by Simone Elise
“No, actually her name is Choc.” Charlie said brightly to his father while in his arms. “She likes it more.”
I rolled my eyes and pulled myself up off the ground. Can you scream awkward? “I think you like it more, Charlie.” I shot the boy a small smile. Xavier’s mouth was hanging open, looking at me like he had just got busted, and, to a degree, he had.
“Dad, I want to be picked up.” Nathan tugged on Xavier’s pants. “Why does Charlie always get picked up?”
Xavier glanced down at his son, but snapped his eyes back to me, like he was expecting me to disappear.
“Do you two know each other?” Emily said, slightly surprised. She walked to her husband’s side. It burnt me think that. Husband. He was meant to be mine.
Shaking my head, “Um, yeah. Mr. Clark is my teacher.” I smiled warmly at Emily. “Really small world.”
Emily smiled and nodded her head. “It really is. So you must be the famous Chloe.”
I frowned and glanced sideways at Xavier before returning my attention to his wife. “I don’t think I’m famous.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you. I think your one of his favorite students.” She winked at me and placed a hand on her husband’s shoulder. “I heard about your sporting abilities.” She smiled.
I opened my mouth and closed it again. What was I meant to say to that? He had spoken about me to his wife? That was beyond awkward and entered strange. I should say something. I needed something to say back.
“Um, well I, I mean we, the class have heard so much about his wife. It’s great to finally meet you.” I smiled at her, hiding the fact that I was lying. Emily’s smile seemed to get bigger.
“I’m surprised you know about me! Xavier won’t even wear a wedding ring.” She said her voice still light. Xavier doesn’t wear a ring because he was keeping it from me. I wanted to throw at her.
“Men are strange.” I shrugged my shoulders. “Charlie will have to teach you some of his skills to convince Mr. Clark.” I smiled.
Xavier just stared at me with complete shock. His expression screamed, ‘Shit, I’ve been caught.’ And he had.
Emily laughed, smiling up at Xavier. “Yeah, our boys have blackmailing down to a fine art.”
“That they do.” I nodded my head and stuffed my hands in my pockets. “Well, I should be going.”
“Choc has to go. Put me down, Dad.” Charlie ordered and wiggled in Xavier’s arms. Xavier slowly lowered Charlie to the ground. As soon as the kid’s legs touched the ground, he ran in my direction.
“Can we play together another time?” Charlie asked, looking up at me.
“Um, maybe. We’ll see.” I smiled down at him and arched an eyebrow. “Over the whole water thing then, are we?”
Charlie cocked his head to the side and grinned at me. “Yeah, I got you back.”
Glancing down at my wet jeans, I said, “That you did.”
Nathan ran to Charlie’s side and pushed him roughly away from me. “I think we made a better team, Choc,” Nathan said happily, ignoring his brother’s complaints.
Smiling at Nathan, I sent him a wink. “I’ve got to go, guys. See you around.” I turned my head to Emily “Lovely to meet you, Mrs. Clark.” Glancing sideways at Xavier, I said, “See you in class, Mr. Clark.”
“Bye, Chloe. You too.” Emily smiled at me while the boys sung ‘bye, Choc’ together, before sprinting off to their parents’ sides and starting to nag for ice cream.
Turning my back on them, I let an unsteady breath out. I hated fate right now. Just keep walking, Chloe. Each step is a step farther away from him.
“Em, you take the boys and get them ice cream. I just want to talk to Chloe about something,” I heard Xavier say behind me. Cursing myself as he called my name, I heard his footsteps jog up behind me. “Chloe, wait.”
Stopping, I put a fake smile on and turned to face him. “Yes, Mr. Clark?”
Xavier’s expression was dry. “They’re gone.” I glanced over his shoulder and saw the retreating backs of his family as they walked in the direction of the market.
My smile fell from my face instantly and my face went blank. “What do you want then?”
