Bayley POV
When Paige took me away from the party, we went up to her room and talked. She apologized for freaking out about Roman and me being mates. She explained that she had thought that Roman was taking me away from her and she felt like she was losing me all over again. I told her that we'll always be sisters and that nobody will ever come between us, not even Roman. The whole conversation went over little Jojo's head who sat on the floor the whole time with a blank expression on her face. When Paige and I finished talking, I left her room with Jojo so that she could get some sleep.
When we got downstairs, I didn't see anyone. They must have gone to sleep after Paige and I went to her room. That's cool. All of them are probably exhausted after being up all night on guard duty and then coming home to see me alive. "Bayley?" Jojo's little voice brings me out of my thoughts.
"What is it, sweetie?"
"I hungry." Of course she's hungry. She just woke up after all.
"Okay, let's get you something to eat then." I get just get her some cereal. I don't want to try to cook something and set the oven on fire like I almost did last time. Speaking of cooking, I wonder f Roman will want me to learn how to cook now that we're mates. I don't know how this whole thing works. Heck, I've never even been in a relationship! As I walk into the kitchen, I find Ms. Layla making coffee. "Hi, Ms. Layla," I say to grab her attention.
"Hello, love," she turns around with a wide smile on her face. "Would you like some coffee?"
"No, thank you. I just need to get some breakfast for Jojo." Jojo comes out from behind me with her thumb in her mouth and looks up at Layla.
"Hi Ms. Layla," Jojo says, giving Layla a small wave.
"Hi there, Jojo," Layla bends down to look Jojo eye to eye. "Bayley tells me you're hungry. Is that right?" Jojo nods her head, keeping her thumb in her mouth. "Okay, do you want some pancakes?" Jojo's thumb leaves her mouth and a huge smile makes its way across her face. She jumps up and down yelling, "pancakes, pancakes!"
"Ms. Layla, I don't know how to make pancakes," I point out.
"Not a problem, love. I'll help you. Why don't we set up Jojo to color in the living room, and we'll cook her some breakfast. I need to talk to you anyway." Uh-oh. She needs to talk to me? It has to be about me and Roman. What else could she have to talk to me about? I'm nervous and scared, but I don't want Jojo to think anything's wrong.
"Okay," I respond. What else can I say? "Let me get Jojo some coloring things, and I'll be back soon." I want to take my time getting these things. I'm in no rush at all to speak to Ms. Layla by myself, but I can't put it off for too long. Jojo's hungry and it would be wrong for her to suffer because of me. I go upstairs to the library. We are having a children's section built in soon so we can start Jojo's education. I know for a fact we have some coloring books, blank paged notebooks and crayons there. I found them easily and headed back downstairs, where Jojo was patiently waiting for me on the couch. "Here you go Jojo." She grabs the big box of crayons and coloring books out of my hands, gently. "What do you say?"
"Thank you!" She sits on the floor and begins to color. I walk over to the kitchen entrance and take a deep breath before entering.
"Sorry if I took too long Ms. Layla," I apologize to her.
"Not an issue Bayley. You weren't gone long." Ms. Layla goes into the refrigerator and starts taking out the milk, eggs and butter. "Bayley, can you get the flour, baking powder and sugar from the cupboard?"
"Sure." I walk over to the cupboard and get out everything that Ms. Layla asked me to get. When I go back to her, I see that she's taken out some berries. "What are the berries for Ms. Layla?"
"We can't just make Jojo pancakes. That's not good for her. She needs a good nutritional balance. In fact, let me get out some meat." Ms. Layla has always been good at knowing what to eat. I've always had someone make me my meals so I never really learned anything about it. Ms. Layla walks back to me holding a pack of sausage and turkey bacon. "Which one do you think she would like better?"
"Sausage, definitely."
"Good choice. It'll be easier to cut up for her too." Ms. Layla and I start cooking. It was easy once I got the hang of it. I got to make the pancake batter and cook the sausages. Ms. Layla had me watch her cook the pancakes. She thought that flipping them and knowing when to flip them wasn't something that I was ready for just yet. "So, you're probably wondering what I wanted to talk to you about," Ms. Layla said as she was making the third pancake.
"Yeah, I'm kind of nervous about it."
"Oh, love! No need to be nervous! It's nothing bad." I exhale audibly. It's a relief to know that I'm not in trouble. "I wanted to congratulate you on finding your mate, and finally getting Roman to settle down."
"Really? I thought you were still mad at him."
