy Summers. Ruth…
My best friend…
Ruth was Clay’s mate…
It felt like the ground had moved from underneath my feet and I was falling down an endless black hole with no way out and nowhere to escape to.
“He isn’t your mate.”
“Do you even know if you guys are mates?”
“You slept with him…you should be able to tell the connection.”
“There’s not much time left…get out while you still can.”
All the warnings, all the omens that were given to me, they now echoed inside my head, magnified by a thousand fold.
Why hadn’t I listened? Why hadn’t I controlled my heart when I had the chance? Instead I’d thrown precaution to the wind and listened to my own heart.
In the end, I couldn’t escape fate.
What fate? Didn’t I get premonitions from the beginning? Didn’t I say to myself a thousand times that I didn’t feel anything similar to the mating bond?
But Ruth? Ruth being Clay’s mate seemed like the final nail on the coffin. I couldn’t hate her, no matter how much I wanted to…I couldn’t…
I didn’t bother looking at Clay, to see his lovesick expression for his newly found mate. I just couldn’t. It would kill me inside to find him looking at Dorothy with the same love and affection he had looked at me with…just a few minutes ago.
Feeling like I couldn’t breathe any longer, I took slow steps backward, moving away from the love of my life with every step I took. Walking felt difficult, my entire body felt numb…like I was about to collapse any second now. And just when I thought my legs were about to give up…a pair of hands wrapped around me and they helped me move again, practically carrying me out the door as the entire party was busy looking at the new couple to mate.
I didn’t know who it was that took me to the woods behind the pack house. In fact, I couldn’t even understand what was happening to me or around me. There was a shrill noise in my ears that kept on buzzing so I couldn’t hear anything around me. My eyes were unfocused. I couldn’t move.
“Flora? Flora!”
Someone was calling my name repeatedly but I couldn’t respond. The voice seemed to be coming from miles away. I didn’t know what to do…I didn’t understand what to do.
“Flora!”
The voice came again and again; sounding more and more urgent, but I just stood still…until…
Flabbergasted, I looked at Garrick as he knelt in front of me, apologizing over and over again as my mind tried to catch up with everything. My hand went to my throbbing cheek where Garrick had just slapped me and the impact had sent me tumbling to the ground. And that was when everything hit me full force.
I clutched my throat, feeling it close up as I gasped for air. Garrick was beside me in an instant, rubbing my back and saying comforting words to me that didn’t register. All I could think of was that Clay was gone…
He no longer belonged to me. I’d lost the man I love to the mating bond.
Fine! Let’s break-up…until twelve.
I was hyperventilating, unable to get air into my lungs. My chest was also hurting like hell. I felt like I was about to die and at the moment, it didn’t seem like a bad idea.
We’re here for you and we love you. So don’t go doing something rash.
Mom…dad…Riley…I needed them right now, but it was once again Garrick who came to the rescue as he told me to put my knees up and put my head between them to get air into my system. It took a while but it worked. And when I’d finally calmed down, my mind was a lot clearer.
“Did you do what I asked you to do?” My voice was shaky and rough and my entire body was trembling.
“Yes.” Garrick told me immediately. “Flora…let’s not be rash, alright? We can help you heal. Your family, Riley,-”
“Can never know where I’m going.” I told him firmly as I stood on shaky legs. “I need to leave, Garrick. Everything here is suffocating me. Even if it’s for a few days, I need to get out.”
“Alright, calm down.” He moved his hand soothingly up and down my back, but it wasn’t giving me any comfort at all. “And I’m really sorry…for earlier…I didn’t mean to hit you; I’m not that kind of a person-”
“I know, Garrick.” I cut him off. “I understand.”
Garrick looked at me unsurely for a few seconds before nodding his head. “Are you absolutely certain of your decision?”
“Yes.” I told him firmly. There was no other option.
“Alright…follow me.”
Garrick turned to the woods and took off in a sprint. I stood still for a while before I ran after him, going as fast as my trembling legs would let me. Garrick had a head start so he was further ahead of me, but it didn’t take long for me to catch up.
When I came out of the woods, following Garrick’s trail, I found him standing at the side of the freeway, along with two other me in black suits. There was a car standing behind them, a black Sedan with tainted windows. I felt a little nervous as I neared the men, but Garrick gave me a reassuring nod and I knew I could trust them, because I trusted Garrick.
“They’re here to take you to Lindersay, the capital of werewolves.” Garrick told me. “You don’t need to worry; they’ll take care of your safety.”
“I don’t have my bag.” I told Garrick, realizing that my bag, that I had packed the other night and hidden under my bed, was still in its place. I was supposed to go get it before I left, but my mind wasn’t working properly.
“You can’t take any of your belongings, I’m afraid.” One of the men told me. “Lindersay forbids objects from outside. You’ll be provided with everything you need once you reach the capital.”
I was a little hesitant at first, but I nodded my head. This was for the best.
When one of the men came forward with something dark in his hands, I took a step backwards, only to realize that it was a coat. He handed it over to me and I put it on, relieved to not be freezing anymore.
“Thank you.” I told him, but I couldn’t force myself to smile. I don’t think I ever could.
I then turned to Garrick. “Thank you for everything, Garrick. I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”
“Just stay safe and heal.” He cupped my face in his hands and placed a kiss to my forehead. “Come back when you’re ready.”
I simply nodded, not knowing how to answer that.
One of the men got into the driver’s seat while the other held the door open for me. I looked back at the woods, at my pack, one last time before getting into the car and shutting the door.
The icy fist around my heart constricted, but I swallowed my nervousness and looked up at Garrick once last time as the car began to move. I looked at him through the windows for as long as I could, watching his form disappear little by little.
Why did I get this feeling that I wouldn’t be back here for a long time?