Xavier looked nervous. “You know then.” He wouldn’t meet my eye, and he suddenly found interest in the ground. I could feel his shame emanating from his body as he stood there.
“You mean, did someone tell me you had a family?” I arched an eyebrow. “Yeah, I got filled in. But I didn’t know they were it.” I crossed my arms and tried really hard not to just rant at him and give vent to all my feelings.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” he muttered. “I just thought it would be easier for you if you didn’t know.”
“You say that a lot. Sorry,” I shot back and glared at a nearby tree. “Sort of sick of hearing it, you know.”
“Yeah I know,” Xavier replied kicking a stone with his shoe. “I just didn’t know how to tell you.”
I grunted. “Yeah, how do you tell your mate you want to stay with a human?” I snapped, venom leaking into my words.
I saw him flinch, and I immediately felt bad. Sighing, I walked over to a bench and sat down. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” I ran a hand through my hair.
Xavier slowly walked towards me and slumped down on the bench next to me. “I should have told you about them.”
“Yeah you should have.” I played with the zipper on my hoodie. “Can I ask you something?”
Xavier turned his head to the side and his dashing good looks made my breath hitch, as always.
“Shoot.”
Pulling my eyes away from him, I asked, “Does she know about you? What you are?”
“No.”
I snapped my head at his quick reply. “You’re kidding?”
He shook his head. “She doesn’t know.”
I scoffed and grunted through my nose. “I don’t believe you.”
Xavier shrugged his shoulders and leaned back against the bench. “I can’t tell her. It’s better this way.”
“You won’t be saying that when she notices how slowly you age, or when one of her kids bursts into a wolf after a tantrum.”
“The boys might not be—”
“But they could be.” I turned to face him. “Are you even thinking about them? What this could mean for them?”
Xavier sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. “Why do you think I am staying? I have to be near them.”
Shaking my head. “You don’t have to stay with her to ensure their safety and bring them up.”
Xavier raised an eyebrow. “I can’t actually drag them around with me. They love their mother.”
“So they should,” I shot back and turned to face forward again. “Why? Why did you mate a human?”
Keeping my eyes glued on the happy children playing on the playground, I added, “Why didn’t you wait for me?”
“I couldn’t find you. I searched for you, for years. As soon as I turned 18, I went everywhere looking for you.” I noticed Xavier shake his head out of the corner of my eye. “If only I had known I should have been searching elementary schools.”
“Don’t try and hide your disgust, Xavier.” I growled low, my fingers beginning to curl into fists and my blood beginning to boil. “So you gave up on me?”
“No.”
I glanced at him slightly and my eyes locked with his as he stared at me.
“I had a fling with Emily one night. Then a few months later, I ran into her again she was pregnant.” Xavier shrugged his shoulders. “I fell in love with her and that’s when we got married. Been together ever since. Then we moved here and I met you.”
“Please spare me the details,” I scoffed. “Then you met me. That really threw a wrench into your life didn’t it?”
“You are my mate, Chloe. Of course it has changed everything.” His voice was low and soft. His leg brushed against mine.
“But you were alread
y with her.” I attempted to cover my hurt, but I knew he could hear it. “You already had your family.”
“I can’t leave them and I would never expect you to—”
“What? Wait until she died or something?” I scoffed. “Until you couldn’t have the one you really want?”
“I said I would never ask that of you and you know that there is no competition between you two.”
“You’re right. You denied me for her.”
Xavier placed his hand on my thigh and turned towards me. I wouldn’t turn to look at him. I couldn’t.
“Chloe, you’re my mate. There never will be and never could be a competition between the two of you.”
I gulped, inhaling quickly. “So you are going to be with her until you know about the boys? Or what?”
“I am going to stay with her for as long as I can.”
I frowned and turned around to face him. “So you want to be with her?”
“I can’t be with you. So it doesn’t matter who I am with.”
I shook my head. “You are twisting my emotions again, Xavier. You tell me you want me. You tell me you don’t want her. Then you say you will be with her.”
