MATE AND HIS LOVER

#4 Bait

Zack avoids my eyes.

Uh oh, that's not a good sign. Never a good sign. I don't like where our talk is going. Can't they just take care of this by themselves and call me when they're ready to mate so I'll take the potion and get through it?

Why am I here???

Still looking away Zack says, "By killing his mate."

I'm pretty sure I stopped breathing. In fact I don't think I remember how to breathe anymore. Kill his mate? Mate? Wait, me? Kill me??!!!

"No. Wait, hold on a s-second," I stammer. "What do you mean by mate? He doesn't have one!"

They all look at me.

I continue, "No, I mean. Nobody knows Alpha has a mate! Is Horris going to wait till he gets a mate and then kill her, me, her, whoever? How can he know when he gets a mate?"

Zack looks away again. Oh damn it, Zack! Stop looking away!

"He knows. He knows Mathew has a mate. The witches in his pack told him the news. They used black magic to find out," Zack says.

I can't do this. I can't do this anymore. I take a deep breath trying to calm myself and slowly sit on a chair near the counter.

I can sense Helena looking at me worried.

I look at my hands trying to think. There has to be something! something that'll get me out of this. Then I look at her.

Helena! That's right, Mathew loves Helena! She is going to be his mate!

A faint hope appears in my heart and on my face.

But it doesn't stay.

Soon, fear takes over. I abruptly stand, still looking at Helena.

She is startled for a moment.

"That's why!" I tell her before turning to Mathew and pointing my finger at him.

It's the first time I'm looking directly at him like this.

"That's why you wouldn't mate her on the coming full moon!" I tell him, accusingly.

His eyes look away. I'm right! Shit! I'm right!

"That's why you don't want her to be your mate yet!" I say, still looking at him. He keeps his eyes away.

For some reason I laugh. I sit back on my seat with my right elbow on the counter and my palm on my forehead.

"Oh my God! I'm a bait!" I reveal my conclusion.

"Sam! No, it's not like that!" Helena says.

I look at her. She looks sad, worried and guilty. I would've not wanted her to feel that way before, but I'm angry now.

"Then why won't you guys mate after two days?" I ask her like a hurt child.

"S-Sam," she says my name, almost tearing up.

I look at the floor, my hand still on my forehead.

What am I going to do? I trusted them!!! I trusted that they'd find a way! And this is the price they want me to pay? They want me to risk my life!

I turn towards the counter and place my other elbow on it and both hands on my forehead. I need to think! Think a way out! I can't die! I don't want to die! That too by Horris' hand!

I keep my calm, thinking and thinking. If I don't think, I feel like I'll break. I don't want to cry. No matter how scared I am, I don't want to cry.