Stay Away

Chapter 3

Happy holidays everyone! Hope y'all had a fun Christmas/whatever holiday you celebrate. And without further ado, enjoy :3

(unedited)

Victoria

"You. I should have known." I shook my head. Of course, of all people that I could possibly know it was Adrian freaking Black that had to be my mate.

Adrian growled. "What's that supposed to mean?" I could almost see the waves of indignation and disdain rolling heatedly off his body.

A bitter retort crawled up my throat, clawing to be released, but I swallowed it back down. For some reason, I wanted to give him a chance. I'm not sure why, exactly. Maybe I felt lonely, at least, more lonely than I usually was, as much as I hate to admit. Maybe I was secretly longing for someone to lean on, to talk to, to trust. I'd pushed everyone and anyone away from me so often that it became habitual. This moment in the woods seemed like the perfect chance maybe, just maybe, to open up to someone. Better my mate than a stranger, right? Feeling uneasy and uncertain I chose my next words carefully.

"Look, Adrian, I know we got off on the wrong start, and I know I have tendency to piss people off in the first two seconds I meet them, and I'm sorry for that." I paused. My teeth began to chatter, but I swallowed my pride and continued.

"I don't let people in very easily, for personal reasons, and I'm sure you and everyone else has noticed that. But now, um, given the current situation... I think I'd be willing to try this whole... this whole "mate" thing out."

There. I said it, thinking I'd feel relieved, and I was, for a few moments, until he opened that arrogant, self-righteous mouth of his.

He laughed. Loud, breath-inhibiting, outright hilarity. I couldn't believe it. He was ridiculing me after I just spilled my guts out and served them to him on a silver platter. If the fur of my wolf form wasn't covering my face, my face would have been bright red, burning, burning, burning from embarrassment, from anger, but mostly from shame. At that moment I felt like such a fool. I could never be with someone. That's how it always had been, and that's how it would always have to be.

He seemed to sense something was wrong as his laughter died down. He sighed.

"I could never be your mate, Victoria. You've never acted as anything but a bitch, and not just to me but to everyone you've met. You must be out of your mind if you think I'll stay with you."

"So you're rejecting me."

"Yes."

Fine.

I was fine.

I was fine. I was fine before he appeared in my life, and I'd be fine when he disappeared.

My eyes were welling up with unshed tears, much to my chagrin. Who was I to feel sorry for myself over such a trivial situation? Who was he to deserve my tears?

"Fine. So be it. It wasn't like I expected any more from you," my final words before I turned and walked back into the dark woods. I could feel his stare lingering on my retreating form. I still felt it when I returned to camp, and even still the next morning.