“Do you not think it kills me doing this?” Xavier snapped. “Do you think I really can be with her? Look at her the way I look at you. The way I want to be with you!”
I brought my hands to my head and then shook it lightly. “I wish I had a normal mate.” I dropped my hands and stood up. “I wish Dan was my mate. I wish I had someone who I could be with.”
Xavier looked at me with complete and utter pain. “Chloe, if I could be with you, I would be.”
I let out a scoff. “I don’t believe you.” I began to walk away. “I’m sure you could find another reason not to be with me. See you in class, Mr. Clark. Have a nice weekend with your family.” I stopped and tossed over my shoulder, “And you should wear your wedding ring. You have nothing to hide anymore.”
With that, I picked up my pace. For the first time, I was the one walking away from him.
Chapter 6
“It was reckless, Chloe. Can’t you see that?” my mom said calmly with her arms crossed. I rolled my eyes and glanced between my ticked off dad and my overly calm mom.
“It was nothing,” I replied with boredom. “Nothing happened. Seriously, you guys are overdoing this.”
“Overdoing it!” My dad slammed his fist down on the table. “You totaled the car on purpose! You could have killed yourself, or someone else!”
“I’m fine! And I didn’t kill anyone.” I threw my hands up in the air, sick of repeating the same thing for the last hour, since the cops brought me home. “And it was my car.”
I knew too well that every pack wolf in the house could hear me being told off. Maybe some of them had gotten bored with it because it had been going on for hours.
“Reckless driving, Chloe. That’s what you are being charged with.” My mom shot a sideways glance at my dad. “We know that you are having a rough time at the moment. But this, Chloe, is beyond reasonable.”
I sighed and dropped my head in my hands. “It’s not that big of a deal. I just wanted to take the car for a spin. Really, it’s not like I wanted to kill myself. This isn’t a failed suicide attempt here.”
My mother looked at me questioningly and that’s when I got it. They actually thought that that was what drove me to drive so recklessly. Sure, I didn’t want to kill myself, but at the same time I didn’t really care if I got hurt.
“Well, we called Xavier to come around and talk to you,” my dad said. My eyes shot wide.
“You’re kidding! It’s like six in the morning!” They couldn’t have called him. Surely, they wouldn’t put me through that. But I saw my dad’s determined look and that’s all I needed to know.
“Think of this from our point of view for a moment, Chloe. One, we get a phone call from the hospital saying you were in an accident and you had disappeared. Two, hours later, the police deliver you to our door, with a tow car later showing up, delivering your car in pieces. Chloe, you have to understand what sort of message this sends us.” My dad attempted to be calm, but I knew his anger lay right under the surface.
I couldn’t focus on what he was saying, or really take it in. All my attention and senses were consumed with the thought of Xavier coming over. “You have to call him. Tell him to not bother,” I snapped and pulled my phone out, sliding it across the table in the direction of my father. “Now.”
“I don’t take orders. I give them.” He narrowed his eyes. “It will do good for you to speak to him.”
Clenching my fists and standing up from the kitchen chair, I said, “He is the last person in the world I want to see.”
“So you admit he influenced your actions tonight?” my mom spoke up.
“Did I say that?” I gritted my teeth. “Stop bringing him into my problems! He has nothing to do with me!”
My mom and dad shared one of those looks, a look that said “we were right.” And that angered me to no end.
I heard the dull sound of the front door opening and that fired a reaction in me. Darting through the kitchen, I ignored my dad’s warnings as I made a beeline through the kitchen door, making it spin But before it had spun twice, I was leaping over the living room couch and slamming through the next door.
Even though my body ached slightly from the car crash I was in just hours before, that didn’t stop me. All I needed to know was Xavier was behind me and that fuelled my legs to run up the hallway. Spotting the back door, I knew I was free.
***
I was laughing with Dan, as we walked, hand in hand, into Mr. Clark’s class.
