Later that night, when I'm packing on my own, I realize that it's quite boring to be alone in a big house filled with nothing but lame portraits of old Beta's and dusty furniture. It feels empty...to empty. I want to pour something inside it, anything to make it feel full, but somehow, I feel like no matter how many objects I collect and add into my house, it will always feel empty and lonely...
Just like me.
Unlike others, I don't mind the loneliness I feel a lot of the time. I know I'm not alone in this world, but it it wrong to feel like sometimes I am? I know I'm contradicting myself, but I guess it depends on my mood?
A part of me knows that I'm not talking about the house, but I don't want to think about Liam. I need to focus on packing my things, not on what my best friend is doing with his life. He's an adult, just as I am. We don't need to worry about what each other does.
Soon, the quietness gets too much to bear, so I call Mabel over and ask her to help me pack. Part of me knows that it's futile to ask her for help - she'll be too busy gossiping to actually get one shirt into my backpack, but it doesn't matter to me in the moment. I just need someone - anyone, to get me out from this egging silence. It's ringing in my ear, like a loud microphone, screaming something that I can't understand.
"Hey, Adhi!" Mabel picks up on the second ring, her voice lively and chirpy despite it being eleven pm at night.
"Hey, Mabel," I sigh, combing my fingers through my hair and pulling my bangs out of my eyes. "Are you busy right now?"
"No," Mabel replies. "Why? Is everything alright? Do you need something?"
"Well..." I glance back at the clothes that I've strewn on my bed. "Some company would be nice. I know it's late and all, but..."
"Say no more." There's a cheeky smile in Mabel's voice. "I'll be there asap."
I grin. "Thanks, Mabel. You don't know how much I feel like I'm going mad being alone in this house."
"It's your home, Adhi," Mabel says. There's some pounding and soft yelling, and I can tell that Mabel's already on her way over. "You've lived there for so long. How come all of a sudden you're feeling like you're going insane?"
"I don't know," I shrug even though she can't see it. "It's just...after the Red Moon Day and all...I don't know, it's been starting to feel weird living here on my own."
"Can you elaborate?" Mabel asks.
"Yeah, I can try," I say. I clear my throat. "It's like...you know...like something's missing. I just don't know what it is."
"And you say this started on Red Moon Day?"
"After," I correct. "And yes, it did. Do you know what's happening, Mabel?"
Instead of the answer I'm expecting from her, Mabel is silent. The only sounds I can hear are from the wolves greeting her as she walks through the pack and towards my house, the Beta palace.
"Mabel?" I question, slightly worried.
"Open the door," Mabel's voice is stoic and calm. "I'm already outside."
I blink, her sudden change in tone unexpected. "Okay..." I drawl, climbing off my bed and walking down the steps of my house. I cut the call just as I reach the large oak doors that shut me away from the company I desired, opening them wide and letting the influx of air grasp at me, cooling my overheated skin.
Mabel stands in front of me, her hip cocked to the side and her arms crossed over her chest. She's smiling, but there's no humor to the curl of her pink lips. She looks intense and focused, like a predator stalking it's prey.
Like how Liam looks.
Shaking my head, I step aside, gesturing to the double staircases that flank the hallway that leads to the kitchen. "Hey," I say.
"Hey," she says, bending her head slightly in respect for me. I frown. Mabel's never been one to bow to me - she's my second best friend (next to Liam, of course). She's shown me respect, but only as her friend, never as her Beta. It startles and astonishes me at the same time.
"Mabel...what's wrong with you?" I ask, frowning.
"I've figured it out," she says, her eyes flashing with an incredible, sharp gold color.
"Figured what out?" I ask, leading her up the steps and towards my bedroom. She reclines on my bed, sifting her fingers through the plethora of clothes I have thrown on my pillows.
"Your loneliness problem," she says.
I stare at her. "Okay...and do you have to look like you're going to kill someone to do that?" I ask.
She tilts her head, her lips pursed. "Sorry," she murmurs. "I just...I saw something on my way here...that's why my mood it wrecked."
"Oh...sorry," I say, folding my clothes and placing them in piles inside my backpack. "What did you see?"
Mabel opens her mouth, then falters, her eyes darting to the door of my room. She grimaces, then closes her mouth.
"Nothing of importance," she mumbles. "It was just Liam and Casey, that's all."
"Oh." My eyebrows shoot up. "But...Casey's in a coma?"
"It was an old video playing," Mabel says by way of explaining. "I don't know why they had it, but someone apparently leaked a video of Liam and Casey."
"What's wrong with that?" I smirk. "Did you cringe at Casey's PDA?"
"You guessed it," Mabel practically forces out, gritting her teeth. "It was the most disgusting thing I've ever seen."
I shrug carelessly. "They're married, Mabel." I say by explanation.
"So? Liam doesn't even love her!" Mabel exclaims. "Why would he fucking kiss her like that?"
"Like what?"
"Like his life depended on it?"
"Because...he loves her?" I ask dryly. When Mabel glares at me, I sigh. "Mabel, nothing will ever happen between Liam and I. We are best friends - he's my best friend. He's married, and I have a mate somewhere out there for me."
"Why don't you get it?!" Mabel erupts, her hands flying to her head. "Adhira, Liam is your mate!"
"Impossible," I say. "He's mated with Casey. There is no such thing as having two mates."
"No!" Mabel snaps. "Casey isn't Liam's mate, Adhira, you are. Haven't you seen how repulsed he seems to be around her? I know you've noticed, so don't try to play dumb with me. You saw so on Red Moon Day!"
"I saw a couple talking and laughing with one another," I say, getting aggravated now. "Mabel, I don't know what it will take to get it into your head that Liam and I aren't mates, but I'm telling you right now that we aren't. Okay? End of story."
