Chapter 15

Chloe's POV

My question seems to freeze Beca up and I narrow my eyes, tuning in on her emotions. Worry and fear seem to be taking over her, but as much as I want to go and comfort her, I need answers.

"Beca?" Her eyes flick to mine and she grimaces, realizing that I know exactly what she's feeling.

"I disrespected Elder John because of you." I flinch, not sure I heard her right.

"Um..what? Why?"

"I never talk to a new person at school so when you came and I talked to you, he was curious. He wanted to know why and I pretty much told him to fuck off."

"Why didn't you just tell him why?" Beca looks down, wringing her hands together.

"Because they already want to kill me and I didn't want to give them any reason to do it faster."

"But what's the big deal about telling him why you talked to me? Wait, why did you talk to me?" Beca remains quiet, which stirs up anger until it threatens to boil over, making me snap. "Beca? Why did you talk to me?"

"Because you're my mate!" Beca yells. I freeze.

"W-what does that mean?"

"Every wolf has a mate, the person they're meant to be with. Not everyone finds theirs but when they do, it's like finding your other half. I knew the instant you came to school." That must have been what those guys at the waterfall were talking about. Beca and I are meant to be together? I just found out that werewolves are real and that I'm meant to be with one. How do I handle that? What bothers me though, is that Beca hid it from me. This whole time, I've wondered why I feel so connected to her and this whole time, she knew. How could she keep something so important from me?

"What happens if I don't accept that?" Beca stops fidgeting and stares at me, eyes moist.

"W-what?"

"What would happen if I didn't want that?" I choke out the next question, hating the hurt that's breaking through Beca's carefully put up walls. "What if I didn't want you?" Beca's face goes expressionless and my heart aches. This is the first time that she's given me the Beca that everyone else gets. Cold and seemingly heartless.

"If you didn't want this, all you would have to do is say that you reject me. That's all it takes."

"What would happen to you?"

"Nothing." Beca's eye twitches and a tear rolls down her cheek. I frown, knowing that she just lied to me. Something would happen to her, but what? Do I want to know?

I have a choice to make now. If I stay with Beca, I'll be sucked into this world of wolves and danger. My life will change even more and I'm not sure I could handle it. After my dad died, everything changed and it almost broke me. I'm don't know for certain that Beca could keep me afloat. But I know about werewolves now and so I'll just spend the rest of my life wondering if the person next to me is one or some other supernatural creature that may exist. If I reject Beca, I won't have anyone to help me, to guide me through this now unknown world.

"Um..I need a little to think about this. To take it all in, if that's okay?"

"Of course," the emotionless voice coming from the girl in front of me is nothing like the Beca I know. Beca stands up and walks to the door, limping a little.

"Thank you for listening to me. If you guys need anything, you have my number." Beca opens the front door but doesn't leave yet. "Oh and Chloe? For what it counts, I really am sorry." She leaves and I stand up, wanting to go after her. Needing to go after her because the pull is so strong, I physically ache. I shove that away though because now that I know what it is, it feels different. More like a burden, an expectation. It hurts even more that I feel that way because I really like Beca, maybe even love her, but I have to take some time to figure this out. To figure out what feelings are mine and what's because of the connection.

"Are you okay?" My mom sets her hand on my arm but I shrug it off.

"I need to go lay down." Without another word, I walk away and go upstairs to my room. With a heavy sigh, I flop down on my bed. Beca's stony face haunts my thoughts, taunting me. What did I do?

…..

My heart is racing as I run through the woods. I have to get to her. Now before it's too late. Suddenly, I'm being picked up and I start to flail until I realize who it is.

"Beca?" The big gray wolf remains silent, focusing on getting to our unknown destination. "Beca? What's going on? Talk to me!" Beca stops suddenly and sets me down. She turns around to face me, frustration in those big silver eyes.

Chloe, I'm not Beca here.

"What? Than who are you?"

I'm her wolf. Her subconscious. We're connected on such a deep level, I'm able to project myself into your dreams.

"Wait. So this isn't actually a dream? What is it then?

Chloe, you are more special and powerful than you even realize. This isn't a dream or even a normal conversation between us. Think about it. Now, come on. I have to show you this before you awake.

The wolf bends down and I swing myself onto her back. Before I know it, we're off again. If this isn't a dream or even a conversation, what is it? I think hard about the first dream. We went to the waterfall and then a while later, Beca took me there. I let out a growl of frustration. What does it all mean?

We're here. I focus back on what's going on and where we are. We're in the woods, at a little cabin. It looks abandoned but I can see recent footsteps on the worn down path.

"Is that Beca's?" The wolf nods and we go closer. "Why are we here?" Before the wolf can answer, I spot Beca coming up a small path. Her head is down, hair covering her face. I hear a small sniffle and realize that she's crying.

