Return to Wisteria (Book Three of the Wisteria Chronicles)

CHAPTER 7~Bittersweet~

Summer 

    “Keep your hands up.” Colton instructed.  We were both panting heavily, our bodies covered in cuts and bruises. I lunged forward with my fist flying, trying to catch him off guard. The look in his eyes told me that he clearly knew what I was up to. He grabbed my hands and pushed me back. He dipped down to grab my waist, successfully tackling me to the ground. He stood up to admire his handy work, grinning as I struggled to catch my breath. 

  “For f***s sake, Summer. You try to do the same thing over and over again with no results. What has been the point of training you if you’re not going to put what you’ve learned into practice?” lectured Colton. This is exactly how the past month and a half have been. Every morning I wake up, eat breakfast, then go to training and get tossed around like a damn water balloon. 

     I had expected Colton to bully me for what I did to Kayla, but he actually took our training seriously. He was very clear on what he wanted and expected from me. He never hesitated to help me whenever I struggled. Somehow through all of the beatings, we’ve developed a friendship. After all of this time, I was still unable to defeat him. The only bright side was that I wasn’t the only one leaving with a limp. Colton continued to drone on about how I always drop my hands before I attack. I kicked out my feet, aiming for his ankles.  

      He tripped over my legs; his heavy body collapsed on top of mine. “You let your guard down, teach.” my bloodied lip stung as I gave him a wide smile. We laughed for a brief moment; the atmosphere suddenly more tense. Colton stared down at me with unreadable eyes. He slowly bent his head down, his lips a few inches from mine. His breath was hot, he smelled like pancakes and coffee. “I hope that I never find my mate.” he whispered softly. 

    I frowned, “You don’t mean that.” He slowly shook his head, “I do if it means that I could be with you.” I pushed at his chest and rolled out from under him. “You don’t mean that, Colton.” I repeated, limping towards the exit. I had guessed that he had feelings for me about a month ago. Out of the blue, Colton had changed. He was nicer, not just to me but to everyone. He looked less miserable and made more friends.  

    I would often catch him staring at me in the dining hall, ignoring the hateful glares Kayla sent his way. It was around that time that he had stopped sleeping with her. She had caused a huge scene in front of everyone, declaring me a homewrecker. From that point onward, Kayla watched me like a hawk, spreading rumors about my nonexistent infidelity.  

        “Are you still waiting for him?” he asked from behind me. I stopped walking to look him in the eye, “Yes, I am.” Colton stood up, his eyes serious as he made his way over to me. “It’s been four years.” he reminded me. I smiled up at him, “I know. I’ll wait for him for as long as it takes.” Colton groaned, “I figured you’d say that.” I took in his tall wide frame, his dark brown eyes and sweat slicked auburn hair. He was ridiculously attractive, but he wasn’t my mate.  

     “Thank you, Colton. I’m honored, I truly am. But I’m serious. I haven’t given up on my mate and neither should you.” I said. Colton pulled me into a hug with a heavy sigh. “It’s going to be a b***h to get over you.” he murmured. I laughed into his chest, not knowing how to respond. He released me and took a step back. “I’ll let you get changed for your class.” he said, walking past me.     

    I waited a few minutes before I limped back towards the dorms. “Hey!” I turned to see August jogging towards me. “Hey.” I murmured, continuing on my way. “You look like shit.” he said with a cheeky smile. I snorted, “f**k off, Auggie.” August laughed and grabbed my arm pulling me to stop. “Lemme help.” he said, kneeling in front of me.  

     I squinted at his back, suspicious of his kind gesture. “Hurry up.” he ordered. I placed my hands on his shoulders, hanging on tightly as he lifted me up. “Why are you being so nice today?” I asked, my legs dangling at his sides. “I just got off the phone with Mom. She only cried twice.” he laughed. “You’re such a mama’s boy.” I teased him. August just laughed, not denying it.  

      He walked us up the stairs and to my room. The girls were huddled onto my bed, talking animatedly. August bent down so that I could hop off. “Why is everyone always in my room?” I complained. “Because we like it here.” Penelope chimed. “Also, classes were canceled for the rest of the day.” Autumn beamed. “Why?” August wondered. “I think it’s because all of the advanced teams are heading out for a mission.” Autumn answered. 

   I was curious, “What kind of mission requires all of the advanced teams?” Ziva sighed, “I heard the higher ups talking about malicious rogue attacks. A lot of small packs are getting hit, so they’re trying to figure out why.” I shared a look with my siblings. Rogue attacks were normal but for them to be bad enough to call the Council meant something else was going on.  

    Ziva got off the bed and started to rummage through my drawers. “Whatever it is, I’m glad we got out of class. We have plans tonight.” she exclaimed, holding up a dress. “We aren’t allowed to leave the campus. Where do you plan on going?” August’s tone turned serious as he crossed his arms. Ziva rolled her eyes, “WE are going out to a club. We’ve been well behaved for over a month now and we deserve a break.” She tossed the black long sleeved bodycon dress at me. 

    August scoffed, “I’m not going anywhere and neither are you.” Hudson and Samuel barged in with loud laughs. Seriously, why does everyone have to be in my room? “Come on August.” Hudson said. “You don’t always have to follow the rules. What’s wrong with having a little bit of harmless fun?” Samuel questioned him. “I said no.” August growled.  

