Chapter 28: Chapter 28

SLADE

I could barely breathe. What the hell was she doing here? Rubbing my face, I slammed the door to my room and stalked to the bathroom.

I stripped down and stepped into the shower and turned it all the way on, the hot water burning away at me. I didn’t feel a thing.

As the room filled with steam, I lost myself in my mind, in a memory I would do anything to forget.

^FOUR YEARS EARLIER^

Vanessa’s parents were good friends with mine, so I saw her often. She was a year younger than me, but I spied her at school all the time. She was hard to miss.

But now that I had graduated, I only saw her occasionally, especially being so busy training with my dad.

Someday I would take over as alpha, and now that I had finished high school, I was to spend every summer between semesters at school to prepare for my future, and I was back for the summer.

The pack always had a start-of-summer BBQ to have some fun and let off some steam. I had just arrived the night before, and I stepped out of the pack house with my dad and sister.

Walking down the hill, enjoying the warm evening, I smiled seeing the fun the pack was having. The BBQ had always been my favorite thing.

I was met with hugs and pats on the back, and it felt as if I hadn’t been gone for eight months at school.

Suddenly I heard a sweet voice behind me. “Hey there, Slade! Welcome home!”

I turned to see Vanessa, warm and genuinely happy to see me. Then our eyes locked, and I was overwhelmed by the smell of lilacs. “~Mate.~”

We both said it and both felt it. My gaze only broke when a strong hand clapped my back.

“Well! That didn’t take long! You’ve only been home for five minutes!” my dad boomed, laughing heartily.

We were inseparable for weeks. We spent hours kissing and touching and being all-around cheesy.

I didn’t fight it, she was my mate, and as soon as the summer was over, I was going to ask her to come with me back to school.

And then it all came crashing down.

One morning I went looking for Vanessa, only to find her cold toward me. I didn’t know what I had done.

“Babe, what’s wrong?” I asked, worry in my eyes.

“Is it true you’re staying here?”

“Well, I mean, I’ll leave for school again in a few months. I was actually going to ask you to come with me, but ultimately yes, I’m staying here,” I answered her. I thought she would be pleased.

“I’m not staying here, Slade.” Vanessa looked at me, her expression cold. I didn’t understand what she meant, so I looked at her, hoping she would continue.

“I’m not going to spend the rest of my life out here in the middle of nowhere, married to a mate that has no intention of ever leaving,” she hissed at me, and I didn’t understand what had just happened.

“Vanessa, you do realize I’m next in line to be alpha, right? There’s no possible way I’m ever leaving this pack, nor would I want to! I have a duty here! These are my people!”

I was angry. Was she seriously thinking I would just drop my family and my duty?

Vanessa took a deep breath. “What about your duty to me?!”

“I’m not the one trying to leave, Vanessa. We are mates… You are going to be my luna. I’m going to love you for the rest of our lives.”

Vanessa scowled and then straightened herself. “I, Vanessa Bailey, reject you, Slade Black, as my mate.” And with her words, she walked away, leaving a massive hole in me.

For weeks, I was a giant mess. When a mate was rejected, it almost literally ripped your heart in two, and the pain is excruciating.

When she rejected me, I had collapsed. It was the worst pain I had ever felt in my life. And I wasn’t about to feel it again. So I shut myself off, uninterested in ever finding another mate.

***

I was jolted from my memories when Addison had surprised me and climbed into the shower with me, holding me.

And if I wasn’t so upset, I would have enjoyed the blush on her face as she wrapped the towel around my waist.

Now lying in my bed, I regretted sending her away. I tossed and turned half the night before giving up. Hopefully, she would let me in.

I opened the door to Addison’s bedroom and stepped in. The whole room smelled like her, and I remembered how much I loved her scent. Walking over to the bed, I stood over her.

Her back was facing me, and I could see the rise and fall of her shoulders as she slowly breathed.

Opening the covers, I climbed in and wrapped my arms around her, putting my face in her hair and inhaling her.

The contact made her stir, and she smiled sleepily as she pushed herself into me, holding on to my arms. Sleep finally found me now that I was relaxed, holding my luna.

***

In the morning, I was woken up by arms tight around my waist and light kisses on my face. I hummed before wrapping my arms tight around her.

She cupped my cheeks with her hands, and I opened my eyes, meeting the deep, turquoise eyes that made me crazy.

“Slade,” she whispered with eyes full of worry, “please tell me. I promise you aren’t going to scare me off, no matter how bad it is.”

I sighed and then took a deep breath, closing my eyes tightly. “She rejected me.”

“She what?” I could hear the shock in her voice.

“I was nineteen and home for the summer. We were mates, but she rejected me when she realized I was never leaving the pack. It was the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life.

“I shut myself off. She’s the reason I had such a hard time accepting you in the beginning. You’re my second-chance mate.”

I opened my eyes to see tears filling Addison’s eyes. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered and took a sharp breath.

That warmed me, and I took her face in my hands, wiping the tears away. “No, I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner. If you want out, I understand.”

“Slade, I’m not upset that she was your first mate. I’m sorry that you had to go through that. I can’t imagine how hurt you were.” Then she smirked. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

Then she pulled me close and kissed me softly. Addison sat up and reached for my hand. “I guess we should go deal with this, then.”

I smiled at her determination. I was uneasy. I knew there couldn’t be a good reason Vanessa was back. Addison’s voice drew me back.

“I hope you know you aren’t sleeping alone now. If she’s here, I’m sleeping with you every night.” Addison smirked and walked into the bathroom, and I had to remember to breathe.