"Beca?" I call out but Beca doesn't answer, going inside the cabin instead. "What's wrong with her?"

I can't tell you that. Deep inside you know. I'm about to let out another frustrated growl until it hits me. She must be coming back from my house. But it's dark. She talked to my mom and I way into the night and when she left, it was morning. So this has to be the next night. But how is that possible? If I'm not dreaming, am I seeing the future?

"Come on," a voice whispers and suddenly, Luke and his friends are surrounding the cabin. "That bitch is going to pay." There's some fumbling and then the sound of splashing.

"What are they doing?"

Look closer. Focus. I do as she says and suddenly, there's some sort of spotlight on the cabin. It's brighter now but everything around it is pitch black. Luke and his friends are carrying cans and tossing whatever liquid is inside on the ground and on the side of the cabin.

"Hurry. We don't want her to wake."

"It's fine," Luke hisses at someone. "I drugged her drink at lunch." There's a cackling and another voice breaks through the darkness. I recognize it as the bigger dude from the waterfall. Jason or something.

"How did you do that?"

"I know some people." There's more laughing and splashing.

"What are they throwing on there?" My voice is loud but no one looks my way. It's like I'm just an observer, watching and unable to do anything. The wolf remains silent. Why is she even here if she's not going to answer me?

I'm just here to show you the way. To help you learn. Of course she answers to that and not even very clearly.

"Who's got the matches?" Luke yells and something is thrown to him. There's a striking sound and I spot a small flame before it goes airborne. Everything seems to move in slow motion as the match flies through the air before hitting the ground. It bounces once and when it hits the ground a second time, the flame catches. It spreads like wildfire after that and pretty soon, everything is aflame, including the cabin. My screams are lost in the laughter and crackling sound of the fire. Fear consumes me just as the fire consumes the cabin and everything inside.

"Beca is in there! We have to do something!" I go to run but my feet won't move. "We have to help her!"

You are only an observer here. There is nothing you can do but watch and learn.

"Learn what? That I made a mistake? I should never have let Beca go." My legs buckle and I fall to my knees, sobbing. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry….."

"Chloe, wake up!" Hands shake me as my eyes fly open, the fear of my dream still there. My mom is sitting on the edge of my bed, worry written all over her face.

"Sweetheart, it was just a dream." She tries to comfort me but I remember everything.

"But it wasn't. Not really." My mom sighs, drawing me into a hug.

"It's okay." We stay like that for a while until my mom makes me get ready for school. The whole way, I think about the dream. Was it real? Or just a figment of my imagination? Tears still stream down my face. I have to see Beca, even if it was all just a dream. It may have been fake, but the fear was still real. I pull into the school and instantly get out, scanning for Beca. Spotting her, I run, not bothering to lock my car until I reach her. She lets out a little gasp when I lunge at her, wrapping my arms around her neck, not caring who's watching.

"Chloe? What's wrong?" I don't answer and instead squeeze harder. The sound of her voice washes over me like a tidal wave, calm but still on edge.

"Sorry. I just had a bad dream and needed to see you."

"Oh." She's says nothing else and just backs away from me. "Well, I'm going to go. Give you the time you need." Without another word, she gives me a sad look before walking away and entering the building. A part of me wants to run after her but she's right. Even with the dream-which was just that, a dream- I need more time to think everything over. To figure out how I feel about her.

…..

After school, I attempt to talk to the principle again. Of course, he's not there. When I leave the building, a part of me expects to see Beca standing there with her cocky smirk, waiting for me. She's not though and my heart falls. With my sour mood, I head home.

My mom isn't home and so I hole up in my room, crying my heart out. I'm so used to having Beca around all the time, that not having her here and not being able to call her is like torture. I was so afraid of her hurting me that I didn't stop to think how it wouldn't be Beca but myself to do it. My phone rings, startling me out of my dark thoughts. Sighing, I pick it up and even the sight of my sister's name doesn't bring a smile to my face.

"Hey Chloe," her cheery voice is foreign to my ears which have heard only crying for the last few hours.

"Hey Callie. What's up?"

"I just wanted to see how you're doing but I can tell that it's not okay. What's wrong?' I stay silent, not really wanting to talk about it. "Come on Chloe. You can talk to me. Here, let me put you on speaker. Carter is here too." My mood lfts a little at having both of my siblings talk to me. When my mom wasn't available to talk to me, my siblings were there. There are some things you can't tell your mom so my siblings were the ones I went to. We know each other's secrets and have too much blackmail on each other to use it to our advantage.

"Carrot stick, tell me what's the matter?" I chuckle at my brother's nickname for me. I'm the only kid with mom's hair. Callie and Carter have pitch black hair from my dad.

"I just...it's too complicated."

"Oh no," Carter starts. "It's a guy."

"Uh no. Not at all."

"A girl then?" I stay silent which confirms his guess.

