Love Grows In The Dark

by Eli Lowe

One thing I had realised very clearly last night, that there was no such question ever made for me, like, if I could accept my fate or not. In fact, I didn't have a say at all.

  I put on my clothes as soon as possible right after I shifted back, without giving my mate much time to start his perverted acts once again. And he did the same as well.

  “You are beautiful mate.” As soon as he was done wearing all of his clothes, mate hugged me from behind only to say the words in my ears, letting me feel a thousand of tingles at once.

  “No. I am not. I am just like a shadow. The darkest one.” I replied without even realising that he was no different from me.

  “You know, a shadow is one such thing which proves that you are very real...it proves that you exist. And also, the darker the shadow, the brighter place you are in. So, I am very happy that you are the darkest one. I could not imagine my mate's wolf to be any better than yours. You are just perfect.

  You are perfect for me.” His words were like magic. I have never expected anyone to say such things to me.

  But then again, how could he stop there only after saying a few good things, and doing nothing to prove himself to be the exact opposite?

  No, he just couldn't.

  So, he trailed his hand down carefully and stopped on my hips, to say,

  “And you are soft too.” With the words, he didn't hold himself back from grabbing my ass like a savage, letting the already growing bulge on his pant grow even more only to poke on my lower back as he came even closer than before.

  “Let me go. I need to get back home. It's very late.” Though I was bothered the least about the late hours, it was the only excuse that I can give, so that he might agree to let me go out of his grip at last.

  “Then say, you will come tonight.” He said but it fell on my ears like some threatening, as, if I don't come, he will hunt me down.

  “I will come.” Only after I said those words, he did let me go, even when he was still unwilling to do so.

  And just when I was about to walk away, he pulled me back by my hand only to say,

  “Without a kiss, I am not letting you go. Remember that very clearly. When you come, you kiss. When you go, you kiss. And when you stay, you kiss. And you have to follow this rule if you want me not to sneak a peek of your face. Okay?” Mate's words made me realise, in what dangerous trap I had stepped my foot in already.

  So, I had no choice but to kiss him in order to stay hidden, but he made sure to make the kiss last longer as he took time to savour the pleasure for himself for the rest of the day, until he gets to kiss me once again.

  And with that one last kiss, he messed my mind once again. Although I did come out of the darkest alley from the other end, my mind forgot to tell my legs what to do or not too. I just kept walking while my mind was busy running to somewhere else.

  I didn't know when I came back home last night, but now I know that I had left my bike behind.

  Yes,

  I totally forgot on my way back, that I took my bike along with me last night, cause I was so involved in my own weird thoughts throughout my long late-night walk. And now the bike must be at the exact place where I had parked it, and waiting for me eagerly to come and get it back.

  Tsk.

  I could not help but sigh.

  Now the real question is what do I say to Kaith?

  “Hey! Haven't you slept last night? You are looking tired.” In no time Kaith made his way in my room only to attack me with his typical questions.

  “No. I couldn't.” I replied.

  “Again?” I had no more words to answer him, cause over the last few years I got quite tired saying only ' yes' to this question. So I nodded instead.

  He sighed as he felt helpless too for not being able to help me out of my misery.

  “So, where is your bike? Did you leave it at the coffee shop yesterday?” And with that Kaith had started his series of interrogation which I wanted to avoid badly. But I couldn't.

  “No.” Seeing me replying in such a way, he had already guessed that something was not right, at least his face was saying so, which became wrapped with sudden anxiety in no time, and it was just what I was afraid to deal with.

  “Don't tell me that someone broke your bike again.” He asked with his now wide eyes.

  “No. I have left my bike somewhere else. I will get it back later. Now, you go to school and leave me alone.” I laid down on the bed again and pulled the cover up to my face to avoid the light which seemed annoyingly bright for my quite dull and hopeless life.

  “What do you mean. Are you not coming? Are you sick? Sam?” And again he kept irritating me with his nonstop queries.

  “No. I am not sick, Kaith. But I don't feel like going to school today. So leave me alone.” I yelled as I could not hold myself back from doing so.

  But it was Kaith, on whom my yelling does not work at all.

  “No, Sam. That is never going to happen. And you are coming to school with me today. Now, get up and get ready, or I am coming with a bucket of water the next moment you say no. So, what do you like to choose?” He announced as if he gave me some favourable options to choose from.

  “Do I even have a choice?” I asked rolling my eyes only to get his reply as I had expected.

  “No.” He was about to get out of my room after he had accomplished his sole mission for this morning, when I stopped him to ask something which had just appeared to me,

  “How would we three fit in just one bike?”

  “Stupid. I will take dad's car today. Now hurry.” He went out, after closing the door behind.

  I sighed.

  Yes, I was scared to go to school. I was scared to meet the familiar blue eyes once again.

  Who knows what I would be able to find out next if I go to school today. Judging by the hopeless life of mine, I should be prepared for anything and everything.