“Your dad was fuming when he called mine to see if you were there.” Dan shot me a small smirk. “I’m surprised you didn’t hear it.”
Rolling my eyes, I said, “I’m a sound sleeper. I’m surprised your parents didn’t pick up my scent in the house.”
“I think they did.” Dan shot me his flawless smile, as he took the desk next to mine, dragging it slightly closer so he didn’t have to drop my hand. I couldn’t suppress the smile. He really did care for me.
“Well, I’m glad they didn’t give me up.” I flipped my hair back, still with a wide grin on my face.
“How were they this morning?” Dan asked, pulling his textbook out with his free hand.
“Yeah, ok. They had calmed down, though they weren’t too pleased with me not coming home last night.”
“Did you do your training this morning?” Dan asked, changing the subject. The room was beginnning to fill, and he knew I didn’t want everyone aware of what had happened over the weekend.
I sighed. Man, this guy was amazing, “Yeah I did, nearly killed me. I know I’m fit. But, you know, training requires a different sort of fitness.”
“You can crash a few of my solo trainings if you want. Get you back in shape.” He shot me a wink as the bell rang.
“You sure you don’t mind?”
“Please. Seeing you hot and sweaty, Chloe, is enough of a reason.”
Chuckling and shaking my head, I rolled my eyes. “You’re bad, Dan.”
I felt him walk in before I saw him. I didn’t need to turn around.
“Morning, class. Daniel, please put your desk back in line with the others,” Xavier ordered. Dan rolled his eyes as he dragged his desk back in line with the others. I didn’t want to make Xavier jealous, so it was for the best that Dan wasn’t close to me right now.
“Let’s get down to business. Come up and hand your homework in.” Xavier gestured with his hands for people to get moving. There were soft groans from the few people who hadn’t done their homework.
I pulled my nicely written homework out of my textbook. This would be a first for this class.
“I can take it up,” Dan said, swiftly scooping up my work from my desk.
“Thanks.” I smiled at him, leaning my elbow on the table and placing my chin on it. I w
atched his broad back as he moved through the desks. I saw the annoyed glare Xavier shot him. Sighing, I rolled my eyes.
The jealousy was always going to be there. How should I deal with it?
***
“Can I speak to you for a moment, Mr. Clark?” I asked as I stayed back while the rest of the class walked out.
Xavier crossed his arms and leaned against his desk. “Sure, Chloe. What can I help you with?”
I waited for the last person to walk through the door. Then I walked up and slid it closed gently, before turning around and facing him.
“I want to ask for a transfer out of this class.”
Xavier’s eyes widened briefly. “Is this because of Saturday? Look, Ch-”
“This is because the separation isn’t going to work with us being so close all the time.”
It pained me to say it, but I knew I didn’t have a choice. “It is what you wanted, after all. I’m sure you understand my reasons.”
I heard Xavier grunt and it made my eyes snap to him. “This is what I want. That’s your reason then?” I saw his jaw clench.
“Xavier, what do you want me to do? I can’t sit in your classroom when I know you are watching my every move. Not to mention the glares you’re giving Dan. Like, come on!”
“You shouldn’t have a relationship with him in the first place.” Xavier narrowed his eyes. “He is an unmated wolf. You know that this is just going to hurt you in the long run. You’re only temporary until he finds his mate.”
My eyes watered. “Thanks for reminding me.” The tears didn’t drop but I knew they were there. “Whose fault is it that I will never have a mate?” I crossed my arms. “Oh, yeah. It’s yours.”
“I told you, I won’t leave her.”
“And I told you I want a transfer.”
“I’m not allowing you to transfer.”
“Why the hell not!” I hissed taking a step towards him. My eyes narrowed and I felt my body roil with hatred. “You don’t want me. You want your wife. You want the separation. So why delay it?”
Xavier shot me a guilty look before uncrossing his arms and shoving his hands in his pockets. His whole posture screamed guilty.