Chapter 920

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Rika

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I was pissed from the moment that I got to campus this morning. I had wanted to go with Clovio this afternoon. I hadn’t gone out with him since our date last week and that felt like so long ago. I wanted to spend some more time with him so I could find out if he really was my mate. I needed to know what I was going to do if he was and if he wasn’t.

Was I going to date him if he wasn’t my mate? Was I just going to break his heart when the person that I was meant to be with came around? Should I allow myself to do that? Or should I be nice to Clovio and just leave him.

It would hurt him now, but it wouldn’t have to hurt him forever. He would find someone else eventually. He would get over me. I just hoped that I found my mate soon enough to get over him. Or better yet, that it clicked for me and that he was my mate.

I mean, if I looked at how intensely Warrick looked at Lyssa, and how Clovio looked at me, there wasn’t really that much of a difference. He had to feel the same for me that Warrick felt for Lyssa. He just had to.

.....

Or, well, I guess I could be deluding myself into thinking that. I just wanted to know for sure. And I was never going to know for sure if my parents locked me up in the castle like I was some prisoner.

“UGH!” I grunted and groaned loudly as I flung myself onto the bench next to Lyssa and Alexa.

“What’s the matter with you?” Alexa asked me with worry in her voice.

“Parents are the fucking worst.” I snapped, not at them just in general.

“Yeah, they can be, but they’re also super cool. Your mom and dad are really nice.” Lyssa tried to calm me down. “I was happy that my dad and papa came home last night. They’ve been gone for a long time. And my dad drove me to school this morning too.”

“Yeah, I heard. My dad drove us too.” I nodded at her. “How did your dad take the news of you and Warrick being mates.” I was excited to see how that conversation went. I knew that her parents wouldn’t act like my dad did.

“O..oh, w..well, they had just gotten home and we were all celebrating, I..I just didn’t want to-.”

“She didn’t tell them.” Levi cut her off.

“But she is going to today, aren’t you Lyssa?” Luka added in a scary voice.

“Leave her alone.” Alexa snapped back at them. “She is trying to figure all of this out on her own. It’s not our fault that Dad and Papa ran off to do some job somewhere. She will tell them when she is ready.”

“She will tell them today.” Levi yelled back at her. “I don’t like those guys. They give me the creeps.”

“Yeah, they seem weird.” Luka added as he shivered.

“Well, you better get used to them because Warrick is my mate. I feel it inside of me. I know that I can’t ever love anyone else. He is it for me. And I would likely die without him.” Lyssa’s words were powerful but low. She needed to make sure that no humans in the area heard what she had just said. “This is my life you guys, and I won’t let someone else tell me what I can and can’t do.”

“But you don’t know these people. What if they’re bad? What if they’re criminals?” Luka looked scared for his sister.

“I know that Warrick is a good man. I can feel it in my heart.”

“Goddess Lyssa, you’re so fucking stupid.” Levi snapped at her. “You’re going to get yourself hurt.”

“Shut up!” She snapped back at him. “Just shut up and leave me alone.” They were causing a scene and others were looking at us. Not only that, but I could see Clovio and Warrick coming our way.

“Lower your voices.” I snapped at them all. “People are staring, and Clovio and Warrick are coming over here right now.”

“Ugh! I don’t want to see that.” Luka rolled his eyes.

“Let’s go.” Levi and Luka left then, presumably to find my brother and complain about us even more.

“I am sorry about that, Lyssa.” I soothed her. “Brothers are assholes.”

“I hate when they get like that. They are so paranoid.” Lyssa pouted, but then Warrick sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulders.

“What is wrong, my love?” He asked her with a worried look in his eyes. He was such a loving man toward her. Seeing that made me want to look at Clovio. I wanted to see if he was looking at me like that.

“Hello Rika.” He called out to me. “I am happy to see you.” He was smiling. There was no concern or worry in his eyes at all. Then again, I wasn’t the one pouting. I was in the midst of that argument though. Shouldn’t he be checking if I was OK as well?

“I am happy to see you too.” Despite his lack of concern for me, I beamed at him to show him just how happy I really was.

“What was happening here just now? A fight with the family?” Clovio asked in a calm voice.

“Yes. My brothers were being stupid.” Alexa glared after them. “It’s nothing to worry about.”

“Ahh. I remember fighting with the others in the orphanage. We were not brothers and sisters, but we fought like we were.” It looked like the memories were a mixture of good and bad as Clovio thought about them. “They are my family though, and I would not trade them for anything.”

“You were raised together. Of course you would see them as family.” Lyssa smiled over at him.

“H..hey Lyssa.” I called out to her as I had a thought run through my mind.

“Yes Rika?” She was calmer now that Warrick was around.

“Come here for a moment. I need to tell you something.”

I took her hand and pulled her after me. Alexa, come with us as well while the guys stayed sitting on the bench next to the fountain. I looked back and smiled at Clovio as we stopped. I needed to make sure that they didn’t hear us.

“What is it?” Lyssa asked me curiously.

“Well, I kind of told my dad about Warrick this morning. I also told him about Clovio.”

“WHAT?!” Both Alexa and Lyssa shouted in surprise.

“Why would you do that, Rika?” Lyssa looked so hurt. “You know that he is going to tell my parents. And they are going to be so pissed off at me.”

“I am sorry. I thought that you were going to tell them. I was so excited because, w..well, I think, or I hope, that Clovio is my mate. I like him a lot. And, w..well, I don’t want him to leave me.” I was embarrassed. And I really hadn’t meant to hurt her at all.

“Hahh. I know you didn’t do it to get me in trouble Rika, I just wish that you hadn’t jumped the gun.”

“I know. It’s just that my dad is making me go home right after school now. That’s why I told him. I wanted to spend time with Clovio. You and I were supposed to go out with them today.”

“Yeah, I know.” I watched as she seemed to deflate. “I wanted to see him too.”

“Go.” Alexa spoke excitedly.

“What?” I was confused.

“I said go. Go with them. Now. I will take notes for you. Just be back before it’s time for us to get picked up this afternoon. I will cover for you. And our brothers will never know.”

“Really?” Both Lyssa and I sounded shocked and excited.

“Yes. Now go. Before I changed my mind.” She was laughing and pushing us toward the bench.

“Thank you, Alexa.” I hugged her.

“Thank you so much, sis.” Lyssa hugged her too.

“Just go.” She was laughing and pushing us again.

“Come on, Lyssa, let’s go have a morning date.” I took her hand, and we practically ran back to the guys.

The two of them were a little shocked by our excitement and enthusiasm now. They were smiling though, so I don’t really think that it was all that big of a deal for them.

“You seem better now.” Warrick was looking at Lyssa like she was all he could see.

“Yeah, I am feeling better. You see, my parents got home last night, and so did Rika’s. They were out of town on business and well, they want us home right after classes are done, no exceptions.”

“Ah, but that ruins our plans.” Clovio looked sad now.

“Don’t worry.” I held my hands up in a stopping motion. “Alexa is going to cover for us so that we can go on a date right now. She will give us all of today’s notes as well.”

“Really? That is wonderful.” Clovio seemed to brighten up so much at hearing that. “Thank you, Alexa. This is wonderful.”

“Yes, truly, thank you.” Warrick took Lyssa’s hand as he stood up. “We will be back before it is time for you to go home.” The two of them were already pulling us toward the street and away from the building that we were waiting in front of. This was going to be amazing. And our parents would never know.

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