Chapter 38: Dust and Memories

Aurora

I was discharged from the hospital shortly after, but I refused to go back to the pack’s house, so I went back to my parents’ home.

Wolfgang, the elders, and Max complained about it not being safe, but I couldn’t care less. Anywhere was safer than being near them. Near my mate, to be precise.

As I stood on the threshold and saw the dust covering every corner of the place, I realized how lonely I was.

I had finally returned to my home, but had no one to return to. I was completely alone.

Mom was gone. Dad was gone. And so was Montana.

I walked further into the house, reminiscing about the good old days, remembering when Dad and I would play hide and seek, or when I first met Montana.

She and I would argue about everything, but make up afterward, while watching a horror flick and eating popcorn.

A lone tear fell, and I wiped it off. I’d had enough of crying.

I went into the kitchen and took out the broom, dustpan, and other cleaning utensils.

I’d clean this place until it sparkled. I’d clean out everything, including the bad memories.

By the time I was done cleaning, it was nighttime. I decided to take a quick shower and order a pizza to call it a night.

~“Yay! Pizza!”~ Rhea shouted in my head. I couldn’t help but giggle.

I was sitting on the couch, watching TV, when the doorbell rang.

I got the money from the coffee table and headed to the door. I was about to grab the knob when Rhea jumped up, excited.

~“He’s here!”~ she shouted in my mind, jumping up and down merrily.

~“Calm down, Rhea. It’s just pizza,”~ I said to her, giggling. I opened the door to find, not the delivery boy, but our alpha.

“Ugh,” I sighed, exasperated, and tried to slam the door. But Wolfgang jammed his foot in the wedge, keeping it from shutting.

I tried slamming it a couple more times, harder, trying to inflict a little pain in his foot and get him to move. But the beast of a man wouldn’t budge.

“What do you want?” I asked, giving up on trying to close the door in his face.

“I came to check up on you,” he replied nonchalantly.

“Well, you saw me. I’m okay. You can leave,” I told him, ready to close the door again. But he stopped it once more.

“Aurora, please…can I come in?” he said softly. For the first time, I saw emotion in his eyes.

~“Come on! Let’s just hear what he has to say. Please?”~ Rhea pleaded in my mind.

“Fine.” I opened the door wide and stood aside to let him in.

He walked in and headed to the living room. I closed the front door and followed behind him, making sure to keep enough distance between us.

His scent was intoxicating. I feared that if I got closer, I’d lose control over my will.

He stood in the middle of my living room, looking like a lost pup. I couldn’t help but admire him.

He was perfect. From the top of his jet-black mop of hair, to his designer shoes.

~“He is perfect. Our mate is perfect,”~ Rhea spoke in my head, making me roll my eyes.

“Last time I was here…” he began, taking me out of my trance.

“Huh?” I asked, snapping out of my thoughts. He was looking at the portraits that adorned the chimney.

“I accused you of robbery, and then threatened you for never mentioning about us being mates,” he said.

He took down one of the portraits, and I recognized it was the one where I was laughing with Emma on our graduation day.

“I shouldn’t have treated you that way… I should have accepted you the moment I found out that you were my mate, and made you my Luna right away…”

He turned to face me. “That way, I could have seen that beautiful smile of yours, and not made you cry and suffer the way I did.”

He put the portrait back in place and turned to face me, then he took a couple steps toward me.

He lifted his hand and swiped away a tear from my cheek.

“Sadness seems to be the only emotion I cause in you,” he said. I hadn’t even known I was crying until that moment.

“What I mean to say is that I’m sorry, and I’ll do anything to make it up for you,” he said, taking my hand in his.

~“Aurora, you see? He loves us!”~ Rhea did cartwheels.

“Please say something…” Wolfgang said, placing his forehead against mine.

“I…” I started to speak, but got cut off by the doorbell.

“I gotta get that.” I squirmed out of his hold and went to the front door, stopping before the mirror in the foyer to clean my face.

“Expecting someone?”

I was shocked to find him following closely behind, a scowl on his face.

~“Oh, great. His dominant side just got triggered.” I thought, mentally rolling my eyes.~

“As a matter of fact, I am,” I said. I opened the door, and a human delivery boy stood there, holding the box and looking up to me.

He smiled, but went pale as his eyes darted to the shadow that lurked behind me.

~“Yeah, kid. I know. He can be really intimidating.”~ I thought wryly.

“Um…someone ordered a p-p-pepperoni pizza?” he asked.

“Yup. That’d be me.” I took the pizza and handed him a twenty-dollar bill. “Keep the change.”

I heard him mumble a feeble thank-you as I closed the door.

I took the box into the kitchen and placed it on the counter while I looked for plates. Wolfgang followed behind, like a duckling following its mom.

~“Say something. Tell him that we forgive him,”~ Rhea said in my head, but I ignored her. I really didn’t want to go there right now.

And as a matter of fact, I wasn’t ready to forgive him.

“Aurora…” he started to speak, but I cut him off before he could say anything else.

“Would you like a slice? I’m sorry that it’s not the gourmet cooking you’re used to, but I wasn’t expecting visitors tonight.” I said.

I took two slices of pizza out of the box and placed them on a plate before him.

“It’s okay. Thanks,” he said as he grabbed the plate.

“Sure.” I took a slice of pizza and started to eat it.

“Aurora, I don’t expect you to forgive me right away…” he started to say, but I cut him off again.

“Damn right, I won’t,” I said as I pushed my plate with the half-eaten pizza aside. I had lost my appetite.

“Aurora…”

But I cut him off once more.

“No, alpha. You listen to me. The night of the party, when I found out that we were mates, you humiliated me. And it didn’t even end there.”

I glared at him. “You accused me of robbery, you forbade me from leaving the village and forced me into working as your maid at your house. You paraded your so-called mate, Tallulah in front of me any time you had the chance.”

I crossed my arms. “You even planned to proclaim her your queen. And now you come here, saying how you’re sorry for the way you treated me? Yeah, I’m sorry too…”

I was out of breath by the time I was done with my tirade. We both stood there, at the kitchen island, facing one another.

Tears were prickling my eyes, threatening to come out once more. I picked up my plate, threw the half-eaten slice of pizza in the garbage bin, and placed the plate on the sink.

“When you’re done, just put the plate in the sink. Close the door after you leave,” I said as I headed for the kitchen door.

“Aurora, wait. Where are you…?”

But I wouldn’t let him finish.

“I’m going to bed. Goodnight, alpha.”