The Alpha's Runaway Mate

Chapter 8 - FRIENDS DON'T KEEP SECRETS FROM EACH OTHER

THALIA

The train journey was quiet and uneventful. 

Freya was asleep, but I couldn't get much as my mind was overthinking about everything.

I stare out the window as we come closer to the station.

I lean forward and touch Freya's arm, which makes her jump. She looks at me with her hand over her heart. "Thalia, speak next time," she says as her breathing comes back to normal.

"We are at the station now, Freya," I say to her as we grab our bags and head to the door. 

Once we were on the platform, "Thalia, Freya," comes a familiar voice from the side of us.

I turn to look as Nikki comes running towards us, her smiling face makes me wish we could stay here longer, but we need to leave.

Nikki runs right up to us and wraps us both in a hug as we pull back. Freya has a slight smile, but I smile even though I feel like my heart has just been ripped out of my chest.

"Nikki," I say, but Nikki's face changes as soon as she looks at Freya.

"Freya, what's wrong?" She asks her, but Freya can't control her tears as she starts to cry.

"I found my mate and I had to leave," she says in a sobbing mess.

Nikki pulls her into her as she looks at me, but I keep my face emotionless as I don't want her to know anything about me.

After a few moments, Nikki pulls back and places her hands on each side of Freya's face, "Let's go home, and we can talk about it," she says.

Freya nods. 

We walk through the train station platforms and head to the car park. Once we were all in the car, the journey to Nikki's place was not far, but it was out of the way from prying eyes.

As we pull up to her cabin, we all stumble out of the car. I can't help but look around. The cabin is small, but it is so lovely, it could be for a holiday place, but Nikki and her mate live here. Her mate knows about us, but he leaves when we arrive as he knows there is something after us. The last time we saw each other was a year ago, but we keep in contact to know when we all need to move.

"Make yourself welcome," says Nikki, which pulls me from my thoughts. I walk over to the steps of the house with my bag on my shoulder as Freya and Nikki walk inside. As I get to the doorway, I stop and look around. Nikki hasn't changed anything to the cabin since we were here last. 

Freya sits around the table as Nikki goes to the fridge and pulls out three beer bottles for us. She hands one to each of us.

I pull the top and take a big swig of the beer as I move closer to the table. 

I pull the chair out and sit next to Freya as Nikki takes the chair on the other side of her.

"Well, start talking," she says, "What have you been up to? Tell me all about this mate, and why the hell are you not with him."

I don't speak, and I let Freya tell her everything. I know I should tell Freya about Jace being my mate, but I can't. I want to keep him safe from what's after us.

Over the next few hours, Nikki keeps giving Freya more beer which is soon gone to her head; she looks like she wants to fall asleep.

"Come on, sleeping beauty," says Nikki with a smile, "Let's get you to bed."

"No, I'm fine," says Freya, but as she gets out of Nikki's hold, she stumbles back and falls over the arm of the couch and laughs, "I think I will sleep here; it's comfy."

Nikki helps Freya up and settles her on the couch with a pillow and blanket. It wasn't long before she fell asleep.

I didn't move from the kitchen table; I played with the paper on one of the beer bottles when Nikki came back into the kitchen.

"What's up your ass?" She asks as she moves the beer bottles into the recycling bin.

"Nothing," I say as I stare hard at the bottle, but she stops what she is doing and looks at me; she moves to the chair and sits.

I can feel her eyes on me, "Thalia," she says softly; she moves her hand to mine and makes me stop pealing the paper off. I look at her, "It's nothing, I'm just tired of all this," I say with a heavy sigh, "I didn't want to leave, we met another Fae there, Rosa and we loved it there but," I said to her, but I look towards the couch, making sure Freya was still asleep.

I turn to look back at Nikki, "Freya met her mate, and all I wanted to do was leave because we all know what the mad king is like," I say to her. Nikki nods her head.

"It felt like home there," I said, "But we had to leave."

A tear slips down my face as an image of Jace comes into my mind.

