Her Fated Mate

Chapter No: 09

Isabella's P.O.V.

I'm confused. I thought that he loved me and I believed him when he said those words because I could see all that love in his eyes.

But now that things have gone wrong, I don't know what to believe anymore. When I woke up today, I thought I'd think of everything as a f****d-up nightmare and just behave like it didn't bother me. I thought that I'd ignore him if and when he came in front of me and act as if I didn't care anymore. I thought I'd smile a little more in college for him to see that all this fuckery wasn't something that bothered me, and slowly I'd gain the power to move on from him and from everything that reminded me of his betrayal.

But listening to what his friends just said, I don't think I'm sure. It feels like I'm standing alone against the world, especially since Aurora isn't here anymore. She has always been my most prominent critic and supporter, but now that she's gone, I feel lost. And I haven't even talked about this to anyone yet.

I am so engrossed in my thoughts that I don't even realize it when I start crying. A thumb slides across my cheek, wiping away the tear that betrayed me, disclosing my feelings. The subtle gesture brings me back from my thoughts and my eyes land on Ryan, kneeling in front of me with tears brimming his eyes. I didn't know if or whether Mason was feeling my pain, but I was sure Ryan had a fair idea about it. We were destined as a pair of protectors; born to protect each other. A pair of protectors isn't always someone who is connected by blood. Sometimes a person you have just met once in your life could end up being your protector, and even though there is no connection, he/she will have this sudden urge to protect you from everything at all costs; and that is exactly what Ryan was feeling right now. His need to protect me was gifted, and he couldn't help his anger and frustration towards Mason.

He held my hands, engulfing them within his huge ones, and asked, "What do you want us to do, princess? Whatever you say, goes. I promise you, none of us will question you about your decision." He turned his head to look at Matt, who was listening to us silently. I could see Rose through my peripheral vision, and she was nodding her head, agreeing with Ry. But I was waiting for Matt's approval, not because he was my Alpha, but because he was family just like these two, and his opinion mattered as well. Matt came forward, nudging Rachel aside; he sat down beside me, placing his hand on my shoulder comfortingly, he said, "Whatever you say, goes."

I couldn't hold it in anymore and ended up grabbing both the boys together and pulling them in for a much-needed hug. They responded with equal enthusiasm; soon another pair of arms were wrapped around me. I knew it was Rose, that poor soul might have felt left out all this time.

After a few minutes of emotional breakdown, we all calmed down a little and Rachel took that as an opportunity to ask, "So what are we going to do?" I knew, no matter how much it hurt right now or how everything was pointing at Mason being guilty, I found it hard to believe. It could be the mate bond or my blinded love for him, but I needed answers. So, I chose to dig, "I need answers." Ryan pitched in, "And how do you suggest we get those?" I looked at Aiden and Blake as I replied, "By hook or by crook." Both the boys looked at me a little confused. Rose did not waste another second before reminding us, "But won't we need Mason for that, and might I add, he is M.I.A." Rachel pitched in, "But he won't be gone forever. He has to come home; he will come home someday; RIGHT?" Ryan was about to say something, but Blake beat him to that and responded, "Yes baby. He will." It was Matt's turn to speak, "But we can't wait forever. There are only a few days left for the full moon. He should be here before that because Bella might need time to understand the whole situation. So, she can decide if she wants to mark him and vice versa." Matt's thought made sense. If he is innocent, then there is a chance that we might end up together and to complete the bond, he needs to mark me on the night of the full moon. If that night passes, it might have some adverse effects on both of us. He might lose his strength and his title as an Alpha and I might end up dead. But if he is guilty, and I reject him, there is a chance that I might still survive after breaking the bond, or maybe not anymore, now that Aurora is missing; it is really hard to tell.

Everyone was thinking about trying to find something that might help. Rachel was the first to speak again, "What if we ask my mom to call Mason? He never disobeys her, like ever." Ryan shrugs and asks," How old did you say he was? FIVE?" Blake gives Ryan a stink eye and replies, "What she just said is true. He never ignores his mother. We have seen him drop everything just because his mother needed him. So, even though you think it's stupid, it might just work."

"That won't be necessary, plus it's too risky to drag his parents into it," says Aiden while playing with the dial of his watch; he suddenly looks me in the eye and says, "I think I know how we can find where Mason is."

Veronica's P.O.V. The night wasn't fruitful and so wasn't the early morning. I tried and tried and tried, but nothing happened. I had no idea why this happened, but now I was getting frustrated emotionally and sexually. I thought maybe he was tired yesterday from the drama unfolding and that's why he wasn't in the mood, therefore he couldn't c*m. I was disappointed by this, but what could I do? So I fingered myself, had a release, and went to sleep. Then, around 5 am, I felt his boner digging in my ass and all my sleep just disappeared. I got up and tried to make him c*m again, but to my dismay, he didn't. He wasn't in his senses and maybe that's why he didn't protest, but all the time he kept mumbling her name. It was total torture. It was around noon and he was in the bathroom having a shower, still pretty much in a trance; with no clue about what was happening. That portion was working its magic. I was cranky from lack of sleep and release, so stuffing myself with food was the only way left to comfort myself. So, I ordered some room service and dug in as soon as it arrived. I knew Mason would want to leave his room now that the night had passed. So, my dear cousin, Diane, has already sent it to me prepared. She gave me some kind of sleep tonic which would make him fall asleep and he'd be out for hours. I could hear the shower closing, which meant he'd be out in a few minutes. So I took a glass of orange juice that I ordered for him with some scrambled eggs on toast and added a few drops of medicine to it. The moment I kept the bottle back, just on cue, he walked out. Wearing the same clothes as yesterday, he still looked gorgeous. I did the courtesy of inviting him for breakfast and after eyeing it for a second, he accepted it. It took him around 15 minutes to finish his breakfast and juice. As soon as he set his empty glass on the table, he stood up and said, "I need to get home now. Everyone must be worried." NO! What he wanted to say was, "Bella must be worried." I grabbed onto his arm and asked, "Oh don't be stupid Mason. If anyone was worried, why hasn't anyone called yet?" He stood still on the spot speechless. He grabs his phone from the nightstand and checks it. And it, indeed, says 'NO MISSED CALLS' and 'NO NEW MESSAGES'. His face drops a little, sadness evident on his face. Truth be told, they called. All of them. There were tons of missed calls from everyone but Bella. She never called nor did she text him. But I didn't want to take the risk of others contacting him, so I deleted everything before he could see it. And I was right, the moment he realized it, what I said made sense. He walked towards the bed and sat down. I went to sit beside him and patted his back. No words were exchanged between us, not because he didn't want to talk. Oh No! It was because he was already losing consciousness and leaning on me. I moved him a little and settled him in bed. Draping him in a sheet, I walked out of the room and drove to a destination where answers to Mason's life lay.