Page 6 of The Worst Mate Ever

My only respite came during the daily walks with Diego to and from his school... and that was often spent with him asking me if I saw the new tricks he learned in his classes. Like now, as he jumped and kicked out his foot in a new move he learned today in his martial arts course for the future betas program.

“You really have that move down!” I remarked with a smile, aiming to encourage him. “You’ll be fighting off enemy attacks before you know it.”

Diego beamed up at me, then at the sound of his name from a few of the other children, he bounded ahead of me and into the packhouse yard.

He and the other children discarded their bags in a pile by the house front door before each joining their own small groups at different sections of the packhouse yard. Diego and his friends rushed for the swing sets, each claiming one before any of the other children managed to reach them.

As I smiled at each and every one of them, my smile eventually faded away when my eyes shifted towards the gate of the packhouse. Brady leaned casually against the post. As he smiled back at me, I couldn’t help but observe the mischievous tilt of his mouth... revealing his cocky nature.

It was like he knew that his smile melted me to my core. And as hard as I tried to resist it, I could feel the pull of the bond. But I was stronger than some mystical pull to my old childhood bully. And as hard as it was to resist him, I still would.

“Hello, Madie,” he said, his voice a melody I both dreaded and longed for. His smile was a weapon, and he wielded it with expert precision, aiming straight for the chinks in my armor.

“You don’t call me Madie, only my friends do. We aren’t friends,” I retorted, my words a shield against his charm.

“Yes, I am aware. We are so much more than friends. Isn’t that right, Tinkerbell?”

I halted midway up the porch stairs and whipped my head around, sending a glare down at him. “Call me names all you want. You have no effect on me,” I declared, though my heart betrayed my words, each beat a traitorous echo of his name.

He grinned at me. “It wasn’t an insult, Tink.”

Looking up at me, his enchanting brown eyes twinkled with flickers of green reminiscent of the pixie whose name he bestowed upon me. I wondered if they were putting me under the same spell as the drink dubbed the green fairy. I could feel my view shifting as I looked back at him. A near-overwhelming intoxication gripped me as his scent enveloped me, intertwining with my senses.

I paused when the faint scent of sea salt and coconut mixed with his scent. The mixture added to the already intoxicating scent, making him even more alluring and leaving me curious. Why did that scent seem so right paired with his scent? Why did I like it even more?

“Excuse me for not trusting names you decide to bestow upon me,” I said. “Based on the lessons I have learned from our past, I am now well-equipped to steer clear of them.”

“We aren’t kids anymore, Tinkerbell. Have you thought about giving me the benefit of the doubt? The last time we saw each other, we worked well together. Remember?”

I scoffed and turned away. “One event in history doesn’t rewrite the rest of the past, Brady,” I said, yet his proximity was a flame, and I, a moth, perilously drawn to it.

“But the past shouldn’t dictate the future either,” he persisted, his hand reaching out, an offer with a plea entwined in his touch.

“It should... if I don’t want history to repeat itself.”

His hand stretched out and grasped mine, preventing me from reaching for the door handle. I felt a burning desire in my chest to touch his skin. That all too familiar ache in my chest throbbed against my ribs.

Ever since arriving here, the pains of rejection had become an increasingly familiar sensation. It felt like the pain would subside only when I caught a whiff of his scent, but as I resisted the temptation to touch him like I am at this moment, the yearning always came back with a vengeance.

“I’m not going to go away. Fighting against The Fates is not something I intend to try. I can see that ache in you. I feel it too. Just give me a chance,” he implored, his usual facade cracking, revealing the man beneath the confidence.

I smirked and finally moved my gaze from his hand to those Medusa eyes. “All I hear is that all my pain from our childhood is finally coming back on you. Keep feeling that pain, Brady. I’m strong enough to handle my own pain.” I lied, my words a fortress I built around my wavering heart.

I shoved his hand out of the way and went into the packhouse. I didn’t stop when Diana waved at me. Didn’t stop when Alma came out of her room with a fresh pack of cigarettes and asked me where Diego was. My feet continued to move until I reached my room and could close the door safely behind me.

My back pressed against the door, and I let out a deep sigh. I pressed my hand to my chest as I focused on my breathing. Inhale. Exhale. Breathing helped with the pain. At least enough for me to manage the ache.

It was a bit of a stretch, telling Brady I could handle the pain. I had been sure, but it wasn’t getting any easier. If anything, it was getting harder and harder to resist. My hope was that once my training was done here, and I returned to San Diego, the distance would help ease the torture.

I heard my phone receive a notification from the bedside table where it was charging. I had left it there while I went to pick up Diego from school. I reluctantly left my door after making certain it was locked and picked my phone up to find a new message from my alpha.

Nyte: What is going on? Why do you want to come home early?

Me: I told you. My time is better spent helping you and Paige.

Nyte: I talked to Alpha Orion and Beta Edwardo. They say you are doing well, but they still have some things to teach you. Aside from your training, Diego still has a lot to learn and his family only agreed to send him because you were going to be there with him.

Me: Is this your long-winded way of telling me no?

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