Nikki looks at me, and her hand squeezes mine.

"I think Freya was not the only one to find their mate, was she?" She asks.

I turned to look at her, and my face said everything as she searched it.

"Oh Hunny," she says, "You have been running for so long, you only ask for the help of our kind, but now you have...." she says, but I shake my head violently to stop her.

"No, I can't do that to anyone whether or not I found my mate. Our lives are a mess due to the king and his sons. I will not let anyone go to war over me or us," I say in a whisper.

Nikki looks at me, she goes to open her mouth, but she closes it.

She pats my hand, "I think you need to work out what it is you want, but Thalia," she says, "Freya needs her mate; she won't last without him, and you know you can't either."

I grunt, "I can manage, but Freya," I say as I turn to look back at the couch, "She needs hers. She needs to feel something."

"You need to feel the same too, Thalia," she says. "Fae's can't reject their mate, but we can't live without them either. We have to stay close to them, or we will go insane. That's why Don is away only for three days."

I move to look at Nikki, "I can manage, I will move around more and find different places on my own, but Freya needs to be with her mate," I say to her.

Nikki opens her mouth, but someone else's voice speaks, "You are willing to sacrifice yourself and not to be with your mate. I will not allow you," says Freya as she sits up and glares at me.

She moves off the couch, "You only think about yourself, not about anyone else, what about your mate?" she screams at me.

Nikki moves out of the chair and closer to her. I know she has the same feelings as every Fae I have learned over the years; once they meet their mate, they never want to leave. I can feel my body wanting Jace, but being a Fae with two powers has its advantages, making us more powerful than most.

I stare at Freya.

"Thalia, we can go back there," she says as she moves closer to me, but I move out of the chair and away from her.

"I'm not going back," I say to her, "You can go back, but I'm not. I don't want to put anyone else in danger."

"Thalia, please," Freya says in a pleading voice, "You are my only family; we have been running together for so long. You are like my sister."

"I don't care," I shout. 

I need her to stay. I know I will hurt her feelings, but I can't watch my friend break because she left him, and all she wants is to be with him all the time. It will drive her insane

Freya stares back at me, stunned, but I need to get it out and make her angry. She needs to leave and leave me; she can be protected more than I can.

I close my eyes, "I don't care, Freya, not for you," I say, opening my eyes glaring at her.

"I can't stand being with you; you need to go back to your mate," I yell, "I can't keep lying to myself and know that I made the biggest mistake of my life having you with me. We need to separate, and you need to realize that."

"How can you say all that?" She says as a tear escapes her eye, "How could you?"

"Well, it's the truth. You are childish, and I know I can't keep saving your ass every time something goes wrong," I say as I turn to look through the window. A tear escaped my eyes, I had to turn around and not let her know I was crying as she would see through my lies, but I needed her to believe me and leave.

"Fine, you b***h," she yells, "I will go back to my mate."

Freya stomps off and slams a door behind her.

"Why Thalia? Why?" Says Nikki as she walks away.

Great, I pissed her off too, but all Fae's are the same.

Nikki went through the door and closed it behind her.

 I lean on the counter as I let the tears flow.

I hate hurting Freya, but she needs to go. She needs to have a life with her mate, her new family. The king wants both of us, but I can make them follow me more than her; she can have a life.

I wipe away my tears and look over my shoulder. I look at my bag and walk over to it. 

I know I'm on my own now. I need to be.

I place my bag on the table and make sure I have money and others bits. I have enough, and I need to leave here. 

This is the first time I will be on my own in three years, I have always been with Freya, but I don't want her to be on the run with me.

I close my bag up and look around. I know I can't stay here. Freya will try to change my mind, and if I keep thinking about it, I will probably change it by tomorrow. That's why I'm leaving now.

I place my bag on my shoulder and open the front door.

I walk down the steps and through the forest without looking back at the cabin.

I head in the train station direction, but I know there is a bus station not far from there too. I will take the bus instead as I know Nikki and Freya will be looking for me soon, but I need a head start.