Lou's POV:
"Me? Are you sure you're okay Lorraine?" He said sarcastically as he placed his hand on my forehead in a gesture to see if I had a fever.
"I'm okay Simon. I just find you perfect, I mean, you're always so cheerful, positive, full of stupid jokes that never cease to make me laugh. You're really kind, sweet and selfless. So tell me, why wouldn't I find you perfect?" I answered him after smacking his hand away from my face.
"You don't know me..." He mumbled to himself but I heard it. It really confused me though.
"What do you mean?" I asked curiously wanting a logic answer for his sudden change of mood. He wasn't smiling anymore, he was staring at the floor, his eyebrows furrowed together.
He seemed like he was thinking or maybe...remembering something.
"What's wrong?" I asked again but this time worried as his eyes began to water. Did I say something wrong?
He suddenly looked at me and shook all his thoughts away. He smiled again and continued our conversation like nothing happened.
"Well you find me perfect and I find you perfect. We think we're perfect because we are our normal selves and we're not pretending to be someone else. So we should stay perfect-" He said. How did he know what I was thinking? How did he find out that I wanted to change?
"We should stay who we are..." We said at the same time and looked into each other's eyes as we both smiled a small but genuine smile.
"Exactly! You should stay yourself, you shouldn't even be thinking about changing Lou. You're too precious for that, you're unique. Being unique is good, I mean look at me!" He continued before I laughed at his remark.
"Look at me, Lou! I'm stupid but it didn't forbid you to think I'm perfect. And I think you're perfect just the way you are, I'm pretty sure Ryan thinks so too. He doesn't have a choice anyway." Simon continued his speech. But he was right.
Ryan doesn't have a choice anyway. No matter what I do or if I change, he'll still think I'm perfect just the way I am.
A part of me was happy that Ryan will always think that I'm perfect but another part of me was sad that it wasn't his choice. He still didn't choose to love me on his own will and I'll never forget that.
"Do you understand what I'm saying Lou? Because I think I'm not making any sense." Simon chuckled as he rubbed his forehead in embarrassment.
"Yes, yes I understand Simon. Thank you for this interesting yet confusing pep talk, it did cheer me up..." I lied. It did not. Knowing that Ryan would never choose me without the mate bond was hurting me like hell. But why?
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I didn't notice that Maya and Theo were gone with Ryan when we headed downstairs, but maybe it was for the best. I needed some alone time, of course, Simon was with me but I didn't mind, he was a good company.
I was about to go to the kitchen and prepare some lunch when a knock on the door stopped me. It must be them.
I opened the door slowly to be met with the last person I wanted to see right now, Ryan.
"I brought food." He whispered and ultimately I broke our eye contact and looked at the bag he was holding in his hand.
I stepped away from the door frame to let him in, followed by Maya and Theo.
"How are you doing?" Maya whispered before giving me a comforting smile.
"I'm fine."
I'm not fine...
"Are you sure?" She asked again rubbing my arms with her hands in an up and down movement.
"Yes." No.
Do you know this phase where you think nothing is right and everything you do will never fix it? Well, that's what I'm feeling right now.
I tried so hard to make people like me and I don't pretend to be someone else, but they never do, they eventually get bored of me and leave away because I'm really an annoying and boring person. I even try to find a guy that is willing to be my boyfriend but they always end up liking my friends and forget about me.
I try so hard, but I'm never the one.
'Except for Simon! God, I can't even understand how he tolerates you!' Well, yeah I found Simon, and he likes me on his own will. I didn't even try to be friendly or anything, he just likes me because of who I am.
'Or he's just friendly, a lot...'
What about Theo? Oh yeah, Theo doesn't talk much but he too tolerates me. There's also Maya, she's the sister I never had, just like she says it.
All this time I've been thinking that something was wrong with me, that I was a repulsive person that everyone hates. Turns out it was my entourage that needed to be changed not me. I stopped being friends with my old ones and I've never been happier! I stopped being around Thomas and look at how cheerful and hopeful I am!
Nothing is wrong with me, it was them all along!
'But there's still that Rebecca bitch!' Oh yeah, I forgot.
It was too good to be true.
Too fantastic to be real...
"Come on Lou, close the door," Maya said softly from behind me as Ryan placed the bags on the table before looking at me worriedly. Theo being Theo just sat on the couch next to Simon and looked at me strangely, like he knew what I was thinking about but at the same time was still oblivious.
I didn't realize that I was staring at the woods until she told me to close the door, and so I did. I placed my hands on the closed wooden door, not able to look at anyone right now as I took a deep breath and blinked the tears away.
I'm a weak, pathetic girl that just wants attention. Do I really want attention? No, all I want is my life back, my family to be by my side. By my life back, I meant my ex-friends excluded and Thomas and all the miserable things too.
A hand on my shoulder cut me from my own thoughts as it sent shivers down my spine. I jumped a little since I wasn't focused at the moment and I got a little bit shocked until his soft voice calmed me down.
"Come on Lou, we're gonna eat." Simon said softly, taking his hand back and heading to the table. I noticed that everyone was seated there waiting for me to join them before they began eating.
I nodded at Simon and made my way to the table, my place was beside Ryan unfortunately. Did I want to sit next to him? Definitely not!
I was pretty messed up today, still am. That's all I was thinking about. Being messed up and daydreaming about my oh so beautiful life before I met him, before he changed it completely.
We ate in silence, but I didn't care. I wasn't very hungry, let's say my appetite was gone because of the previous events. That's why I ate without an appetite.
I was currently leaning my head on my hand as I placed the next sausage in my mouth and bit it in half. I chewed slowly on the meat until it was soft enough to swallow it, the movement repeating itself with the other elements.