"I admit that sometimes I still want to slap him," she laughs. "But honestly, I've let that go. Roman and I… we were young, and he was going through a very difficult time in his life. Was it right that he used me and Eve the way that he did to get through it? No, but you learn from your mistakes and you grow. Roman has grown a lot since the blow up, and he's apologized so I can't hold it against him."
"What about Ms. Eve? She seems really upset."
"I can't speak for Eve, Bayley, but she's going to have to make peace with this at some point," she puts the flame on low and faces me. "As for me, I just want to let you know that I'm truly happy for the both of you." She gives me a genuine smile and holds out her arms. I know exactly what she wants, and I'm too happy to jump in her arms and give her the biggest hug I've ever given her.
"Thank you Ms. Layla! This really means a lot to me!" I let her go and she flips over the pancake.
"Don't mention it," she pauses for a second, but I can tell there's something else on her mind. "So, have you and Roman… you know." I know? What do I know? I look at her with a confused expression. "Oh, come on, Bayley. Have you two had sex yet?" I can feel myself getting red. Oh. My. Gosh! This subject is way too embarrassing to talk about. "Bayley, you don't have to be embarrassed. It's natural for mates to have sex." I cover my face with my hands and turn away from her. Is this really happening?! I am actually having this conversation. "Bayley why are you so embarrassed? It couldn't have been bad." Bad?
"What do you mean bad," I ask her, turning back around to face her.
"The sex, love. The sex surely isn't bad." I should have known she was still talking about that! I look down at my feet.
"I wouldn't know," I practically whisper.
"What? Bayley, you mean to tell me you haven't had sex yet?"
"We've only been mates since last night!"
"You spent the whole night together, and he didn't take you?" I shook my head. "Bayley, you're not a virgin are you?" I blush wildly and Ms. Layla picks up on my sheer embarrassment. "Oh my God, you are! Have you been waiting to give it to Roman?" I'm completely silent. I've always had a crush on Roman, but I had never thought about sex. Paige knew more about that than I did. I was the first one she told when she lost her virginity back when we were seventeen. That's when I first learned about it. She told me that it hurt a lot, but after the pain went away it felt really good. Of course, her relationship with the person she lost it to, didn't last. Paige was devastated and told me that she regretted giving up her virginity to him. After that I promised myself that I would only give my virginity to my mate, and I was determined that my mate be Roman.
"Roman's the only one I've ever wanted," I answered honestly.
"Oh, that's the sweetest thing I've ever heard," Ms. Layla finishes cooking the final pancake and puts the food on a plate for Jojo. "Well don't be nervous when it happens. Roman will take good care of you, and if you need any advice, let me know. I know what he likes." She winks at me and calls Jojo to the kitchen before putting the plate of food on a placemat at the breakfast bar. I know I should probably be upset at Ms. Layla's comment, but I'm not because I know she's not being malicious. She's just trying to be helpful, and I appreciate it more anything.
"Thank you, Ms. Layla."
"Anytime, love," Ms. Layla replies as Jojo comes running into the kitchen with a notebook in her hand. I pick up Jojo and up her on the chair in front of her food.
"Thank you, Ms. Layla! Thank you Bayley," Jojo tells up before picking up a strawberry and popping it in her mouth.
"You're welcome, love," Ms. Layla says to Jojo before she turns to me. "I'm going to sleep, Bayley. I'll see you later okay?" I nod my head and hug her one more time before she goes to her room. I turn to look at Jojo to find her still eating the berries on her plate.
"Bayley, syrup please?" Oh I totally forgot about the syrup! I quickly take it out and pour some on her pancakes. Then I cut up her pancakes and sausage for her and take a sit next to her.
"Is it good," I ask her. She nods enthusiastically while stuffing her mouth with a fork full of pancakes. I look at her notebook, curiously. "I can see your pictures, Jojo?" She nods again and takes another bite of her food. I open the notebook and the first picture makes me want to cry with joy. It's a picture of the entire pack with the mansion in the background, and at the forefront of the picture is Jojo holding my hand and Roman is holding her other hand. It warms my heart. Jojo sees me and Roman as her parents! I need to show Roman this. "Jojo can I show this picture to Roman?"
"With Ms. Eve." What?
"What do you mean?"
"Roman with Ms. Eve."
"Do you know why?"
"Roman look Bayley. Ms. Eve come. Say need talk Roman. They leave." I need to teach her to speak in complete sentences.
"So Roman was looking for me, but Ms. Eve said that she needed to speak with Roman and they left?" She nods her head and takes another bite. I wonder if I should be worried. I know Roman wouldn't do anything, but what if Ms. Eve tries something?
