The Broken Mate

Just a few miles ahead I saw a house, one almost as big as Damien and Selene's.

As soon as we entered the clearing, a tall man with light skin and brown eyes ran over.

"Cora, are you okay?" He examined Coraline thoroughly and barely glanced at Selene and me.

"We're fine. Get this one out of my sight and with the others," Coraline said, and two people appeared and dragged the dead body away.

I didn't even have to ask if he was her mate. It was evident by the way he looked at her and consequently kissed her fiercely. He had sweet eyes, and a stream of freckles ran across his nose and cheeks. He had a buzzcut so prominent I couldn't even see the color of his hair.

"Get a room," I heard Callum say as he came over and checked on Selene.

"Let's go. I brought all the equipment to check up on you." She nodded, a hand protectively over her belly.

Ambrose glared at him, then seemed to notice me.

"Who's she?"

"From what I've heard, Harlan's girlfriend," Coraline teased, and I turned red.

"Oooh, our beta royale," Ambrose smirked, hands still cupping his mate's neck.

I looked at Selene for help, but she only smiled and kept following Callum.

"I'm nothing of the sort," I said emphatically.

"Yet," Coraline said, and Ambrose's hands moved down her body.

"Please excuse me. I'll go see how Selene is doing." I practically ran out of there, terrified of witnessing the procreation of another creature.

Despite Callum telling us he sent a note saying we got here safely, we still wanted to make a call. So Selene asked for a phone, and I waited patiently for her to finish speaking with Damien.

They talked for hours about the simplest of things and about the most complicated.

They talked about everything they could think of, not keeping anything from each other no matter how gruesome or sad. That was the kind of relationship they had. He was sweet and protective, and she was just as sweet, but a survivor. She still bore the scars of her past battles, but she wore them proudly. She owned them. And he had scars too, but they were healing together, making a new life.

That is what I wanted for myself now, I realized. I was no longer lost. I hadn't found my purpose in Harlan, but he had helped me find it.

I knew that with the way I was, Harlan could never be the sole reason I exist. He could be part of it, of course, but I needed to have a greater purpose. I needed to be stronger, faster. I needed to be better so I could help those around me, because ever since I was a kid, that was the only thing I've wanted to do.

Selene looked over at me, lost in thought, and called my name again.

"Harlan wants to talk to you," she said, handing the phone over to me.

I did want to talk to him, I swear. I just didn't know what to say. The longer I kept my feelings a secret, the more I felt like I was keeping something from him. But he kept things from me too.

"Hello," he said, his voice like honey.

"Hi," I said softly. I must have sounded tired because his tone switched to worry.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just a little tired," I said, my voice cracking a bit.

"You don't sound just a little tired," he said. "You should go rest." He was about to hang up, but I couldn't let go of one thing.

The question about what he was going to say before the attack.. I had to know.

"Wait," I said, catching his attention.

"Yes?"

"You were going to say something before the attack. What was it?" Maybe this was pushing it. Maybe he wasn't ready.

He sighed. "It was nothing, Di. I just wanted to make sure you knew the plan." He lied. I knew he was lying.

"You should sleep. You're tired."

"Fine," I said, a little bit hurt. "Good night, Harlan." Maybe he doesn't feel the same about me.

"Good.."

"Is that Maya? Let me talk to her." I heard Blaze's voice in the background.

"No, it's not. It's Selene," Harlan lied again.

"What about Maya?" he asked.

"She's asleep. Leave her alone, for fuck's sake," he said, abruptly hanging up before I could say another word.

That was weird. Why wouldn't he let Blaze talk to me?