Maya looked at me worriedly but her expression soon turned into one of amusement as she looked at Simon for a moment and at Ryan. I looked up from my plate and studied every facial expression of my entourage. Simon and Maya were currently snickering while looking between me and Ryan, Theo was enjoying his food and not paying attention to anyone except his mate of course. Last but not least, Ryan was looking at me with a very weird and determined expression.
He kept on staring at my chewing mouth as his was slightly opened.
He got up immediately surprising us and rushed upstairs. Maya and Simon's bark of laughter interrupted the very awkward silence.
"What's wrong?" I asked them both but none of them answered seeing that they were busy laughing their butts off for no reason.
"Did he choke?" I asked again worried that he actually choked.
"You're the one that's gonna choke tonight..." Maya stammered as she and Simon exploded in laughter again. What does she mean?
"Oh come on guys, do you have to make everything sexual? I was trying to eat!" Theo huffed while rolling his eyes, he then pushed his plate refusing to eat anything anymore.
"Look who's talking! You were the same when you first found your mate!" Simon snorted as Theo's expression was of embarrassment.
"I was not!" He tried to defend himself but it was obvious, not to me but to Simon and Maya.
I don't even know what they were talking about.
"You were always oggling her, always turned on by every move she did. For god's sake you were rock hard when she was getting scolded by her mother!" Simon laughed seeing all colors drain from Theo's face.
"He did?" Maya asked in shock.
"You're not so innocent Maya, you were actually the same too!" Simon retorted back earning a scary glare from Maya, a don't-you-fucking-dare look.
"Yeah Maya, you were the same!" Theo huffed with a mischievous smile on his face.
"Say one more word and we're not having sex tonight." She warned him as she flickered her eyes shutting him up.
'Guess who's getting it on tonight and who's gonna wallow instead.' No, don't you dare implant these horrible images in my head, Lou!
"Eww guys, too much information!" Simon commented scrunching up his nose in disgust, which I was doing too by the way.
"You fucking started it Simon!" Maya roared playfully at him as she continued eating her food.
"Will Ryan be fine?" I asked forgetting about the disgusting conversation we just had a second ago.
"Oh innocent Lou, he's more than fine baby. But I advise you to sleep in another room tonight, if you don't want to end up pregnant..." Maya mumbled the last part but I heard wide and clear.
What the hell?
She started laughing obviously realizing I heard her, seeing from my disgusted expression everyone was laughing.
"Why would he do that?" I sighed in fear.
"God you're so innocent Lou aren't you." Simon said while throwing his hands in the air in a surrendering way.
"He was turned on while he saw you eating. By turned on I mean completely hard." Maya snorted which made Simon burst into another pit of laughter.
"But It's not the first time he sees me eat!" I said clearly confused.
"Eating a sausage wasn't helping you know, he's probably being tortured right now trying to calm his buddy down." She answered as she laughed again while I cringed. That is the most disgusting thing ever.
'Is it Lou? Is it?'
We soon finished eating, Maya and I did the dishes while Simon and Theo were discussing about some pack business, training the new recruit, something like that.
Ryan was still upstairs, doing god knows what. I was worried about him, why was he taking too long? But the question is, why did I care so much?
'Missing him already?' Oh shut up Lou!
After we were done cleaning up we joined the guys, Maya sat next to Theo as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and placed a kiss on the side of her forehead, and I sat on the sofa in front of them while Simon was on the couch between us, so he was actually in the middle.
"So...How did you two meet?" I asked curiously. I wanted to ask this question the first time I met them but I forgot.
"It's a long story..." Theo replied with a smile.
"I've got all the time." I answered him obviously referring to the empty afternoon of today.
He chuckled before beginning his story.
"As you can see, I wasn't originally from this pack, I was from the neighboring pack, the Silver Moon pack. My father was the Beta of our pack and I was soon to become one. Our Alpha was going to visit the neighboring pack, the Red Crescent, seeing as he had a meeting with Alpha Ryan and as a Beta, my father went with him and he took me along, saying that it would be good to be friends with some members of the Red Crescent pack. Little did he know I'd find more than a friend." He said while staring admirably at Maya.
These two are just so perfect for each other!
"I had arrived to the pack, everyone welcomed us politely, there was never hate between us, we had a great relationship with all the neighboring packs. When I arrived I was met with the most beautiful creature in this entire world-"
"I still think you're confused. I mean, you're obviously not talking about the hideous creature sitting next to you are you?" Simon snorted earning a deathly glare from Maya.
"No I'm not talking about the skunk that you are, I'm talking about Maya." Theo grinned as he kissed a very satisfied Maya. Simon had a very hurt expression on his face.
'I should say it was a good comeback.'
"Ouch man! I thought we were bros! Anyway, I still think you deserve better than a psychopath!" He snorted rubbing his forehead.
Does Simon have a death wish?
"Don't listen to him guys, you're perfect for each other!" I smiled genuinely.
"What the fuck are you doing Lou?" Simon whispered obviously pissed off.
"Saving your ass, now shut up and listen." I said back as I gave him a we-need-to-talk kinda look.
"Yeah whatever, you're just jealous you didn't find a mate yet. Someone needs to get laid!" Maya chuckled making Theo laugh but earning a disgusted face from me and that idiot on the couch.
"As I was saying before being abruptly interrupted by a fuckwad. I was twenty when I found her, she was eighteen and guess what she was doing..."
"Uhm, training?" I stuttered not sure of my answer which turned out more of a question.
I had no idea what she was doing. She was Maya, she could be doing god knows what and no one would question it.
"She was fucking screaming at a poor innocent guy, and that guy was me." Simon said as he crossed his arms on his chest in a fake angry way.
We heard a chuckle from up the stairs. I looked up and locked eyes with his amused ones.
So he finally decides to show up...