"Roman love Bayley?" I'm a little surprised at Jojo's question, but I know the answer to that question.
"Yes, he does."
"Good. Bayley no worry then." Jojo takes another bite. The wisdom of a child, it's really something.
Roman POV
It's weird that Eve wants to talk to me. She's been nothing but made at me since she came back to the den, but now that she knows that Bayley and I are mates it seems like she has something to say to me. On the one hand I'm nervous about what she has to say and the fact that she's leading me deep into the woods isn't helping my nerves at all. On the other hand, I'd rather be the one here than Bayley if Eve decides to take out her aggression in a physical way. When Eve finally decides to stop, we're in a part of the woods that I don't recognize at all.
"Do you remember this place," she asks me while having her back toward me.
"Should I remember this place?"
"I guess not, since I wasn't all that important to you."
"What are you talking about, Eve?"
"This is where we made love for the first time." I look around and try to remember. It was a while ago. I started having sex with Eve a month after my nineteenth birthday. We were on guard duty together. I remember that she told me that she had a crush on me and then I took her that night up against a tree. I guess this is the place where that happened. Of course, I wouldn't say that we made love. It was only sex for me. It's a horrible thing to admit, I know, but I've been honest with her since the blow up and I've apologized to her for it as well. I guess it still hasn't sunk in for her yet.
"What's the point of bringing me here?" She turns around to look at me, and see tears falling down her face. Ah dammit! I hate seeing women cry!
"How could you choose her over me?!" I'm surprised by her outburst. Where is this coming from?
"What are you talking about? We ended a long time ago, Eve."
"Are you going to deny what we meant to each other? We had something Roman!"
"We've been through this! It was just sex for me, Eve. I'm sorry that I put you through all that. I really am. I hate myself for using you the way I did, but it's over now. There's nothing between us."
"I don't believe that for a minute! All those moments we had, you're honestly going to tell me that they meant NOTHING?!" Why is she doing this? Why is she putting herself through this again? It didn't hurt her enough when I told her all this the first time?
"I have no doubt that they meant something for you, and again, I HATE myself for doing this, but they didn't mean anything to me."
"That's not true! I know you loved me!"
"Eve stop doing this to yourself! You know I'm telling you the truth, but you refuse to accept it! You've had eight years to accept this and heal yourself, but insist on living in the past. Why are you doing this?"
"Because I love you, you idiot!" I can't believe this! I turn away from her to take a deep breath and calm down before I address her.
"What do you want me to tell you, Eve?" She looks at me surprised and remains silent. "What are you hoping this will accomplish? Bayley is my mate. I only have eyes for her."
"You only marked her because you felt bad that you couldn't prevent her from being killed."
"How fucking dare you." I walk up to her, getting in her face. "Let's get one thing straight, I love Bayley. THAT is the reason I marked her and for you to suggest otherwise is pathetic."
"Then how come it took you so long to realize it?! How come she had to die for you to even think about marking her?!" I don't know how to answer that question. If I had to be honest, I guess it's because I'm stupid and didn't recognize what I felt for her as love.
"Because I'm stupid okay?!" What else am I supposed to say to her? "She shouldn't have had to die for me to realize how much she meant to me, but that's how it happened, and there's nothing else I can do about it!"
"What about me?! What am I supposed to do now? I'm supposed to just stand back and watch while love of my life is mates with some puppy I used to babysit?"
"I'm not the love of your life, Eve. Just be patient. You'll find your mate, and he'll be everything you wanted him to be and more."
"I don't want anyone else! I want you! I love only you!" I wish she would stop doing this. She's only hurting herself. I know that ultimately, this is my fault. I shouldn't have used her. I shouldn't have misled her, but I did, and now I have to deal with the consequences.
"I'm sorry."
"That's all you have to say to me? That's you're fucking sorry?! That's not what I want to hear!"
"I know that's not what you want to hear, but I'm not going to stand here and lie to you either!"
"I don't care if it's a lie!" She's officially lost her mind. "Just say it! Just tell me you love me!" She pauses and wraps herself around my waist and leans her head on my chest, crying into my shirt. "Tell me that we had a chance before Bayley died. Please? Please just tell me that. I need to hear it." Why would she want me to lie to her? Why would she want me to give her false hope? It's not right. She doesn't deserve a lie. She deserves to be told the truth. I refuse to be the one who continues to fill her head and heart with all these false promises. I won't do that to her anymore. I put my hands on her shoulders and push her away from me gently. Her hands fall to her sides and she looks up at me with her eyes full of tears.
