I pull my hand away from him. “Not now, Tyler.” I don’t bother looking at him as I walk past and head towards my room.
I hear his footsteps behind me, but I don’t turn around to look. I walk into my room, not looking as I push the door closed before flopping onto my bed face first. I don’t hear the door slam closed.
“We need to talk, Angel,” Tyler says, as he comes inside from my balcony.
“No, right now… I need a nap. You and your brother can bitch to me about how unwanted I am or what I’m doing wrong another time. I’m not in the mood right now. Go away!” The words hurt as I force myself to say them, so I turn my head away from where he stands near the bed.
“No, Angel, don’t say that! He didn’t have the right to say what he did at your ceremony. Especially not on my behalf, it was wrong and unfair. I could feel your pain and I was across the court yard! He hurt you. I never want to hurt you. Now… I can’t even get into your head, neither of us can. You’re completely shut off! You’re my mate, Angel. He may not want you but I do. I know things are weird right now and I’m trying to get ahold of my feelings. I love you so much, but everytime I see your face, I’m reminded of how you promised us one thing then completely shut us out by going back to him.” My heart hurts but I refuse to look at him.
“You and Kate still together?” I ask, swallowing the lump in my throat.
“Yeah, we are…” He pauses for a second then continues, “…I know I’m an asshole for saying this, but I know now how you felt when you had that boyfriend of yours. I’m so torn… I know I should be with you, but I love her too. I know this should make me understand what you were going through and why it was so hard to leave your boyfriend, but I still carry so much resentment. Kate lost her mate and second chance mate. Maybe Talon was right, maybe you need to find your second chance mate? I can be with Kate that way… It’s just so hard because I don’t want to lose y-” He paces my room as if he’s speaking his thoughts out loud, forgetting I’m sitting right there.
“Get out!” I say, turning and sitting on the side of the bed looking at the floor.
“What?” He says breathlessly, looking up at me suddenly.
“Get. Out,” I say, through gritted teeth.
From the corner of my eye I see him running his hands through his perfectly combed over black hair. “Shit. Angel, the way it came out. I never meant it like that.”
“You say you don’t want to hurt me, but you are hurting me, Tyler. How can you say you want me in one sentence and in the next you’re willing to reject me to be with your girlfriend because she lost any chance at having a mate. But that’s okay right? Because I’ll find my second chance mate. Don’t you dare tell me you love me and that you know how I felt when I was dating Drake! You don’t know shit!” I say through clenched teeth. I don’t bother to tell him that Kate didn’t lose her second chance mate, she rejected him, but I honestly don’t think Tyler would believe me at this point anyway.
“Why don’t we know shit? Why is that, Angel? Huh?” Talon’s angry voice echoes as he walks through my bedroom door slamming it shut. He stands right in front of me as I sit on the side of the bed looking up to him; his arms folded over his chest tensing his jaw. The way he speaks and the anger that radiates off his body is enough to make me want to curl into a ball under my bed, but I won’t let him see that fear.
I don’t answer him, but I do hold his eyes with my very own glare. He answers his own question, “Oh that’s right. We don’t know shit because you don’t tell us shit!”
This smart ass is really starting to piss me off. “You don’t know what the hell I was going through! You don’t know what he did to me and how he threatened me. You weren’t there, no one was. I needed distance between us, it was the only way to keep you safe!” I scream, as I push him out of my way.
“What?” Talon says, sounding calmer. I look up to see both Talon and Tyler looking downright pissed off.
“What do you mean, what?” I blink back confused as I move my messy hair out of my face.
“What. Did. You. Just. Say?” Talon draws out, as he clenches his fist.
“Who is the he you are talking about? Drake? Are you talking about him?” Tyler says, his eyes not leaving my own. They’re both standing tall and furious, and I suddenly realise my mistake.
“Shit!” I look away running my hands over my face.
“Speak. Now,” Talon says, grabbing my jaw and making me look up at him.