LILA’S P. O. V.
Spending the day with Eli and Jace is great and all but they are not Mateo and Callum. I try to get rid of these thoughts, but it isn’t working. Every now and then I will catch a glimpse of Mateo and I want to go to him. Callum keeps trying to steal me away but Jace doesn’t let him.
After lunch I make time for Callum though. I am going to miss him tomorrow and I want to spend some time with him. I tell Jace and Eli that I need to rest, they take it with a grain of salt. Still they let me have it.
Callum curls up in my lap. “You are going to miss me huh?” He nods. “I’m sorry, I can’t stay.” He looks up at me and nods his head again. “I know you think I can, but I can’t. I have to go home. I have to see my mom and both my dads. They have been really worried about me. You understand right?” He shakes his head. I can see tears in his eyes. “You know I love you.” He nods again.
I sigh and pull him closer.
“I wish I could take you with me.” I snuggle him closer. “You are like my little pup. Don’t ever think I don’t love you just like you were my own.” He buries his head into my chest. It feels better today.
I didn’t hear the door open but Mateo’s voice brought it to my attention. “You know you don’t have to leave.”
I don’t look at him. I won’t say what I need to, if I do. “I do have to leave.”
“I really hope that you change your mind.” His voice sounds like a whisper.
“You know what? I don’t like this side of you. You don’t sound confident and sure. You sound lost and I don’t like it.” I growl at him.
“Well, maybe if my mate wasn’t leaving tomorrow I wouldn’t feel like shit.” He growls back.
“I am not your mate.”
“Liar.” We are shouting at each other now. I am not sure why the whole house isn’t running in here right now, but the only one that shows up is Ash.
“Guys, you are seriously loud. The whole pack is going to hear you soon.” He scolds us both. “This conversion is getting ridiculous. Lila, I get why you don’t want to recognize the mate bond, but this is seriously something that you two can’t fight. You are both miserable without each other. Not sure why you two want to keep fighting it. I mean I understand but at the same time it is pointless. The only thing that is going to make this go away is if you reject him. Are you going to do that?”
“No, I couldn’t do that to a person. My dad said it was the worst pain he ever felt in his life. I just ask that Mateo rejects me before he mates with another wolf. I couldn’t handle that pain either.” I don’t like either consequence.
“Then why don’t you just stay. Why make you both suffer in any way? I have seen you two together. You can’t deny that you two are good together. The way you work with the pack, work with each other, the way you take care of Callum. What is wrong with any of that?” He makes sense. I just can’t.
“I can’t Ash, I don’t think you really understand why I can’t.”
I can feel the anger radiating from Mateo. “You know what? Fuck it, you want to leave then have a good life.” He storms out of the room.
Ash shakes his head. “You both are just pains in my ass.” He leaves too.
Callum holds me closer. I rub his back. “I know buddy. I know.” I don’t really know what I am supposed to say, but I hope I am making him feel better. That is all I can do.