"I'm not going to lie to you Eve. There is no us, and neither before nor after Bayley's death did we have a chance." Her head drops and I can hear her begin to heave as I bring my arms back at my sides. "Eve, just move on and allow yourself to be happy. You deserve at least that much." I turn around and walk away from her. I don't want to leave her like this, but I can't have her mistaking kindness and concern for something more. I'm such a fucking asshole. I should have never messed with her feelings all those years ago. I know I was going through something myself, but that's no excuse for doing what I did. I don't know what else I can do for her though. I'm in love with Bayley, I marked her. I'm hers and she's mine. I really hope that Eve just takes my words to heart and stops lying to herself. I hope she can move past me and allow herself to find someone else and be happy. She deserves to be happy. I hope she realizes that sooner rather than later.
Eve POV
When Roman walks from my sight I can't help but break down. I fall to my knees and cry hysterically. I couldn't stop the tears from flowing even if I knew how. How could he do this to me? How can he reject me like this? How can he deny everything we felt for each other? How can he chose her over me and throw away EVERYTHING we ever had? Fucking Bayley! She's always been the apple of his eye! He's always taken care of her! He even fought his own brother for her, but I always thought I meant more to him. I thought he looked at her more like a pup than a woman. I forgave him for cheating on me with Layla, but this? I can't forgive him for this. I could if he hadn't marked her. If he hadn't marked her I'd still have a chance. If he would have just given it time he would have realized how much he loved me and came back. I was so sure of it, but now that they're marked, he'll never look at me the way he used to. What am I supposed to do now? I can't wait for him, but I can't move on either. I'm stuck! I'm fucking stuck and it's all Bayley's fault!
"Poor, little wolf," I hear a voice coming from below me. I open my eyes but all I see is a small pool of my own tears. I get up and look around to see if anyone's there, but I don't find anyone. "Turn around, I'm here now." I look back, and, standing in the spot where I was crying is a woman with blonde hair who is wearing a pink Greek robe with a black accent around the waist. "You've been through a lot today. I feel bad for you."
"Who are you?"
"Oh, forgive me. I am usually a lot more mannerly than that. My name is Natalya, and I am the Queen of the Sirens." Oh my God, she's the one who made Kaitlyn kill Jojo's family and sent those sirens to murder Bayley. Why is she here?! What does she want with me?! Oh no, she's going to kill me! "Relax, Eve. I'm not here to kill you." Can she read my thoughts? "Don't look so surprised that I know what you're thinking. You're facial expressions are very easy to read."
"If you're not here to kill me, then what do you want?"
"I have a proposition for you, my dear." Proposition? "I want you to give me the child and Kaitlyn." Has she lost her mind?
"And why would I do that? So you can destroy my race? I don't think so."
"Don't make your decision before you know what I can offer you."
"I don't care what you can offer me! Nothing can be worth that!"
"Are you sure? From that very nasty conversation I heard earlier, there is one tall, dark and handsome thing that can be worth it." I know she's talking about Roman, but what she could she possibly do? "I can break the bond, Eve."
"W-what?" I'm in disbelief. There's no way… is there?
"The mating bond is natural, and, being a mistress of black magic, I can undo that which is natural. I can break their bond Eve." Oh my God. Can she really? I could have another shot, another chance to win him back, but wait. What good would that do?
"Even if I did believe you, the end result would still be the same. All of us would die."
"Then it's a good thing that's not the entirety of my offer."
"What else is there?"
"I'll spare you and Roman. Of course, I'd turn the both of you in humans before I accomplish my goals. You and Roman could live in human society together where no one and nothing could touch you, not even the curse." All she's saying, it's all I've ever wanted: just me and Roman, together, with a family of our own. Can she really give me this? Is it really possible? It's almost too good to be true! But wait… no I can't! I'd be betraying my pack, my entire race! No I can't do this!
"No! I'm not betraying my kind! I won't do it no matter what you offer me." Natalya walks toward me with a devilish smile on her face and stops about a foot in front of me.
"You don't have to give me your answer now. I'll give you some time, but I'll be in contact in the near future. Until then, know that my offer still stands: the child and Kaitlyn for the life you've always wanted." Before I can reply, her body turns into water and it falls to the ground in a huge splash. I can't possibly consider her offer. I won't be the one to betray my race and cause its extinction, no matter how much I love and want Roman.
Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far! Chapter 20 should be up later today, mostly because Chapter 19 and Chapter 20 were supposed to be one chapter but the first part ended up being too long... damn me and my longer than intended chapters! lol
Leave reviews por favor porque yo lo amo tan mucho! Los amo a ustedes tambien!
-J.