"Honey," my sister's comforting voice flows through the speaker. "You can talk to us." I know that she's telling the truth, so I do.

"This girl I know just revealed something that's going to change my life if I keep her in it. But if I don't, it will still change my life. What's bothering me though, is that I'm not sure whether what I feel is real or if it's just the thing she told me it is. So I told her I had to think about it, but all I can think about is that I made a big mistake by letting her go."

"Chloe, do you love her?"

"I don't know." They're both silent for a second before my brother speaks.

"Think about it this way. What do you feel when she's with you?"

I don't even hesitate to answer. "Like I'm whole."

"Now, what do you feel when you're not with her?"

"Like a part of me is missing. There's a hole in my heart and all I can think about is being with her."

"Than there you go," my sister joins in.

"But how do I know that that is how I really feel?"

"Tell me what you like about her. Not what you feel about her but what you like about her." I stay silent, thinking.

"I like," I whisper, "the way she can make me laugh when I couldn't before. How I feel like I can be myself around her and how she brings out the best in me. I love watching her talk about something she loves. The passion on her face. The way she shows me a side of her that she doesn't for anyone smile that is just for me." My voice fades away and I realize that it isn't the mate bond or whatever that makes me feel this way. It's Beca.

"Oh my goodness." I squeal. "Thank you so much."

"That's what we're here for." I can practically see my sister's smile.

"Now," my brother laughs. "Go get your girl." Laughing, I hang up and jump out of bed. Hopefully, I didn't wait too long and she'll still take me. I get cleaned up real quick and head toward the door when it suddenly opens revealing my mom.

"Hey, honey. Where are you going?"

"To find Beca."

"Are you sure? It's pretty late." Frowning, I glance outside and see how dark it is.

"Um.. yeah. I have to find her now." Normally, I would wait until the next day, but something in me is saying that I have to find her soon. If I wait any longer, I may be too late.

"Well, just be safe." My mom kisses my cheek and I run out to my car. Now, where to go. There's the radio station but as far as I know, she doesn't work this late. Putting the car in drive, I start in one direction not sure where to go. Maybe this mate thing can help me find her. So I use the feeling of the pull to guide me. Soon, I'm in front of the home and not sure what to do now. A knock at my window startles me. It's just Emily though so I roll my window down.

"Chloe? What are you doing here?"

"Looking for Beca."

"She doesn't live here anymore." I blanch.

"Where does she live?"

"A cabin in the woods." Flashes of my dream play through my mind and my heart races as a new urgency develops.

"Show me."

A few minutes later, I'm racing down the path Emily pointed me to. If anything happens to Beca, I don't think I could live with myself. I'm not sure how long I run for before I hear the laughing. As I near the voices, I spot an orange glow and my legs almost give out from underneath me. My dream was right. I don't dwell on that right now and instead run out of the woods toward the cabin. Luckily, Luke and his friends took off so I don't have to deal with them.

"Beca!" I scream but all I get in response is the cabin creaking. It's going to collapse. My breathing is erratic and stitches poke my side like needles as I debate what to do. There's no other choice. I have to go in.

I take off in another run toward the blazing fire and don't stop until I reach the door. It opens with just a slight push and I go in, coughing from the thick smoke. I bring my shirt up to cover my nose and mouth, hacking. If it's already this bad for me, how is Beca?

"Be-" I'm cut off by another cough and decide to just keep my mouth shut so I don't inhale too much smoke. Thank goodness the cabin isn't too big so I find the bedroom fast considering the burning flames around me. There's a small figure splayed out on the bed, unmoving. It's hard to see Beca's face through the thick, dark smoke so I have to lean in real close. Her eyes are closed and she somehow looks peaceful, despite the horrible circumstance.

I move to pick her up, but get a lungful of smoke. How am I supposed to carry her and hold my shirt to my face? The answer hits me and I yank off my shirt, aware of the ticking clock. Grateful that I wore long sleeves, I tie it around my face, creating a temporary mask. Now I can pick her up so I do, glad that she's so small When I turn to leave, a wave of flames blocks the doorway. The cabin groans again and I can hear the ceiling start to collapse.

Frantically, I search for a way out and spot the window. I rush over to it and set Beca on the ground for a second, lifting the window up. Picking Beca back up, I ease her body out of the window, wincing when I have to drop her. After, I crawl out, grabbing Beca again and rushing as far away from the cabin as I can.

When I'm several feet away, the roof collapses with a loud crack, crumbling to the ground. I set Beca down by a tree, putting her head in my lap. With a shaky, soot covered hand, I feel for a pulse. I panic when I don't feel one at first but after calming down, I feel it. Small but there.

"Beca," my voice is hoarse from all the smoke. "Beca, wake up." I stroke the side of her face with my hand until finally, her eyes flutter open. She looks around, eyes wide with confusion and I smile.

"There you are."