  Anyway,

  Both Kaith and I went to pick up Jenny for school today and from there, all of us headed towards the one and only destination. The school. No, I didn't forget to wear Kaith's shirt either, in order to hide my smell from mate, at least when I knew that he will be there at the school too.

  But little did I know that fate had saved yet another game to play with me. Little did I know that everything that we see doesn't always turn out to be the truth.

  Cause something like that happened to me as well, which had changed my way of looking, entirely, and forced me to think from the very beginning all over again.

  I was left all clueless.

  You must be wondering what happened?

  Well,

  When we three reached the school, at last, I was greeted with the most familiar smell instantly, which made me well aware of the very news that my mate was present right then and there.

  Yes, I panicked even when I had no reason to worry.

  And only when I looked around to find the familiar face, I became stunned with some sudden realisation.

  My eyes found Markus.

  But the strange thing was that the alluring smell was dragging me to a completely different direction than him.

  What the hell?

  Episode 19

  Summer's P.O.V

  How could this be even possible?

  What kind of brutal game was going on, with which my fate had indulged itself completely just for some fun, only to make my life even more hopeless?

  No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't find any reason behind all those confusions that my mind kept getting entangled with. As far as I remember, my days had changed drastically since I had been found by my mate not so long ago. And after that, every day came to greet me with a whole new mystery, with a whole new puzzle only to get it all messed up as soon as the next day arrives declaring the fact that I have to find all those possible reasons to complete the unsolved puzzle, all over again.

  Until now, I had really thought that Markus was the one, but I could not say the same anymore.

  I knew the whole time that I was m
issing a puzzle but which one, I didn't know.

  Did I feel a bit relieved finding that there was still the possibility of Markus not being my mate?

  No.

  Cause, I knew how unfortunate I was. And I was absolutely confident that if not him, someone even worse was waiting for me at the other end, only to consume me totally.

  But the most important thing for me right now was to solve whatever mystery was going on with my still unknown mate.

  And I was even more scared than before to know the truth.

  The first bell went off all of a sudden, announcing the need to rush to our first class, leaving whatever useless things we were doing. And it also gave me the chance to sneak away from someone's intense gaze which did not fail to find me as well, since I had arrived.

  Yes, just like I noticed Markus irrespective of the fact that he was not the one who was emitting the most intoxicating smell for me, but someone else was whom I couldn't find yet...Markus saw me too. As if he was waiting for me only. As if he had so many things to tell.

  But the period bell saved me this time.

  So, I ran away from this kind of awkward situation that had recently started to build between us unknowingly.

  I kept sneaking around the entire day at school only to save myself from coming in front of those particular guys, not even accidentally or coincidentally, so that I could lessen the misery of my life a bit.

  And I was almost successful at that until the most irritating one came to mess with me himself.

  Yes, Adrian.

  After school, I was going to the cafe as usual for work, but it seemed that fate had other plans for me today.

  What happened?

  Okay, then let me start from the start.

  When it was time to go back from school, I insisted Kaith not to bother about me cause I needed a good evening stroll to clear out my mind, so I asked him to leave with Jenny without a worry. And after so many attempts, Kaith finally agreed to leave me on my own, as I started to walk towards my destination slowly, letting the breeze fondle with my skin as much as it like.

  As I was liking my evening stroll a bit more than usual, I had decided to take a different turn to make my path longer, at least when I had enough time before reporting at my work.

  But little did I know that it was the biggest mistake of my life. How could I forget that I was never supposed to try to find any kind of comfort ever in my life?

  And if I could know what prices I would have to pay for doing so, I would never dare to choose a different path.

  I had never imagined that a little change could drag me to stand in front of that brute, Adrian.

  Yes,

  When I was walking on the unusually quiet road this evening, a bike came from behind only to stand in front of me, crossing my way ahead. And as soon as I saw the vicious smile on his face, I already knew what was going to happen.

  “Perfect. Just what I needed.” Adrian said menacingly as soon as he got off from his bike only to near me with something in his hand, which I failed to notice before.

  “What do you want?” I asked with a stern voice, cause I knew what he was capable of. He was the best to win a fight with tricks but not with strength and fighting skills. And he was trying out the exact thing in which he was good at.

  “Oh, look how innocent you are. But no matter how much you pretend, only I know how good you can act a victim.

  Only I know to what extent you can go only to prove yourself as the sole sufferer.

  But do you know what I had to go through for all of your great deeds?” He spat with the utmost hatred which was nothing new for me.

  “I don't need to know, cause I was never the reason for your hardship if there was any.” Even though I said, it seemed that he was more difficult to deal with words only, as he was not even willing to listen to whatever I was trying to say. The only thing which his hazel eyes were reflecting under the dull evening sun, was the thirst to make someone else suffer for his self created agony.

  “Yes, you were. Always. Cause you were the only one for whom I had to lose my face each time in front of everyone. For you, no one even takes me seriously, even though I am a beta, the second most powerful in our pack.