Mabel glares at me. "Fine," she says. "Live your life in loneliness when your mate is out there sucking faces with another girl." She picks up one of my dresses, tossing it to me. "Then, you'll see."
"See what?!" I scoff. "That I'm right?"
"That you're wrong," Mabel says. Her jaw hardens, then, when she glances out the window, she lets it go, her eyes softening. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I don't mean to be pushy on the mate subject. I'm just trying to help you."
"I know," I sigh. "But Liam and I are off the table. Please try and understand that, Mabel."
"I do understand what you're saying," Mabel mumbles. "But I don't believe you. Trust me, Adhi, Liam doesn't look happy with Casey."
"What do you mean?" I ask. "Didn't you say that they were just kissing?"
"Yeah...I did..." Mabel trails off, and I can't help but let our a triumphant grunt. I love Mabel, I really do, but sometimes she lets her fantasies get the better of her. She'll start hardcore shipping a couple and get so frustrated when they don't end up with one another. Sometimes, I pity her, but when it comes to my relationship with Liam, it can get a bit annoying at times.
"Can I ask you a question, Adhira?" Mabel asks, snapping the tense silence that had cocooned us in half.
"Sure," I reply absent-mindedly.
"How do you feel about Liam?"
I don't even have to think as I speak. "Liam's my best friend," I say. "Sure, he can be quirky and a bit vexatious at times, but I love him with all my heart - as a friend."
"As a friend..." Mabel repeats. "You're sure?"
"Positive," I nod, but somewhere in my chest, a voice is banging against the cage my heart has made around it, screaming at me in a language I don't understand, but I know what it's trying to say, and despite every fiber in my body denying it, I know somewhere in my heart that it's telling the truth.
And I'm the one lying.
~***~
"So, do you know how to get to Alpha Nero's pack?" I ask Liam later that day, reclining against the back of the seat Liam has in his car.
"Yes," Liam smirks at me. "Why? Do you not trust my sense of direction?"
"No," I scoff, rolling my eyes. "I'm just asking. I've never met him before, or been to his pack." I frown. "What's he like?"
"He's...something," Liam mutters, his fingers wrapped tightly around the steering wheel. "Nero's problems mostly come from his wife."
"Wife?" I repeat. "What happened to his wife?"
"She was abused by her father, an Alpha," Liam explains. "He's not an easy person to gain trust with, especially after he found her beaten and bruised in a cell. Sometimes I think that he doesn't even trust me, but I don't blame him." He smiles at me. "After all, bad experiences can change your view on the world outside."
"That's true," I agree, wincing. "When my parents were killed, it was hard for me to trust anyone after, even...you."
Liam nods solemnly. "I know," he says. He takes one hand off the steering wheel, taking my hand in his. He squeezes gently, his lips quirking softly. "But you learned. So did Nero. It took him longer than you did, though."
"Who's his wife?" I ask.
"Julia Knox," Liam says. "She was Alpha George's daughter. I don't think you know him."
I shake my head. "No, I don't. Who was he?"
"An Alpha," Liam shrugs, steering off the highway and into a shady road. "He lived in America, so I don't know much about him. I only heard about him from the Alpha King there."
"Oh, right," I mumble, too busy basking in the coolness the shade provides from the beaming sun. The feeling is wonderful, and I sigh, closing my eyes in bliss.
"It's getting dark," Liam speaks up from the silence encompassing us. "We should find a hotel to rest for the night."
"Yeah," I murmur, yawning. "I'm ready to hit the sack."
"Hit the sack?" Liam repeats, smirking. "You just sat there the whole time. You weren't the one driving."
"So? I've been cramped in this seat for hours!" I complain, stretching my arms above my head.
"So have I!" Liam retaliates, but he's grinning from ear to ear, his charming smile contagious. I grin back at him, noting that he's not looking at the road, rather straight into my eyes.
"What?" I ask, blushing.
"Nothing," Liam chuckles. "It's just...you have beautiful eyes, Adhi."
"Uh, thanks," I say, raising my eyebrow. "Why the compliment?"
Liam shrugs, turning the wheel as he pulls into a tall, towering hotel complex. "Because I can," he says by explanation, stopping the car as he pulls into a parking space.
I frown at him. "That's a pretty vague answer."
Liam shrugs again. "I'm allowed to be vague, aren't I?" He asks.
"Well...yes...but I kinda wanted to know why you said that," I say, stepping out of the car and into the humid evening.
Liam smiles, taking our backpacks. "Because you deserve to hear them," he says, then drops his shoulders. "I, er, I also wanted to thank you again for coming with me. This whole problem with Casey is already a lot and..."
"Yeah, it is," I interject, mirroring his smile. "But I promise, I'll be here for you no matter what."
Liam beams. "I know," he says. "I know..."
His eyes meet mine, and suddenly, something flashes between us, just like it had at the ball. I blink, rubbing my eyes, but the heat from the flash still remains, and in my brain, all I can see are Liam's dark eyes staring at me, tempting me and burning through my body all at once.
Liam too seems shocked, for he's stopped walking, his tracks coming to an abrupt stop. He whirls back to look at me, his mouth parting ever so slightly, but before he can get any words out, I speak quickly, cutting him off.
"We should be going," I say hurriedly and he blinks, snapping out of whatever void he had been pulled into. "Don't want to be late to bed, after all. If we sleep in, we won't get to our appointment with Nero on time."
"R-Right..." Liam says, dazed, and as we walk into the hotel lobby, our hands brushing one another, I know that the flash was no coincidence. It meant something for Liam and I, something powerful and important...
But what?236Please respect copyright.PENANAWVSBjzg2DA