Chapter 6

I didn't know I fell asleep underneath the willow tree from crying and breaking down, so when I heard a low voice calling my name I still felt it was a dream. And I wished it was just a dream, because when I opened my eyes and saw the man standing beside me reality sunk into my system again. "I know you would be here," he said quietly as I got up and dust off my clothes and tuck my hair. Darren's face was half-hidden in the dark as it was still a few hours before dawn. I could sense that this was not the same man who loved me. He was cold and stiff as he looked at me. "Why are you here?" I asked defensively, as I was still reeling from everything bad that had happened. "I know you're not here to take back what you said." "I'm so sorry, Milena." "Apologizing is not what I want, Darren," I said. I took deep breaths and tried to calm myself down because the remaining sane part of me didn't want to prolong this agony anymore. "If you're not still going to choose me over her, then you better just leave me alone." "Milena, please, let me just explain... It's not because I don't love you. I have to choose Valerie for the pack. Our pack needs them... the Cross River pack to be exact. You knew how a lot of us here rely on our jobs at the farms, and at the town center. But there's a mass layoff right now... The local economy is struggling. Their pack has business centers where our people could work." "Explaining that to me now is even worse, Darren. You're saying that you're giving up on me, your own mate, for our pack's sake? Do you want me to praise you for your noble sacrifice? Should I clap right now? Is that what you want me to do?" Darren looked so frustrated right now. "No... I... I just want to let you know my reason for choosing Valerie. As the next alpha I have to think ahead too. We need their help." "And what about me, Darren? Do I have to sacrifice for the pack too? Or is this just one of the things that I have to get used to as a half breed?" "No, Milena, it's not that." "It is, Darren!" I was now shouting. My plan to act mature failed. "Your parents don't want me for you! You heard them! I bet even without that Valerie around your parents would still not want me for you, especially your mother! If I was not half-witch, you would probably choose me!" "Hey, calm down, Milena. You know your lineage doesn't matter to me." He was trying to hold me down but I took a step back as I wiped my tears. "Oh really? So what does matter to you? Money? Influence? Status? Your parents' preference?" "You don't have to go there," he said in a tone I knew was close to being angry. "That's also unfair of you to say that. I have to do what I have to do as the next alpha." "I know that," I said that as I heaved a sigh. "I know you're torn. But, Darren, I am your mate." "And so is Valerie," he replied and I think that was the most hurtful thing that he said to me ever. "Look, I'm sorry, Milena. I also didn't want this to happen. But what could I do?" "What could you do? That's a really good question," I said and then walked away from him. He did not follow me or try to stop me, so I guess that was it. My mate did not choose me. He might have two potential mates because he is special, but I wasn't like him. I know that Darren will be my only mate, so losing him like this meant that I might live the rest of my life without a mate. That sucks, but what do I expect as a half witch? It will always be like this as long as I am here in this pack. *** I stayed out of everyone's sight for the rest of the day, aimlessly roaming the downtown area of our small town as daybreaks. And whenever I would see some familiar faces I would quickly hide or walk as far as I could, all because I don't feel like dealing with any of them right now. But as fate would have it, I accidentally bumped into Devon who was walking back to his truck from the supermarket. He was carrying groceries with all of his body so when he saw me he immediately beckoned me to help him. "What are you doing here?" was his greeting as I helped him carry the goods into the truck. "Mom was looking for you. She'll be mad if she finds out that you were just here. We thought that you already ran away." "Why would I run away? Darren might not have chosen me as his mate but I'm still a member of our pack." "Fair point," he said as he started his truck engine and drove back toward home. I sat next to him so I couldn't avoid replying to him. "But if I were you, I would have just run away, you know. Don't waste your time on Darren. His parents don't like you anyway." "That was what I just said to him last night. But our pack is still my pack. It's not like I could just live on my own." "Sadly, that's true. Especially these days. Rogues are everywhere. They prey on women and children and make them their slaves. Dad was worried that you might have run into those scumbags when you were gone last night." "Your Dad was worried? Ha. That's new." Devon glanced at me like he was trying to avoid getting annoyed at me. "Dad cares about you," he said. "After all, your Dad saved my Dad ages ago when they were young. And ever since I found that out I felt bad that I was ever mean to you." "Wow. Good job, Devon. I thought you were acting weird. Turns out you found a plot twist." Devon laughed, and suddenly the atmosphere between us became lighter. "Yeah, I was a jerk, and I'm sorry. But I'm trying to correct my ways, you know. And you should too. Stop forcing yourself to Darren, for God's sake. He didn't choose you. And that's probably for the best. At least Darren was smart for thinking like that. I thought he was just brawny." "What do you mean?" "Oh, you see, I overheard him and Ryle talking just this morning. Darren was telling his friend that his mother, Madam Dolores, would have treated you as her personal slave if Darren chose you over that Valerie." "What?" "And I also heard that Darren threatened to run away himself if your parents did something bad to you. That means he might have actually saved you from a terrible life had you become his Luna." My heart was pounding against my chest as soon as I heard that. All I wanted to do was talk to Darren and clear things up ... before he marked Valerie!