  And you were also the reason for which my Alpha, my friend didn't even think twice to stand against me.

  So tell me? How do you want to repay?” As soon as he finished saying all his reasons to hate me the most, Adrian smirked viciously once again and started to fiddle with the very thing which was in his hand all along. That thing shone brightly for the slightest second just when the last ray of the sun fell on it and disappeared in the next second, which caused me to freeze with a shocking realisation.

  Silver.

  It was a silver dagger in his hand.

  But why?

  What did he want to do with that?

  Something inside me warned ever so loudly and told me to be cautious with each of our moves.

  “It was all you, not me. Only if you got enough courage to be the man to fight from the front, you might never have to face all this situation today.” I said which made him even angrier, only because he just could not accept the bitter truth.

  “Well, you see. That is why I am here today. I am here to do the exact thing that I can do best.” And with that Adrian came closer with his silver dagger in order to harm me.

  Cause silver was the only thing which makes us weak, and wounds caused by the exact same metal could even turn out to be fatal for someone. And he knew that very well.

  In the dusk, when the sunlight had already abandoned us only to be lost in the darkness of the night, I was preparing myself to fight a coward with my bare hands, while there was only a little dagger which was holding me back from breaking all the bones of that prick, Adrian.

  And at last, he attacked, attempting to tear me apart with that silver but I dodged ever so quickly only to grab him by his hand and flipped his entire body which had made him crash on the ground with a loud thud.

  I was almost determined to let him go without dragging the fight even further, but as if nothing like that was ever meant to happen. One thing led to another only to emerge as an enormous fight between us while I kept dodging the silver threat and he kept coming on me with the little favour he was holding in his hand.

  But that could not last for long, as I made sure of that.

  When the frustration of not being able to hurt me till now started to make him even more impatient, I knew that it was my turn to act quickly. And in no time he was again lying under my knee while I was able to twist his arms successfully breaking one or two bones for sure.

  Yes, his terrifying screams confirmed so.

  But just when I released Adrian free after taking the dagger from him to throw away, another bike stopped, just before us.

  The dazzling light from the bike fell on my eyes and deprived me to see who it was. The only thing I could see at that moment was that the person got off from his bike only to approach us as quickly as possible.

  He pulled me up from the already broken and devastated Adrian in no time and asked finally,

  “What the hell did he do to you? Are you hurt?” The voice made me shiver in absolute fear, giving me enough reason to panic, just when I recognized the very voice.

  It was Markus.

  The one and only Markus.

  And he was worried about me instead of taking care of his pathetic beta, Adrian?

  But, then again, another series of realisation engulfed me all of a sudden, with no intention to let me break free from my misery.

  Cause, I realised that even though he had touched me unconsciously, I felt nothing. I felt no tingles at all. His touch did not create all those sparks, that mate's touch supposed to erupt inside me. I could not feel the sensations which I felt last night and the day before last night as well.

  And...and he didn't have the smell on him anymore as well. Then, what happened yesterday? How could I smell my mate's scent on him? As if he was the one w
ho was emitting the very smell. What could be the reason?

  Then again, what about last night when I saw his wolf?

  I was very much sure that I saw the exact same eyes. They were the same seductive blue which had totally convinced me that it could be none but Markus. But what now?

  Everything started to mess up in my mind once again. I kept thinking, if it was not Markus then who could it be?

  “Summer?” Even after waiting for some time to get my reply, at last when he realized that I was showing not a single sign to answer any of his questions at all, he asked again, shaking my body gently with his hands.

  “Yes?” I was pulled out of my thoughts only to be greeted with those familiar blue eyes once again.

  “Are you hurt?” He asked once more.

  “No.” I replied in just a word.

  “What are you doing here?” Markus started enquiring me for no reason.

  “Why don't you ask your own beta? I guess he has a lot of things to explain to you. Instead of me. And even if I try to explain, as if you would ever believe. So ask Adrian and I hope you will get whatever answer you are looking for.” I didn't bother to justify myself in order to prove my innocence. Cause I didn't care.

  While we were both involved in our little talk, I had completely forgotten about the one who was lying on the street till now but not anymore.

  Little did I know that one single move would change the entire scenario. And regret would be the only thing left for me to do. I kept asking myself,

  Why couldn't I be a little more attentive?

  Why someone else had to pay the price for me?

  And most of all why him? Why Markus?

  Yes, I could not stop regretting, cause something treacherous happened right at that moment in the dark, which I had expected the least.

  You see,

  While I was involved in my not so favourable conversation with Markus, shifting my attention from the little coward fellow just for a bit while, Adrian stood up with the silver dagger in one hand and took the opportunity only to plunge right into me, so that he could tear me apart with his silver dagger, robbing me of every chance to heal.

  But told you. Fate had other plans.

  Cause to both of our surprise the dagger sank deep into the chest, causing the blood to ooze out ever so cruelly, but not from me.