    Autumn gave him a crestfallen look, “Oh, I was really looking forward to getting out for a bit.” She gave him a woeful smile, making sure to lay it on thick. August sighed in defeat, “f**k, ok. But we need to be back by one.” Everyone cheered and we proceeded to make plans for a mini prison breakout. 

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     We followed August as he led us down a trail that was hidden by overgrown bushes on the back side of the property. I was surprised when August announced that he knew a way off campus. When I questioned him about it, he had shrugged, stating that it was one of his rules. He needed to know all of the escape exits just in case something happened. Typical August, following rules while breaking one. The trail ended on one of the city streets that was dimly lit. 

    We dusted our nice clothes free of leaves then followed Ziva to our destination. The club was called Widow and was catered to supernaturals. There were at least thirty people waiting to gain entrance. Ziva waltzed past the line and up to the burly bodyguard. She lowered her glasses, making the guard grin. He lifted the red rope and admitted us in. The complaints from the line were drowned out by the sound of the club music.  

     Widow was packed with patrons, all dancing to the beat of the DJ. I grabbed Penelope’s hand and held her close. She had wanted to stay behind because she was feeling shy but of course Ziva talked her out of it. Autumn and I helped do her hair and makeup and promised to stay close to her. A waitress approached us with a wide smile, “Princess Hesoteus, please allow me to show you and your party to the VIP lounge.” Ziva thanked her as we followed her up to the second floor.  

    The lounge was huge and provided a lot of privacy. “I’m gonna order some drinks and mingle at the bar.” Hudson said with a grin before heading back down. The waitress returned with several bottles and promises of food for later. Ziva handed Penelope a small glass of dark liquid. Penelope happily accepted and slammed her shot. I stared with an open mouth. “Penny! Aren’t you underage?!” Autumn seemed as surprised as I was.  

    Penelope hiccupped, her cheeks warming. “Only by a year, but I knew you’d try to stop me if I didn’t react fast.” she let out an adorable giggle and started to sway to the music. “That’s my girl! Come one don’t let the rookie outdo us!” Ziva shouted while handing everyone a drink. Ziva made everyone take three shots back to back, even August.  

    “I love this song! Let’s go dance!” Penelope squealed. She stood up on wobbly legs and leaned into Samuel. “Come one Sam, take me down to dance!” she hiccupped then giggled. He looked confused and honored at her invitation. “Here, drink this first.” he said, handing her a cup of water. Penelope slammed it back and tugged on his arms, dragging him downstairs. “You should go too. I know you wanna dance.” August said with a smile. 

    Autumn jumped up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. I stood up and did the same, “Thanks Auggie.” He shifted uncomfortably and grumbled, “Just be careful.” Ziva let out a loud cheer and led the way to the dance floor. Penelope stumbled towards us with her frantic movements while Samuel stood back and made sure she didn’t hurt herself. We danced to a couple of songs, my sister and friends' laughter fueling my soul.  

    My eyes were closed and I swayed back and forth. “Oh s**t. We’re so busted.” I heard Ziva whine. I opened my eyes to see what she was glaring at. Colton was making his way over to us, his face unreadable. Well, s**t. He approached the group and held out his hand, “Can I dance with you?” The girls gaped at him as he whisked me away. “Colton, what are you doing?” I asked. 

    He pulled me in close and rested his hands above my hip, moving our bodies to the slow melody. “I’ve been thinking about what you said. I won't give up on my mate. If she’s out there, I want to be able to go to her with my full heart. So, this is goodbye.” he said before placing his soft lips against mine. Maybe it was the alcohol or the lack of practice, but I felt shy and embarrassed. 

    I’ve had my fair share of experiences and by no means was I a virgin. I was careful to avoid sleeping with someone's mate so my partners were usually humans. I fooled around until I turned 20 and I’ve been abstinent since. I never imagined my second first kiss would be with Colton. He stared down at me and chuckled, “Why are you blushing? It’s just a goodbye kiss. I’ve realized that although I care for you, but I don’t think I could love you more my mate. Where ever the hell she’s at.”  

   I laughed at his bluntness, “So are we friends now?” He grabbed my arms and twirled me around, “Yeah, we’re friends.” This felt bittersweet, but it was necessary. Colton was an amazing man and would be the perfect mate, just not mine. We made our way back over to the group and danced until August came down to tell us it was time to go back.  

     August and Autumn were a little apprehensive about Colton’s presence but warmed up when he helped us sneak back in. He even pretended to reprimand us when another Council member walked by. Poor Samuel had to carry Penelope to my room where she declared her undying love for us then passed out. The rest of the girls helped me get her pjs on and we collapsed onto the bed. For the first time in a long time, I was able to immediately fall asleep. 

Unk Pov 

     The image of my aunt’s last moments played through my head. She had pushed me down here right before a rogue broke down our door. I had to cover my screams as she was eaten alive, her blood leaking through the cracks. I let out silent sobs as I held my up hands to cover my ears. The sounds of my pack members screaming was deafening.  

        I could see my people being devoured by the rogues from my small hiding spot. How could this be happening? We were a peaceful pack and haven’t had an attack for over a decade. Who could be doing this to us? I closed my eyes and rocked back and forth. I heard footsteps on the floor above me. My heart beat wildly as I watch the shadow of the intruder stop above the entrance. 

        The door opened, revealing a man with silver-blonde hair and piercing gray eyes. I let out a blood curdling scream as he reached for me.