Third Person POV
âWhere is she? I need to speak with her.â
Everything around Rachel stopped moving, including her heart. She stared at the man in the doorway of her dorm, and she couldnât breathe. Lila stood in front of him with wide eyes unsure of what to say as well.
His eyes finally found her, and they held eye contact for what felt like an eternity.
âRodrickâ¦â Lila said slowly. âMaybe you shouldââ
Rod didnât let her finish her sentence before he spoke over her.
âMate.â
Rachel stared at him with a pounding heart. She wasnât sure what to say. The last time she saw Rod, he was stabbing her and then he was arrested. She knew it wasnât his fault though; it was hers. She was the one who convinced him to do it.
No.
It was the darkness.
This wasnât her fault either and she had to remember that. But did he know that it wasnât her fault?
Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes, and she finally broke her gaze from his and she stared at the ground. Heat surfaced around her face, and she knew she was probably bright red as she struggled to keep the tears from spilling out of her eyes.
She felt Rodâs nearness as he stepped around Lila; his dark gaze fixed on Rachelâs face. How could it be possible that a hybrid could mate with a weak bear? Rod was both a vampire and a werewolf and Rachel was nothing more than a bear that let darkness take her over.
She wasnât worthy enough to be mated with such a strong beast.
The moon goddess certainly had a sense of humor.
She thought Rod was going to yell at her for all she had done; she wouldnât have blamed him. She would have taken it and then curled up in bed later to cry. Her heart was heavy in her chest as she waited for the words that would forever seal her fate.
She waited for the rejection that was bound to come.
But as Rod stood in front of her, assessing her features, those words never came.
Instead, he did something that Rachel wasnât expecting and was definitely not prepared for.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. She went with ease, allowing him to pull her toward him, and for a moment, she wasnât sure what to do with her arms. They stayed by her side as he kept his hold on her.
She didnât realize she was trembling until his hold tightened as if he was afraid that she would run away from him.
âIâve been looking for you for so long,â he whispered to her, sending a wave of warmth throughout her body.
Tears broke free from her eyes and started to soak through his shirt. She finally lifted her arms and wrapped them around his waist. She was so small in comparison to him, and she felt so incredibly safe in his arms.
âIâm so sorryâ¦â she whispered, sniffling as she peered up at his face.
âSorry for what? Iâm the one who hurt you,â he said, furrowing his brows together. âYou have nothing to be sorry forâ¦â
âIt was the darknessâ¦â she said, more tears filling her eyes. âIt manipulated you andââ
âI know,â he said, stopping her words. âI would never hurt you on purpose and I know you wouldnât hurt anyone on purpose. You are my mate and Iâm never letting you go again.â
With those words left in the air, he bent and pressed his lips against hers, marking their new beginning.
â¦..
Lilaâs POV
I was sobbing.
The scene displayed in front of me was so heartwarming and beautiful. It made me miss Enzo so much. I looked at Kayla and she was also crying as Rachel and Rod embraced one another. Rachelâs face was red by the time they pulled apart and her smile was radiant.
My heart was swelling from all of this.
Iâm not sure if it was because of my pregnancy or because it was genuinely a sweet moment, but I couldnât seem to stop crying. Becca chuckled and wrapped her arms around me.
Rachel glanced at me and narrowed her eyes in confusion.
âWhy are you crying?â She asked.
âItâs just so beautiful,â I sobbed, making everybody laugh.
âSheâs pregnant,â Rachel explained to her mate whose eyes were large as he glanced at me.
I hadnât had many interactions with Rod, but we greeted one another in passing and he was always very kind despite his dark and mysterious nature.
âCongratulations,â Rod said, giving me a fond smile. âI had no idea you were seeing someone. I never see you with anyone around campus.â
My face reddened; I wasnât sure how much I could tell him. I wanted to trust him because heâs Rachelâs mate, but until I spoke to Headmaster Prescott, I thought I still needed to keep my relationship with Enzo a secret.
âMy mate,â I told him, returning his smile.
I moved my dark curls away from my neck to show him my mark.
Rodâs smile grew.
âThatâs incredible,â he said in return. âIâm happy for you.â
âAnd Iâm happy that you finally have your mate. No more stabbing her,â I teased.
His smile fell and his face grew red.
âOh, goddess. Was that too soon? Iâm sorry,â I breathed, feeling incredibly stupid.
âIâm never going to let something like that happen again,â Rod said, turning to face Rachel. âIâm so sorryâ¦â
She smiled lovingly at him.
âIâm healed. Itâs okay,â she breathed. âBut I suppose we have a lot to talk about with everything that had happened.â
He nodded.
âAre you hungry? We can talk over dinner,â he suggested.
She beamed at that idea.
âIâd like that. Let me just change and Iâll be right back,â she breathed as she turned and ran into her room.
After a little while she returned wearing a cute purple dress and black leggings. Her hair was curled and cascading over her shoulders and she wore her usual winged eyeliner and deep red lipstick.
She was looking like her old self again and I was more than okay with that. Of course, I knew it was going to take her a little time to come back full circle, but this was a start, and my heart was full seeing how happy she was in that moment.
Rodâs eyes lit up when he saw her, and it made me think more about Enzo and how his eyes always light up when he sees me. I smiled at the very thought as I placed my hand on my belly where our pups were stored.
With a final goodbye, Rachel and Rod left the dorm.
â¦.
Morning came quickly and I wasnât ready to get out of bed. I was feeling way more tired than I usually felt in the morning. But my nagging alarm wasnât going to let me oversleep; especially because I had a meeting with Enzo and Headmaster Prescott.
This meeting was very important, and I was terrified about what the outcome was going to be. She might say I need to transfer, or that Enzo needs to transfer. Maybe she would fire him for keeping this secret from her for so long.
I was feeling sick to my stomach.
I swallowed the wave of nausea that slammed into me.
I slid out of bed and grabbed a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. I didnât have enough energy to get dressed further than this. I threw my hair in a messy bun and went into the bathroom to do my business.
Once I was finished, I left the dorm and headed toward Enzoâs faculty house. Thankfully, he answered the door quickly and pulled me into his house so we could embrace. When his lips found mine, my entire world around me stopped moving and all that was left was me and him.
His kiss was soft and tasted delicious from the coffee he had just drank. Since finding out that I was pregnant, cut caffeine out of my diet, and I was missing it terribly.
âI missed you last night,â he whispered against my lips.
I smiled, peering up at him.
âI thought about coming to see you,â I admitted. âBut I figured it probably wasnât a good idea.â
He kissed me again, but it ended way too soon.
He took my hand and together we left his house and walked toward the Board House. There werenât many lurking around the campus, so nobody saw us holding hands. That is until we walked into the Board House and a couple of members of the board spotted us.
They narrowed their eyes at us and then their eyes drifted to our entwined hands. They looked as if they wanted to say something, but before they could, Tiffany Prescottâs voice sounded from a nearby office.
âPlease come to my office.â
My heart was racing rapidly against my ribcage as I peered worriedly at Enzo. He didnât look as worried though, which calmed me slightly.
We went into the office, and I froze when I saw Alpha Jonathan sitting in one of the chairs near the desk.
âAlpha?â I said, staring at him with shock all over my face.
He didnât smile or make any acknowledgment that I was there; he was looking at his phone and appeared to be typing vigorously.
Headmaster Prescott walked around her desk and turned to face us, motioning for the chairs in front of the desk.
âPlease, take a seat so we can begin.â